Job info	Job info details
Job title	Lead Child Protection Practitioner
Strategic team/Directorate	Children's Services
Service	Quality Assurance
Business unit	Multi Agency Child Protection Team
Responsible to (day to day issues)	Service Manager – MACPT and CF Reviews
Accountable to (line manager)	Service Manager – MACPT and CF Reviews
Salary grade	K
JE ref	CSERV065

1. Key purpose of job

• Exercising the Local Authority statutory duties as defined in child protection legislation, including Working Together 2023 and Children Act 1989. 
• The Lead Child Protection Practitioner (LCPP) will be based within the Multi-Agency Child Protection Team (MACPT) on behalf of Children’s Services. The MACPTs will lead child protection statutory processes and decision making, comprising an expert led team of multi-agency partnership staff who will lead strategy discussions and section 47 enquiries, chair child protection conferences and oversee the development and review of child protection plans, as well as providing consultation and oversight to all child protection work for and on behalf of the local authority.
• The role will involve close working with a wide range of statutory and voluntary partners, as well as internal teams and services and is a vital role within child protection processes, requiring specific child protection expertise and analytical skills.

2. Anticipated outcomes of post

• Children and young people are safeguarded.  
• Effective and efficient chairing of child protection strategy meetings and Child Protection Conferences.
• Oversee Child Protection enquiries in accordance with best practice and CA89 s47.
• Make decisions in collaboration with partner agencies within the MACPT regarding children in need of protection.
• To ensure the best outcomes and highest standards are achieved for those Children and Young People subject to protection plans and in care.
• The provision of expert consultancy and advice in the areas of child protection.
• Contribution to the development of multi-agency Safeguarding systems in relation to the MACPTs.
• Promotion of effective multi agency working via the MACPTs.

3. List key duties and accountabilities of the post

• As an Employee of Torbay Council all roles are expected to work in a way that ensures vulnerable children and adults are safeguarded and report any safeguarding concerns in accordance with established policies and procedures. The Designated Senior Lead for Safeguarding is the Chief Executive and Director of Children’s Services.
• The LCPP acts as a decision maker on behalf of the local authority for child protection practice, ensuring that decisions and actions taken are consistent within the Council’s legal responsibilities towards the child, specifically the statutory functions as set out in the Children Act 1989, 2004 and Working Together 2023. The LCPP are responsible for decisions regarding the convening of (and outcomes of) strategy meetings, Section 47 child protection investigations and will manage the child protection planning process, drawing on the intelligence and expertise in the wider MACPT.
• The LCCP will chair multi-agency, multi-disciplinary child protection conferences, remaining independent of operational responsibilities for the child in order to apply challenge where appropriate.
• The LCPP works closely with both internal and external agencies to ensure delivery of effective and timely safeguarding responses to children. Working closely with operational colleagues, the LCCP will retain oversight of the child protection investigation and planning, ensuring that there is evidence-based decision making and statutory timescales are met.
• The LCCP, as part of a multi-agency team (MACPT), will be responsible for deciding what action to take and how to proceed following child protection investigations, ensuring that decisions are made based on multi-agency information and discussions and informed by the voice of the child.
• The LCPP will be responsible for ensuring that all children and families subject to child protection plans can participate in the child protection process, this will include, but not be limited to, ensuring that their voice is heard, they are offered Family Group Decision Making meeting support and are enabled to participate in the development of their child protection plan. 
• The LCCP will have an expert understanding of what constitutes significant harm to a child and in situations where a child is at immediate risk of abuse, neglect or exploitation the LCPP will ensure that decisive action is taken on behalf of the Local Authority to protect the child. This will require the use of authoritative practice and the provision of advice/guidance/direction to internal services who are undertaking the direct child protection work. 
• The LCPP will provide expert advice and consultation to Family Help Lead Practitioners in relation to child protection concerns, working collaboratively with line management structures, ensuring where possible and where it is safe to do so, children and families are able to retain effective working relationships with Family Help Lead Practitioners thereby reducing the need to transfer to qualified social workers. 
• The LCPP practitioner will be required to forensically analyse and interrogate multi-agency information to support their assessment and decision making, as well as to produce high-quality analytical reports as part of quality assurance processes. 
• An essential role of the MACPT, and the LCPP is around ensuring that a learning culture is developed which supports the development of operational robust safeguarding practices across multi-agency partners. This may include the team supporting and/or participating in group, reflective and clinical supervision and training. 
• The LCPP will maintain and disseminate information to other staff concerning up to date research, evidence and practice in promoting good outcomes for children and young people in care and those subject to child protection procedures. 
• The LCPP will contribute to development of services, policies and procedures in relation to children and young people in care and those subject to child protection procedures.
• The LCPP will Contribute to the work of the Torbay Children’s Safeguarding Board as directed by the Line Manager including policy development and independent management reviews.
• The LCPP will Maintain an up to date knowledge base, that includes: statutory requirements, policy and practice trends and research in Child Protection and related childcare matters and contribute to training with regard to children subject to protection plans. 

