Advanced Practitioner Social Worker
London Borough of Brent
Salary range: £48,003 - £51,138 p.a. inc. London weighting
- A £5000 ‘golden hello’ for Social Workers new to Brent, upon completion of their probationary period.
- An annual retention payment of £3000 for eligible frontline workers and managers from Grade PO2 – PO7
Contract: Permanent
Hours of work: 36 hours per week
Location: Civic centre and other locations from time to time
💡 Lead practice. Strengthen partnerships. Transform lives.
We are seeking a skilled and resilient Advanced Practitioner to join Brent’s SMART Team – a dynamic, specialist multi agency service working with adults experiencing multiple and complex needs.
The SMART Team brings together Social Workers, Support Workers, Housing Community Workers, Move On Workers, and Drug & Alcohol practitioners, working closely with health, mental health, housing, voluntary sector and partners to deliver coordinated, person centred responses.
Our work supports Brent residents affected by substance use, homelessness, mental health needs, physical disabilities, multiple disadvantage, and self neglect, using creative, trauma informed and proportionate interventions.
The Post
⚡ Practice leadership where it matters most
As an Advanced Practitioner, you will provide practice leadership, case oversight, mentoring and supervision, supporting high‑risk, complex cases requiring a coordinated multi‑agency response. You will play a key role in safeguarding, risk management, decision‑making, and driving high standards of practice across the team.
You will model excellent professional judgement, support staff to work confidently with resistance and disengagement, and ensure that care is delivered in line with Care Act principles, least‑restrictive practice, and strengths‑based approaches.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide practice leadership and case oversight for complex cases involving multiple needs (e.g. substance misuse, homelessness, mental health, safeguarding, self‑neglect).
- Support and mentor practitioners through reflective supervision, case consultation, and joint visits.
- Lead on risk assessment and multi‑agency planning, including safeguarding and complex risk panels.
- Ensure high‑quality assessments, care and support planning, recording, and reviews in line with statutory duties.
- Work collaboratively with housing, health, mental health services, substance misuse providers, police, probation, and the voluntary sector.
- Support service users who are resistant to engagement, ensuring trauma‑informed and respectful interventions.
- Contribute to service development, performance improvement, and embedding best practice across the SMART model.
👤 An experienced practitioner. A confident leader. A collaborative problem‑solver.
You will be a registered Social Worker with substantial post‑qualifying experience and a strong commitment to multi‑agency working.
You will bring:
- Extensive experience working with adults with complex needs (mental health, substance use, homelessness, safeguarding, disability).
- Strong knowledge of Care Act 2014, Mental Capacity Act, safeguarding duties, and related legislation.
- Proven ability to manage high risk, high complexity cases and support others to do the same.
- Excellent communication and partnership‑working skills.
- Confidence in supporting staff, challenging practice constructively, and driving improvement.
- Resilience, sound professional judgement, and the ability to remain calm and solution‑focused under pressure.
Why Join SMART?
This is a challenging but highly rewarding role, offering the opportunity to work creatively across professional boundaries and make a tangible difference to the lives of Brent’s most vulnerable residents. You will be part of a supportive leadership structure, with scope to influence practice, develop staff, and shape innovative responses to complex social care issues.
👉 Apply now and take the next step in your leadership career.
We know people achieve their best when they feel valued. At Brent, you’ll benefit from:
- Up to 33 days annual leave (depending on length of service) plus bank holidays
- Excellent pension with generous employer contributions (LGPS)
- Hybrid and flexible working options available for most roles
- Supportive family-friendly policies for parent, guardians, and carers
- Health and wellbeing support, including access to eye test support and a 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme
- Financial support such as education sessions, childcare deposit loans, and season ticket loans
- Travel perks including affordable parking nearby, a Cycle to Work scheme, and great onsite facilities
- Learning and development opportunities to help you grow your career
- Access to My Brent Rewards with exclusive discounts on shopping, travel, leisure, and entertainment
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested in this role, we advise that you apply as soon as possible.
If you are interested in applying for this job, please start by clicking the "Apply Now" button below. You must provide a supporting statement as part of your application that clearly shows how you meet the essential requirements on the Job description. We will accept a CV in support of your application, however, you should still provide a supporting statement.
Brent Council values the diversity of its community and aims to have a workforce that reflects this and therefore encourage applications from all sections of the community. We positively encourage all applicants to self-identify their characteristics in the diversity survey section in the application.