Job Description

Role: Lead Therapeutic Practitioner

Salary: Up to £39,400 per annum

Contract/Hours: Permanent - 37 hours per week, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm (flexibility to work up to 7pm on occasion is essential) part time can also be considered.

Location: Cromford, Derbyshire

Benefits:

29 days annual leave PLUS bank holidays, with up to 5 additional days for continuous service and option to buy or sell leave
Gain professional qualifications and excellent training/development opportunities
Flexible maternity, adoption, and paternity/parental leave packages
Pension with up to 7% employer contribution with included life assurance cover
Staff discount portal and Blue Light Card eligibility with 15,000 national retailer discounts.
Excellent training package (All DECC Lead Therapeutic Practitioners will be trained in Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (Level 1 & 2 and Theraplay Level 1.)

Vulnerable children in the UK need your help. 

Wherever you work in the Action for Children family, you'll be helping to change the lives of the most vulnerable children in the UK.  

In 2024/25, we helped 551,400 children and families across the UK. From direct work in communities to national campaigning, we are focused on making sure every child has a safe and happy childhood, and the foundations they need to thrive.

Why Action for Children? 

Working here is more than a job. Everyone in the Action for Children family is passionate about protecting and supporting children. It's this sense of purpose that drives us every single day. We know that, when we work together, we can make a huge difference to bring lasting improvements to vulnerable children's lives.

About the Service

Action for Children Therapeutic Services provides a range of services within Derbyshire, the East Midlands and increasingly across the country. Within this, Action for Children are commissioned by Derbyshire County Council, Derby City Council and Derby/Derbyshire ICB to deliver an innovative therapeutic service: The DECC, targeted at improving the emotional wellbeing and resilience of children in care. Other areas of new growth include the provision of systemic therapeutic input within residential care settings, Harmful and Problematic Sexualised Behaviour services and bespoke complex therapeutic provision.

The service aims to improve the outcomes for children in care via a combination of systemic and direct therapeutic offers, drawing on a range of models, all of which are trauma and attachment informed. These include - Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy, Theraplay, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, creative therapies, reflective practice, systemic practice, among others.

Developing the knowledge, understanding and skills of social and health care professionals and carers, so they are better able to meet the needs of children and young people, also forms a significant part of delivery. Hence the service hosts regular consultation sessions and delivers reflective practice sessions for residential and social care teams. Training in trauma informed approaches, attachment, PACE and other relevant models will be provided for foster carers, social workers, and other professionals.

The service generally operates from 9 to 5pm with occasional scope for availability up to 7pm as children and carers require. Delivery is currently predominantly taking place within Derby and Derbyshire, however there is potential for travel within the East Midlands and across England and Wales to support other Action for Children services. We work both in-person and online.

The service has its primary base in central Derbyshire, in Cromford, with a satellite base in Derby City. There are three delivery teams consisting of Lead Therapeutic Practitioners which are currently a mixture of therapists and therapeutic Social Workers led by a Therapeutic Practice Manager. This is alongside a Clinical Team consisting of Psychologists and a Psychotherapist providing clinical oversight and supervision within the teams; and an Administrative team providing business support for the service. The services are led by a Children’s Services Manager and Clinical Lead.

How you'll make a difference:

Lead Therapeutic Practitioners will work directly with children and young people, parents, foster carers and residential care staff, providing a range of therapeutic models. The service offered will be delivered within the ethos of the underpinning model of Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy You will provide group/family and individual therapeutic interventions as required and training, consultation and reflective practice sessions with professionals and carers, within a range of settings and contexts.

You will apply your understanding of trauma and the impact of adverse childhood experiences on children and young people’s developmental needs in your work with children in care and their networks.
You will contribute to the assessment of children’s therapeutic needs as well as the development and review of therapeutic plans.
You will be responsible for meeting data collation requirements, updating systems and recording your work in a timely way.
You will support the emotional containment of carers and professional networks around children with complex needs.
You will offer consultation, training and other forms of support to enhance skills, understanding and confidence within the systems around children in care.
You will be supported to develop and share your expertise within our service and beyond.

Let’s talk about you:

A professional qualification in health, social care, youth and community work, teaching or a recognised therapy qualification.
A professional registration with HCPC or equivalent.
Experience of working with young people with complex emotional needs.
The ability to build and maintain relationships with young people / families / professionals who might be wary of engaging.
Experience of working therapeutically with families, professionals or children / young people.
Experience of being part of a network around a young person aiming to support change, working closely as part of a team that manages high risks at times.
Awareness and knowledge of how children / young people form attachments and how children learn.
Solid understanding of trauma informed practice and the impact of adverse childhood experiences on children and young people.
Ability to use individual and group supervision to enhance complex work with children and families.
Understanding or experience working with children presenting harmful or problematic sexual behaviours would be desirable.
Experience of delivering training is desirable.
Drivers licence and access to a vehicle is essential to be able to fulfil the needs of the young people

Contact: Jessica Jarvis – Recruitment Partner – via email Jessica.Jarvis@actionforchildren.org.uk reference- 13419

Diversity, equality, and inclusion

At Action for Children, we're dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace. We  actively  encourage  applications from Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic, and disabled candidates as they are under-represented within Action for Children. We want to take deliberate and purposeful action to ensure equal opportunity to all groups in society and for Action for Children.  

Male staff are under-represented within our Children Service roles. We would like to encourage more male applicants for our Children Services Roles.

Want to know more about Action for Children? 

Find us on, Linkedin, Facebook or YouTube to get to know us better.

See below for further information about working with us:

Action for Children Employee Benefits

AfC Commitment Statement

Action for Children's story

Make a Difference - A Career in Residential Services