4. Budgetary/Financial Responsibilities of the post

• There are no budgetary responsibilities. 

5. Supervision/Line Management Responsibilities of the post

• There are no direct report for this role, although the role provides direct consultation and expertise on behalf of the Local Authority to all staff across children’s services (and external agencies) undertaking child protection work where there is a concern of significant harm to a child in line with the Children Act 1989. 
• The LCPP will maintain oversight of all children subject to child protection processes, including both intra and extra familial harms. 

6. Working environment and conditions of the post

• Normal working conditions. 

7. Physical demands of the post

• Normal physical demands. 

8. Specific resources used by the post

• Agile IT equipment to enable hybrid working. 

9. Key contacts and relationships

External: 

• Child protection experts from all statutory partners, including Police, Health and Education colleagues, and voluntary sector leads involved in providing child protection services, including, but not limited to domestic abuse, substance misuse and parental mental ill-health service providers.
• Collaboration with other Lead Child Protection Practitioners across the South West region.

Internal: 

• Within Children’s Services this will include Divisional Directors, Heads of Service, Service Managers, Team Managers, Social Workers, Family Help Lead Practitioners, Business Support and Business Intelligence Officers.

10. Other duties

• To undertake additional duties as required, commensurate with the level of the job. 

Other Information

• All staff must commit to the Workplace Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Practice and Policy.
• Torbay Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and applicants must be willing to undergo the checks appropriate to the post applied for.
• The post holder is expected to work in a way that ensures vulnerable children and adults are safeguarded and report any safeguarding concerns in accordance with established policies and procedures. And are aware that the Chief Executive and the Director for Children’s Services are the Safeguarding Leads for the Council.
• This post is office based at between Tor Hill House and the designated Multi-Disciplinary Locality Hub for the Team the LCPP is designated to. However, the post holder may be required to move their base to any other location within the Council at a future date.
• As this post meets the requirements in respect of exempted questions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, all applicants who are offered employment will be subject to a criminal record check (Disclosure) from the Disclosure & Barring Service before the appointment is confirmed. This will include details of ALL cautions, reprimands or final warnings as well as convictions, whether “spent” or “unspent”. Criminal convictions will only be taken into account when they are relevant to the post.
• The Council operates a Smoke-Free Policy and the post-holder is prohibited from smoking in any of the Council's buildings (including Council owned and Council leased buildings, but excluding designated areas in residential schemes), enclosed spaces within the curtilage of buildings, and Council vehicles. The Council does not permit smoking breaks within work time, however, in services where the flexi-scheme is in operation, employees may take reasonable break times outside of core hours, in accordance with flexi-time arrangements. Employees should follow the flexi-scheme procedure for agreeing time away from their duties in the normal manner with their immediate colleagues and line manager, with break start and finish times being recorded, as with any other break-time arrangement. 
• The post-holder is expected to familiarise themselves with and adhere to all relevant Council Policies and Procedures.
• The post-holder must comply with the Council’s Health and Safety requirements as outlined in the H&S policy appropriate to the role.
• The post-holder must be committed to the Council’s Core Values for employees – “Torbay Council employees are committed to being forward thinking, people orientated and adaptable - always with integrity”. Evidence will be sought during the probation and appraisal processes.
• If this post is customer facing, it will require the ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence and fluency in English.
• If you are required to access a government system such as HMRC, DWP or The Public services network (PSN) as part of your role with the Council you will be required to complete a basic disclose with your line manager before you can access these systems. Your manager will be required to complete a verification form that confirms your identity, nationality and immigration status, employment history and unspent convictions (third party).
• If you are required to use your own vehicle on Council business or drive a council vehicle you will be asked to provide information on any driving endorsements by accessing gov.uk/view-driving-licence and providing a code to your Line Manager in order to share your driving licence information with the Council.

Person Specification

Note for Candidate

All Candidates

The supporting statement on your application form will be used to assess ability to meet the essential requirements of the role, so you should explain how you meet each of the numbered essential requirements within your supporting statement. In a competitive situation, the desirable criteria may be taken into consideration, so you are encouraged to show how you also meet each of the desirable criteria.

