Childcare Advocate - Joint Legal Team

The Legal Team at Reading is highly regarded and this role will support our shared service clients at the Joint Legal Team (JLT). The JLT is a long standing shared legal service for all the Berkshire Councils and a recognised centre of excellence for childcare, adults and education law. You will possess advocacy abilities and demonstrate sound judgement when representing our clients in public law children's cases. The JLT was awarded “Highly Commended” at the Lawyers in Local Government Awards in June 2025.

Reading Borough Council is a Disability Confident Employer and is committed to the recruitment and continued employment of people with disabilities. We seek the best talent from the widest pool of people as diversity is the key to our success.

We are open to flexible working patterns, subject to court attendance requirements. When not in court, we provide a hybrid working environment which utilises the best of both worlds with a mix of office working in central Reading and homeworking according to the needs of the Service.

About the Role:

As a shared service the cases are wide-ranging across many different aspects of public children law and adoption and you will have the opportunity to advocate at different levels of the Family Court. There is also the opportunity to develop into other areas of law, such as adult social care and special educational needs.

There will be a high volume of work and on occasions you will be dealing with emergency and urgent applications on short notice. As a Childcare Advocate you will work closely with the Lawyer who has conduct of the case and on more complex cases will be involved in case preparation and strategic planning to achieve the best outcome.

About you:

To apply for this role, you will require:

• A current practising certificate and be entitled to practice in England as a Barrister, Solicitor, or Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives
• Ability to prioritise workload and to work effectively under pressure
• Ability to represent the team in meetings and at Court
• A flexible approach to work and ability to use initiative
• Ability to maintain confidentiality

You’ll be part of a team that relies on each individual to play their part to the best of their ability. As well as colleagues who you work closely with every day, you’ll also be part of Team Reading, playing your personal part in making Reading a successful and vibrant place.

Our vision is to ensure that Reading realises its potential as a great place to live, work and play, and that everyone shares the benefits of this success. Our values and behaviours guide how we will achieve this:

Work Together as one team - work collaboratively, with each other and with our partners, and demonstrate the Team Reading values in everything we do

Drive Efficiency - show initiative, be adaptable to change and put forward ideas to help improve delivery and efficiency. Take responsibility for our own learning and development and for reaching our potential

Be Ambitious - be demanding of our own performance – striving to be even better – and be prepared to engage with and challenge leaders in a constructive and positive way

Make a Difference to Reading - maintain the highest levels of customer service and be flexible and willing to provide the services needed at the time they are needed

Our offer

We offer a supportive environment to grow and develop your career with the opportunity to put your ideas across. Innovation and ambition is strongly encouraged, and you’ll get a great feel for that working in our friendly and collaborative environment.

A competitive salary alongside a range of benefits including:

• Generous holiday entitlement - 25 days holiday each year plus bank holiday rising to 33 days after 10 years' service, with the option to buy additional leave
• A wide range of flexible working opportunities
• Modern working environment at the Civic Offices in the heart of Reading
• Local Government Pension Scheme(LGPS)
• Life Assurance - three times your annual salary (for members of the LGPS)
• On-site day nursery (Kennet Day nursery) rated outstanding by Ofsted
• Season Ticket Loan - to help with the cost of your rail/ bus journey, to & from work
• Lease car salary sacrifice scheme allowing you to lease a brand new, greener car for three years. The monthly fee includes insurance, servicing and road tax

For more information on this position please contact Ursula Barlow, Strategic Lead – Advocacy at ursula.barlow@reading.gov.uk

Closing Date: Sunday 20th July 2025
Interview Date: To be confirmed

Please note that the closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you complete and return your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.