Lead Child Protection Practitioner

Durham County Council; Seaham; Hybrid; GBP 34,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

27 days annual leave

Local Government Pension Scheme

Hybrid working

Job summary

Durham County Council in County Durham is seeking an experienced social worker in a non-case-holding role to guide and empower others in delivering outstanding child-centred child protection practice.

You will provide expert advice, support learning, chair conferences, attend strategy meetings, and coordinate multi-agency processes to ensure timely progress and positive outcomes that promote safety and healing. Hybrid working and excellent rewards are offered.

Qualifications

• Substantial recent post-qualifying experience with children, young people, families or carers.
• Experience using policies, law, and statutory guidance to inform practice decisions.
• Ability to gather and analyse information to plan with families and carers.
• Ability to manage timescales to avoid drift and delay.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert advice and guidance to social workers, managers, and partners.
• Support learning to help practitioners grow in confidence and skill.
• Facilitate group supervision and contribute to quality assurance.
• Attend strategy meetings and chair child protection conferences; coordinate core groups as needed.
• Lead and shape decisions to promote safety and positive outcomes for children.

Skills

Advice and guidance

Group supervision

Chair conferences

Strategy meetings

Multi-agency collaboration

Job description

This is a non-case-holding role, giving you the space and focus to do what you do best - guide and empower others to deliver outstanding child-centred child protection practice. You will:

• Provide expert advice and guidance to our social workers, alternatively qualified practitioners, managers, policy makers and multi-agency partners.
• Support learning around best practice, helping our practitioners grow in confidence and skill..
• Facilitate group supervision and contribute to quality assurance.
• Be part of a Multi-Agency Child Protection Team.
• You will attend strategy meetings and chair child protection conferences, co-ordinate Section 47 processes, chair and co-ordinate core groups as required to ensure timely progress and positive outcomes which promote safety, permanence and healing.

Every conversation you lead, every piece of guidance you give, and every decision you shape will help build a stronger, safer system around children, young people, families and carers.

HOW WILL WE SUPPORT YOU?

We are passionate about social work in County Durham.

We are committed to providing a culture where good practice can flourish.

We will ensure you are highly supported. You will benefit from high quality professional supervision, a great induction, and access to our strong learning and development offer alongside the fantastic offer from Frontline.

You can find out more about social work in Durham here

WHAT WILL I NEED?

To apply for this fantastic role you will need to a social worker with substantial recent post qualifying experience of work with children, young people, families or carers, with a focus on identifying and responding to need and risk and have experience of:

• Using policies and procedures, the law, regulatory and statutory guidance to inform practice decisions
• Gathering and analysing information to create plans with children, young people, families or carers
• Working proactively within timescales to achieve positive outcomes and avoid drift and delay for children, young people, families and carers.
• Supporting practitioners and/or students to improve practice and build confidence.
• Having brave and kind conversations, challenging others constructively when needed.

Are you an experienced social worker ready to influence our child protection practice and inspire change for the children and families we support?

We offer a competitive rewards package that includes attractive salaries, a generous annual leave entitlement of 27 days (rising to 32 after five years' continuous local government service), membership of the excellent contributory career average Local Government Pension Scheme, and a range of flexible working arrangements including hybrid working (home and office) where applicable. Explore the full range of rewards and benefits on our website

Rewards and benefits are subject to individual terms and conditions.