Therapeutic Practitioner (Part-Time)

Family Care are a family-owned social care provider. We have been providing therapeutically informed care and education for children and young people since 1988. We work with a determination to create environments which enable traumatised children and young people to take their first steps towards recovery.

Our therapeutic services team work closely with all staff members through consultation and reflective practice sessions to support them in the therapeutic care they provide our children and young people. Through our consultation model we aim to empower staff and foster carers, support self-reflection, promote safe practice and develop an appreciation of the life journey our young people have been on. In doing so, we have adopted the Secure Base model as our practice model, this model underpins all practice across Family Care.

This is an exciting opportunity to work within a therapeutic team and join an organisation that has a strong reputation for providing therapeutically informed care. The successful candidate will work across our Midlands based fostering team in Penkridge, South Staffordshire and at our school in Macclesfield, Cheshire.

As the Therapeutic Practitioner you will offer therapeutic support to our foster carers and the fostering team drawing on trauma and attachment informed approaches to offer support and explore therapeutic parenting strategies that meet identified needs within our fostering households. You will also provide consultation support and reflective practice to our education staff within a school setting.

Family Care Group is committed to supporting every child and young person in our care, providing an inclusive, nurturing, and safe environment. As part of our team, you’ll be encouraged to grow professionally, with access to regular training and development. This role offers the opportunity to make a genuine difference, helping to shape better futures for vulnerable young people.

This is a part-time, term-time only position, working 15 hours (2 days) per week, working across two sites.

Main duties and responsibilities

• Offer therapeutic support time to individual foster carers through our Team Around the Child pathway (TAC) – providing reflective space and trauma and attachment informed therapeutic care/parenting support
• Provide consultation and therapeutic support time to Education staff around supporting children and young people within our adopted therapeutic model, the Secure Base Model
• Facilitate reflective practice sessions with staff and teams to provide support within our adopted therapeutic model
• Implement observation sessions to support and inform practice
• Be responsible for keeping accurate and GDPR compliant records
• Facilitate and/or attend a variety of meetings as required
• Liaise with internal and external professionals
• Support the delivery and development of company-wide training
• Be an active participant/contributor to the oversight of assessment and tracking processes and report writing
• On occasions, deliver individual therapeutic work with children and where appropriate, children and carers
• Any other duties that are reasonably required by Family Care and the Therapeutic Services team

What we’re looking for:

• Hold a relevant therapeutic or counselling qualification (i.e. Psychotherapy, Play & Creative Arts Therapy etc.)
• Post qualifying experience of 2+ years working therapeutically with children, young people and families.
• Have a good working knowledge of trauma informed and attachment-based approaches and experience of working with parents/carers/professionals supporting children to recover from developmental trauma
• Have an understanding of children’s mental health, neurodevelopmental conditions and child development
• Ability and experience in assessment, formulation and report writing
• Be registered/governed with an accredited body (i.e. HCPC, PTUK, BACP, etc)
• Share a commitment to equal opportunities in all work practices and to improving the lives of children in care
• Hold a valid UK driving licence and have access to your own car
• An enhanced DBS will be required upon appointment

Why work for us?

This is a fantastic opportunity to support the on-going development of our Fostering and Education Services where your contributions will directly impact on the care and education we provide our children and young people.

What we offer:

• Salary: Up to £39,016 per annum (full time equivalent)
• Training and professional development opportunities
• Access to Paycare and Employee Assistance Programme
• Contributory Pension
• Long Service Rewards
• Sick pay after the qualifying period

Family Care is committed to safeguarding and always promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects the post holder to share this commitment. In order to meet this responsibility, we follow Safer Recruitment practices to ensure we select the suitable candidates.

All offers of employment are subject to safeguarding checks, both an Enhanced DBS check and comprehensive references will be carried out. We are permitted to ask whether an applicant has any convictions, cautions or reprimands or final warnings (spent or otherwise) under the current guidance, as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (exceptions) Order 1975. Please note that disclosure of a criminal background will not debar you from employment.