Candidates who consider that they have a disability

Reasonable adjustments will be made to the job, job requirements or recruitment process for candidates with a disability.

If you consider yourself to have a disability you should indicate this on your application form, providing any information you would like us to take into account with regard to your disability in order to offer a fair selection interview.

Where ever possible and reasonable we will make adjustments and offer alternatives to help you through the application and selection process.

If you have indicated that you have a disability on your application form you will be guaranteed an interview if you clearly demonstrate in your supporting evidence how you broadly meet the essential requirements of the role.

Job info	Job info details
Job Title	Lead Child Protection Practitioner
Strategic team/Directorate	Children's Services
Service	Quality Assurance
Business unit	Multi Agency Child Protection Team

Skills and effectiveness

Essential skills and effectiveness

• Minimum of three years post qualifying experience of working with children.
• Ability to manage complex child protection work, including complex decision making and assist colleagues in carrying out statutory requirements.
• Ability to undertake professional duties to comply with statutory responsibilities within the framework of the Council’s Policies and Procedures, Working Together 2023 and Children Act 1989, 2004.
• Ability to provide advice and consultation which supports the effective delivery of robust practice for children at risk of harm and to ensure that appropriate action is taken to formulate plans for intervention, including an ability to oversee and review child protection plans and chair a range of multi-agency child protection decision making meetings.
• Ability to communicate effectively in a manner that is restorative, clear, concise and jargon free in a professional way in both written and verbal form.
• Ability to support colleagues delivering child protection services, including supporting the development of their practice, with an ability to challenge appropriately and restoratively.
• Ability to analyse and interrogate data effectively to support practice intervention and the development of child protection services.
• Ability to apply Torbay Continuum of Need Guidance to ensure safe, consistent and evidence-based judgements in decision making in child protection processes.
• Ability to work as part of a multi-agency, multi-disciplinary team using restorative practice skills both within the team and across other relationships, including external partners.
• Ability to ensure that the voice of the child is heard and remains central to all decision making.
• Ability to deliver against required recording policies and procedures and ensure that statutory timescales are met.
• Ability to work to clearly defined timescales.
• Ability to work flexibly if required to meet the demands of the post and to manage time effectively. 
• This role requires the ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence and fluency in English.
• The competent use of IT systems used for recording and writing reports.

Desirable skills and effectiveness

• Direct work with children and young people.
• Previous experience of chairing child protection meetings.
• Working within multi-disciplinary teams.
• The ability to chair child protection meetings effectively including the management of contributions, summarising key issues, explaining the decision making thresholds and agreeing and creating Outline Plans. 

Knowledge

Essential knowledge

• Sound knowledge of statutory social care legislation, policies and processes.
• Understanding of high quality child protection practice, safeguarding principles and procedures.
• Knowledge of the legal framework, including application of Public Law Outline.
• Expert level knowledge of the range and impact of abuse and neglect that can happen to children, including that within the home, outside the home and on-line.
• Sound knowledge of evidence-based social work practice, particularly child protection practice and effective interventions.
• Sound knowledge of current child protection research and national Government initiatives.
• Understanding of quality assurance processes and how to use this to promote best practice. 

Desirable knowledge

• Understanding of the Families First Programme and its guiding principles.
• Understanding of Human Rights legislation and the Freedom of Information Act. 

Experience and achievements

Essential experience and achievements

• A minimum of 3 years post qualifying experience.
• Significant child protection practice experience, including multi-agency practice and child protection processes (strategy meetings, section 47 investigations and child protection planning).
• Extensive social work experience with children and families within a statutory setting.
• Experience of leading on child protection and Court work.
• Substantive experience of autonomous decision making, prioritising and planning tasks and activities.
• Experience in supporting/supervising or mentoring others.
• Experience of reviewing or evaluating practice.
• Commitment to anti-discriminatory and restorative practice.
• Ability to demonstrate a child centred commitment to valuing diversity and respect for others language, religion and culture.
• Proven ability to write reports. 

Desirable experience and achievements

• Experience in working in a multi-agency or multi-disciplinary environment. 

Qualifications/professional memberships

Essential qualifications/professional memberships

• Social Work Degree Level Qualification as recognised by Social Work England.
• Social Work England Registration. 

Desirable qualifications/professional memberships

• Social Work post qualification awards. 

Other requirements

Other requirements of the job role

• Demonstrates a commitment to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people.
• Ability to travel efficiently around the Bay/South West/UK in order to carry out duties. 
• Ability to accommodate unsociable hours.
• Ability to accommodate hybrid working.