Missing Support Worker

Bradford Children and Families Trust; Bradford; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 34,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous annual leave

Excellent Local Government pension

Family-friendly policies

Health & wellbeing support

Professional development and career/PR

Job summary

Bradford Children and Families Trust is seeking a dedicated Missing Service practitioner to carry out missing return interviews, assess risk, and coordinate appropriate support for families and children. You will work with case workers, feed back information, and signpost to essential services to reduce missing episodes.

The role involves direct work with children and families, training colleagues, and contributing to policy and practice developments within a restorative and relational framework.

Qualifications

• Equivalent; qualification in social care / social sciences or NVQ 3 Caring for children and young people to equivalent.
• To provide evidence of your knowledge/experience in working safeguarding policies and protocols for children and young people.

Responsibilities

• Carry out missing return interviews and assess level of need.
• Signpost children/young people and families to appropriate support services.
• Provide direct work with children/young people and families including assessment of need and risk.
• Develop missing risk management plans to reduce missing episodes.
• Deliver training and seminars to raise awareness of missing from home/care issues.
• Raise awareness of missing vulnerability risk and promote good practice.

Skills

Safeguarding policies

Education

Equivalent qualification in social care / social sciences or NVQ 3 Caring for children and young people

Job description

Working for the Bradford Children and Families Trust offers the opportunity to work with a committed team who are passionate about delivering change in a city whose culture offers as much diversity as it's geography. You can make a real difference to families and children and be an active part in delivering the service Bradford families should receive. We are fully committed to equal opportunities and we welcome applications from all backgrounds.

About the Role

To work as part of the Missing Service to carry out missing return interviews, support families and with support determine level of need and required response including ensuring that there are appropriate support packages in place. To cases open to CSC ensure this information is fed back to both the allocated case workers and missing coordinator. Signpost children/young people and families to additional appropriate support services where there is evidence of wider significant needs. To carry out direct work with children/young people and families to include assessment of need and risk in relation to missing, advocacy and the development of missing risk management plans to reduce missing episodes. With the support of the Senior Missing Support worker raise awareness and understanding of missing from home/care issues and promote good practice across a wide range of audiences by delivering training, seminars etc. Recent practice developments include a Missing Vulnerability Risk Assessment Meeting pathway and updated Philomena protocols.

Our strategic vision and values are upheld across the Trust, fostering a reliable and supportive environment for both staff and the children in our care. Our approach is rooted in restorative and relational practice, fostering trust, mutual respect, and meaningful relationships with children, families, and professionals.

you'll also:

• To provide inspirational outreach support, tailored to the individual needs of the young people by providing family support packages designed to assist families to reach their own goals and aspirations through joint working within a multi-disciplinary framework are met, with reference to missing children and young people.
• To develop, maintain and support families to reduce children/young people from going missing.
• To carry out missing return interviews as allocated by the Senior Missing Support Worker use initiative to determined level of need and ensure appropriate strategies are in place to support families.

To be successful in this role you will need:

• Equivalent; qualification in social care / social sciences or NVQ 3 Caring for children and young people to equivalent.
• To provide evidence of your knowledge/experience in working safeguarding policies and protocols for children and young people.

you'll also be joining an organisation that truly values its people, offering a range of benefits designed to support your wellbeing, growth, and work-life balance, including:

• Generous annual leave - 31 days rising to 34 with service, plus bank holidays
• Excellent Local Government pension
• Family-friendly policies and enhanced parental leave
• Health & wellbeing support, including Occupational Health and counselling
• Professional development and career progression opportunities we are a National Living Wage employer For full details of our benefits, please see the attached 'Our Benefits' brochure.

Bradford Children and Families Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all employees to share this commitment.

If shortlisted, you will be required to disclose relevant information regarding criminal history prior to interview.

A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check including a check against the Children's barred list, will be carried out on preferred candidates.

To arrange an informal discussion, please contact the Team Manager Mohammed Israr [e-mail]

Closing Date: 11th October 2026

Interviews: 20th October 2026