Lead Child Protection Practitioner

Connect2Luton; Luton; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

Connect2Luton, on behalf of Luton Borough Council, is recruiting a Lead Child Protection Practitioner. You will be a qualified social worker with substantial knowledge and experience to act as an expert in child protection, leading complex safeguarding work and making key decisions.

You will chair multi-agency meetings, support colleagues, and work flexibly to meet service demands, including outside usual core hours, while engaging in ongoing professional development.

Qualifications

• Substantial experience with looked after children and child protection plans.
• Experience developing policies in line with changes.
• Ability to chair multi-agency meetings with diverse agencies.
• Ability to write reports, analyze data and identify poor practice.

Responsibilities

• Manage a workload of complex and high-risk safeguarding cases.
• Provide expert guidance to social workers and non-social work staff.
• Work within legislative frameworks and council policies.
• Participate in staff development and CPD.
• Be flexible to meet service demands outside core hours.

Skills

Child protection

Policy development

Chair multi-agency meetings

Communication

Staff supervision

Data analysis

DBS knowledge

Education

Qualified social worker

Job description

Lead Child Protection Practitioner

Department: Children & Learning

Connect2Luton are excited to recruit a Lead Child Protection Practitioner on behalf of Luton Borough Council within their Children & Learning department.

Main purpose of position

The CP Lead Practitioner will be a qualified social worker with significant demonstrable knowledge and experience to act as a recognised expert in the field of child protection.

As a Lead Child Protection Practitioner you will be responsible to:

• Manage a workload that will include complex and high risk safeguarding work.
• Provide expertise related to child protection activity and co-work with social workers, including those less experienced, and also those non-social work qualified members of the team, making key decisions in child protection work as required.
• Practice social work accountably, within the prevailing legislative framework and council policies and procedures, under the supervision of the team manager.
• To work within a flexible framework in order to meet the demands of the service outside usual core hours.
• To participate in staff development, appraisal and training as appropriate, including continuous professional development.

Skills and Experience

• Substantial experience of working with looked after children and foster carers and children and young people who are subject to child protection plans, including complex legal proceedings.
• Demonstrable experience of developing and managing policies and procedures in line with national and local changes.
• Ability to authoritatively Chair key multi - agency meetings, ensuring that all agencies contribute appropriately.
• Ability to communicate with diverse audiences and also to manage conflict and disagreements effectively.
• Ability to manage staff and offer advice and consultation to less experienced staff.
• Ability to write reports and analyse data and identify areas of poor practice.
• In depth knowledge and understanding of child care legislation including considerable experience of supervision and working in complex child care arenas (particularly with looked after children).DBS

Because of the nature of this job, it will be necessary for Disclosure and Barring Service checks to be undertaken. Therefore, it is essential in making your application you disclose whether you have any convictions, bind overs or cautions and, if so, for which offences. This post will be exempt from the provisions of section 4 (2) of the Rehabilitation of Offenders 1974 (Exemptions) (Amendments) Order 1986. Therefore, applications are not entitled to withhold information about convictions which for other purposes are 'spent' under the provision of the Act, and, in the event of the employment being take-up, any failure to disclose such convictions will results in dismissal or disciplinary action by the Authority. The fact that a bind-over or caution has been recorded against you will not necessarily debar you from consideration for this appointment.

About Us

Luton Borough Council have partnered with Kent County Council to create Connect2Luton, a recruitment managed service for all contingent temporary agency, contract, and interim roles at the Council.

Our heritage and being local government owned which means we have a wealth of knowledge and expertise within the public sector, with many of our employees having previously worked for the Council or have supplied previously into the Council, for several years.

We are an equal opportunities employment agency and business that positively encourages applications from all suitably qualified and eligible candidates.

Connect2Luton is a trading style of Luton & Kent Commercial Services LLP - A joint venture between Luton Borough Council & Commercial Services Kent Ltd. Connect2Luton is an equal opportunities Employment Agency & Business. It positively encourages applications from all suitable qualified and eligible candidates