Social Care & Health (Qualified) - Lead Child Protection Practitioner

Lead Child Protection Practitioner

Location: Hounslow, London Hourly Rate: £45.20 per hour (Umbrella) Sector: Social Care & Health – Qualified Experience Required: Minimum 5 years' managerial experience

About the Role

We are currently recruiting an experienced and highly skilled Lead Child Protection Practitioner to join Children's Services in Hounslow.

This is an exciting opportunity for an accomplished social work professional with strong leadership, managerial and statutory child protection experience to provide expert oversight, professional guidance and leadership across complex safeguarding cases.

The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in ensuring high-quality, consistent and effective safeguarding responses for children and young people at risk of significant harm. You will lead multi-agency decision-making, chair child protection strategy meetings and conferences, and provide expert oversight of Section 47 investigations.

You will also support the implementation of the Families First Partnership Programme reforms, driving effective partnership working, improving practice standards and ensuring that the voices, experiences and needs of children and families remain central to decision-making.

Please note: Candidates must have a minimum of 5 years' managerial experience to be considered for this position.

Key Responsibilities

• Promote and support the delivery of Families First Partnership Programme reforms within Children's Services and across partner agencies.

• Chair and take accountability for decision-making at child protection strategy meetings and conferences, ensuring compliance with legislation, statutory guidance, departmental policies and local procedures.

• Provide expert oversight of Section 47 child protection investigations, leading multi-agency risk analysis and ensuring appropriate safeguarding interventions.

• Offer expert consultation and professional guidance to practitioners, managers and colleagues within MACPT on complex and high-risk cases.

• Provide constructive challenge to partner agencies where safeguarding thresholds, risk assessments or responses require further scrutiny.

• Promote meaningful participation of children, young people and families in care planning and service development.

• Contribute to quality assurance activities, including case audits, reviews and the implementation of new statutory guidance and requirements.

• Establish and maintain effective working relationships across Family Help and Protection and Adolescent Services.

• Support the MACPT Team Manager in identifying trends, strengths and weaknesses in child protection practice and contributing to service improvement plans.

• Promote effective communication, professional accountability and collaborative working across multi-agency safeguarding arrangements.

• Ensure decisions reflect available resources and the principles of best value while keeping children's safety and welfare paramount.

The Ideal Candidate – Top 5 Essential Skills and Experience

1. Strong Statutory Child Protection Expertise and Confident Decision-Making

You will have substantial frontline child protection experience and a thorough understanding of statutory legislation and safeguarding frameworks, including Section 47 enquiries, child protection conferences, reviews and threshold decisions. You must be confident independently chairing and leading critical child protection decisions, ensuring safeguarding plans are robust, proportionate and legally sound.

1. Experience Identifying and Responding to Complex and Extra-Familial Harm

You will have proven experience identifying and responding to all forms of significant harm, including extra-familial and contextual safeguarding risks. You must be able to analyse complex information from multiple agencies and ensure interventions reflect the child's lived experience both within and beyond the family home.

1. Relational and Authoritative Practice with Families

You will demonstrate the ability to work confidently, sensitively and respectfully with parents and carers in challenging child protection situations, including resistance, hostility and disguised compliance. You must balance professional challenge with empathy, maintaining family engagement wherever safe and appropriate while keeping children's safety and outcomes at the forefront.

1. Strong Multi-Agency Leadership and Collaboration

You will have excellent leadership and influencing skills, with the ability to bring together and coordinate multi-agency professionals within complex safeguarding arrangements. You will understand the importance of MACPT partnerships, shared accountability and coordinated safeguarding plans that build safety around children across home, peer and community settings.

1. Values-Led, Inclusive and Reflective Practice

You will demonstrate a strong commitment to anti-discriminatory and inclusive practice, recognising and responding to the diverse cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds of children and families. You will model reflective practice, encourage professional curiosity and contribute to a culture of learning, accountability and continuous improvement.

Essential Requirements

• Minimum 5 years' managerial experience within children's social care or a relevant safeguarding environment.

• Qualified Social Worker with relevant professional registration.

• Significant experience in statutory child protection and safeguarding.

• Strong knowledge of child protection legislation, statutory guidance and safeguarding procedures.

• Proven experience chairing child protection conferences and strategy meetings.

• Extensive knowledge and experience of Section 47 investigations.

• Demonstrable experience leading complex multi-agency safeguarding decisions.

• Excellent communication, leadership, analytical and professional challenge skills.

• Ability to manage competing priorities and make confident, defensible decisions in high-risk situations.

• Must have a UK passport or a full right to work in the UK.

If you are an experienced and confident social work leader with a strong background in statutory child protection and at least five years' managerial experience, we would love to hear from you.

For more information, please contact Shivashni Govender at LinsCare