Bexley is an outer London Borough with the best of both worlds, located between the hustle and bustle of London and the Garden of England, Kent. Within the borough we have award winning parks, open spaces and listed heritage sites.

An opportunity has arisen for an Experienced Child Protection Chair. This is a statutory role, and you will perform a vital role in ensuring that children’s care plans are robust and delivered effectively. We need ambitious, experienced, and committed Child Protection Chair Children’s Social Care who are passionate about relationship-based practice with families. 

You are going to lead the way with our frontline practitioners who are working with ‘signs of safety’, collaborating and strengthening our families.  As a Child Protection Chair, you will be the critical link between your team and senior managers.  This role will be focused on influencing, encouraging, leading and promoting good quality care plans for children.

The role of the Child Protection Conference Chair is to chair child protection conferences in line with the requirements described in Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023) and the London Safeguarding Procedures (2024).

The post-holder will lead complex multi-agency meetings and monitor the quality and effectiveness of social work practice by scrutinising child protection plans and care plans.

Constructively challenge actions and interventions that are not delivering the required outcomes for children and young people

Please refer to the Job Description attached for more information.

For an informal discussion about the role please contact [Oyeyinka Olaniran], [Service Manager – Child Protection Conferences and Independent Reviewing Service], [02030454825], [oyeyinka.olaniran@bexley.gov.uk]

We will offer you in return a package that includes a competitive salary, an excellent pension scheme and generous annual leave plus bank holidays. For more information on the benefits package on offer please refer to the Candidate Information document attached.

We reserve the right to close adverts earlier than the closing date.

Candidates are expected to have a degree in social work and a minimum of five years of post-qualification experience. LADO experience is an added advantage.  They must demonstrate proficiency in chairing complex meetings, particularly child protection conferences, with a focus on ensuring high standards of practice, decision-making, and outcomes for children and families.

The ideal candidate will have substantial experience in chairing child protection conferences, experience of LADO (Local Authority Designated Officer) and maintaining effective collaboration with Children’s Social Work Teams and external agencies. They will exhibit a strong commitment to promoting the active participation of children and their families in care planning and service development, ensuring that their voices are central to decision-making processes. Furthermore, they must be adept at implementing and interpreting childcare and safeguarding procedures consistently across diverse cases.

Candidates should be able to provide specialized professional advice and support to departmental staff and partner agencies on safeguarding children, children in need, and Looked After Children. They are expected to act as consultants on policies and procedures while also contributing to the ongoing development and quality assurance of children’s social care services. This includes actively participating in the implementation of new statutory requirements, sharing learnings from evidence-based practices, and reviewing child protection issues to inform and enhance service delivery.

A key aspect of the role involves building effective lines of communication with relevant social work teams and multi-agency stakeholders. The candidate will serve as a critical liaison point, ensuring a multidisciplinary approach to children’s welfare while supporting high standards in childcare planning. They will also take responsibility for convening and chairing conferences under safeguarding procedures, ensuring that best practices are adhered to, and positive outcomes are achieved.

Finally, the candidate must remain informed of the latest research and developments in safeguarding children to provide insights that drive continuous service improvement. This includes identifying trends, contributing to service improvement plans, and ensuring compliance with statutory obligations. Additionally, they must oversee the collation and reporting of data on children subject to Child Protection Plans as required by statutory bodies, reinforcing the organization's commitment to accountability and transparency.

For the full list of essential and desirable criteria for this role then please refer to the Person Specification within the Job Description attached.

Appointment to this post will be subject to the outcome of an Enhanced Disclosure obtained through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).  

Use the ‘Apply for vacancy’ button.

Please note that the system has a one-hour time limit. We would advise you to prepare your answers separately and then copy and paste into the online form once finalised and have your CV and/or Supporting statement ready to upload.

Closing date: 13/12/2024.

Anticipated Interview Date: Week Commencing 16th December 2024.

If any mandatory fields are missing, a pop-up box will appear at the top of the page advising which sections require completion. Please check your Junk email for any correspondence.

Additional Information

As a disability confident employer Bexley welcomes applications from people with all disabilities, including hidden disabilities and mental health conditions. We will interview any disabled applicant who meets the minimum criteria. If you require reasonable adjustments to be made to any part of the recruitment process due to your disability, please contact us on recruitment@bexley.gov.uk.

This role may be available as a development opportunity through secondment for the Council’s existing employees.  The Council’s Secondment Scheme can be found here. If this option is of interest, please contact the recruiting manager.