Lead Child Protection Practitioner - Multi-Agency Safety Team

London Social Work for Children; Chipping Barnet; Hybrid; GBP 64,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free Parking

30 days annual leave

Flexi-time / homeworking

Training opportunities

Cycle to Work Scheme

Relocation package up to £8,000

Job summary

London Social Work for Children in Barnet is seeking a Lead Child Protection Practitioner to lead high‑quality practice within the Multi‑Agency Safety Team. The role offers blended working arrangements and a full‑time 36 hours per week schedule, with a recruitment and retention supplement that raises the salary to £64,062–£70,059.

You will lead on section 47 enquiries, collaborate with partners across agencies, and drive practice improvements while safeguarding children and families.

Qualifications

• Recognised social work qualification and registration with Social Work England.
• Strong knowledge of legislation, policy and safeguarding practice.
• Excellent communication and leadership in multi-agency settings.

Responsibilities

• Lead on section 47 enquiries, investigations, child protection conferences and family-led planning.
• Ensure work is timely, analytical and grounded in the child’s lived experience.
• Work in partnership with children, families and professionals internal and external to the council.
• Champion approaches that keep children safe and build resilience for families to sustain change.
• Contribute to a team culture focused on continuous improvement with high support and challenge.

Skills

Communication skills

Multi-agency meetings

Analytical thinking

Relationship-based practice

Education

Social Work degree

Registration with Social Work England

Job description

Lead Child Protection Practitioner - Multi-Agency Safety Team

Location

Barnet

Working pattern

Full-time – 36 hours per week

Working arrangements

Blended

18th Nov, 2026

Incentives

This role includes a Recruitment and Retention supplement of 10%, meaning the salary effectively equates to £64,062 – £70,059.

About the role

An exciting opportunity has arisen for Lead Child Protection Practitioners to join Barnet's Multi-Agency Safety Teams, leading high-quality practice for children and families who need us most. In Barnet, the commitment is to creating a culture where practice excellence, strong relationships, and continuous learning underpin everything — providing a supportive environment in which practitioners can thrive, delivering meaningful, lasting change for children and families.

The Barnet Multi-Agency Safety Team supports children experiencing both intra-familial and extra-familial harm. Applications are particularly welcomed from LCPPs who have a particular interest in contextual safeguarding and working with children where risks are present outside the family home. If you would like to be considered for a specialist focus in this area, please highlight this in your application.

As a Lead Child Protection Practitioner (LCPP), the post-holder will deliver a consistently high standard of child-centred, strengths-based and relationship-focused safeguarding practice to children, young people and families, as part of a specialist team culture that is inclusive, reflective, and focused on continuous improvement — where high support is matched with high challenge. A strong workforce development programme will support practitioners to grow while embedding Barnet's values and practice standards. Key responsibilities include:

• Leading on section 47 enquiries, investigations, child protection conferences, and family-led planning and practice
• Ensuring all work is timely, analytical, and grounded in the lived experience of the child
• Working in partnership with children, families, and professionals internal and external to the council
• Championing approaches which keep children safe from harm, build resilience, and support families to make sustainable change
• Contributing to a specialist team culture focused on continuous improvement, where high support is matched with high challenge

About you

Barnet is looking for an experienced and values-driven social work practitioner who is passionate about delivering outstanding outcomes for children and families. The successful candidate will bring integrity, curiosity, and compassion to a role that sits at the heart of Barnet's child protection offer.

The ideal candidate will:

• Hold a recognised social work qualification and be registered with Social Work England
• Have strong knowledge of legislation, policy, and safeguarding practice, with the ability to apply this confidently in complex situations
• Demonstrate excellent communication skills, leading clear, analytical, and impactful multi-agency meetings, investigations, assessments, and plans
• Have a strong track record of improving outcomes for children and families and influencing multi-agency partnerships
• Show a commitment to relational, strengths-based, and restorative practice, ensuring children and families are meaningfully involved
• Have a passion for delivering high-quality, equitable services that recognise and respond to diversity within the community

Barnet Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check and stringent safer recruitment procedures, which may include AI Detection Screening, Biometric ID/Right to Work Checks, Qualification and Registration Checks, up to 6 years of employment screening (Konfir), up to 5 years of employment history references, Credit Checks, Social Media and Sanctions screening, and Occupational Health Screening.

Barnet Council values diversity and welcomes applications from all backgrounds. It is a Disability Confident Committed Employer and will make reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process for disabled applicants and those with health conditions.

About Barnet

Barnet - in the north-west of London - is the second largest borough by population and home to over 389,000 people.

With 30 flourishing town centres and over 200 family-friendly parks, nature reserves and greenspaces, Barnet is a brilliant place to live, study, work, and raise a family.

We provide members of our children's services workforce with:

• Free Parking
• Competitive renumeration packages (including Barnet Flex – talk to us about this)
• Access to Pool Cars/Parking Permits
• 30 days annual leave, plus public and bank holidays
• Work-life balance options may include flexi-time, job-share, homeworking, part-time
• Excellent training and development opportunities
• Interest-free season travel ticket loan
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Relocation package of up to £8,000
• Enhanced maternity, adoption and paternity pay
• Childcare voucher scheme, salary sacrifice scheme
• Occupational Health advice/Health and Wellbeing Programme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Modern purpose built offices based in the heart of our Community at Colindale, 5 minutes walk from the underground station.