Meet the team: Liam Mills showcases Portsmouth City Council's new advanced social worker role
Portsmouth City Council is proactively working to support and retain social workers. With a refreshed benefits package—including a £3,000 market supplement for qualifying teams, a comprehensive health and wellbeing package, and up to £8,000 in relocation support—we have also strengthened the career pathway for our social workers.
As part of our commitment to staff development, we have introduced new advanced social worker roles, each with a dedicated specialism aimed at strengthening practice across our teams. Through expert mentoring and knowledge-sharing, these roles will drive meaningful change.
We spoke to Liam Mills, an advanced social worker in the family support and safeguarding team who has recently been promoted to this new role. He shares his experience and what it takes to be an advanced practitioner.
- Could you explain your route into social work and how you have progressed at Portsmouth City Council?
My journey into social work began with a master's degree at the University of Portsmouth. During my studies, I had my practice placement with the family support and safeguarding team at Portsmouth City Council in 2018.
This experience ignited my passion for working with children and families, and I knew I wanted to return to Team Portsmouth to start my career.
After qualifying in 2019, I returned to the family support and safeguarding team. My first year was supported by the Stronger Futures Academy, which provided me with invaluable opportunities for reflection, learning, and training.
This support was crucial in helping me succeed in my role. In 2023, I progressed to the position of experienced social worker. This role allowed me to take on more complexity and support my colleagues within the team.
The new advanced social worker positions were recently introduced. I applied and was thrilled to be selected. This role enables me to continue working directly with children and families while also mentoring others and enhancing practice across the service.
- Can you briefly tell us about the work of the family support and safeguarding teams?
The family support and safeguarding teams are practitioners on the front line, stepping in to support families right from the initial assessment stage.
We work under child in need planning, child protection, and legal proceedings. Our teams also extend their support to children with disabilities and their families.
Our responsibilities are divided into two primary areas. Some social workers focus on assessments and short-term child in need planning, while others handle longer-term work involving child protection and legal proceedings.
Despite the fast-paced nature of our work, we pride ourselves on being creative and relationship-focused. We collaborate closely with our colleagues in the family safeguarding service to reduce risk and help children stay with their families whenever possible.
- The advanced social worker post has recently been introduced to support people to progress in their careers at Portsmouth. What does the introduction of this new role mean for children's social care and how are you finding it?
The introduction of the advanced social worker role marks an exciting chapter for Portsmouth. This new position offers an opportunity for us to continue our passionate work of directly supporting families while also mentoring colleagues and enhancing practice across the service.
I am enjoying my new role. It is incredibly rewarding to be part of the conversation on improving our practice and fostering a culture of learning.
My specialism is on helping colleagues feel more confident in responding to children and families affected by child sexual abuse. This involves not only reducing the risk of further harm but also enhancing our support for their recovery.
- Portsmouth City Council is recruiting an advanced social worker with a focus on anti-racist practice. What work have you and your team been involved in to support this developing area within the service?
This is an exciting opportunity for a new advanced social worker to join our team. This month, we are hosting an Anti-Racist Practice Week, dedicated to sharing knowledge and learning across the service.
Our social workers will be presenting on a range of important topics, including:
- Ensuring equality, diversity, and inclusion in the family court
- Exploring themes in youth justice
- Supporting our foster carers in caring for children from diverse ethnic backgrounds
- Hearing the voices of young people from the Child Safety and Asylum team
- Implementing culturally sensitive practices in assessments
We are passionate about continuous learning and reflection. We invest time in thinking about how we can improve our practices and the impact we have on the children and families we support.
We engage in meaningful conversations and reflections on social graces, anti-racist practice, and the systemic racism that affects the families we serve. This includes creating safe spaces for open dialogue about race and discrimination, ensuring our practices are culturally sensitive and responsive.
The role will also see the candidate leading and supporting our global ethnic majority staff group.
The group offers a safe space for celebrating ethnicity, sharing experiences, discussing concerns, and building a network for practitioners across the directorate. Time to attend meetings is protected and the group is practitioner led.
The group want to feel a shared sense of belonging, not just in their teams but across Portsmouth City Council. The GEM forum will help shape initiatives and actively engage with those new to the service when they join.
- What experience would a social worker need to demonstrate when applying for this role?
This role offers an exciting opportunity for an experienced social worker to progress and continue working directly with children and families while playing an important role in promoting anti-racist and culturally sensitive practices.
To be successful in this position, you need to demonstrate a genuine commitment to improving practice, with the energy and enthusiasm to drive positive change.
Think about how you can provide evidence of actively engaging in anti-racist practice, including your experience working with diverse communities and implementing culturally sensitive practices in your assessments and interventions.
Highlight your ability to engage in reflective practice, continuously seeking to improve and adapt your approaches, and show how you could promote new learning opportunities across the service.
Having strong skills in working collaboratively with colleagues, other professionals, and within the community are essential for effectively supporting families and advocating for their needs.
Join Team Portsmouth: apply for the advanced social worker role today!
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