Job Introduction
Bradford Children and Families Trust is expanding and developing the Care Leavers Service and is recruiting Practice Supervisors to support the delivery of excellent relational practice and outcomes for Bradford care leavers.
Care leavers face significant barriers and challenges. They often leave home younger than their peers, without consistent family support, and navigate independence while dealing with the impact of adverse childhood experiences, abuse, and trauma, compounded by instability in care. Sadly, care leavers statistically face poorer long-term outcomes compared to their non-care experienced peers. They are less likely to be in education, employment, or training, and are disproportionately more likely to suffer from long-term mental health conditions, be overrepresented in the adult homeless population, and the population of adults in custody.
About the Role
Bradford Children and Families Trust Care Leavers Service aims to change this narrative. We want our care leavers to succeed and thrive. The Practice Supervisor role is crucial in our mission to achieve this by driving excellent practice standards to improve outcomes for care leavers. You will be passionate about working restoratively with care leavers and children in care by building strong relationships and supporting personal advisors in developing their skills to engage care leavers and get the best outcomes for them in adult life.
In this role, you will:
- Contribute to the development of the Care Leavers Local Offer across Bradford and be supported to develop practice expertise to reduce disadvantage and improve outcomes for care leavers, such as practice expertise in supporting separated child migrants and care leavers at risk of exploitation.
- Not have your own caseload, allowing you the time and capacity to focus on practice development. W
- Support quality assurance, offer reflective supervision, and peer supervision.
- Drive actions in pathway planning and care planning to ensure our plans and support positively impact the lives of children in care and care leavers.
- Be an aspiring Manager.
- You will collaborate with Care Leavers Service Managers and the Principal Social Workers to support excellent practice with Personal Advisors, Social Workers, developing students and the wider workforce.
- Be involved in a range of practice development activities, including direct support, consultation, guidance, coaching, and mentoring less experienced staff.
- Be involved in delivering training events and activities across the service and with partners, including peer mentoring.
- Work with the service management team to foster a reflective learning culture by modelling good practice and sharing your knowledge, expertise, and practice experience.
To do this role you will have:
- Effective communication and teamwork skills for effective multi-agency collaboration.
- The ability to engage care leavers, their families, and carers to inform assessments and interventions.
- Up-to-date knowledge of trends, policies, regulations, and safeguarding relevant to care leavers.
- You will act as an expert in good practice, act as a consultant for others, advising on the most complex situations and taking the lead where necessary on complex assessments or planning.
- Be adaptable and committed to excellence, always prioritising the needs of care leavers in your decision-making.
- Enthusiasm, drive, and determination to addressing the most complex challenges faced by care leavers.
The Practice Supervisor role is busy with diverse challenges, but the rewards are tangible. Our management team provides continuous learning, development, reflective supervision, and a focus on health and wellbeing, enabling you to grow, develop, and progress throughout your career. If you are an experienced social worker looking to progress, this is the opportunity for you!
We welcome applications from experienced social work practitioners with experience working with children social care and from practitioners with experience working in adult social care. Working with care leavers spans the transition from children’s to adulthood and we are very keen to hear from applicants that can demonstrate knowledge of transitional safeguarding.
Key Role requirements
- Role as Practice Educator
- Oversight and support to personal advisors, social workers, ASYE’s and students.
- Reflective supervision.
- Mentoring and modelling good practice.
- Practice Observations.
- Quality assurance – providing support for written work, dip sampling as identified and monthly audits.
- Practice obsession – driving forward learning and practice improvement in these core areas alongside dip sampling with practitioners each month.
- Supporting practitioners / co-allocation for complex matters.
- Delivering training with L and D colleagues.
- Oversight of performance to support TM and practitioners.
- Link in with partners.
- Practice champions for key areas.
You must have:
- You must hold an appropriate professional qualification (degree, Dip SW, CQSW, or equivalent) and be registered with Social Work England upon starting the role.
- Additionally, you should have completed Practice Educator Level 1 or 2 or be willing to work towards this.
- Have a full driving license and car available for work (unless a disability prevents this).
Benefits of working for Bradford Children and Families Trust
- £3000 retention bonus per annum paid in 12 monthly payments of £250
- Generous employer contributions in a Local Government Pension Scheme
- Competitive salary and pay progression structure
- Real living wage as the minimum rate of pay
- Supportive carer and parental policies
- Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave
- Access to Occupational Health and confidential counselling services
- Supportive staff networks
- Access to Blue Light Card discounts
- Professional development/support
- Career progression
- Enhanced annual leave entitlement
- Social Worker Registration fees paid
- Flexible working / hybrid options subject to service need
About Us
Bradford Children and Families Trust was established in April 2023 to enhance the quality and delivery of Children’s Services across our district. Our purpose is clear, to ensure that our promise to improve the lives of children and young people in Bradford becomes a reality. It is a tough ask. It requires dedication, determination, and resilience – but under a new Chief Executive, Senior Leadership team and an unswerving drive to deliver the best outcomes, we are confident that we will achieve our ambition – and you, yours. So, if you are up for the challenge, we would love to hear from you!
Want to know more?
If you would like to know more about the role, the recruitment process or working for Bradford Children and Families Trust feel free to contact Cairine Doyle-Morrill at cairine.morrill@bradfordcft.org.uk to arrange an information conversation about the role.
Please review our Job Profile
The closing date for applications is Sunday the 6th July 2025.
Bradford Children and Families Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all employees to share this commitment.
If shortlisted, you will be required to disclose relevant information regarding criminal history prior to interview.
A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check including a check against the Children’s barred list, will be conducted on preferred candidates.
The Code of Practice on the English language requirement for public sector workers, Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016 requires that Councils ensure that all candidates applying for customer facing posts must be assessed in order to establish their fluency in English. The criteria under special knowledge and experience on the job profile which is shown in this advert outlines what level of fluency you will be expected to demonstrate. Therefore, it is essential that you provide examples in your application.
We are an equal opportunity employer dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We welcome applications from everyone, especially underrepresented groups like disabled individuals, care experience, and minority ethnic communities. Your unique perspectives are important to us.
We strive to ensure our recruitment process is fully accessible. If you have a disability and need any reasonable adjustments during the application or interview stages, please contact us and we can discuss how we can support you.
