Lead Child Protection Practitioner

We are seeking an experienced child protection practitioner to lead our Multi-Agency Child Protection Team.

As a Lead Child Protection Practitioner, you will make and guide key decisions for children at risk of significant harm, working alongside colleagues from police, health, and education in the same team.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead strategy discussions, bringing partners together to agree whether a section 47 enquiry is needed and how it will be carried out.
• Oversee section 47 enquiries and make decisions with partner agencies about children who need protection.
• Chair initial and review child protection conferences, ensuring plans are clear, specific, and developed with families.
• Keep oversight of children in your cluster who are subject to child protection processes, including harm outside the home.
• Provide consultation, guidance, and constructive challenge to social workers, team managers, and Family Help colleagues.
• Work closely with police, health, and education colleagues in the team and with wider specialists, including domestic abuse, housing, and CAMHS.
• Help measure the team's impact, looking at the quality and timeliness of decisions, families' experience, and the impact for partners.
• Contribute to practice guidance, learning, and induction as the model develops.

Requirements:

• A recognised social work qualification and current registration with Social Work England.
• Substantial post-qualifying experience in statutory child protection, including section 47 enquiries and child protection conferences.
• Experience of chairing or leading multi-agency meetings where complex safeguarding decisions are made.
• Sound knowledge of the Children Act 1989, Working Together to Safeguard Children, and the London Child Protection Procedures.
• The ability to analyse risk, challenge respectfully and record clearly, and to explain decisions to families and partners.
• A commitment to working in partnership with families and to our Dignity for All approach.

Desirable:

• Experience as a child protection chair or advisor, independent reviewing officer, senior practitioner, or team manager.
• Experience of Signs of Safety, or a real interest in working this way.
• Experience of extra-familial harm and contextual safeguarding.
• Experience of working in a co-located, multi-agency team.

What We Offer:

• A salary of GBP 56,058 - 59,298 per year
• A leave entitlement of up to 31 days + bank holidays
• Potential hybrid working opportunities
• Health and wellbeing support
• A generous local government pension scheme
• A range of discount schemes across leisure and culture