Senior practitioner jobs

ID: 1685 Senior Practitioner, LifeSkills Intensive

Service: LifeSkills

Salary:

- Starting at £28,884 FTE per annum, rising to £31,698 FTE per annum (pro rata for corresponding part-time hours).

- Additionally, £480 home-based allowance FTE per annum

Location: Stockton-on-Tees/Middlesbrough

Hours:  18.5 - 25 hours per week available per role
We offer flexible working arrangements – but regular face to face delivery is required. Please see below for more details.

Contract: Permanent

Family Action & the Role’s Impact:

At Family Action we support people through change, challenge or crisis. It’s what we’ve done for over 150 years. We protect children, support young people and adults and offer direct, practical help to families and communities.

We see first-hand the power of family to shape lives, for better or worse, so we speak up for the

importance of family in national and local policymaking, amplify family voices and represent the changing needs of families in the UK today.

This is an exciting opportunity to join our expanding LifeSkills Intensive team.  You will offer supervision and management oversight to support workers primarily in your geographical area. You will be able to retain your practice experience and hold a small caseload and will be part of a wider supportive LifeSkills team.

LifeSkills supports individuals and families to build their confidence, social networks, financial and employability skills.  LifeSkills Intensive provides 1-1 support to those that are furthest away from employment, education and training.  This service is funded by our corporate partnership with Barclays.

Main Responsibilities:

· To line manage and supervise support workers in your specific geographical area.

· Support with the management of referrals into the service, both in terms of service promotion and also decision making /allocation.

· To oversee and develop the service offer and ensure that this is having a positive impact.

· To hold a small caseload, delivering regular face-to-face support.

Main Requirements (for details check the job description and person specification):

· Experience of supervising, coaching ,mentoring or supporting practitioners

· A sound understanding of safeguarding issues.

· Strong communication skills and aptitude for building relationships

· Appointments are subject to Family Action receiving a satisfactory disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service –Enhanced

Benefits:

- an annual paid leave entitlement that commences at 25 working days, rising each April by one day, subject to a maximum of 30 working days plus bank holidays / of 30 working days plus bank holiday pro rata

- up to 6% matched-pension contributions

- flexible working arrangements and new starters have the right to make flexible working requests from day one of employment

- enhanced paid sick leave and paid family leave provisions

- eye care and winter flu jabs vouchers

- cycle to work scheme

- investing in your professional development with ongoing quality training and career development opportunities

We are forward looking, ambitious and committed to continuous improvement. We are a people focused, can-do organisation, which strives for excellence in all we do and operates with mutual respect.

To Apply:

· Click the “Apply Now” link below and fill out our digital application form

· Closing Date: Sunday 15th February, 11.59pm

For direct queries or if you would like to discuss any aspect of the selection process or flexible working requests, please email: Claire Berwick or Kirsty Treen

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion:

We are happy to consider any reasonable adjustments that candidates may need during the recruitment process and you will be asked whether you require any adjustments if shortlisted for interview. We also make reasonable adjustments on the job, where required.

We are committed to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion in all that we do and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Intersectionality is important to us and we particularly welcome applications from ethnically diverse communities, LGBTQIA+ candidates and disabled candidates because we are committed to increasing the representation of these groups at Family Action. We know that greater diversity will lead to even greater results for families and children and strive for our workforce to be truly representative of the diverse communities we support. We offer a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the role, and will reimburse your travel cost if you attend an interview.

*Ordinarily Family Action appoints new starters at the starting point of the salary scale (with subsequent annual pay progression), unless you have experience that would justify appointment further up the salary scale or there are any other exceptional reasons.

Overview

Change Grow Live are a charity dedicated to the belief that we can make a difference to our Service Users lives, offering support and respect in a safe environment, treating each user as an individual and working with them to find the right treatment and care options.

Our core values are ‘Be open, be compassionate and be bold’ and our team members apply these daily to achieve our mission of helping people change the direction of their lives, grow as individuals, and live life to its full potential.

Are you passionate about supporting young people and shaping education-based interventions? We are looking for a Senior Practitioner – Education & Partnerships to lead strategic engagement with schools, colleges, and community partners across Buckinghamshire. This is a unique opportunity to combine frontline expertise with leadership in developing targeted education programmes and partnership work.

Where: Buckinghamshire (Countywide)

Full Time Hours: 37.5 per week

Full Time Salary Range: £32,002.35- £34,214.20*

*Please note: Full-time hours at Change Grow Live are 37.5 hours per week. For part-time roles, the salary and payments will be pro rata based on contracted hours. 

Responsibilities

Key Responsibilities

• Act as a practice lead within our Children & Young People’s Service, working with young people with complex needs.
• Drive the development and delivery of substance misuse prevention and early intervention programmes in educational settings.
• Build strong relationships with schools, PRUs, youth services, and voluntary organisations.
• Represent the service at education forums, safeguarding panels, and partnership boards.
• Line manage the Targeted Intervention Coordinator and oversee the Youth Ambassadors programme.
• Provide training and consultation to professionals on issues facing young people around substance misuse.
• Deliver high-quality interventions for young people with complex needs, including assessments, care planning, and psychosocial support.
• Lead education-focused initiatives such as targeted ter 2 workshops and interventions.
• Develop resources and toolkits for schools and youth settings.
• Ensure accurate data collection and reporting for educational interventions.
• Support the Team Leader with case management, audits, and service development.
• Champion safeguarding and trauma-informed practice across all activities.

About You

We’re looking for someone who is:

• Experienced in multi-agency working and building strong partnerships.
• Knowledgeable about young people’s substance misuse, safeguarding, and harm reduction.
• Skilled in delivering education programmes and managing staff or volunteers.
• Qualified to Level 3 in Health & Social Care (or equivalent). 
• You will need to work flexibly countywide across Buckinghamshire so must hold a full UK driving license and have access to a car.

 What we Offer 

• 25 days holiday (+ bank holidays) rising by 1 day for each years’ service “Capped at 30 days” 
• Paid ‘Wellness’ hour each week along with a ‘Wellness’ hub and Employee Assist Programme 
• Contributory pension scheme 
• A great selection of benefits incl. discounts for shopping, cinema, holidays, etc. 
• Opportunity to lead and shape a vital service alongside a friendly and supportive team 
• Training, career development & progression opportunities 
• Refer a friend scheme.

Please ensure that when completing your application form and supporting statement, you reflect on the details outlined in the job description. This will help us understand how your skills and experiences align with the requirements of the role.

Direct applications only — we will not be engaging agencies for this vacancy. 

Please note: This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Applicants must already have the right to work in the UK at the time of application. For applicants with time-limited visas, unfortunately, we are unable to support new visa applications or extensions. 

We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if we receive a high number of applications, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible. 

Salary Range (pro rata if part time)

CGL points 28 to 30 (£32,002.35 - £34,214.20)

ILW / OLW /Fringe

N/A - Outside London Weighting Area

Closing Date

19/2/2026

This post is subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check at an enhanced level.