Job number
LBC04925
Contract Type
Fixed Term / Secondment
Posting End Date
4 June 2026
Job Area
Children's Social Care
Salary: £42,839 - £46,142 a year pro rata plus £5,500 market supplement allowance and £963 essential car user allowance (subject to criteria)
Hours per week: 37
Contract type: Fixed Term for 6 months
Join us as a Senior Practitioner and play a leading role in transforming the lives of children and young people. At LBC, you’ll champion our values, standards, and commitment to excellence, ensuring every child placed with our foster carers has the opportunity to thrive in a safe, supportive, and nurturing environment.
This is a rewarding opportunity for an experienced social work professional who is passionate about achieving positive outcomes and delivering high-quality practice within a supportive and forward-thinking team.
In this role, you will:
- Manage a varied and complex caseload requiring a high level of professional expertise and decision-making.
- Lead on the recruitment, assessment, and ongoing support of foster carers.
- Deliver training, guidance, and development opportunities to help foster carers provide the best possible care.
- Promote safeguarding, stability, and positive experiences for children and young people.
- Ensure practice is delivered in line with legislation, statutory guidance, and fostering regulations.
- Champion best practice, innovation, and continuous improvement across the service.
You’ll be instrumental in building strong relationships with foster carers, partner agencies, and colleagues to create lasting positive change for children and families. Your leadership, knowledge, and commitment will help shape a service that is ambitious, child-centred, and focused on excellence.
Please note this role does not attract sponsorship.
We’re looking for an experienced and passionate social work professional to join our fostering team and help achieve the best outcomes for children and foster families.
You’ll bring substantial post-qualifying experience, strong professional judgement, and the ability to manage complex situations with confidence and compassion.
In this role, you will:
- Deliver high-quality fostering support, assessments, and reports.
- Build strong relationships with foster carers, colleagues, and partner agencies.
- Advocate effectively for children and young people.
- Contribute to service development and continuous improvement.
- Work in line with current legislation, national guidance, and best practice.
We’re looking for someone with excellent communication and organisational skills, a proactive and reflective approach, and a commitment to high-quality social work practice.
Applicants must hold a recognised social work qualification (DipSW, CQSW, or equivalent) and be registered with Social Work England.
Our ambitious Luton 2040 Vision – that no-one in Luton will have to live in poverty – is at the heart of everything we do. We recognise that our people are remarkable, talented, committed and passionate about serving our residents.
The people of Luton depend heavily on this council – and that means our workforce! Are you ready to realise the remarkable and help us deliver our vision?
We welcome applications from all sections of the community and are committed to developing a workforce that reflects the diversity of our borough
Because of the nature of this job, it will be necessary for the appropriate level of criminal record disclosure to be undertaken. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare all unspent cautions and convictions; and also any adult cautions (simple or conditional), and spent convictions that are not protected as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020). A person’s criminal record will not in itself prevent a person from being appointed to this post. Applicants will not be refused posts because of offences which are not relevant to, and do not place them at or make them a risk in, the role for which they are applying. However in the event of the employment being taken up, any failure to disclose such offence, as detailed above, will result in dismissal or disciplinary action by the Authority.
We offer a range of excellent staff benefits which include:
- From 25 to 32 days’ annual leave: linked to length of service and grade
- Buying annual leave scheme: buy up to 20 days additional annual leave
- Career Pathways: step up in your career or move into a specialist area
- Pension scheme: with generous employer contributions of up to 19.2 per cent (at April 2026) and 3x salary death in service grant
- Generous relocation package: up to £8,000 (subject to eligibility)
- Employee Assistance Programme: a free, 24/7 confidential counselling and wellbeing support service available to all employees, their partner or spouse and dependent children over 16 still living at home
- Work/life balance: flexible working options including working from home where possible. We welcome requests for flexible working arrangements including part-time hours and alternative working patterns
- Training and support: unlimited access to development courses, mentoring and support and clear career pathways
- Staff offers: includes discounts on your MOT, gym and fitness, restaurants and salons
- Arriva Travel Club: great value savings on local bus travel
- Friday Funday Socials - One Friday every 2 months where we encourage our staff to get together to socialise after work
