Children’s Home Practitioner

Organisation:  Royal Borough of Greenwich
Reference:  REC/19/00028
Salary Details:  £22956 - £30108
Additional Allowances:  N/A
Location Postcode:  SE18 6HQ
Job Term and Hours per Week:  Permanent; 35
Closing Date:  31 January 2019
 

“Thank you for your interest in joining the Broadwalk Children’s Home team.  Broadwalk Children’s Home, consistently rated as “Outstanding” by Ofsted, offers short and medium term residential care for up to five young people aged between 11 – 18 as well as an outreach service. It is an exciting time to join the team as we have recently re-organised the service to build on what we do really well; we have also created additional capacity so that we can develop new and innovative approaches to continue improving outcomes for children, young people and their families.

Here in Greenwich Children’s Services we believe that all children and young people regardless of their background or circumstances, should have a happy and fulfilled childhood where they learn, belong, grow and achieve so that they enter adulthood ready, willing and able to achieve their highest potential. 

Our ambition is to ensure we provide effective, efficient and safe services informed by the views and experiences of children, young people, their families, staff and our partners.  We want to work in purposeful collaboration and involvement with children, young people and families rather than working for or doing to people.

To achieve this, we need skilled, competent, confident, compassionate, motivated and creative staff who want to work in a culture of continuous learning, mutual support and challenge. 

If this sounds like you then we would like to hear from you.  We have a vacancy for a Deputy Home Manager and a number of vacancies for Children’s Home Practitioners that I hope will be of interest to you.” 

Florence Kroll, Director of Children’s Services
Debbie Forde, Registered Manager

Come and join us as a Children’s Home Practitioner!

 Are you passionate about improving outcomes for young people and driven to make a difference?

Are you motivated to learn?

Do you want a job that is rewarding and gives you a real sense of job satisfaction and fulfilment?

We are looking for Children’s Home Practitioners to assist, support and encourage young people to achieve their potential by responding to their individual needs and providing a safe, nurturing, caring and homely environment where issues and concerns affecting both their past and their future can be positively addressed and supported.  Through outreach support, our Practitioners also support young people and families with multiple and complex needs and deliver Staying Close provision for care leavers.

What’s it like to be part of the Broadwalk Team?

What Team members say:

“I am just as enthusiastic today as the first day I started. I love what this home stands for”

“We are young people-focused: nurturing and enabling them to be the best they can be”

What other professionals say:

“Going above and beyond to help young people”

“Committed and passionate”

“An excellent place for children looked after, and an excellent team”

“I continue to be impressed by this team and the impressive care and support it provides to young people”
 

What skills and experience will I need?

Along with a good working knowledge of the Children Act and the Quality Standards and Regulations for Children’s Homes, you will have significant experience of direct work with children and young people.

You will have the ability to develop positive and supportive relationships with young people and their families, carers and other professionals.  You will also have the skills to create a homely and appropriate environment for young people from a range of social, ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

You will need to be reliable, flexible and prepared to work unsociable hours, including evenings, weekends, bank holidays and sleep ins.

Our Career Progression Scheme 

We are committed to creating an organisational culture that encourages learning and development and we recognise the importance of providing all the necessary training and development for our workforce so that they can help children and young people achieve the best outcomes possible.

Our Children’s Home Practitioners are part of a Career Grade Scheme which recognises the increased capability of our staff as they develop and learn.

The level you would start at depends on your current experience and qualifications; the Person Specification outlines the requirements for each level in more detail.

What next?

If you feel you have the necessary background, experience and skills to undertake this role we would like to hear from you. 

Please include a supporting statement with your application, addressing how your skills, knowledge and experience would enable you to meet all aspects of the post, as outlined in the job description and person specification. 

For an informal discussion about this role please contact Debbie Forde, Registered Manager on 020 8921 4375.  If Debbie is not available please contact Queensley Uzomba, Project Manager on 020 8921 6253.

Royal Borough of Greenwich is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff to share this commitment. Any roles which involve working with children, young people or vulnerable adults, or roles in which the duties will involve access to sensitive information relating to children, young people or vulnerable adults, the Royal Borough will take up references prior to interview. You should provide details of referees including your current and previous employers, covering the last 5 years. Candidates can request for us not to send a reference request to their current employer prior to interview by emailing us at recruitment@royalgreenwich.gov.uk. As part of our Safer Recruitment Policy, a full employment history is also required for this role. Please provide a full employment history, together with a satisfactory written explanation of any gaps in employment. Unless otherwise stated, a Basic DBS check will be undertaken as part of the pre-employment checks for successful candidates.

Royal Borough of Greenwich values the diversity of its community and aims to have a workforce that reflects this. We therefore encourage applications from all sections of the community.

Royal Borough of Greenwich reserves the right to close any vacancy earlier than the advertised closing date should there be a high volume of applications received.

This role requires an Enhanced DBS.

All vacancies close at midnight unless otherwise stated

A full employment history is required for this role. Please provide a full employment history, together with a satisfactory written explanation of any gaps in employment.

This opportunity has recently been advertised as an opportunity for current RBG employees (internal only advertising). Applications received during the internal advertising period have been considered and processed. If you were interviewed for this position via an application to this job advertisement during the internal advertising period, any further application will not be shortlisted.

Each application is scored according to how well the supporting statement addresses each point on the Person Specification for the role. Candidates will be short-listed for interview on the extent to which they meet the specific points within the Person Specification. The Person Specification is supplied with the job advert. When completing your application, please use the supporting statement section to tell us how you meet each of the points on the Person Specification. We need to have this information in order to consider your application.