Senior Practitioner – Looked After Children

Job Summary: Senior Practitioner – Looked After Children (LAC)

Sanctuary Personnel is seeking an innovative and dedicated Senior Practitioner to join a permanent Looked After Children Team in Luton. In this advanced social work role, you will manage a complex caseload involving children at risk, those subject to care proceedings, and child protection plans. Beyond direct casework, you will act as a pillar of clinical excellence, providing peer supervision and mentoring to support Team Managers in driving high-quality practice across the borough.

Key Responsibilities

• Complex Caseload Management: Take lead responsibility for high-risk cases and children within care proceedings, ensuring all legislative and safeguarding requirements are met.

• Clinical Leadership: Support Team Managers by providing peer supervision, mentoring junior staff, and deputising during manager absences to maintain service excellence.

• Holistic Assessment: Conduct accurate, professional assessments of need and risk. Critically analyse information to lead multi-agency safeguarding strategies.

• SMART Planning: Develop, implement, and monitor effective care plans, ensuring they are reviewed through consultation with professional colleagues and service users.

• Advocacy & Participation: Build strong relationships with children and families, utilizing direct work to ensure their voices, wishes, and feelings are central to all decision-making.

• Information Management: Maintain high-quality, GDPR-compliant case files within the Liquid Logic management system, ensuring all records are updated within strict timescales.

• Professional Development: Commit to reflective practice and ongoing learning through the Social Work Academy and Research in Practice to stay current with legislation and best practices.

Requirements

• Qualifications: A recognized Social Work degree or equivalent.

• Registration: Must be currently registered with Social Work England.

• Knowledge: A deep understanding of relevant legislation (e.g., The Children Act 1989/2004) and current court rules.

• Experience: Proven experience in managing complex safeguarding cases and evidence of Continued Professional Development (CPD).

Salary and Benefits

• Salary: Up to £46,034 per annum (Permanent).

• Flexibility: Full-time and Part-time hours are available.

• Culture: Join a recruitment agency recognized for “Best Candidate Care” and a strong commitment to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI).

• Support: Access to regular supervisions, check-ins, and reasonable adjustments if required during the recruitment process.

Employer Information

• Agency: Sanctuary Personnel

• Location: Luton, United Kingdom

• Contact: Lucy Pearson

Market Context: Senior Social Work Salaries (2026)

Senior Practitioner roles carry significant responsibility, reflecting the complexity of the cases and the requirement for clinical leadership within the team.

Note: Salaries in Luton often include additional market supplements or retention payments specifically for Children’s Services roles to reflect the high demand for specialized practitioners.

Sanctuary Personnel is a highly specialized, award-winning recruitment agency focused on the health, social care, and public sectors. While their primary headquarters is in Ipswich, they have a massive operational presence in Luton, frequently acting as a key recruitment partner for local authorities (such as Luton Borough Council) and NHS trusts in the region.

They operate as an “umbrella” firm for several niche brands—including Sanctuary Social Care, Sanctuary Health, and Sanctuary Executive—placing professionals into critical roles like Social Work, Nursing, and Criminal Justice. Their culture is defined by a “people-first” philosophy, emphasizing ethical recruitment, diversity, and extensive candidate support through dedicated clinical governance and in-house payroll.

Key Company Highlights

Why They Stand Out in Luton

• Local Authority Partnerships: In Luton, Sanctuary is often the primary agency for Social Work roles (Referral & Assessment, Child Protection, and Adults’ teams). If you are looking for a social work position in the borough, you will likely encounter their consultants.

• Streamlined Compliance: They manage all compliance, references, and training in-house, which is particularly helpful for candidates entering highly regulated fields like healthcare or safeguarding.

• Direct PAYE Focus: Unlike many agencies that push umbrella companies, Sanctuary offers a reliable in-house PAYE system, often including “Daily Pay” options for locum workers to improve financial flexibility.