Advanced Practitioner

About The Role
Job Title:Advanced Practitioner - Social Care Academy
Hours:37
Salary:HC10£44,711 - £48,710 (plus £5,000 market forces supplement £49,711 - £53,710)
Welcome payment: £10,000
Relocation package of up to £10,000 available
Contract:Permanent
Location:Herefordshire

Closing Date: 10 August 2025

Come and join us on our Restorative Journey of Improvement to gain the best for children and families in Herefordshire
The role
We have a vacancy for an Advanced Practitioner to join our Social Care Academy. This is an exciting opportunity to join our developing team and contribute to creating a safe and supportive, yet challenging, learning environment for Herefordshire's work force. You will be supported by an established team with a strong commitment to relationship-based practice, flexible working and professional development.
As an Advanced Practitioner in the Social Care Academy you will provide coaching, mentoring, training and support to less experienced team members including practice learning for apprentices and student social workers, and newly qualified social workers (NQSWs) in their Assessed and Supported Year of Employment (ASYE). You will lead on areas of practice development and training within the wider service, and support with the implementation of our practice standards, quality assurance framework, professional values, policies and procedures.
You will also be supported in and expected to identify areas for your professional development through attending training, learning from latest research and good practice, keeping apprised of current statutory guidance and legislation, and hearing from the experiences and feedback of children and families. You will also be supported in and expected to share your learning experience with other practitioners and managers through such methods as in person or virtual training sessions, e-learning modules, videos, podcasts, or any new ideas you create or have experienced.
To find out more about this post and working in Herefordshire Children's Services please contact the Social Care Academy Manager, Katy Straughan via email -
We Offer
A competitive salary, generous holiday entitlement, and access to our contributory pension andstaff benefits scheme, which includes:

• Advanced Practitioner basic salary: £44,711 - £48,710 per annum
• Market rate supplement: plus £5,000 per year
• Welcome payment£10,000 for experienced social workers joining our children's teams (see attached guidance)
• Relocation packages:support of up to £10,000
• PensionScheme Enrolment in the Local Government (LGPS)
• Professional development:protected time and budget to support social workers develop themselves and their careers. We have a diverse and comprehensive training offer in place to support you in your role.
• Career progression:clear pathways toprogress and supported by the Social Care Academy to be a work based supervisor with the potential to become a Practice Educator as a development pathway.
• Generous Annual Leave:31 days' annual leave (pro rata) plus bank holidays. You can also purchase an additional 10 days per annum
• Flexible working:flexi-time, job-share, part-time hours and, in some instances, home working
• Employee Assistance Programme:24/7 access to support and counselling
• Payment ofprofessional membership fees

Pick your perks- our benefits include access to a range of retail, leisure, holiday and health benefits. This includes savings, cash back and discounts.
Herefordshire is a beautiful, historic county located in the heart of the Marches on the border with Wales. We are one of the most rural and sparsely populated counties in England with a wealth of unspoilt countryside, distinctive heritage, and lively and attractive market towns.
Our priority in Herefordshire is to keep children safe and give them a great start in life.It's the priority for the council, our partners and for all of us who work with Children & Young People.
How do we do this?By having dynamic, dedicated, passionate and professional staff who work in a culture that focuses on what we can achieve with children, what they can achieve themselves, and the relationship we build with families and partners to enable this.We have invested heavily in training and developing staff in our relational practice approach with our improvement partner Leeds City Council, so it's an exciting time to join Herefordshire - we believe in investing in you so you can be the best you can be!
Herefordshire has a really strong team ethos. Our teams are passionate about the work they do and the positive difference they and the teams they are in make to people's lives.This is all underpinned by the focus and support from their managers and the council as a whole.
We will deliver better support to our most vulnerable children and their families, develop stronger relationships with partners across the region, and beyond.
Come to Herefordshire and join the journey.
Herefordshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children & young people and vulnerable adults. If you are offered this position, it will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service enhanced check and further pre-employment checks.
The following candidates will be interviewed if they meet the essential criteria for the post they are applying for:

• Those who indicate that they have a disability. This is part of our commitment to the "Disability Confident" scheme.
• Those who indicate in their supporting statement that they serve in the Armed Forces, whether Regular or Reserve, those who have served in the past, or their families. This is part of our pledge to support the Armed Forces Covenant;and
• Those who indicate in their supporting statement that they are a Herefordshire care leaver. This is part of our commitment to supportingyoung people leaving our care.

We will deliver better support to our most vulnerable children and their families, develop stronger relationships with partners across the region, and beyond. Therefore, we take our commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults seriously and expect all of our staff, visitors and volunteers to share in this commitment.
Please refer to the Job Description and Person Specification for more details of this role.
To apply, please submit your CV and complete thesupporting statement within the application form, referring to the job description & person specification,detailing how you meet the specific requirements of the role.

About The Company
The Council plan sets out how we will make our contribution to achieving a better and more successful Herefordshire, please see the link below to find out more:
Herefordshire Council Plan 2024-28