Central Bedfordshire Council
Lead Child Protection Practitioner
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Team: Multi-Agency Child Protection
Job Family: Enabling
Salary: £53,170 - £57,419 per annum pro rata + £10,000 MRS per annum pro rata
Hours: 37 per week
Location: You will be expected to attend a CBC office location as often as needed to carry out your role, which will be no less than once per month.
Contract Type: Hybrid - Permanent. We have 4 roles available
Closing Date: 20th October 2026
Interview Date: week commencing 28th October and 5 November 2026
About the role
Are you an experienced child protection social worker with Team Manager or Child Protection Conference Chair experience looking for your next challenge? Do you want the opportunity to help shape a new way of working and influence safeguarding practice across the partnership? Are you passionate about improving outcomes for children, young people, and their families?
If so, we'd love to hear from you. This is an exciting opportunity to join Central Bedfordshire's new Multi-Agency Child Protection Team (MACPT) as a Lead Child Protection Practitioner (LCPP).
The Multi-Agency Child Protection Team (MACPT) is a key part of our Families First transformation programme. It brings together professionals from across agencies to strengthen decision-making, improve oversight, and deliver timely and effective interventions for children at risk of significant harm.
As a Lead Child Protection Practitioner, you will work collaboratively with managers, social workers, Family Help colleagues, and partner agencies to promote high-quality child protection practice across the partnership. Working alongside multi-agency colleagues within the MACPT, you will provide professional oversight, scrutiny, and constructive challenge to support effective decision-making and improve outcomes for children and families.
While this is not a line management role, it is a senior practice leadership position. You will use your expertise, influence, and professional credibility to support practitioners and managers, strengthen safeguarding practice, and ensure child protection processes are effective, consistent, and child-centred.
At the heart of our practice model is a commitment to Making Every Connection Count. We want every interaction, whether with a child, family member, practitioner, or partner agency, to be purposeful, respectful, and focused on achieving positive change. As a senior practice leader, you will model these values every day, supporting others to build trusted relationships, work collaboratively across agencies, and keep children's lived experiences at the centre of decision-making.
We are committed to working alongside children, families, and our workforce to co-produce the future of our MACPT approach. This includes shaping how the service develops, identifying the most appropriate long-term identity and name for the team, and ensuring we deliver sustainable safety, support, and positive outcomes for children and young people.
Our MACPT model will include dedicated support from police, health partners, substance misuse services, and a Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) practitioner. This reflects the findings of our harms analysis and our commitment to providing a coordinated, multi-agency response to the risks children and families face. By bringing together expertise across agencies, we aim to identify risk earlier, strengthen family networks, reduce the need for statutory intervention where appropriate, and improve outcomes for children.
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This is an exciting opportunity to help shape a developing service at a pivotal point in our Families First transformation journey. We are looking for practitioners who are passionate about relationship-based practice, confident in providing support and challenge, and committed to working alongside partners and families to achieve lasting change.
We will review applications as they are received. Suitable candidates may be invited to interview before the closing date. We therefore reserve the right to close this vacancy early should sufficient high-quality applications be received.
Responsibilities
As a Lead Child Protection Practitioner, you will:
- Lead and facilitate multi-agency decision-making in complex child protection cases.
- Chair Strategy Discussions and Initial and Review Child Protection Conferences.
- Provide oversight and scrutiny of Section 47 enquiries and child protection practice.
- Work closely with Team Managers and locality teams to promote consistency, quality, and clarity in safeguarding decision-making.
- Provide independent oversight, challenge, and quality assurance of child protection plans and interventions.
- Support practitioners and managers through consultation, professional guidance, and constructive challenge.
- Build positive and trusting relationships with children, families, and partner agencies, ensuring transparency and participation throughout the child protection process.
- Contribute to the development of the MACPT and wider service improvement initiatives, helping to shape future safeguarding practice across Central Bedfordshire.
About you
- A recognised Social Work qualification and registration with Social Work England are essential for this role.
- At least five years' post-qualifying experience working with children and families in statutory children's social care.
- Significant experience within child protection services, including complex safeguarding and risk management.
- Experience as a Team Manager, Assistant Team Manager, Child Protection Conference Chair, or in a comparable senior practice leadership role.
- A strong understanding of child protection legislation, statutory guidance, and safeguarding processes.
- Excellent partnership-working skills and the ability to influence decision-making across agencies and professional networks.
- Experience of providing professional consultation, challenge, and support to practitioners and managers.
- Strong communication, analytical, and report-writing skills.
- A proven ability to engage children, young people, and families in decision-making and ensure their voices are central to planning and intervention.
- A commitment to high-quality, relationship-based practice and achieving the best possible outcomes for children.
Why join us?
This is a unique opportunity to play a key role in shaping an innovative multi-agency approach to child protection within Central Bedfordshire.
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You will join a supportive and ambitious service that is committed to improving outcomes for children, investing in its workforce, and delivering high-quality safeguarding practice.
As part of the MACPT, you will have the opportunity to influence practice across the partnership, contribute to service development, and help shape the future of child protection services in Central Bedfordshire.
If you are an experienced safeguarding professional who is passionate about improving outcomes for children and confident in providing oversight, challenge, and professional leadership, we would love to hear from you.
Our Offer
We have a number of rewards and benefits available to our staff. To view these, please visit our Rewards and Benefits page.
Our aspiration is to be a truly flexible employer. We welcome discussion on location, hours, and working pattern as part of the application process.
You will be expected to demonstrate how you meet the key accountabilities and competencies in this Recruitment Pack.
Our Competency Framework and Qualification Guidance are to be read in conjunction with our Recruitment Pack.
For an informal discussion about this position, please contact: Laura Davies - laura.davies2@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk
Safeguarding
Central Bedfordshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults and expects all employees, volunteers, and contractors to share this commitment. This post is subject to the disclosure of criminal records.
To maintain a fair and consistent approach for applicants, it is Central Bedfordshire Council's policy to only consider applications made via our online application system and we therefore thank you for not submitting your application offline.
Your application to us is a reflection of who you are professionally and should give us an accurate and authentic picture of your skills, experiences, and if applicable, qualifications. Before you submit your application, we will ask you to confirm if you have used AI.
All new starters will join us on a four-month probationary period. During this time, if you are offered a Hybrid role, you will be required to attend a Central Bedfordshire Council office location more frequently to support thorough and well-supported onboarding into your role. Please keep this in mind if you anticipate extensive travel to Central Bedfordshire.
Please note we are unable to offer sponsorship for our roles. Successful applicants that may require a visa will need to consider the options for obtaining and/or maintaining the legal right to live and work in the UK for the duration of the contract offered.
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