Lead Child Protection Practitioner

Grafham Water Center; United Kingdom; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Grafham Water Center is seeking an experienced Lead Child Protection Practitioner in Cambridgeshire to provide senior practice leadership across the partnership. The role offers professional oversight, safeguarding decision-making and mentoring for frontline staff to secure high-quality support for children and families.

You will chair multi-agency forums, including strategy discussions and child protection conferences, and make threshold recommendations for Child Protection and Child in Need

Qualifications

• Senior safeguarding professional with extensive child protection experience.
• Proven ability to provide expert professional leadership and mentoring.
• Strong judgement and risk assessment in complex cases.
• Experience chairing multi-agency meetings and safeguarding forums.

Responsibilities

• Provide professional oversight and challenge to safeguarding decisions.
• Lead multi-agency decision-making forums, strategy discussions, and conferences.
• Make threshold determinations for Child Protection and Child in Need plans.
• Support frontline practitioners with guidance and supervision.
• Ensure safeguarding processes are robust, transparent and child-focused.

Skills

Leadership

Safeguarding expertise

Decision-making

Mentoring/consultation

Interagency collaboration

Job description

Are you an experienced Child Protection professional, Team Manager, Child Protection Conference Chair or Senior Practitioner looking to further your career development? Do you want the opportunity to use your expertise to support the development of a new Families First model? Are you passionate about improving outcomes for children, young people and their families? We'd love to hear from you.As a Lead Child Protection Practitioner (LCPP), you will work collaboratively with managers, social workers, colleagues within the Family Help Service and partner agencies as part of a Multi-Agency Child Protection Team.This is a senior practice leadership role with a focus on strengthening and promoting high-quality child protection practice across the partnership. You will provide professional oversight, scrutiny and challenge to support effective decision-making, consistency of practice and positive outcomes for children.This role carries significant responsibility for safeguarding decision-making and requires sound professional judgement, confidence and substantial safeguarding expertise. A central aspect of the role is making complex threshold decisions for children suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. You will lead multi-agency decision-making forums, including decisions relating to Section 47 enquiries, determining when multi-agency investigations are required, chairing strategy discussions and child protection conferences, and making recommendations on threshold for Child Protection and Child in Need plans. You will ensure safeguarding processes are robust, supportive, transparent and child-focused, while also supporting frontline practitioners through professional advice, guidance, consultation and mentoring.While this is not a line management role and does not have direct responsibility for a team, you will be expected to influence practice through your expertise, consultation and professional leadership, supporting practitioners and managers to make safe and effective decisions for children and families.This role commences in a pilot scheme within East Cambridgeshire with a mix of office, based at Noble House in Ely, and home working. Beyond the pilot, more LCPPs will be recruited to various other locations across Cambridgeshire and you will have the opportunity to look at these alternative locations. There is also an expectation to attend conferences and potentially home visits across the county.

Interviews will be held in person at New Shire Hall, Alconbury Weald, Huntingdon, the week commencing 7 September 2026. Appointment to this post will be subject to the outcome of an Enhanced Disclosure obtained through the Disclosure and Barring Service. The Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.