Lead Child Protection Practitioner (CSPA) - 05781,05782

West Berkshire Council; Newbury; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 58,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Hybrid work

Training opportunities

Pension scheme

Family policies

Discounts

Wellbeing programme

Annual leave

Job summary

West Berkshire Council is seeking a Lead Child Protection Practitioner to join our Children and Family Services team, reporting to the Team Manager. The role offers hybrid working and a commitment to safeguarding children within our local community.

You will lead and coordinate safeguarding enquiries, provide expert guidance on complex cases, and drive high-quality assessments and reporting for multi-agency meetings.

Qualifications

• 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

Responsibilities

• Leading and coordinating child protection enquiries, ensuring appropriate action is taken to safeguard children
• Providing expert advice and guidance to practitioners on complex cases
• Conducting high-quality assessments and producing comprehensive reports for multi-agency meetings
• Collaborating with external agencies to ensure the best outcomes for children and families
• Contribute to service improvement initiatives and participate in the delivery of training for staff

Skills

Leadership

Mentoring

Assessment

Communication

Education

Social work qualification

Job description

Are you an experienced Child Protection Practitioner looking to take the next step in your career? West Berkshire Council is seeking a Lead Child Protection Practitioner to join our Children and Family Services team, reporting to the Team Manager. 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.

The Role

Responsibilities

• Leading and coordinating child protection enquiries, ensuring appropriate action is taken to safeguard children
• Providing expert advice and guidance to practitioners on complex cases
• Conducting high-quality assessments and producing comprehensive reports for multi-agency meetings
• Collaborating with external agencies to ensure the best outcomes for children and families

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.

The Ideal Candidate

• 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

In addition to the above, you will hold a relevant social work qualification and be registered with Social Work England.

Why Work for West Berkshire Council?

West Berkshire Council Offer Excellent Employment Benefits Such As

• 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.

Please note that the closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

Join us at West Berkshire Council and make a positive impact in our community while advancing your career. Explore everything that a career with West Berkshire Council has to offer here: Working with Us

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Nandi Sutherland, Team Manager [e-mail]

Equal Opportunities

The Council supports Equal Opportunity of employment and positively encourages applications from people who fall within any of the nine protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010.

How To Apply

Please now complete a short online application form. You will then be able to upload your CV.

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.

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 an Enhanced DBS check with the relevant Barred List(s).

In this post you will be required to maintain 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 https://info.westberks.gov.uk/pnapplications

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.