Adolescent Response Practitioner

Kent County Council's Adolescent Response Team (ART) provides specialist, non-case holding intervention to adolescents and their families during times of crisis. The team works intensively to prevent adolescents from entering care or experiencing changes to care arrangements, and to reduce extra-familial risks such as peer harm, exploitation, and community-based threats. Practice is rooted in Contextual Safeguarding, with a strong focus on mediation, de-escalation and stabilising family relationships.

We are seeking an Adolescent Response Team Practitioner to join the service, with flexibility to consider either full-time (37 hours per week) or part-time working.
This role is suited to practitioners with significant experience of working directly with adolescents and their carers, particularly in complex and high-risk situations. You will be a confident, solution-focused practitioner with strong mediation, conflict resolution and engagement skills, able to work effectively at times of heightened tension and instability.
A good understanding of Contextual Safeguarding is essential. You will be able to recognise how external risks impact adolescents and how these pressures can influence family dynamics and potentially lead to breakdown. You will work collaboratively with adolescents, carers, social workers and partner agencies to reduce risk and promote safety and stability.
This post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure Application to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
This post is considered by KCC to be a customer-facing position. The Council therefore has a statutory duty under Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016) to ensure that post holders have a command of spoken English/Welsh sufficient for the effective performance of the job requirements. The appropriate standards are set out in the Job Description/Person Specification.

About the Company
Work that works for you and us - let's talk flexibility!
KCC is committed to building a workforce which reflects the diversity of the county's working residents, encouraging applications from people of all ages, abilities, genders, sexual orientations, ethnic backgrounds, faiths and those with caring responsibilities, and aspires to create an inclusive workplace where everyone can be themselves at work.
Please note - if you are interested, please apply soon as possible as the closing date for this advert may be earlier than stated should a number of suitably qualified candidates apply.