Lead Child Protection Practitioner (17046)

Southampton City Council; Southampton; On-site; GBP 54,000 - 61,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Excellent local government pension

Flexible working options

Training and development

Staff networks and wellbeing support

Job summary

Southampton City Council is seeking a Lead Child Protection Practitioner to drive safeguarding decisions within the Multi-Agency Child Protection Team (MACPT). You will lead and oversee child protection activity across Southampton, chair conferences, and ensure timely protection for children.

You will analyse complex information, influence practice across partners, and work with Family Help to keep children at the heart of planning, while developing standards and shaping local safeguarding

Qualifications

• Registered social worker with frontline child protection experience.
• Ability to lead investigations and safeguarding work.
• Strong analytical and decision-making skills.
• Excellent collaboration with multi‑agency partners.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategy discussions and oversee Section 47 enquiries.
• Analyse complex multi‑agency information to inform decisions.
• Chair Initial and Review Child Protection Conferences.
• Produce high‑quality assessments and reports for safeguarding and court contexts.
• Collaborate with Family Help practitioners to keep children at the centre of planning.
• Influence multi‑agency safeguarding practice across partners.
• Be part of a team redefining child protection in Southampton.

Skills

Leadership

Autonomous decisions

Analytical thinking

Empathy

Education

Registered social worker

Job description

Lead Child Protection Practitioner – Multi-Agency Child Protection Team (MACPT)

Southampton Children's Services

Be part of the future of child protection.

Southampton is transforming the way we safeguard children.

As part of the Families First reforms, we are establishing a new Multi-Agency Child Protection Team (MACPT), bringing together skilled professionals from Children's Services, Police, Health and Education to deliver a more decisive, collaborative and child-centred response when children are at risk of significant harm.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced child protection practitioner to join us as a Lead Child Protection Practitioner, a specialist role at the heart of safeguarding decision‑making. You will be one of Southampton's recognised child protection experts, helping shape practice, drive high standards and ensure children receive the timely protection they need.

As a council we believe that our people should reflect the diversity of our communities, embedding race equity and anti‑racism into our culture, processes and structure to align with our equality mission, and the Social Care Workforce Race Equality Standards. Our communities matter, and the children and young people within them are our priority, our mission as a city is to create safer places to live with equal opportunities to grow, thrive and be healthy. The Lead Child Protection Practitioner plays a crucial role to protect and safeguard our vulnerable children and young people.

The Opportunity

This is not a traditional social work role.

As a Lead Child Protection Practitioner, you will be the local authority's decision‑maker within the Multi-Agency Child Protection Team, leading and overseeing child protection activity across Southampton.

You will:

• Lead strategy discussions and oversee and support Section 47 enquiries.
• Analyse complex multi‑agency information and make confident, evidence‑based decisions.
• Chair Initial and Review Child Protection Conferences.
• Produce high‑quality assessments and reports that stand up to scrutiny in child protection and court arenas.
• Work alongside Family Help practitioners to ensure children remain at the centre of planning and intervention.
• Influence and strengthen multi‑agency safeguarding practice across the partnership.
• Be part of a highly skilled team that is redefining child protection practice within Southampton.

This role is for practitioners who enjoy professional challenge, thrive in complex situations and want the opportunity to make decisions that genuinely change children's lives.

About You

You will be an experienced registered social worker with significant recent front‑line child protection experience.

We are looking for someone who:

• Values relational practice with families, with partners and with colleagues
• Has extensive experience leading child protection investigations and statutory safeguarding work.
• Is confident making autonomous decisions in complex and high‑risk situations.
• Can professionally challenge, influence and collaborate with partners.
• Brings exceptional analytical skills and sound judgement.
• Has a strong understanding of legislation, Working Together and current safeguarding research.
• Can engage children, parents and wider family networks with confidence and empathy.
• Is committed to achieving the best outcomes for children through purposeful, relationship‑based practice.

Most importantly, you will be someone who combines expertise with curiosity, confidence with humility, and challenge with compassion.

Why Southampton?

We know that outstanding child protection relies on outstanding practitioners.

In Southampton, we are investing in our workforce, embedding the Families First approach and building services that place relationships, expertise and multi‑agency collaboration at the centre of everything we do.

Joining our new Multi‑Agency Child Protection Team means:

• Helping shape one of the most significant developments in safeguarding practice.
• Working alongside highly skilled professionals from across the partnership.
• Having the autonomy and authority to use your expertise.
• Being part of a service that values innovation, reflective practice and continuous improvement.
• Influencing child protection practice across the whole system.
• Making a lasting difference to the lives of Southampton's children and families.

What we can offer you:

Salary: The salary band for this role is £54,143 - £60,807 per annum. The starting salary is £54,143 with annual progression through the salary bands.

Here at SCC we have a range of different benefits, a few examples can be found below.

• Excellent local government pension with 15.2% employer contribution
• Death in service benefit of x3 salary, and optional salary sacrifice shared cost AVC (additional voluntary contribution)
• Generous holiday 25-31 days, based on role and service
• Flexible working options (role-dependent)
• Family-friendly policies - Maternity, Paternity, Adoption, Shared/Unpaid Parental Leave, Time off for Dependents
• Training and development, including coaching and mentoring
• Health and wellbeing support - Employee Assistance Programme, Menopause Pledge, Mental Health First Aiders and access to a variety of staff networks
• Veteran-friendly employer with the Armed Forces Covenant
• Retail discounts and savings through the Southampton City Council benefits platform
• Discounted memberships at local sports and fitness centres
• Sustainable travel benefits - low emission car scheme, cycle to work, season ticket loans
• Employee volunteering scheme with 2 paid days leave to volunteer

For further information on our benefits package please visit: Employee benefits (southampton.gov.uk)