Lead Child Protection Practitioner

West Berkshire Council; Newbury; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Local Government pension scheme

Family friendly policies

Wellbeing Programme

Training and development opportunities

Employee discounts

Job summary

West Berkshire Council is seeking a Lead Child Protection Practitioner to join the Multi-Agency Child Protection Team within Children's Services. The role will lead safeguarding practice, provide expert consultation, and drive high standards across partner agencies.

You will work on strategy discussions, ensure timely responses, and mentor colleagues to deliver effective, timely interventions whilst developing a new integrated, collaborative service in our local community.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience working within child protection and understanding of relevant legislation.
• Strong leadership and mentoring skills.
• Excellent assessment, analytical and communication abilities.

Responsibilities

• Leading and coordinating Child Protection statutory processes and decisions.
• Attending strategy discussions, S47 enquiries and multiagency meetings.
• Providing oversight and quality assurance of Child Protection procedures and responses.
• Advising West Berkshire Children's Social Care and statutory partners about thresholds and good practice.
• Providing expert consultation and constructive challenge to practitioners and partner agencies.
• Analyze complex information and produce high-quality reports that support robust safeguarding decisions.
• Contribute to service development, quality assurance and strengthened multi‑agency safeguarding practice.
• Participate in service improvement initiatives and delivery of staff training.
• Role involves regulated activity with children; enhanced DBS check and ongoing DBS Update Service.

Skills

Leadership

Mentoring

Analytical thinking

Communication skills

Decision making

Job description

As the Lead Child Protection Practitioner, you will play a crucial role in ensuring the effective delivery of child protection services. You will be responsible for:

• Leading and coordinating Child Protection statutory processes and decisions on behalf of West Berkshire Children's Services.
• Attending strategy discussions, Child Protection (S47) enquiries and related multiagency meetings.
• Providing oversight and quality assurance of Child Protection procedures, ensuring timely and effective responses, including joint working on complex child protection investigations and meeting families.
• Advising West Berkshire Children's Social Care and statutory partners about thresholds and good practice.
• Provide expert advice, consultation and constructive challenge to practitioners and partner agencies.
• Analyse complex information and produce high-quality reports that support robust safeguarding decisions.
• Contribute to service development, quality assurance and the continued strengthening of multi-agency safeguarding practice.
• In addition to the above responsibilities, you will also have the opportunity to contribute to service improvement initiatives and participate in the delivery of training for staff., This role has been identified as public facing in accordance with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016; the requirement to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in English applies.
• Extensive experience working within child protection, with a solid understanding of relevant legislation and statutory requirements
• Strong leadership and mentoring skills, with the ability to inspire and motivate others
• Excellent assessment and analytical skills, with the ability to make sound judgements in complex situations
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build positive relationships with children, families, and professionals
• A proactive and solution-focused approach, with the ability to work under pressure and manage competing demands
• Flexible working wherever possible between the hours of 07.00-21.00
• Hybrid working wherever possible working 40% in the office
• Access to a wide range of training and development opportunities
• Generous Local Government pension scheme
• Family friendly policies
• A range of local discounts
• Wellbeing Programme including Employee Assistance Programme and employee benefits
• You will also be entitled to a generous annual leave entitlement starting at 29 days per annum, pro rata (plus public holidays) Rising by an additional 5 days after 5 years' service.

West Berkshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all its staff and volunteers to share these values. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect this commitment. This role involves regulated activity with children. As such, appointment is subject to anEnhanced DBS check with the relevant Barred List(s). In this post you will be required tomaintain continuous registration with the DBS Update Service for the duration of your employment. This privacy notice applies to job applicants applying for vacancies with West Berkshire Council.

AI in Applications We recognise that candidates may choose to use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support the preparation of their job applications. When used appropriately, AI can be a helpful aid in structuring responses, checking clarity, and improving presentation. However, applications must reflect your own skills, experience and understanding. If an application appears to rely excessively on AI-generated content, it may not meet the required standard and could be rejected. We encourage all applicants to ensure their submissions are authentic, tailored to the role, and clearly demonstrate their own knowledge, experience and suitability.

Are you an experienced Child Protection Social Worker who is looking to take the next step in your career? West Berkshire Council is seeking a Lead Child Protection Practitioner to join our Multi-Agency Child Protection Team (MACPT) within Children's Services. The LCPP is an exciting new role which will be non-case holding. Our Multi-Agency Child Protection Team will be based within Children's Services with the purpose of the service ensuring multi-agency working to safeguard and protect children and young people across West Berkshire. The team will bring together professionals from different agencies to provide timely, coordinated support for families in need. As a Lead Child Protection Practitioner, you'll be at the forefront of safeguarding practice, providing expert consultation, attending strategy meetings, setting and driving high practice standards, and mentoring colleagues to deliver effective, timely interventions that make a real difference for children and families. It's a great time to join us as we launch this new integrated approach, designed to strengthen collaboration and improve outcomes for children. This is an exciting opportunity to work in a dynamic and supportive environment, where you can make a real difference to the lives of children and families in our local community and you will be an important individual to the on-going development of a new team and service.