Locum Safeguarding Advanced Practitioner

Advanced Practitioner (Children’s)

Brief Job Overview

 
We are looking for a confident and experienced Advanced Practitioner to join North Tyneside Council’s Children’s Services, working within our Safeguarding and Cared for Children Teams.  

This is a pivotal role where you’ll provide professional leadership, mentoring, and high-quality social work practice to support children and families across North Tyneside. You’ll act as a role model for good practice, supporting less experienced social workers while managing a smaller, complex caseload yourself.  

Your work will help ensure children and young people receive timely, effective, and compassionate support — enabling them to achieve safety, stability, and positive long-term outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead on complex cases within Safeguarding and Cared for Children Teams, ensuring high standards of assessment, planning, and intervention.
• Provide professional supervision, guidance, and mentoring to less experienced practitioners, helping them develop their confidence and capability.
• Support the Team Manager in promoting best practice, consistency, and reflective supervision across the team.
• Work collaboratively with children, families, and multi-agency partners to achieve safe and sustainable outcomes.
• Deliver robust, evidence-based assessments and clear care or protection plans that are child-focused and outcome-driven.
• Contribute to the development of social work practice, promoting learning, innovation, and continuous service improvement.
• Champion relationship-based and trauma-informed practice across the service.
• Prepare and present reports for child protection conferences, looked-after reviews, and court proceedings as required.
• Maintain accurate, analytical, and timely records in accordance with statutory responsibilities and North Tyneside Council’s procedures.
• Model resilience, reflection, and professional integrity in all areas of work.

About You

 
You are an accomplished Social Worker with substantial post-qualifying experience within Children’s Services, particularly in safeguarding and looked-after children work. You bring sound professional judgment, strong leadership qualities, and the ability to inspire and support colleagues.  

You’ll be passionate about achieving the best possible outcomes for children, using creativity, empathy, and evidence-based approaches to guide your work. Your commitment to developing good practice and sharing your expertise will be central to your success in this role.

Requirements

• Qualified Social Worker registered with Social Work England.
• Substantial post-qualifying experience within Children’s Social Care, ideally within Safeguarding or Cared for Children settings.
• Proven ability to lead, mentor, and support other practitioners effectively.
• Strong understanding of Children’s Social Work legislation, policies, and statutory frameworks.
• Excellent communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage complex cases and work collaboratively across multi-agency partnerships.
• Commitment to reflective practice, supervision, and continuous professional development.
• Resilient, flexible, and committed to promoting a child-centred approach in all aspects of practice.

Contract & Salary

• Job Type: Locum
• Location: North Tyneside Council
• Service Area: Children’s Services – Safeguarding and Cared for Children Teams
• Contract Length: 3 months (with potential for extension)
• Salary: Negotiable, dependent on experience
• Working Hours: Full-time, 37 hours per week
• Working Pattern: Hybrid / Office-based as required

How to Apply

 
If you are an experienced and motivated Social Worker ready to take on an Advanced Practitioner role within a supportive and forward-thinking council, we’d love to hear from you.  
Please apply using the form on the page.