Principal Lawyer - Children and/or Adult Safeguarding

Kirklees Council; Huddersfield; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Kirklees Council is seeking a Principal Lawyer in Children and/or Adult Safeguarding. This permanent position includes significant court responsibilities, advocating for vulnerable individuals. Ideal candidates are qualified legal professionals with experience in public law, and a commitment to safeguarding local communities.

Benefits

27.5 days annual leave increasing to 32.5 after 5 years

Cycle to work scheme

Travel and parking discounts

Exceptional Maternity and Paternity leave policies

Access to Employee Healthcare services

Qualifications

• Qualified legal practitioner holding a current practicing certificate.
• Experience in drafting application forms and complex court documents.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and manage cases for court, ensuring legal documentation is complete.
• Advocate for children and adults in safeguarding cases.
• Work collaboratively with social work teams.

Skills

Drafting legal documentation

Advocacy in court

Team collaboration

Education

Qualified Solicitor or Barrister

Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives

Job description

Principal Lawyer - Children and/or Adult Safeguarding

We adopt a ‘name blind’ approach to shortlisting. Recruiting managers will not have access to personal information, including your name and contact details, until a shortlisting decision has been made - please note that this also includes any CV uploaded. Equality monitoring information is not accessible by recruiting managers at any stage.

Organisation Kirklees

Directorate Public Health and Corporate Resources

Service Area Governance & Commissioning

Hours 37

Number of Jobs 2

Location(s) Hybrid working from home and Civic Centre 1, Huddersfield, HD1 2NF

Position type Permanent

Grade 14 - 15 Plus a Market Rate Supplement

*If a sufficient amount of applications are received we reserve the right to close this vacancy early*

This position is being advertised for Principal Lawyers with optional areas of focus.

• Principal Lawyer – Adult Focus
• Principal Lawyer – Children Focus
• Principal Lawyer – Combined Focus (Adults and Children)

In your application please specify which focus you are applying for.

Do you want to make a difference to local people?

As one of the largest legal practices in the area, our dedicated Legal Service teams strive to get the best outcomesfor people in Kirklees.

The team

The Safeguarding Children and Adults Team is one of the specialist teams within Kirklees Legal Services.

We act for the council on a range of matters including Public Law Proceedings relating to children and cases in relation to vulnerable adults in the Court of Protection. We work closely with the council’s social work teams who provide services to vulnerable children and adults.

The role

As part of this role you will be expected to prepare cases for court using our excellent case management and court bundling systems. You will also appear as an advocate and instruct counsel where required, specifically within the field of child safeguarding and/or adult social care and safeguarding.

We are looking for someone with a positive approach who enjoys working as part of a team. You will be supported by our Senior Lawyers, Assistant Legal Officers and Business Support team.

Development

If you are ambitious to develop your skills and knowledge in legal services, and want to know more about the legal issues that affect local authorities – this is the role for you. We put a strong emphasis on training and personal development, and want to support you to be the best you can be.

What you will bring

You will be a qualified Solicitor (or Barrister) holding a current practising certificate, or you will be a Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives who holds a Civil Proceedings Certificate (or who is a Legal Executive Advocate).

You will also have the ability and experience of drafting application forms and complex court documentation to support Local Authority applications in public law children act proceedings and applications in the Court of Protection.

Do you have any experience in the following areas?

We are looking for someone with experience in at least one of the following areas, but experience in more than one area would be beneficial.

• Children Act 1989 – Public & Private Law Applications
• Adoption and Children Act 2002 – Public & Private Law Applications
• Care Act 2014
• Mental Health Act 1983, Community Care, Mental Capacity Act
• Advocacy in public & private children proceedings
• Advocacy in public or private law adoption or special guardianship applications

Kirklees Council offers these benefits to all its employees:

• 27.5 days annual leave increasing to 32.5 after 5 years’ service (plus bank holidays).
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Travel and parking discounts
• Exceptional Maternity and Paternity leave policies
• Access to Employee Healthcare that offers a range of services from counselling to physiotherapy and health assessments.

If you would like to have an informal discussion about this role, please telephone Margaret Miller who isHead of the Safeguarding Children and Adults Legal Teamon 01484 221 000.

PLEASE NOTE WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CLOSE THIS ADVERTISEMENT EARLY SHOULD WE RECEIVE A SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF APPLICATIONS.

Margaret Miller is the manager for this role, please contact them on 01484 221000 for an informal discussion, or if you need any more information.

We know there’s a wealth of talent among people who have a disability and we encourage applications from people with all differing abilities. So, if you need any support completing an application form, or any other format for the application or Job Description please contact the Recruitment Team for help by email: [e-mail] or phone: [phone] and ask for ‘Recruitment’.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable adults and children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.