The role is open to aspiring and experienced practitioners, who are looking to extend their current continuing professional development portfolio. You will need to be enthusiastic, committed to your own and others’ practice development to ensure that service users receive the best possible response to their problems. You need to have completed your ASYE and aspire to attain the  experienced social worker level under the PCF (or you maybe there already).

Each social work team will have different needs in relation to Practice Leads however most teams should have Practice Leads in the following areas:

• Attachment
• Digital practice
• Domestic abuse
• Drug and alcohol work and mental health
• Equality and diversity
• Life Story Work
• Motivational Interviewing
• Neurodiversity
• Reunification
• Trauma informed
• Voice of the Family

Each area will have a different approach but all will involve regular Lead meetings, the opportunity for additional training and the expectation that you will go on to support the broader development of your colleagues by providing:

• Providing peer consultations as appropriate to your level of expertise
• Facilitating training.

For more information about what’s involved contact the member of staff who leads the specialism as indicated on the next tab: How do I become a Practice Lead? 

The first stage is talk to your manager as part of your continuing professional development /appraisal to discuss whether the role is right for you in your current development needs, if the role is required in the team (there may be already be a Practice Lead in that area but could be room for more than one).

If the answer is yes then you should contact the practitioner who runs the programme in your chosen specialist area of interest – see Single Source for details.