Childcare Advocate (In-House)

Lawyers In Local Government; Horsham; On-site; GBP 57,000 - 72,000; Full time

Job summary

A local authority in London is seeking a Childcare Advocate to provide expert legal advice and represent children's services in court proceedings. The role involves handling complex advocacy and influencing policy at a senior level. Candidates should possess a practising certificate and extensive knowledge of public childcare law. This position offers a competitive salary and opportunities for impactful work.

Benefits

Additional benefit of £2,724 PA

Guaranteed interview scheme for diverse candidates

Qualifications

• In-depth knowledge of child protection, adoption, and fostering.
• Significant experience in managing complex cases.
• Ability to work under pressure and deliver innovative solutions.

Responsibilities

• Provide legal advice on complex childcare law.
• Represent Southwark Children’s Services in court.
• Draft and present reports for Cabinet and Council committees.
• Identify legal issues from litigation changes and develop strategies.

Skills

Public childcare law

Advocacy in contested hearings

Case management

Drafting legal documents

Negotiation skills

Client care

Trust building

Education

Current practising certificate as a Solicitor, Barrister, or CILEX Fellow

Job description

Reference number: SC07592

Location: Full-time

Salary Range: (Full time equivalent) - £57,678 - £71,742

Contract Type: Permanent

Why Southwark?

Southwark Council’s Safeguarding and Community Services Legal team is now hiring exceptional Childcare Advocates who are ready to do more than advise, but to directly shape the futures of children and young people across our borough. By joining us, you will be at the heart of legal decisions that protect the most vulnerable, and be part of life changing litigation, steering the direction of services that touch many young lives every day. Here, your legal expertise won’t just resolve cases, it will set precedents, inspire innovation, and drive meaningful change within a council committed to excellence, collaboration and bold ambition for Children’s Services.

What sets this role apart?

• Specialist Advocacy: Represent one of London’s busiest Children’s Services teams in the Central Family Court, High Court and Court of Appeal on cases that shape young lives.
• Strategic Influence: Work directly with senior leaders, Cabinet and committees, shaping governance, policy and future‑facing service delivery across the borough.
• Complex, Career‑Defining Work: Tackle high‑profile, multi‑party proceedings, drafting complex legal documents and driving innovation in public childcare law.

What You'll Be Doing

• Deliver expert legal advice on complex childcare law to senior management, Officers, Cabinet and committees.
• Represent Southwark Children’s Services in all levels of court, including High Court and Court of Appeal, managing your own advocacy diary.
• Lead on identifying legal issues arising from litigation or changes in statute, developing strategies and solutions.
• Work autonomously on intricate cases while collaborating with senior lawyers and Heads of Service on borough‑wide initiatives.
• Draft, prepare and present reports and legal comments for Cabinet and Council committees, attending meetings as required.
• Advise on governance, risk, and case management strategies within a public law context.
• Act as the in‑house technical expert, representing Southwark’s reputation in court, external networks, Local Family Justice Boards, and working groups.
• Deliver training in house and to the London boroughs who form part of the South London Care Proceedings Project.

What We're Looking For

We’re looking for a practical, proactive, and results-driven Childcare Advocate who brings a blend of the following:

• A current practising certificate as a Solicitor, Barrister, or CILEX Fellow.
• In‑depth knowledge of public and private childcare law, child protection, adoption and fostering.
• Track record of handling complex cases and proactive case management with the ability to deliver innovative solutions under pressure.
• Significant experience conducting advocacy in contested hearings, fact‑finding and final hearings over multiple days.
• Skilled in drafting pleadings, and other complex legal documents.
• Excellent client care with the skills to work collaboratively and inspire trust and confidence in working relationships with in - house clients and lawyers.
• Integrity and strong negotiation, mediation and listening skills, with the ability to advise and influence at senior levels and within multi‑agency settings.
• Aptitude to develop networks with judiciary, external agencies and legal professionals to raise Southwark’s profile.
• Southwark council would be looking for the candidate who is able to attend the office on a monthly basis, subject to court commitments.
• This role is predominantly court based, and so there is no requirement to attend the office a set minimum number of days.

Additional Information

About Southwark Council

Southwark Council is the largest local authority social landlord in London, managing 55,000 homes lived in by 40% of Southwark’s residents. We are home to over 18,300 businesses including iconic London venues such as The Shard, The Tate Modern and Borough Market along with many social enterprises and we have a young, diverse, and growing population.

At Southwark we are committed to making our borough just and fair and are taking positive action to tackle inequalities. Our residents and communities are our greatest asset and the passion we have for Southwark is shared by millions of Londoners who enjoy our outstanding cultural offer, use our hospitals and attend our universities.

Our refreshed borough plan and focus on Southwark Stands Together, (which is our work with Southwark’s communities and the council’s staff to tackle racism, injustice and inequality) underpins all that we do.

Benefits And More Information

https://jobs.southwark.gov.uk/why-us/

Salary Range: £57,678 - £71,742

This post attracts an additional benefit to the value of £2,724 PA for staff which can be used for benefits or taken as cash.

Recruitment Timetable

Application Closing Date: 11.59pm on the 22 September 2025.

Interview Date: 6 October 2025.

We are an organisation who is passionate about our people and understands that richness of diversity is a requirement to provide the best possible services to our communities. This is demonstrated through our council-wide ambitious commitment to tackle racial inequality in our communities and workforce through our Southwark Stands Together initiative. We particularly welcome applications from members of the black, Asian and ethnic minority communities to increase representation at senior management level in the Council.

Guaranteed Interview Scheme

Requirements

As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role, and identify with one of the below criteria:

• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans.
• Are currently in care or have previously been in care.
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role, in which case we will move the key dates for the process. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.