In Barking and Dagenham, as a Council, they say their approach to front line practice with children and families is more of a way of being, an ethos, a culture, rather than a social work "model". It is a way of being, doing, thinking as practitioners, as managers, as leaders - how we work with children, young people, families, each other, and our partners.

The Council is seeking to have one single Practice Framework across Targeted Early Help and the Children's Social Care, which are two separate departments within the Council, as well as partner agencies, such as Education/schools: the Police and Health. Work has already commenced in outlining what our values and practice principles are, through consultation with Council staff only but not partner agencies.

Their priority is to develop a Practice Framework and roll this out across our Targeted Early Help and Children's Social Care teams in the first instance, and then to Partner agencies, as part of a phased approach.

Across Targeted Early Help and Children's Social Care, our 'practice approach' is to be underpinned by the evidence base of relational, strengths and trauma informed practice. As well as several supporting 'practice approaches', that can be factored into day-to-day practice, depending on the nature of the work with families e.g. contextual safeguarding, restorative, safe and together, transitional safeguarding, and New Town Culture. Training has not consistently been rolled out to Council staff, as to adopting these approaches, and therefore we will need a workforce development and training plan to achieve this

The Practice Standards for Children's Social Care will need to be refreshed taking learning from a recent Ofsted focussed visit. These standards are to be incorporated into a single document within the Practice Framework.

Their Practice Framework will need to include a workforce development and training plan; the tools and processes that underpin their work; management oversight; quality assurance; and how we are going to align theirr framework to the recruitment and retention of staff for example.

They are seeking a Practice Framework Lead, who will work in partnership with both of our Targeted Early Help and Children's Social Care services to finalise the Practice Framework document; develop an implementation plan and lead on rolling it out. Following a plan for co-producing our Practice Framework with Partner agencies will need to be developed , supporting it's wider roll out.

To assist the Practice Framework Lead, in the engagement of partners, a new interim Family Hub Implementation lead and EH Programme Manager, will support this.

1. Finalise the Practice Framework that is to include the following: Practice Standards, practice tools and processes; approach to workforce development and training; outline how our practice framework is to inform our recruitment and retention; outline guidance for management oversight, reflective supervision and how the evaluation of practice is to take place and specify how our practice is going to be evidenced, assessed and timescales for doing and how this will support deliver improved outcomes for children and families.
2. Develop a SMART implementation plan
3. Lead the implementation across Targeted Early Help and Children's Social Care, in the first instance and inform the approach for roll out to partner agencies, as part of a second phase of work. As to implementation, for Targeted early help and social care staff, we are seeking all staff to understand the values, principles and approaches and have worked through the application in practice (see how they can apply it within their own cases), making it real for them. Staff are to know how to access training and continued professional development and be aware of the expectation as to evidencing best practice; how to engage in reflective supervision and how their practice will be evaluated. Our managers and leaders are to be clear of what is expected of them as to management oversight, how to lead reflective supervision and how they too will be evaluated and be supported to do so and lead by example

If you are interested in this role please send your updated CV in the first instance.