About The Role
THERAPEUTIC & EMOTIONAL SUPPORT SERVICE (TESS)
TESS Therapeutic Senior Social Worker
Full-time posts at 36.5hrs
GRADE D
TESS is Birmingham Children's Trust's emotional wellbeing and therapeutic service for children in care, care experienced young adults (up to age 25), unaccompanied asylum-seeking young people, and their parents and carers. Our work spans assessment; a wide range of individual, dyadic and group interventions; consultation; and care-network support.
The Early Support pathway within TESS provides timely, short-term therapeutic intervention and early relational support aimed at strengthening placements, stabilising care responses, and supporting the emotional needs of children and young people at the earliest possible point.
We are also seeking candidates to support our Under 12s Project, which focuses on helping children aged 12 and under transition from residential settings into stable, family-based care.
This part of the service is fast-paced, creative and highly relational. Practitioners offer:
• Short-term, focused therapeutic work for children and young people
• Early relational support to parents, carers, and residential teams
• Consultation and guidance to the broader network around the child
• Advice on care responses, emotional regulation and trauma-informed practice
• Collaborative early formulation to guide planning, stabilisation and future intervention
• Flexible and brief interventions designed to reduce escalation and promote placement stability
This is a unique opportunity to apply therapeutic social work skills in an early-help, preventative model, ensuring that emotional needs are recognised and responded to early, effectively and compassionately.
We are seeking a skilled, compassionate Therapeutic Social Worker to join the Early Support pathway within TESS. This role combines direct therapeutic work with parents/carers and children, short-term interventions with young people, and trauma-informed consultation to the professional and care network.
If you are passionate about relational practice, early help, and trauma-informed support, and you want to grow your therapeutic practice while remaining closely connected to frontline work, this role offers both challenge and reward.
As a TESS Therapeutic Social Worker, you will:
• Deliver high-quality, trauma-informed, attachment-focused interventions
• Provide early and brief therapeutic support to children, young people, parents, carers and residential staff
• Offer consultation, advice and emotional support to the care network
• Contribute to therapeutic assessments, early formulations and care planning
• Use creative engagement approaches including play-based, relational, and non-traditional methods
• Support emotional regulation, resilience and stabilisation
• Work collaboratively across multi-agency networks-including social care, health, education and residential services
We are looking for practitioners who:
• Have experience supporting children and young people in care
• Bring (or wish to develop) therapeutic skills grounded in trauma-informed, attachment-based and relational approaches
• Feel confident working with emotional complexity, risk and uncertainty
• Value creativity, collaboration and reflective practice
• Can build strong, trusting relationships with young people, carers and professionals
• Are passionate about early support, short-term intervention, and consultative practice
• Are motivated by evidence-based practice and ongoing learning
We welcome applicants who bring curiosity, compassion, reflective capacity, and a commitment to developing their therapeutic practice.
Post holders will join a well-established, friendly and highly regarded multidisciplinary team, including clinical psychology, systemic family therapy, play and art therapy, and other therapeutic social workers trained in a range of therapeutic approaches (e.g. DDP, CBT, DBT, Foundations for Attachment).
We offer:
• Protected time for direct therapeutic work
• Access to training and CPD across established therapeutic models
• Regular individual and group supervision
• Strong staff wellbeing and reflective practice culture
• Leadership that values innovation, creativity and practitioner development
• A collaborative team ethos grounded in trauma-informed relational practice
This is a fantastic opportunity to be part of a unique, values-led service where creativity is encouraged and early support is central to improving outcomes for children, young people and their carers.
If you are positive, passionate and committed to making a difference, especially through early support, short-term therapeutic intervention, and consultative practice with carers and the wider network, we would love to hear from you.
We welcome applicants who can bring relevant models of practice, curiosity, compassion, and a desire to contribute to Birmingham's emotionally informed, trauma-aware care system.
In order to be considered for this role please include a supporting statement demonstrating how you meet the competencies required as outlined in the attached person specification.
For more information please contact Sherril Duffy, TESS Team Manager on; [email protected] or Lee Vince, TESS Head of Service on; [email protected]
About You
About Us
Help us to change children and young people's lives !
At Birmingham Children's Trust, we are committed to making a positive impact on the lives of over 10,000 children and young people in our city every day. Our mission is to support the most disadvantaged children and young people in Birmingham, ensuring they are safe, happy, and healthy.
Why Join Us?
• Impactful Work - be part of a team that makes a real difference in the lives of the city's most vulnerable children.
• Supportive Environment - enjoy a supportive and collaborative work culture where your contributions are valued.
• Career Development - benefit from tailored development programs, supportive supervision, and a range of learning opportunities to enhance your skills and advance your career.
• Generous Benefits - take advantage of our competitive reward package including generous leave allowance, Local Government pension scheme, and additional benefits.
Our Values
We approach our work with care and compassion, actively listening to the needs of the children and young people we serve. We involve them in the decisions that affect their lives, ensuring their voices are heard and respected.
We are committed to using our resources wisely, ensuring that every penny is spent where it counts the most. We foster collaboration among schools, health professionals, and the police, working together to create a supportive network for our young people.
We believe that when we work as one cohesive team, the children and young people of Birmingham are more likely to thrive. Our unified approach ensures that we provide the best possible support and opportunities for their growth and development.
Join us and together, we can create a brighter future for all.
Safeguarding
At Birmingham Children's Trust, we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.
Depending on the role, you may be asked to undergo the appropriate level of Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check to assess your suitability for working with children and young people.
The level of check (Standard, Enhanced, or Enhanced with Barred List) is determined based on the specific responsibilities of the role and the level of contact with children and young people.
We are committed to the fair treatment of all applicants, including those with criminal records. Having a criminal record will not necessarily bar an individual from working with us. This will depend on the nature of the position and the circumstances and background of the offence.
Please note that we reserve the right to close the job early should we reach the required number of applications, therefore please ensure you submit your application and supporting statement early to avoid any disappointment.
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