Social Work Practice Improvement Mentor

Salary: £52,618.27 – £58,261
Hours: 37 hours per week
Contract: Fixed-term until 31 March 2022

As the Social Work Practice Improvement Mentor you will work as a confident practice mentor to challenge and support frontline staff and managers to improve practice across children’s social care, building on best practice in line with the improvement plan 

You will act as a champion of good practice, modelling, recognising, celebrating and sharing good practice across the workforce to develop a learning environment and a respectful culture of professional challenge.

You will proactively identify the learning needs of practitioners and managers across the workforce, developing and delivering learning opportunities for personal and professional development to improve outcomes for children.

For this role you will need to be Social Work England registered.

Main Accountabilities

• Improve the quality and consistency of social work practice acting as a critical friend to social workers, practitioners and managers at all levels.
• Implement a range of effective methods to drive up and improve the quality of practice; to include but not be limited to: coaching, mentoring, consultation, 1-2-1 training, peer learning, workshops and training on discrete topics.
• To support the delivery of the Improvement Plan, focusing on key actions arising from this plan and targeting support where necessary to groups or individuals.
• Identify key themes for improvement and feed into the evolution of the improvement plan, supporting the Practice Development and Transformation Project Lead in developing targeted work packages to embed learning across the organisation.
• Link into the findings and outcomes of quality assurance activity (including complaints and compliments, voice of the child and user feedback), and ensure these are embedded into practice as part of developing an ongoing culture of learning and reflection.
• Support individuals and groups to “close the loop” on quality assurance activity, providing one to one and group follow up and re-visit as required to ensure learning is fully embedded.
• Build the skills, knowledge and experience of frontline staff in the use of the Liquid Logic ICS system to improve practice and outcomes for children and young people.
• Undertake observations of practice where this will assist practice development, providing targeted support and enabling feedback to make positive changes to practice.
• Work alongside the Quality Assurance Service to model a collaborative style of auditing completed alongside the practitioner to aid their learning and ensure reflection and action become embedded whilst incorporating the views of service users in the audit process.
• Model best practice and develop systems to ensure the feedback from the children, families, and professionals continue to improve practice and enhance their voice in planning and decision making.
• Provide targeted support to all managers who will be required to carry out audits to improve the consistency of audits and their impact on outcomes for children.
• Know and understand “what good and outstanding looks like” and translate to other individuals in ways which meets their learning styles.
• Provide high quality reports and presentations to senior management regarding practice findings, the work undertaken to address and the impact of this work to close the loop strategically, ensuring reports include analysis of data and trends.
• Work with other practice colleagues and HR to influence staff training and professional development opportunities based on audit outcomes and practice improvement work to meet emerging priorities, future priorities and practice requirements.
• Work with staff and managers to ensure that there is a culturally sensitive approach to the way in which we work with families and children in Slough that recognises diversity and is agile in our response to the divers communities we serve
• Be up to date with current and developing legislation, national and regional developments and key drivers which shape and influence contemporary social work practice as they relate to the service area and share this knowledge with practitioners through training and direct support.
• Support the review and refresh of the company operational model and ensure this is linked to research, professional practice theories and approaches to working effectively with children and families.
• Support the Head of Service for Safeguarding and Quality Assurance to fully embed quality assurance activity and enable swift and easy reporting across relevant systems to support performance, improvement and practice.
• Work flexibly in undertaking the duties and responsibilities of this job, and participate as required in company and multi-agency groups where this will influence practice and with the agreement of the post’s line manager.

Person specification

Education, Training & Experience

• Professional Social Work Degree or equivalent (Essential)
• Social Work England registered (Essential)
• Practice Educator (PEPs 2) (Essential)
• Higher Degree; Masters degree; Bachelors degree + qualification; NVQ level 5 or equivalent; including all chartered professions and postgraduate qualification (Desirable)
• Evidence of management development in the form of a recognised management qualification (Desirable)
• Proven knowledge and application of childcare legislation, statutory guidance and relevant Social Care and Health policy and practice in relation to the provision of services (Essential)
• Significant (at least five years) post qualification experience in a social work role managing complex and diverse cases (Essential)
• Proven experience of managing teams and developing individual and team performance to ensure good outcomes for children (Essential)
• Evidence of knowing what good looks like and how have driven forward practice improvements with visible impact as a result (Essential)
• Proven experience and ability to thrive in a complex environment, demonstrating resilience and supporting frontline staff to do the same (Essential)
• Proven experience of driving forward practice improvements with evidenced impact of this work (Essential)
• Project Management qualification (Desirable)

General & Specific Knowledge

• Ability to promote and maintain a high standard of evidenced based professional practice through modelling good practice, sharing latest research and learning, and motivating others to perform at their best (Essential)
• Expert communicator with an understanding of adult learning and the ability to disseminate information, constructive feedback and challenge in different ways to meet the learning styles of individuals (Essential)
• Proven coaching, mentoring and training skills (Essential)
• Ability to plan and prioritise workload within a flexible work environment with a high level of autonomy and modelling workload management skills to others (Essential)
• Proven ability to gather, analyse and review complex and/or contradictory information quickly and effectively, using it to reach informed decisions to offer sound professional and managerial advice and decide a course of action (Essential)
• Ability to support staff to develop accessible ways of effective working which engages and involves service users in their plans (Essential)
• Familiar with systemic and relationship based models of practice (Essential)
• Have a good understanding of and ability to use IT systems, including case recording systems (Liquid Logic), Microsoft Office, virtual meeting platforms (Zoom and Blue Jeans) and secure remote working systems (Essential)
• Acceptance and commitment to the principles of human rights and equality and how they underpin practice (Essential)

Apply online

If you would like to apply for this post, please use the application form to submit your CV and apply online. Once submitted we will be in touch shortly to discuss your application. if you have any questions, please email recruitment@sloughchildrenfirst.co.uk. The deadline for submitted applications is 5pm on Monday 31 May.

Good luck!