Consultant Practitioner-Kinship & Permanence Service | Reading

Are you an experienced Children's Social Worker with a strong background in Kinship Care, Special Guardianship, Connected Persons Assessments, Fostering or Permanence Planning?

Reading Borough Council is looking to appoint a skilled Consultant Practitioner to join its Kinship & Permanence Service, playing a key role in securing safe, stable and long-term family placements for children in care.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced practitioner who enjoys complex assessment work while also supporting service development and mentoring colleagues.

• Complete Viability Assessments, Regulation 24 Assessments, Full Kinship Foster Carer Assessments, Special Guardianship Order (SGO) Assessments, and Private Fostering Assessments.
• Produce high-quality, evidence-based assessment reports with clear recommendations.
• Present assessments to Fostering Panels and provide professional evidence within Court Proceedings where required.
• Support and prepare Kinship Carers, Connected Persons Carers and Special Guardians to provide safe and stable placements for children.
• Provide direct support and guidance to Regulation 24 carers looking after children in Reading's care.
• Chair Placement Planning Meetings and Placement Support Meetings.
• Lead on service development projects and contribute to improvements within the Kinship & Permanence Service.
• Mentor, coach and support less experienced Social Workers and colleagues.
• Deliver training and practice guidance relating to permanency planning, kinship care and adoption.
• Undertake quality assurance work, case audits and support preparation for Ofsted inspections.
• Build strong working relationships with families, carers, courts and multi-agency professionals.
• Ensure safeguarding concerns are identified, managed and escalated appropriately.
• Maintain accurate case recordings and ensure compliance with relevant legislation, policies and procedures.

• Social Work England Registration.
• Significant post-qualified experience within Children's Services.
• Experience completing Kinship, Connected Persons, SGO, Fostering or Permanence Assessments.
• Strong report writing and analytical assessment skills.
• Experience presenting to Fostering Panels and/or Court.
• Ability to manage complex cases and work autonomously.
• Excellent multi-agency working and communication skills.

• Reading Borough Council
• Hybrid Working (Minimum 3 days per week onsite)
• £42 per hour

If you are interested in discussing this opportunity, please send your CV or get in touch today.

Adarsh Parihar
Senior Recruitment Consultant | Eden Brown Synergy

Eden Brown Synergy is an equal opportunities employer.

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