Missing Children Engagement Worker

Bristol City Council; West of England; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Flexitime

LGPS

Generous annual leave

Job summary

Bristol City Council is seeking a Missing Children Engagement Worker to join the Safer Connections team, a fixed-term role for 6 months. You will build safe, trusting relationships with children who have been missing and help them plan safer outcomes, including recording your work clearly and coordinating with safeguarding partners.

The role is based at City Hall with travel across the city; an Enhanced DBS check is required.

Qualifications

• Trauma-informed approach in handling missing children cases.
• Strong communication skills and ability to engage with children sensitively.
• Experience working with multi-agency partners in safeguarding contexts.

Responsibilities

• Engage directly with children on a regular basis.
• Conduct trauma-informed conversations to understand experiences while missing.
• Record work clearly and accurately; coordinate safeguarding responses with partners.

Skills

Trauma-informed practice

Child engagement

Multi-agency collaboration

Job description

The job requirements are detailed below. Where applicable the skills, qualifications and memberships required for this job have also been included.

Job details

Job reference VAC008886

Date posted 25/09/2026

Application closing date 11/10/2026

Location City Hall College Green City Centre Bristol BS1 5TR

Salary BG8: £30,023 - £32,046

Contractual hours 37

Basis Full time

Job category/type Blank

Attach files: Person Specification.pdf, Job Description.pdf

Full Time, Fixed Term for 6 months

Location: City Hall with travel across the city and at times out of area.

Safer Connections is seeking a Missing Children Engagement Worker to join Bristol Children’s Services. This is an exciting opportunity for a proactive, motivated practitioner who can quickly build safe, trusting relationships with children who have been missing, helping them share their lived experiences and supporting them to plan for safer outcomes.

We are an inclusive service, and it is essential that you demonstrate the Council’s values: Dedicated, Respect, Ownership, Curious, Collaborative. These values underpin everything we do to protect children from Harm Outside the Home and strengthen their safety networks.

In this role, you will engage directly with children on a regular basis, offering sensitive, trauma‑informed conversations that help them explore what happened while missing and what they need moving forward. You will work closely with multi‑agency partners to ensure safeguarding concerns are clearly understood and responded to, and you will record your work with accuracy and clarity.

You will be based within the Safer Connections team, working alongside experienced colleagues to ensure children across the city receive a timely, coordinated response. This is a chance to make a meaningful difference to children’s lives, contribute to a developing service, and be part of a team committed to contextual safeguarding and improving outcomes.

Please note that this role is subject to an Enhanced DBS Check.

Why Bristol City Council?

At Bristol City Council, we go that extra mile for our people; we offer a work environment which is fast moving and supportive, giving you the chance to use your skills and develop new ones within a high-profile organisation. For the majority of our roles hybrid working arrangements are available, giving teams the opportunity to work in a way that suits them, balancing service need and individual choice - mixing both home and office working.

• Join us and you’ll receive an excellent rewards package including flexible working and flexitime, membership of the Local Government Pension scheme, and a generous annual leave allowance.

In addition, you’ll be working in a supportive environment where you’ll have the chance to make Bristol a better place and contribute to its future.

For permanent Bristol City Council employees, this post will be a secondment.

For employees who are currently on a fixed term contract with Bristol City Council, the secondment must not extend beyond the end of the fixed term period to ensure there is a substantive post to return to.

If you are currently a casual worker or a member of an employment agency (currently working with Bristol City Council) this post will be a fixed term contract.

We’re a Disability Confident employer which means we value recruiting and retaining disabled people. Any job applicants who consider themselves to be disabled and meet the essential criteria in the Person Specification are guaranteed an interview. We’ll make reasonable adjustments throughout the interview process and provide continued workplace support throughout your career.

At Bristol City Council, we value having a workforce as diverse as the city we serve. We therefore welcome, develop and promote people from all sections of the community. Appointments will be made on merit.

The personal information section (including your name) you’ll complete as part of the application form will not be visible to hiring managers, but is used confidentially to make sure that everyone is treated fairly.