Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP) Coordinator

Bracknell Forest Council; Easthampstead; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A local authority council in the UK is seeking a full-time Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP) Coordinator. This role involves managing the pan Berkshire CDOP and coordinating with various agencies to ensure child death reviews are effective and that relevant learning outcomes are identified. The ideal candidate will have strong organizational skills, compassion, and the ability to handle confidential information sensitively. A supportive environment with flexible working practices is offered, contributing to employee well-being.

Benefits

28 days annual leave increasing to 33 days

Hybrid working opportunities

Paid employee volunteering scheme

Local government pension scheme with life insurance

Career development opportunities

Enhanced leave benefits

Qualifications

• Compassionate and detail-focused approach.
• Ability to manage confidential information.
• Experience working within multi-agency frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Manage the running of the pan Berkshire Child Death Overview panel.
• Provide professional advice regarding child deaths to various agencies.
• Lead on the development of the CDOP annual report.
• Ensure data is managed appropriately via the secure database system.
• Deliver training and presentations about CDOP as needed.

Skills

Organizational skills

Ability to work with sensitivity

Inter-personal skills

Flexibility

Job description

We have a great opportunity for a Pan Berkshire Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP) Coordinatoron a fulltime, permanentbasis.

At Bracknell Forest, we pride ourselves on being a council which is stable and well-managed where our employees can thrive in a supportive environment. We understand the importance of a healthy work-life balance and offer a variety of flexible working practices, including options for remote working and arrangements that allow you to work from home, dependent on the needs of the service.

About you…

We are seeking a highly organised, compassionate and detail focused Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP) Coordinator to support the effective delivery of our statutory child death review processes. This pivotal role ensures that all child deaths of Berkshire residents are appropriately reviewed to identify learning, improve services and ultimately enhance the safety and wellbeing of children.

You will work closely with a variety of agencies including health, social care and the police, providing high quality coordination, data management and administrative support to the Child Death Overview Panel.

You will be able to work with sensitivity, professionalism and discretion in a role that involves managing highly confidential and sometimes distressing information. This post will require an individual with well-developed inter-personal skills who enjoys working as a team member as well as independently. You must be able to work proactively and enthusiastically to support the team.

There is a degree of unpredictability of service need so you must be adaptable, flexible and have the ability to prioritise appropriately.

About the team…

Since 1 April 2008 there has been a legal requirement that Child Death Overview Panels (CDOPs) conduct a review for all child deaths aged 0-17 years who reside in their area.

The job of CDOP is to look at the circumstances around the child and determine what can be learned, to prevent further deaths and better support families and communities affected by the death of a child.

Key responsibilities…

• Managing the effective running of the system-wide pan Berkshire Child Death Overview panel (CDOP) and the delivery of excellent outcomes in reducing the number of child deaths across the whole of Berkshire and its six local authorities.
• You will be the lead adviser in the Berkshire area regarding child deaths to provide professional advice to a range of agencies, organising and attending all panel meeting as well as strategic thematic reviews and task and finish groups.
• You will lead on the development of the CDOP annual report, identifying clear learning outcomes and recommendations for further work.
• You will lead on the Child Death Overview panel to ensure developing regulatory changes are reflected in the strategic purpose and governance. This is achieved via the terms of reference and working practices of the panel by keeping them informed of developments and government initiatives.
• You will need to ensure qualitative and quantitative data is comprehensively collected and managed appropriately via eCDOP, the secure, online database system for child death review.
• You will deliver training / presentations about CDOP to other agencies as required.
• Providing line management support to the CDOP Administrator, ensuring their effectiveness and development, as appropriate.

Our benefits…

• 28 days annual leave increasing to 33 days after 3 years’ continuous service, with the opportunity to buy up to 10 and sell up to 5 days.
• Hybrid working opportunities to support your wellbeing and work-life balance.
• Paid employee volunteering scheme.
• Local government pension scheme, with life insurance cover.
• Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme (subject to eligibility).
• Recognition of continuous service attained within the NHS and UKHSA when calculating some benefits. (Terms and Conditions apply)
• Career development through internal and external training opportunities.
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and fostering leave.
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support your health and wellbeing
• Inclusive and social working environment with a variety of staff networks and a sports and social club.

Find out more about all our benefits or see the candidate pack.

Our values...

At Bracknell Forest Council our values define who we are and what is important to us.Our core values are inclusive, ambitious, and always learning. These values influence the way we work with each other and the way we serve our residents and engage with our communities.We make our values real by demonstrating them in how we behave every day. If you are excited about joining a diverse team that celebrates learning and strives for excellence, we would love to hear from you.

Reasonable adjustments...

We are committed to ensuring an inclusive recruitment process for all applicants. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support your application or interview, please let us know by contacting [e-mail] .We will work with you to support you throughout the process. Find out more about reasonable adjustments.

Interview date

Interviews will be held on 18th December 2025.

Interviews will be conducted in person, providing candidates with the chance to personally meet the team and experience our work environment.

We will be reviewing applications regularly and reserve the right to close the advert early if suitable candidates are identified. To avoid disappointment, you are advised to submit your application as soon as possible.

Please note AI is prohibited during the interview, any candidate using AI will be withdrawn from consideration.