Head of Practice

We are recruiting for a Head of Practice to be part of our senior leadership team covering the Hampshire & Dorset area. If you join us, working closely with the Assistant Director, you will play a pivotal role in helping fulfil our strategic ambition for children where Cafcass is involved - exceptional experiences, for every child, everywhere and every time. If this ambition resonates with you, let us tell you more about the role, what we're looking candidates to demonstrate and what you can expect if you join us. Let us tell you a bit more about the role… As a Head of Practice, you will draw on your considerable, professional Social Work experience to lead and inspire those around you to ensure the delivery of high-quality services and practice. You will set high standards and combine this with high levels of support so the Service Managers you line manage can create the conditions for our Family Court Advisers, who engage directly with children and families, to deliver exceptional experiences. Reporting directly to an Assistant Director - who will typically have leadership responsibility for 2-3 service areas - you will lead on internal practice improvement as well influence local delivery partners while also working on a mix of strategic and operational matters. By ensuring Cafcass priorities, policies and plans are delivered to the highest possible standard, you and your teams will deliver positive outcomes for children and young people going through significant events including care proceedings, adoption and parental separation., The office(s) within this operational service area are Bournemouth and Portsmouth and we would expect you as a Senior Leader to have a presence not only for formal meetings but to also generally model the importance of staff using office spaces to connect and collaborate. Therefore, whilst you don't necessarily need to live in close proximity to the office(s) this may be something for you to consider. We are a diverse, inclusive organisation that is a safe space for colleagues with shared aspects of identity and lived experience, which helps ensure we provide a service which promotes the diversity and uniqueness of children and families from all backgrounds. We especially welcome applications from people from diverse backgrounds as we strive to ensure our workforce reflects the diversity of the children and families we work with. We provide extensive wellbeing support for colleagues, as well as excellent benefits, all of which we hope encourages you to join us. Further information is available on the 'Working for us' pages of the Cafcass website. Next steps / timelines If and when you are ready to apply, our application process is straightforward and quick to complete. You don't need to complete your application in a single visit, you can start it and come back and amend your responses / update your CV, just make sure you come back before the closing date to submit. Below we have given you an indication of a timetable we are hoping to work towards, although dates are subject to change., We were established by section 11 of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 (the Act) and operate in accordance with the law set by Parliament and under the rules and directions of the family courts. Our principal functions, as set out in section 12 of the Act, relate to family proceedings where the welfare of children who are subject to family proceedings is or may be in question, are to:

• Safeguard and promote the welfare of children;
• Give advice to the family courts;
• Make provision for children to be represented; and
• Provide information, advice and support to children and their families.
What we do - the role of Cafcass We were established by section 11 of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 (the Act) and operate in accordance with the law set by Parliament and under the rules and directions of the family courts. Our principal functions, as set out in section 12 of the Act, relate to family proceedings where the welfare of children who are subject to family proceedings is or may be in question, are to:
• Safeguard and promote the welfare of children;
• Give advice to the family courts;
• Make provision for children to be represented; and
• Provide information, advice and support to children and their families.
  
  We are looking for someone who can demonstrate their experience and capability as a highly effective Leader who guides, influences and inspires others to consistently fulfil their responsibilities and to identify individual and collective opportunities for professional improvement.
You will also thrive on the responsibility of ensuring quality of practice and service delivery across the operational area is not only sustained but continually improved. You will be motivated to achieve performance standards by supporting Service Managers to ensure strong, consistent performance management behaviours and processes are embedded.

We represent the interests of children and young people in the family court. We independently advise the family courts about what is safe for children and in their best interests. We focus on their needs, wishes and feelings, making sure that children's voices are heard and are at the heart of the family court's thinking and decision making. For every child, whose current and future living arrangements are decided by the courts, we seek to provide an exceptional experience, everywhere, and every time. In this section of our website, you can find out more about us and the work we do.