Lead Child Protection Practitioner

Lead Child Protection Practitioner – Non-Caseholding

£45 per hour | Locum | South West

Are you an experienced children’s social worker looking to influence safeguarding practice without holding a caseload?

Leaders in Care is recruiting a Lead Child Protection Practitioner to join a Multi-Agency Child Protection Team in the South West. This locum opportunity offers £45 per hour and a non-caseholding role, focused on specialist advice, leadership and oversight of complex child protection decisions.

The Role

You’ll work alongside social care colleagues, Family Help practitioners and safeguarding partners to ensure children and families receive timely, proportionate and effective support.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Chairing strategy discussions and Child Protection Conferences.
• Overseeing Section 47 enquiries and supporting purposeful, child-centred Child Protection Plans.
• Providing expert guidance on significant harm thresholds and complex safeguarding risks.
• Supporting clear, evidence-based and defensible multi-agency decisions.
• Strengthening practice through reflective discussions, audit and shared learning.
• Promoting meaningful participation from children and families while reducing drift and delay.

You will not hold a caseload. Your focus will be on guiding practitioners, coordinating partner contributions and maintaining high-quality child protection practice.

What You’ll Need

• A recognised social work qualification and current Social Work England registration.
• Substantial post-qualifying statutory child protection experience.
• Strong knowledge of child protection legislation, statutory guidance and Section 47 thresholds.
• Proven experience chairing complex multi-agency safeguarding meetings.
• Confidence analysing risk, balancing professional views and making defensible decisions.
• An enhanced DBS check and suitable means of travelling across the area.

Interested?

Contact Nathan at Leaders in Care on nathan@leadersincare.co.uk to find out more about this £45 per hour, non-caseholding locum opportunity in the South West.