Lead Child Protection Practitioner

Royal Borough of Greenwich; Greater London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

The Royal Borough of Greenwich is recruiting a Lead Child Protection Practitioner to join the Multi Agency Child Protection Teams. You will lead safeguarding work under the Children Act and national guidance, coordinating partners from Police, Health and Education.

As a qualified social worker with strong experience in child protection, you will chair Strategy Meetings and Child Protection Conferences, oversee Section 47 enquiries, and drive consistent high-standard practice across services to

Responsibilities

• Leads Section 47 Child Protection Enquiries across Children’s Services.
• Chairs Strategy Meetings and Child Protection Conferences within MACPT.
• Coordinates with Police, Health and Education partners for a coordinated response.
• Ensures safeguarding practice meets national/local standards and develops effective safety plans.

Job description

Job Introduction

As part of our ambitious Families First Social Care Reform Programme, we are recruiting a Lead Child Protection Practitioner to join our Multi Agency Child Protection Teams.

About The Role

The role is responsible for carrying out the local authority’s statutory duties in relation to child protection, in line with the Children Act 1989 and 2004, Working Together 2026, the Families First reforms and relevant statutory guidance.

The Lead Child Protection Practitioner (LCPP) is a qualified social worker with significant experience, knowledge and expertise in child protection. The role involves working closely with designated partners from the Police, Health and Education, who are co-located within the specialist Multi-Agency Child Protection Team/Service (MACPT).

The LCPP leads Section 47 Child Protection Enquiries across Children’s Services, covering both intra-familial and extra-familial significant harm. A key part of the role is to ensure that child protection practice is consistently of a high standard and meets both national and local expectations.

The LCPP also chairs Strategy Meetings and Child Protection Conferences, ensuring that there is a coordinated multi-agency response throughout the child protection process. This involves working closely with Lead Practitioners across Family Help, Corporate Parenting Services, Adolescent Wellbeing and Safeguarding, and Disabled Children and Young People Services to assess risks, make informed decisions, take appropriate action and develop effective protection and safety plans.

The overall aim is to ensure that children and young people are safeguarded, their needs are properly understood, and the right support and interventions are in place to achieve the best possible outcomes.

Applicants are welcome to express an interest in a particular service area as part of their application.

Why Join Us?

This is a unique opportunity to be part of a period of transformation and innovation, helping to shape the future of children's services through the Families First reforms. If you're ready to combine your social work expertise with leadership and service development, we'd love to hear from you.

Diversity Statement:

Royal Borough of Greenwich values the diversity of its community and aims to have a workforce that reflects this. We therefore encourage applications from all sections of the community.

Advert Close:

All vacancies close at midnight unless otherwise stated.

Early Advert Close:

Royal Borough of Greenwich reserves the right to close any job advert earlier than the advertised closing date where there is reason to do so (for example high volume of applications).

Full Employment History:

A full employment history is required for this role. Please provide a full employment history, together with a satisfactory written explanation of any gaps in employment.

Salary:

Salaries advertised are for a standard working week of 35 hours unless otherwise stated. Please use this 'Salary Calculator to help you calculate a pro rata salary.

Our Staff Values:

Our Staff Values are important to us. Candidates will be continuously assessed against our staff values throughout the recruitment process. Where candidates demonstrate views and behaviours that do not meet the standards of our staff values, we reserve the right to reject their application/ registration.