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 for more information.
For an informal discussion about the role please contact Oyeyinka Olaniran, Service Manager – Child Protection Conferences and Independent Reviewing Service, 0203 045 4825, oyeyinka.olaniran@bexley.gov.uk
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).
Anticipated Interview Date: Week Commencing 16th December 2024.
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.
Bexley is well connected, there are good transport links to central London, the Kent countryside and the Coast! It is the best of both worlds. Our residents and workers can benefit from the new high-speed Elizabeth Line which goes from Abbey Wood, here in Bexley and all the way to Reading, Southeast England.
We are a diverse and growing borough. By 2030 our population will be over 260,000 and almost 300,000 by 2050. Almost 25% of our population is Black and Asian Multi-Ethnic. Bexley is one of London’s greenest boroughs and has recently been awarded Public Sector Campaign of the year by Sustainable City’s prestigious annual awards.
We believe that everyone in Bexley Children’s Social Care should have the opportunity to grow and develop, in every role and at every stage of their career and offer a wide variety of social work roles, both for qualified and unqualified practitioners. Bexley Children’s Social Care offers the opportunity to develop skills and knowledge in different areas of Children’s Services: we offer a comprehensive range of professional development opportunities and are committed to ensuring that Bexley is a welcoming and enjoyable place to work.
The children and families we work with, are always kept at the centre of our practice. We believe:
children should stay with their families whenever it’s in their best interests and safe to do so
where it’s not, we must act quickly through the courts to help children find a safe space
success depends on positive, respectful relationships with families and with each other
working with families is unpredictable, so we have to create a supportive environment for our teams
the most effective practice is based on ‘showing your working out’ – so that even when things don’t go to plan, the thinking behind decisions is clear and defensible
Working in social care in Bexley is endlessly rewarding. As well as helping some of the most vulnerable people in our borough, we invest in looking after you and your career.
We offer excellent benefits, from competitive salaries and generous leave to flexible working and a wealth of health and wellness programmes.
flexible working - including opportunities for hybrid working, job sharing, compressed hours, and career breaks
a comprehensive range of training and professional development opportunities including access to research, group and e-learning, coaching and group supervision for colleagues in all roles and at every stage of their career
clear career progression pathways, within a nurturing environment, which allows social work to flourish. From opportunities to undertake social work qualification; our dedicated ASYE Academy; to our Leadership Academy offering bespoke development for our aspiring and existing leaders. There are also opportunities for practitioners to be involved in university research & academic delivery with our partner universities and students.
family leave - includes maternity, paternity, adoption and parental leave
mental health and physical wellbeing - including access to our Employee Assistance Programme, help to quit smoking, access to private healthcare, free eye tests and discounted leisure offers
financial wellbeing - excellent pension scheme, charitable giving options
generous annual leave - 25 to 33 days, with the option to purchase extra leave plus an extra bank holiday at Christmas
competitive pay - performance assessments with the opportunity for salary increments and transparent salary scales
transport offers - cycle to work scheme, carpooling, subsidised parking and interest-free season ticket loans
recognition - Thank you messaging to celebrate staff success and sharing of compliments received
professional and personal development - training and workshops to help you thrive and a discount on most Learning and Enterprise College Bexley courses
staff support networks - our networks support and encourage networking between staff with various events throughout the year
employee volunteering - get out of the office and help a local project blossom
MyChoice benefit scheme - your pick of perks from vouchers to car leasing
local authority discount scheme - attraction and theme park discounts and local offers in partnership with KAARP .
We work together in a modern, well-equipped, energising environment that supports team working and collaboration across the service and with partners