Practice Lead

Job Description – Practice Lead

Location: Greenview

Line managed by: Residential Manager/Assistant Manager

Salary: £34,003.50 (inclusive of on call)

Hours of Work: 37.5 hours per week

Employee Benefits:

• Enhanced Overtime rates at Easter, Christmas and New Year
• Private Medical and Dental cover**
• Access to electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Access to Blue Light Card Scheme offering significant high street savings
• Long Service Recognition Award
• Employee referral scheme (£300)
• Auto enrolment in compliant pension scheme
• Attendance awards (2 x 6 monthly £750 draw, 1 x Annual £1000 draw)
• Free PVG check
• Fully paid and accredited suite of training
• Access for all new staff to 'Head Start', a proprietary induction programme supporting new staff introduction to the role and the sector
• Meals on shift, free parking on 'site', employee recognition, team building and celebration events.

Job Purpose

To assist the management team with the effective and efficient management of the house, with a focus on leading practice and mentoring staff. Practice Leads will perform a key role in supporting and enhancing understanding around children’s rights and their involvement in all aspects of their own care planning and development of their home.

The Role:

As a member of the wider management team the Practice Lead performs a key role in leading and developing the practice of Residential Childcare Workers through coaching and mentoring to ensure the needs of children and young people are being met and that they are experiencing a positive journey throughout their time with Phoenix Abbey and onwards. The Practice Lead should be passionate about ensuring children’s rights are upheld and always respected by colleagues and being confident in challenging when necessary and appropriate. The post holder should be comfortable and confident around safeguarding and child protection in both recognising concerns and processes. It is important that the Practice Lead uses their won knowledge and experience to support the learning of others, whilst continuing their own learning and development journey within the organsiation.

Practice Leads should have at least 2 years residential childcare experience for the post, hold a minimum HNC and SV3 in Social Care (or equivalent) and have a clear understanding of the Health and Social Care Standards, relevant current national guidance and legislation, and the outcomes of the Independent Care Review and the Promise.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• To provide a supervisory and mentoring role to residential child care workers
• Responsibility for practice development of the care team including allocated supervision and performance management of staff.
• To ensure that the care team have the skills, knowledge and ability to care for children and young people effectively.
• Ensuring that staff understand and are fully aware of the daily routines of the home.
• To support on call arrangements as a member of the management team.
• Assist with management tasks including finance, fleet, environment and Health and Safety, staffing matters including absence, recruitment, training, and development.
• Support in HR related matters including investigation and disciplinary matters where required.
• Contribute to the maintenance and improvement of standards.
• To keep up to date with new theories that underpin your practice, while sharing any knowledge that enables continued learning of the residential task.
• Contribute to and complete professional reports within agreed timescales.
• Contribute to assessment and care plan arrangements, participating in reviews and other meetings as necessary, for young people which promotes and maximizes the ability of families to care for children in their own communities and be able to evidence your ability to appropriately advocate for our young people.
• Ensure both local authority and internal care plans are in place and that staff fully understand their role and expectations placed upon them.
• Chair, or participate in meetings and reviews, as and when required.
• Ensure strategies and interventions that enable young people to experience positive outcomes are shared with your colleagues.
• Arrange and attend meetings with schools/further education as required.
• Responsibility for ensuring and promoting the safeguarding of any young people that you may encounter.
• Work in accordance with Phoenix Abbey vision and aims
• Work within the policies and procedures established in the home and those of Phoenix Abbey
• Ensure that all staff are aware of their roles and responsibilities in relation to the Health and Social Care Standards
• Ensure that all staff are made aware of the variety of intervention strategies to work with children and young people in our care.
• Ensure that the standards expected in the delivery of care are upheld and the standing of the Phoenix Abbey is maintained.
• Ensure that young people receive appropriate advocacy and that their rights hold paramount importance.
• Take the lead in ensuring an open culture is created for both staff and children/young people. Everyone should feel comfortable discussing any issues arising, suggestions or complaints through appropriate and available channels.
• Be alert to the signs of distress, abuse, bullying or intimidation within the house and signs indicating any concern around activities outside of the house.
• Ensure that all staff work within a non-discriminatory environment and embrace diversity. This environment and culture of inclusivity extends to young people and staff and may consider gender, ethnicity, sexuality, race and religion, amongst others.
• Work within the code of confidentiality and ensure that records in the house are stored in a manner which is compliant with regulations.
• Undertake and participate in any relevant training scheduled. This can include areas of specific interest in line with personal development and arranged in conjunction with your line manager. This should also include maintaining appropriate levels of post registration learning to satisfy SSSC conditions.
• Deputise in the absence of the management team, where necessary.
• Ensure staff fully understand the role of a key worker and make sure systems are in place for the delivery of this practice.
• Promote and actively encourage the professional development of staff, through positive role modeling and supervision.
• Ensure that all administrative requirements of the house are maintained in such a way that they are compliant with good childcare practice, house procedures, Phoenix Abbey policies and Health and Social Care Standards.
• Ensure staff are aware of and deliver the support required to ensure the life chance opportunities of the young people for their social, educational, leisure, emotional, physical, and cultural needs are met. Care should be taken to involve families on this journey where appropriate.
• Safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people.
• Promote and actively encourage the delivery of a safe, structured and nurturing environment.
• Where required be involved in the staff recruitment process.
• Provide cover to other Phoenix Abbey residential houses when required.
• You must cooperate in complying with the Health and Safety requirements and are therefore expected to follow Company policies, to acquaint yourself with the Fire, Health and Safety Procedures at your place of work and carry out relevant risk assessments of unsafe practices and conditions that present a safety risk. In turn, you should also ensure that colleagues and young people are aware of basic health and safety/fire procedures to maintain safety around the house.
• The post holder may be expected to undertake other duties commensurate with the level of responsibility that may be allocated from time to time. It is the responsibility of the post holder to comply with Equal Opportunities requirements at all times.
• Any other reasonable management instruction

The Company reserves the right to vary duties and responsibilities at anytime within legal notification frameworks, however, not outside what is considered reasonable to the original post.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: £35,271.00 per year

Benefits:

• Casual dress
• Company pension
• Cycle to work scheme
• Discounted or free food
• Employee discount
• Health & wellbeing programme
• On-site parking
• Private dental insurance
• Private medical insurance
• Referral programme

Schedule:

• 12 hour shift
• 8 hour shift
• Day shift
• Night shift
• Overtime

Application question(s):

• Do you have a minimum of SVQ3 and HNC in Social Care or equivalent?

Licence/Certification:

• manual driving license (required)

Work Location: In person

Application deadline: 09/08/2025
Reference ID: PL2