Senior Practitioner - Practice Development

Practice Development Lead | Birmingham Children’s Trust

Position: Practice Development Lead
Team: Service-Wide Practice Development
Contract: Locum
Hours: 37 hours per week
Pay Rate: £33.30 per hour
Location: Lifford House, Birmingham
Start Date: Within 1 month
Working Pattern: Hybrid

Contact: Emily Cooper – 07745200325 | ecooper@sheldon-phillips.com

Sheldon Phillips are working with Birmingham Children’s Trust Learning Academy who are seeking a Practice Development Lead to work across the whole of Children’s Services. This role will support staff at all levels – not just ASYEs or students – to embed recent Social Work reforms, improve practice standards, and strengthen service delivery. Initially based within the Front Door/Assessment service, you will later move to other key areas such as Safeguarding and Child Protection.

What You Can Expect:

• Based at Lifford House, Birmingham with hybrid working arrangements

• Opportunity to work across all areas of Children’s Services

• Focus on implementing new Social Work reforms and improving practice

• Initial secondment to Front Door/Assessment service before moving to other teams

• Collaborative, supportive working environment
   

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Support and coach Social Workers and managers across the service

• Lead on the implementation of recent Social Work reforms

• Identify areas for practice improvement and deliver targeted support

• Work closely with teams to develop and embed best practice approaches

• Provide guidance, feedback, and mentoring to enhance service quality

• Collaborate with managers to ensure practice aligns with statutory guidance and service priorities

• Monitor and review the impact of practice development initiatives
   

Requirements:

• SWE Registration

• Social Work qualification

• Substantial post-qualified experience, ideally across multiple service areas

• Knowledge of current Social Work reforms and best practice standards

• Proven ability to coach, mentor, and develop others

• Strong communication, influencing, and problem-solving skills

• Flexible and adaptable to work across different service areas
   

If you’re an experienced Social Worker with a passion for improving practice and supporting colleagues across a whole service, this role offers a unique opportunity to make a real impact.
 

Contact Details: Emily Cooper – 07745200325 | ecooper@sheldon-phillips.com