Job Description

Salary: £34,434 - £36,363 per annum

Hours per week: 37 hours

Temporary/Fixed term: 12 months

Interview date: Monday 27 July 2026

Join our Children We Care For Team as a Staying Close Practitioner, where you will make a positive impact on the lives of children, young people, and their families.
We are responsible for ensuring that children and young people who are looked after, or who are care leavers, are provided with homes that best meet their needs and have the best opportunities to succeed in life.

As a Staying Close Practitioner, you will work closely with young people, carers, and colleagues to assess individual needs and assist Personal Advisors in implementing and reviewing Pathway Plans. You will take on your own caseload, ensuring timely progress and effective coordination with key agencies to address the needs of care-experienced young people and vulnerable individuals. You will also provide both individual and group support to help young people transition from residential care to independent living, maintain relationships, and engage in employment, education, or training.

We are looking for a candidate who can demonstrate excellent communication skills and is comfortable operating in a multi-agency environment. A good operational understanding of children’s services, coupled with experience of direct front-line work with children, young people, and families, will be essential. Flexibility is key in this role, requiring you to be responsive to daily competing demands and proficient at prioritising workloads accordingly. Our young people live throughout the country; therefore, nationwide travel will be required.

Why us?

Wiltshire Council is a friendly, welcoming place to work, with a 'One Council' ethos. Find out more about Our Identity, staff networks, and employee benefits here

Our hybrid working model means office staff are on site for at least half their hours, community-based staff carry out at least half their admin time in a workplace, and customer‑facing roles work entirely from their service location.

We are committed to creating a workplace where positive relationships thrive and everyone feels engaged, supported and able to do their best. We do not tolerate discrimination, bullying or harassment. Everyone is expected to promote a culture of inclusion, dignity, trust and respect, guided by our vision and Our Identity.

Contact details

Chloe Jacobs, Staying Close Coordinator, Chloe.Jacobs@wiltshire.gov.uk

Please ensure to regularly check your spam or junk folder for any communication from us regarding the status of your application.

Application criteria

Please download and read the and person specification carefully before you apply.

We understand that AI tools can support you in preparing job applications. However, we value authenticity and would encourage you to ensure your submission genuinely reflects your own experiences, skills, and motivations.

While we welcome applications from job seekers who require skilled worker sponsorship, we are not able to issue a defined certificate of sponsorship due to limitations in our sponsorship capacity.

We are firmly committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and to the principles of inclusion and diversity in both employment and the delivery of services.

Statement of commitment to equality and inclusion

Disability Confident Employer

Application process

Wiltshire Council does not accept unsolicited CVs or candidate details from recruitment agencies that are not appointed under a current, valid contract or approved supplier arrangement (including through our neutral vendor, Comensura).

Submission of unsolicited CVs or candidate details to the Council, whether directly or to individual employees, will not be considered as an introduction and will not create any obligation on the Council to pay any fees. If a candidate whose details have been submitted speculatively is subsequently appointed through a compliant route, no agency fee will be payable in respect of the unsolicited submission.

Agencies wishing to work with the Council must do so only via our approved procurement processes and neutral vendor arrangements.