Senior Family Help Practitioner (PAFFT) (3 Posts)

Salary details: £ - £

Senior Practitioner – Parenting Assessment and Family Time (PAFT)
(3 posts – High Peak & Chesterfield / Bolsover, North East Derbyshire & Amber Valley / Erewash & South Derbyshire)

Exciting opportunities have arisen within Children’s Services for dynamic and experienced practitioners to take on the role of Senior Practitioner within our Parenting Assessment and Family Time (PAFT) Teams.

These are key roles within Family Help, leading the delivery of high-quality parenting assessments and family time arrangements across designated localities. The posts will provide professional leadership and supervision to Parenting Assessors and Family Time Assistants, ensuring that work is evidence-based, outcome-focused and centred on the safety and wellbeing of children.

You will work closely with the Head of Service for Family Help, Children’s Social Care, Legal and wider partners to ensure that parenting assessments and family time arrangements are delivered effectively, safely and to a high standard, including where work informs court proceedings.

What will I be doing:

Providing professional leadership, supervision and support to Parenting Assessors and Family Time Assistants.

Overseeing the allocation and management of parenting assessments and family time activity across the locality.

Ensuring the effective delivery of family time arrangements that promote safe, positive relationships between children and their families.

Quality assuring parenting assessments to ensure they meet required standards and align with policy and the East Midlands Parenting Assessment framework.

Working in partnership with Children’s Social Care, Legal and other agencies to support effective decision-making, including within pre-proceedings and court processes.

What skills and experience do you need to have:

• Considerable experience of working with children and families with complex needs
• Experience of supervising staff and managing practice and performance
• Strong understanding of parenting assessment, family time and safeguarding practice
• Experience of quality assuring assessment work and supporting high standards of practice
• Ability to analyse risk, apply evidence-based approaches and develop effective plans with families
• Strong understanding of child development, parenting capacity and risk/protective factors
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to work sensitively with families and professionals
• Ability to manage competing demands and maintain a clear focus on the child’s needs
• Strong report writing and IT skills, including producing work for court and formal processes

If you would like an informal conversation about this role, please contact Chris Caley, Head of Service for Family Help at chris.caley@derbyshire.gov.uk

Closing date for applications: 7 June 2026
Interview date: mid-June 2026

Due to this post having access to children and/or vulnerable adults, the successful candidate will be required to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service check. The possession of a criminal record will not necessarily prevent an applicant from obtaining this post, as all cases are judged individually according to the nature of the role and information provided. Click here to see our policy on criminal background checks.

Apply now and take the first step towards a fulfilling career with us! By joining Derbyshire County Council you will have access to a range of amazing rewards and employee benefits, including our generous annual leave scheme, excellent local government pension and fantastic employee discounts. To discover more detail about the rewards and benefits available to you, click here

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We welcome applications from individuals who share our values — being Collaborative, Innovative, Empowered and Accountable. These values describe who we are and what we stand for as a council. They help shape our culture, encourage consistent behaviour and guide how we work together to make a positive difference for both our employees and the residents we serve.