Participation Lead

inploi; Wigan; Hybrid; GBP 53,000 - 58,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in Wigan is seeking a dynamic leader to spearhead the Participation Strategy across Children's Services. This role involves designing and implementing frameworks for co-production to ensure families influence service delivery. The ideal candidate should have a relevant degree and substantial experience in participation projects within children's services. The position offers opportunities for flexible working arrangements, emphasizing community engagement and outcome enhancement.

Benefits

Flexible working patterns

Blended working environment

Qualifications

• Dynamic leader with substantial experience in participation projects.
• Skilled at managing projects, setting goals, and tracking progress.
• Experience in Children’s Services or similar settings is essential.

Responsibilities

• Lead and deliver the Participation Strategy across Children’s Services.
• Champion the Lundy Model of Participation to ensure meaningful service delivery.
• Design and implement co-production frameworks and monitor participation impacts.

Skills

Leadership

Project Management

Communication

Collaboration

Education

Degree or professional qualification in youth work, teaching, participation or related field

Job description

Overview

Priority Candidates will be considered in the first instance

Wigan Life Centre South, College Avenue, Wigan, WN1 1NJ

Salary: Grade 12, £53,460 - £57,379 per annum. Hours: 37 hours per week.

We're on a journey to build a workforce reflective of our Borough. We are committed to fostering diverse teams where everybody can bring their authentic selves to work and feel that they belong.

Responsibilities

Your role: You will lead and deliver the Participation Strategy across Children’s Services, championing the Lundy Model of Participation to ensure young people, parents, and carers meaningfully shape service delivery. This includes designing and implementing a co-production framework to enhance the Families First Partnership, mapping participation activity borough wide, coordinating campaigns, and avoiding duplication. You’ll ensure transparent feedback mechanisms on service changes, embed inclusive practice across the workforce through training and supervision, and monitor the impact of participation in driving service improvement. Your role is both strategic and operational, ensuring voices of families are heard, valued, and acted upon.

Requirements

About you: You’re a dynamic leader with a degree or professional qualification in youth work, teaching, participation, or a related field. You bring substantial experience designing, coordinating, and evaluating participation projects with children, young people, and families. You can manage projects confidently, set goals, and track progress. You should be skilled in communication, able to inspire trust with diverse audiences and support staff to embed participation principles. Experience in Children’s Services or similar settings is essential, as is a commitment to improving services through co-production. You’re adaptable, collaborative, and driven by a genuine passion to amplify family voices and enhance outcomes.

About us

Wigan Council has been voted ‘Overall Council of the Year’ at the APSE (Association for Public Service Excellence) Awards. We are signed up to the Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment ensuring that your service will be continuous or unbroken between the supporting organisations. The Progress with Unity plan is a place movement for change for the next decade, bringing a new era for Wigan Borough. It draws on the strengths of our individual organisations, recognising that together we can achieve much more for our communities by delivering on our place missions; create fair opportunities for all children, families, residents and businesses and make our towns and neighbourhoods flourish for those who live and work in them. In our Quality Assurance and Practice Development Team every day is about making a real difference, championing best practice, delivering high-quality training to empower our workforce, and ensuring the voices of children and families shape everything we do.

Work patterns

Here at Wigan, we are proud to support flexible working patterns when the service can accommodate this. We also take a blended approach to where we work, depending on the work we do. This may include working from home, the office, or the community.

Application details

To be appointed to this role you must be able to prove your right to work in the UK. Details are available via GOV.UK guidance. Prohibition on sponsorship is noted. For informal discussion about the role, please contact Alison Hudson - Practice Lead for Family Safeguarding at [e-mail].

Interview and checks

Priority Candidates Interview date: Thursday 22nd January 2026. Interview date: Friday 23rd January 2026. This role is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure Procedures plus Child and Adult barred list check.

Application guidance

Details relating to this position can be viewed via the links below: Job Specification, DBS Applicant Information, Privacy Notice. Calculate your take home pay using the applicable tax/NI service. This role may affect benefit entitlement.