Senior Legal Advisor (Childcare)

Shared Services Partnership; Winchester; Hybrid; GBP 51,000 - 56,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Competitive salary

Generous holiday allowance

Pension scheme

Job summary

Hampshire County Council is seeking a Senior Legal Adviser (Childcare) to join the Safeguarding Children’s Team in Winchester on a hybrid basis. The role requires a Solicitor, Barrister or FILEX with litigation rights and experience in child care law, to provide expert advice on care proceedings and related litigation.

You will manage a complex caseload, advise on legal strategy, draft court submissions, and collaborate with Children’s Services and external partners to safeguard vulnerable

Qualifications

• Qualified Solicitor, Barrister or FILEX with litigation rights.
• Recent experience in public child care law.
• Strong drafting skills and client-care approach.

Responsibilities

• Advise Children’s Services on legal aspects of care and related proceedings.
• Represent and present cases to court when required.
• Manage a complex caseload and coordinate with internal and external parties.
• Support safeguarding objectives and ensure compliance with statutory requirements.

Skills

Litigation experience

Drafting skills

Public childcare law knowledge

Client care

Education

Solicitor/Barrister/FileX with litigation rights

Job description

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Senior Legal Advisor (Childcare)

Job Reference: HCC625160
Salary Range: £50,564 - £56,219 per annum, plus Market Supplement of up to £7,500 per annum (dependent on experience)
Work Location: Elizabeth II Court, Winchester (Hybrid Working)
Hours per week: 37
Contract Type: Permanent
Closing Date: 25 October 2026
Interview Date: 29 October 2026

The Role:

Supporting the Safeguarding Children’s Team, our close-knit group of 20 enjoy working with Children’s Services to ensure vulnerable children in Hampshire are protected. Join our team with this unique opportunity.

We currently have a Senior Legal Adviser role (Solicitor, Barrister or FILEX with litigation rights) available within our friendly team, with the remit of providing advice relating to all aspects of public children act proceedings including care proceedings, deprivation of liberty cases and adoption, including advocacy.

Our roles offer the unique level of support that comes with working within this team and Hampshire County Council generally and provides a valuable opportunity to further your career in our well-respected team.

What you’ll do:

As a Senior Legal Adviser, you will hold a complex case load, advising Children’s services directly on legal aspects of this specialised area of law, and how best to present cases to Court. Working with both council colleagues and external third parties, you will take responsibility for these cases, ensuring resources have been allocated appropriately and that statutory commitments are being met.

The work is varied, important, and fundamental to the County Council’s corporate priorities, so you will need to be highly resilient and motivated.

What we’re looking for:

We are looking for a qualified Solicitor/Barrister/Filex with litigation qualification.

You need good knowledge and recent experience of providing legal advice on specialism i.e child care law combined with good drafting skills and good understanding of the concept of client care with evidence of having applied this in practice.

Applications are welcomed from those newly qualified with experience in public law children proceedings.

Our commitment to delivering an exceptional quality of life to our residents also extends to our employees. It is important to us that our staff feel supported in their work. We offer a variety of flexible working options and furthermore, you will benefit from a range of benefits - competitive salary, a generous holiday allowance and access to a desirable pension scheme.

This post is subject to a Basic Disclosure Check.

Contact Details for an Informal Discussion:

Hampshire County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. We expect all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect this commitment.

In order to combat discrimination, no unnecessary conditions or requirements will be applied which could have a disproportionately adverse effect on any one group. All sections of the population will have equal access to jobs. No applicant or employee will receive less favourable treatment because of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage or civil partnership and pregnancy or maternity, unless a Genuine Occupational Requirement (GOR) applies.

We are a Disability Confident Employer - committed to ensuring that our recruitment and selection process is inclusive and accessible.