Lead Child Protection Practitioner

Job Introduction

As part of our ambitious Families First Social Care Reform Programme, we are recruiting a Lead Child Protection Practitioner to join our Multi Agency Child Protection Teams.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced senior practitioner looking to take the next step in helping to shape innovative services that deliver outstanding outcomes for children, young people and families.

About the Role

The role is responsible for carrying out the local authority’s statutory duties in relation to child protection, in line with the Children Act 1989 and 2004, Working Together 2026, the Families First reforms and relevant statutory guidance.

The Lead Child Protection Practitioner (LCPP) is a qualified social worker with significant experience, knowledge and expertise in child protection. The role involves working closely with designated partners from the Police, Health and Education, who are co-located within the specialist Multi-Agency Child Protection Team/Service (MACPT).

The LCPP leads Section 47 Child Protection Enquiries across Children’s Services, covering both intra-familial and extra-familial significant harm. A key part of the role is to ensure that child protection practice is consistently of a high standard and meets both national and local expectations.

The LCPP also chairs Strategy Meetings and Child Protection Conferences, ensuring that there is a coordinated multi-agency response throughout the child protection process. This involves working closely with Lead Practitioners across Family Help, Corporate Parenting Services, Adolescent Wellbeing and Safeguarding, and Disabled Children and Young People Services to assess risks, make informed decisions, take appropriate action and develop effective protection and safety plans.

The overall aim is to ensure that children and young people are safeguarded, their needs are properly understood, and the right support and interventions are in place to achieve the best possible outcomes.

Applicants are welcome to express an interest in a particular service area as part of their application.

Why Join Us?

This is a unique opportunity to be part of a period of transformation and innovation, helping to shape the future of children's services through the Families First reforms. If you're ready to combine your social work expertise with leadership and service development, we'd love to hear from you.

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Catrin Gruffydd Jones Catrin.GruffyddJones@royalgreenwich.gov.uk or Cat Williams catherine.williams@royalgreenwich.gov.uk

Diversity Statement: Royal Borough of Greenwich values the diversity of its community and aims to have a workforce that reflects this. We therefore encourage applications from all sections of the community.

Advert Close: All vacancies close at midnight unless otherwise stated.

Early Advert Close: Royal Borough of Greenwich reserves the right to close any job advert earlier than the advertised closing date where there is reason to do so (for example high volume of applications).

Full Employment History: A full employment history is required for this role. Please provide a full employment history, together with a satisfactory written explanation of any gaps in employment.

How Applications are Scored: Each application is scored according to how well the supporting statements addresses each point on the Person Specification for the role. Candidates will be short-listed for interview on the extent to which they meet the specific points within the Person Specification. The Person Specification is supplied with the job advert. When completing your application, please use the supporting statements section to tell us how you meet each of the points on the Person Specification. We need to have this information in order to consider your application.

Salary: Salaries advertised are for a standard working week of 35 hours unless otherwise stated. Please use this 'Salary Calculator to help you calculate a pro rata salary.

Our Staff Values: Our Staff Values are important to us. Candidates will be continuously assessed against our staff values throughout the recruitment process. Where candidates demonstrate views and behaviours that do not meet the standards of our staff values, we reserve the right to reject their application/ registration.