Lead Child Protection Practitioner

Barnet Council; Greater London; Hybride; GBP 64 000 - 70 000; Plein temps

Avantages offerts par ce poste

31 days annual leave

LGPS pension

Flexible Working Policy

Lifestyle discounts

Payroll benefits

Training and development

Employee well-being programs

Résumé du poste

Barnet Council seeks a Lead Child Protection Practitioner to deliver high-quality safeguarding for children and families within the Multi-Agency Safety Team. You will lead on safeguarding investigations, conferences and planning with strong collaboration across partners.

The role emphasises relational, strengths-based practice and ongoing professional development in a supportive, inclusive culture that values continuous improvement and staff wellbeing. Hybrid working is available.

Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of legislation, policy, and safeguarding practice in complex situations.
• Excellent communication skills for leading multi-agency meetings, investigations and plans.
• Proven track record of improving outcomes for children and families in safeguarding contexts.

Responsabilités

• Deliver high-standard, child-centred safeguarding practice to children, young people and families.
• Lead on section 47 enquiries, investigations, CP conferences and family-led planning.
• Collaborate with internal and external partners to keep children safe and support sustainable change.

Connaissances

Legislation knowledge

Communication skills

Multi-agency meetings

Outcome improvement

Relational practice

Diversity & inclusion

Formation

Social Work qualification

Description du poste

Job Description

Important Information for Current Barnet Council Employees

Where possible, employees who have access to Oracle are encouraged to apply via the Opportunity Marketplace (Internal Career Site). This helps to ensure applications are correctly identified as internal and avoids potential delays during the recruitment process.

About Barnet Council

Barnet is a borough with much to be proud of. Our excellent schools, vibrant town centres, vast green spaces and diverse communities all help make it a great place to live and work. As a council we want to build on these strengths as we move into the future. We are growing and developing as an organisation to meet the challenges facing our borough and we are committed to working with partner organisations and residents to make Barnet even better. As an organisation, our staff are committed to Our Values: Learning to Improve, Caring, Inclusive, Collaborative – which drive everything we do.

About The Role

An exciting opportunity has arisen for Lead Child Protection Practitioners to join our Multi-Agency Safety Teams, leading high-quality practice for children and families who need us most.

The Barnet Multi Agency Safety Team supports children experiencing both intra-familial and extra-familial harm. We welcome applications from LCPPs who have a particular interest in contextual safeguarding and working with children where risks are present outside the family home. If you would like to be considered for a specialist focus in this area, please highlight this in your application.

'In addition to a comprehensive suite of employee benefits, this salary includes a Recruitment and Retention supplement of 10%. The salary therefore equates to £64,062 - £70,059'

In Barnet, we are committed to creating a culture where practice excellence, strong relationships, and continuous learning underpin everything we do. We provide a supportive environment in which practitioners can thrive, delivering meaningful, lasting change for children and families.

As a Lead Child Protection Practitioner (LCPP) you will deliver a consistently high standard of child-centred, strengths-based and relationship-focused safeguarding practice to children, young people and families. You will be part of a specialist team culture that is inclusive, reflective, and focused on continuous improvement, where high support is matched with high challenge.

You will work in partnership with children, families and professionals internal and external to the council, leading on section 47 enquiries, investigations, child protection (CP) conferences, family-led planning and practice , ensuring that all work is timely, analytical, and grounded in the lived experience of the child. Working collaboratively with partners, you will champion approaches which keep children safe from harm, build resilience and support families to make sustainable change.

You will be supported by a strong workforce development programme, enabling you to grow as a practitioner while embedding Barnet’s values and practice standards.

About You

• Strong knowledge of legislation, policy, and safeguarding practice, with the ability to apply this confidently in complex situations.
• Excellent communication skills, leading clear, analytical, and impactful multi-agency meetings, investigations, assessments and plans.
• A strong track record of improving outcomes for children and families and influencing multi-agency partnerships.
• A commitment to relational, strengths-based and restorative practice, ensuring children and families are meaningfully involved.
• The ability to lead with integrity, curiosity and compassion, in an environment where staff feel valued, supported and appropriately challenged.
• A passion for delivering high-quality, equitable services that recognise and respond to diversity within our communities

You must hold a recognised social work qualification and be registered with Social Work England.

What We Offer

• 31 days annual leave, plus public and bank holidays
• Access to the Local Government Pension Scheme , which provides a valuable guaranteed income in your retirement together with security for your dependents
• A comprehensive Flexible Working Policy which supports work-life balance by empowering staff and management to make decisions around when, where, and how work is done
• A vast range of lifestyle discounts from major retailers, supermarkets, energy suppliers and more
• Broad range of payroll benefits including cycle to work, eye care vouchers, travel and gym membership
• Excellent training and development opportunities
• Employee well- being training programs including confidential employee assistance

System notice

Some dates shown on our online application system (such as “Apply Before”) appear in US date format (MM/DD/YYYY) due to Oracle system settings.

Artificial intelligence (AI) can be a useful tool to support your application as a reasonable adjustment, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn, escalated to counter Fraud for further investigation and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Barnet Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Barnet operates stringent safer recruitment procedures, this may include AI Detection Screening, Biometric ID/Right to Work Checks, Qualification and Registration Checks, Up to 6 years of Employment Data and Insights to Accelerate Screening (Konfir), Up to 5 years of Employment History References, DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) Checks, Credit Checks and Social Media, Sanctions and Occupational Health Screening.

To deliver Barnet Council’s commitment to equality of opportunity in the provision of services, all staff are expected to promote equality in the workplace and in the services the Council delivers. As such we value diversity and welcome applications from all backgrounds.

Barnet Council embraces all forms of flexible working (including part-time, compressed hours, and hybrid working) and is committed to offering employees a healthy work-life balance. Candidates are encouraged to talk about relevant requirements and preferences at interview. We can’t promise to give you exactly what you want, but we do promise not to judge you for asking.

Barnet Council is a Disability Confident Committed Employer. We welcome and encourage job applications of all abilities. If you require any reasonable adjustments in the application or interview, please contact the lead contact on this advert. We will make reasonable adjustments to make sure our disabled applicants and those with health conditions are supported throughout our recruitment process. We support the access to work scheme, further details are available at www.gov.uk/access-to-work/apply

All posts with the council are subject to a probationary period of four months, during which time you will be required to demonstrate to the council satisfaction your suitability for the position in which you will be employed.

Due to the high number of applications that are received for some posts we may close vacancies before the stated closing date if sufficient number of applications are received. Therefore, please apply as soon as possible.

If you would like any further information about the role before applying, please contact [e-mail]

Please ensure you regularly check the email account (including JUNK MAIL folders) that you use to submit your application, as any further communication regarding your application will be sent electronically. Should you not hear from us within four working weeks of the closing date for this post, then regretfully in this instance, you have not been shortlisted.