Consultant Practitioner - Family Assessment

Posted 19th Sep, 2025
Location
Croydon
Salary/rate
£55,323 – £57,402 pro-rata
Working pattern
Part-time – 36 hours per week
Working arrangements
Blended
Contract type
Permanent
Closing date
18th Oct, 2025
Incentives

This role is subject to a £5,000 welcome payment and a £2,500 retention payment.

About the role

Croydon Council is seeking a Consultant Practitioner to provide leadership of practice through exemplary direct work and development of staff within Family Assessment. This expert practitioner will directly deliver positive safety and well-being outcomes for children whilst supporting other staff to develop their level of practice and expertise, growing confidence in their practice.

The successful candidate will be required to work in the office 3 days per week. As a role model for the team, you will demonstrate effective engagement and relationship building, case holding, analytical and continuous assessment, high standard of report writing and case recording, making professional judgements and recommendations based on assessment and review. Key responsibilities include:

  • Delivering exemplary direct work with children and families
  • Supporting and developing staff within the team to enhance their practice
  • Maintaining high-quality case records that evidence engagement with children and families
  • Contributing to the quality assurance framework through quantitative, qualitative and outcome information
  • Acting as a role model through professional judgement and assessment skills

This role supports Croydon Council's priority to ensure children and young people in Croydon have the chance to thrive, learn and fulfil their potential. To apply, please submit your application through the council's recruitment portal.

About you

We are looking for an experienced social work professional who can provide expert leadership and practice development within our Family Assessment team. You will need proven experience in senior social work practice and a commitment to delivering positive outcomes for children and families. The ideal candidate will:

  • Have experience as a Senior Social Worker, Senior Practitioner or similar role
  • Be a qualified Social Worker registered with Social Work England
  • Possess knowledge of national policy, strategy and developments regarding children's social care
  • Demonstrate knowledge of relevant legislation, statutory guidance, standards and procedures
  • Have understanding of theoretical frameworks, practice models and research findings
  • Show knowledge of models of reflective supervision that impact on practice and outcomes
  • Be able to maintain high-quality records evidencing engagement with children and families

Foundation level systemic practice qualification and Practice Educator or Practice Teacher qualification would be desirable. Croydon Council is an inclusive employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. This post is subject to an Enhanced DBS check.

About Croydon

Home to 94,000 children, Croydon is a truly unique place to practice social work. We are a borough with big ambition, grit, and determination. Children's social care was judged ‘good’ in our last Ofsted inspection.

Our systemic practice framework places emphasis on relationships as key to supporting change for families. We make sense of the world through relationships, focusing on the whole family system and thinking about our own part in that too – what we bring, our own family stories and beliefs, how we use ourselves in the work that we do. Our practice model is all about collaboration - with our families, networks and partners; being open to challenge and ensuring our practitioners are highly trained in a variety of intervention approaches.  Our established clinical service will support you to grow your own systemic practice within the service, providing accredited training, co-working and direct work with families.   

Benefits of working with Croydon

  • You will be valued for your skills and expertise, supported by the team of experienced professionals, as well as the management at Croydon Council, one of the largest employers in the borough. We also offer:
  • Highly competitive compensation package
  • Accredited Systemic Practice training
  • A range of CPD opportunities
  • 29-31 days (grade equivalent) annual leave in addition to Bank Holidays and option to purchase more
  • A pension scheme with an average employer contribution of 20%
  • Continuing Professional Development – genuine opportunities to grow, develop and specialise in your career
  • Management development programmes
  • Investment into your wellbeing
  • Access to Employee Discount scheme with a range of programmes (Cycle Benefit Scheme, GymFlex, Retail Discounts and more)
  • We promote flexible & hybrid working arrangements where possible to support a healthy work-life balance

What makes Croydon special is our people – both within the council and throughout the borough.

  • Choosing to practice social work in Croydon will give you opportunity to develop, grow, thrive, and strive; it is not just a job but a career. Here are some of the reasons our colleagues like working at Croydon:
  • Our team consists of experienced, dedicated practitioners
  • We meet regularly to make sure everyone we work with has the support and knowledge needed to make a difference and be the difference to our families, communities and colleagues
  • At Croydon relationships matter and we are about strong partnerships and working together to make lasting positive change
  • We are an established team who can help you settle in and offer their expertise
  • You will have the support of an extremely knowledgeable understanding manager
  • You will have access to a busy, buzzy, committed workforce and work environment Opportunities to work from home and work flexibly provides you with more work-life balance
  • Opportunities to think together with your manager about career development
  • Support to help you grow, develop, learn and lead

For an informal chat about working in Croydon, contact Agata Stolowska at agata.stolowska@croydon.gov.uk