Education Safeguarding Practitioner Integrated Front Door & MACPT

Herefordshire Council; Hereford; On-site; GBP 48,000 - 52,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

LGPS pension

Annual leave 31 days

Flexible working

Employee assistance programme

Perks & discounts

Job summary

Herefordshire Council is recruiting two Education Safeguarding Practitioners to join the Integrated Front Door and MACPT. You will bring education expertise into a fast‑paced multi‑agency safeguarding environment and support decisions to keep children safe and well.

Holding QTS, you will influence practice at senior level, collaborate with schools, early years providers and Children’s Social Care, and contribute to high‑quality reports and briefings.

Qualifications

• Must hold Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) or equivalent teaching qualification.
• Significant safeguarding and child protection experience in education settings.
• Experience operating at a senior leadership level influencing practice and outcomes.
• Strong ability to balance risk, needs and protective factors in complex cases.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert advice, consultation and professional challenge within a multi-agency safeguarding environment.
• Support practitioners and partners to safeguard and respond to concerns in children and families.
• Collaborate across MASH and MACPT to strengthen relationships between Herefordshire Children’s Services and education settings.
• Champion information sharing and collaborative problem-solving to improve safeguarding outcomes.
• Produce high-quality reports, assessments and briefings for decision-makers.

Skills

Qualified Teacher Status (QTS)

Safeguarding in education

Senior leadership in education

Complex safeguarding analysis

Multi-agency partnership

Professional consultation & challenge

Safeguarding legislation knowledge

Families First understanding

Report writing & briefing

Autonomous high-risk work

Education

QTS or equivalent teaching qualification

Job description

This is an exciting opportunity to bring your education safeguarding expertise directly into multi‑agency practice, helping to ensure that children’s educational experiences, needs and voices are central to safeguarding decisions. You will work alongside Children’s Social Care and partner agencies at the point where important decisions are being made about children and families, bringing your professional knowledge, judgement and challenge to help us achieve timely, proportionate and child‑centred responses. If you want to use your education experience to influence safeguarding beyond an individual school or setting, this could be the role for you. The Role As a recognised safeguarding specialist, you will provide expert advice, consultation, analysis and constructive professional challenge within a fast‑paced multi‑agency environment. You will support practitioners and partners to understand the strengths, experiences and needs of children, helping to deliver timely, child‑centred responses where concerns or risks are identified. Working across MASH and MACPT, you will strengthen relationships between Children’s Services and education settings, including early years providers, schools, academies, colleges and alternative provision providers. You will champion effective information sharing, collaborative problem‑solving and shared responsibility for safeguarding children and supporting families. This role offers a unique opportunity to influence practice across the wider safeguarding system, driving high‑quality multi‑agency working and strengthening education’s contribution to family help and child protection. You will play an important part in supporting the delivery of the Families First reforms, promoting restorative, strengths‑based and relationship‑based approaches that improve outcomes for children and young people. If you are an experienced safeguarding practitioner with significant education safeguarding expertise, strong partnership skills and a commitment to making a difference for children and families, we'd love to hear from you.,

Our Commitment

• Those who indicate that they have a disability. This is part of our commitment to the "Disability Confident" scheme.
• Those who indicate in their application that they are an Armed Forces Veteran or Reservist. This is part of our pledge to support the Armed Forces Covenant.
• Those who indicate in their application that they are a Herefordshire care leaver. This is part of our commitment to supporting young people leaving our care.

We take our commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults seriously and expect all of our staff, visitors and volunteers to share in this commitment. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children & young people and vulnerable adults. If you are offered this position, it will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service enhanced check and further pre-employment checks.

We are looking for two experienced and passionate education safeguarding professionals to join our Integrated Front Door and Multi‑Agency Child Protection Team (MACPT) as Education Safeguarding Practitioners.

We're looking for a confident and experienced safeguarding professional who can bring education expertise into a multi‑agency safeguarding environment. You will:

• Hold Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) or an equivalent recognised teaching qualification, with a strong commitment to ongoing professional development in safeguarding and child protection.
• Have significant experience of safeguarding and child protection practice within education settings.
• Have operated at a senior leadership level within education, influencing practice and driving positive outcomes for children and young people.
• Demonstrate experience of complex safeguarding analysis and decision‑making, balancing risk, need, strengths and protective factors.
• Be skilled in working collaboratively with partners and contributing to multi‑agency safeguarding activity and decision‑making.
• Have the ability to provide professional consultation, support and constructive challenge that improves practice and outcomes.
• Possess a thorough understanding of key safeguarding legislation and guidance, including Working Together to Safeguard Children, Keeping Children Safe in Education, and the Children Act 1989 and 2004.
• Understand the principles of Families First, family help, restorative practice, strengths‑based approaches and child‑centred safeguarding.
• Have excellent communication skills, with the ability to build strong relationships, influence partners and produce high‑quality reports, assessments and briefings.
• Be resilient, professionally curious and able to work autonomously in complex, high‑risk situations while maintaining sound judgement and a child‑focused approach.

Desirable Requirements

• Experience as a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), within a MASH or Children’s Social Care environment, and in delivering safeguarding training, quality assurance activity or service improvement initiatives.

About Herefordshire Council

We're proud and excited to unveil our new recruitment video, a celebration of Herefordshire's people, places, and purpose. Set in the heart of England and filled with pride, compassion and possibility, the video brings to life what it means to work somewhere you truly belong. At Herefordshire Council, every role matters and every person makes a real difference for our communities. We're a team where people feel valued, supported and empowered to grow together. Herefordshire is a beautiful, historic county on the Welsh border, one of England's most rural and unspoilt areas, with vibrant market towns and a strong sense of community. Our priority is clear: to keep children safe and give them the best start in life. We do this through passionate, dedicated professionals who build strong relationships with children, families, and partners to make a lasting difference. It's an exciting time to join us. We're investing in our people and our relational practice approach, working alongside our improvement partner, Leeds City Council. You'll be supported by experienced managers, continuous professional development, and a genuine team ethos that values collaboration and care. If you're committed to helping children and young people thrive, come and join the journey in Herefordshire - where your work truly matters.

Benefits

A competitive salary, holiday entitlement, and access to our contributory pension and staff benefits scheme, which includes:

• Salary range of £47,665 - £51,928
• Professional development: protected time and budget to develop yourself and your career
• Enrolment in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• Annual Leave: 31 days' annual leave (pro rata) plus bank holidays. You can also purchase an additional 10 days per annum during the request period
• Flexible working: including the potential for job‑sharing, part‑time hours and agile working.
• Employee Assistance Programme: 24/7 access to support and counselling
• Payment of professional membership fees (based on role requirements)
• Pick your perks - our benefits include access to a range of retail, leisure, holiday and health benefits. This includes savings, cash back and discounts.