Lead Child Protection Practitioner

Wirral Council; Wirral; Hybrid; GBP 41,000 - 62,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Staff discounts

Pension scheme

Life cover

Flexible working

Job summary

Wirral Council is seeking a Lead Child Protection Practitioner to provide expert leadership in safeguarding children and families. You will chair Strategy Meetings and Child Protection Conferences, oversee safeguarding practice, and support risk analysis and decision‑making to ensure the best outcomes for children.

You will work closely with Children’s Services and partner agencies in a challenging, rewarding role that drives continuous improvement and professional development while maintaining

Qualifications

• Qualified Social Worker with current Social Work England registration.
• Extensive experience working with children and families where safeguarding concerns are present.
• Experience in leading multi‑agency safeguarding work and coordinating responses.
• Management experience at Team Manager level or equivalent, with ability to chair complex meetings.

Responsibilities

• Chair Strategy Meetings and Child Protection Conferences and oversee safeguarding practice.
• Quality assure safeguarding practice and support robust risk analysis and decision making.
• Coordinate and lead multi‑agency safeguarding responses with partner agencies.
• Ensure children and families remain central to planning and intervention.

Skills

Leadership

Safeguarding

Analytical thinking

Decision-making

Communication

Team management

Education

Social Work degree

Job description

• Location: Wirral, Hybrid Working
• Contract: Permanent
• Working Pattern: Flexible Hours/Full Time
• Hours: 36 hours per week.
• Closing Date: 08/11/2026 at 23:59
• Reference: CF&E/26/348148

Wirral Council is a place where you can genuinely make a difference, guided by strong organisational values that shape everything we do. Our values, ambitious, professional, resident‑focused and accountable, act as our organisational DNA, influencing how we work, lead and support one another every day. We take pride in delivering great services, acting with integrity, building positive relationships, and always putting residents first, creating a supportive and inclusive culture where everyone can “be the best we can be”. With our beautiful surroundings, ambitious future plans, and a commitment to empowering staff to #BeTheDifference, Wirral Council offers an inspiring environment to grow your career and make a lasting impact.

36 hours – Permanent

Make a Difference in Children's Lives

Wirral is committed to providing outstanding services for children and families. We are seeking an experienced and highly motivated safeguarding professional to join our Multi Agency Child Protection Team as a Lead Child Protection Practitioner (LCPP). This is an exciting opportunity to play a pivotal role in safeguarding children, influencing practice across the partnership and driving positive change for children and families.

About the Role:

As a Lead Child Protection Practitioner, you will provide expert leadership and oversight for children at risk of significant harm. You will chair Strategy Meetings and Child Protection Conferences, oversee and quality assure safeguarding practice, support robust risk analysis and decision‑making, and ensure that children and families remain at the center of all planning and intervention.

Working closely with colleagues across Children’s Services and partner agencies, you will promote high‑quality practice, provide professional challenge where required and contribute to continuous improvement across safeguarding services.

This role provides a unique opportunity to influence safeguarding practice across the borough and work alongside a committed multi‑agency workforce dedicated to improving outcomes for children.

About the Candidate:

Are you a qualified Social Worker with current Social Work England registration and extensive experience of working with children and families where safeguarding concerns are present?

Do you have management experience at Team Manager level, or equivalent, and are you confident in chairing complex multi‑agency meetings? Can you demonstrate excellent analytical and decision‑making skills?

If you are passionate about safeguarding children, confident in leading complex child protection work and committed to achieving the very best outcomes for children and families, we would welcome your application. Help us ensure that children in Wirral are protected, heard and supported to thrive.

For more information or an informal discussion regarding this vacancy, please contact Kayley Tregilgas, Safeguarding & Quality Assurance Manager, via email [e-mail]

Wirral Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk. We expect all employees and volunteers to share this commitment. As part of our safer recruitment process, all successful applicants will be subject to thorough pre‑employment checks, including enhanced DBS clearance, verified reference checks, verification of qualifications and identity, and checks of the right to work in the UK.

We welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates. For this vacancy, candidates must have an existing right to work in the UK before commencing employment. Skilled Worker visa sponsorship is not available for this post. Eligibility to work in the UK will be verified in the final stages of the selection process.

If you’re already a Wirral Council employee, and as part of our Talent Strategy, we’re committed to strengthening opportunities for our people to learn, grow, progress and thrive. For many of you, this may be preparing and applying for your next role with us, and we’re passionate about ensuring you feel supported throughout your internal recruitment experience. Please get in touch if you want to know more about some of the ways in which we could support you by emailing [e-mail]

If you are a Wirral resident, are unemployed or out of work, and require help with your application, please contact Involve Northwest’s employment and skills team on [e-mail] or contact 0151 644 4500 or 0151 652 4349.

Working at Wirral

You’ll also want to know what it’s like to work here so, as a start:

Our values are more than just pieces of paper on our walls! We’ve all played a role in developing these, so they reflect the immense pride we have in what we do, what matters to us, what inspires us and inform how we think, approach things and behave.

We believe in ensuring staff are well looked after, staff wellbeing is a priority for us. We’re serious about recognising and rewarding people for the great things they do. You’ll benefit from our track record of developing, growing and investing in our people.

We have a range of staff benefits including staff discounts, enrolment into the local government pension scheme (an excellent defined benefit scheme), immediate life cover and ill-health protection. We have a strong flexible working approach, hybrid working, family-friendly employment initiatives and an annual leave package starting with 28 days leave plus public holidays.

We have an inclusive, engaged culture, everyone has a voice, everyone is valued for their contribution and understands the role they play in delivering our strategic priorities.

Each voice is heard, each contribution valued. We embrace diversity in our workforce and recognise it is critical to our success. We support an inclusive culture that champions differences and nurtures a sense of belonging. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds, who share our values and our commitment to inclusion to apply for roles with us.

We want you to be your best at work, we create the conditions to help you thrive and we mirror this in our recruitment process. If you’d like us to do anything differently during the recruitment process to make it barrier-free and as accessible as possible please contact [e-mail]