Team Manager - Multi-Agency Child Protection Team Risk Outside The Home

We have a rich history of welcoming people from all over the world and are proud to be recognised as the UK’s first Borough of Sanctuary, for our work in championing the rights of refugees and migrants.

Introduction

An exciting opportunity is available as part of the DfE Pathfinder project. We are seeking an experienced team manager to lead one of the newly established Multi Agency Child Protection Teams.

What’s the role? …

The team has a particular focus on safeguarding adolescents who may be at risk of, or experiencing, extra-familial harm. This includes young people affected by child criminal exploitation, child sexual exploitation, serious youth violence, peer-on-peer harm, missing episodes and other contextual safeguarding concerns. The team works in close partnership with Police, Youth Justice, Education, Health and Family Help services to strengthen protection planning and improve outcomes for vulnerable adolescents.

The successful candidate will have experience of supervising staff and a thorough knowledge of child protection and PLO/court processes and accompanying legislation.

The Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams will be responsible for the following core areas of work:

• Chair or attend all strategy discussions


• Chair the Daily Intelligence Briefing


• Co-work all s47 enquiries with Risk Outside The Home Team & Family Help


• Co-work all child protection cases with Risk Outside The Home Team & Family Help


• Chairing of child protection conferences


• Chair Group Supervision


• Provide QA, consultation & advice across all stages of child protection work


• Co-work all Public Law Outline cases


• Co-work early stages of care proceedings

The successful candidate will have considerable experience of working in frontline operational safeguarding practice and a thorough knowledge of child protection and PLO/court processes and accompanying legislation.

You will have experience of leading practice involving adolescents at risk of exploitation, serious youth violence, and other contextual safeguarding concerns would be highly desirable. The successful candidate will be confident in managing complex risk, professional challenge and multi-agency decision making. You will be experienced in building effective working relationships with key partner agencies such as health, education and the police.

The Multi-Agency Child Protection Team operates within the Integrated Adolescent Service and provides specialist oversight of safeguarding concerns involving adolescents. The team leads and coordinates strategy discussions, jointly undertakes Section 47 enquiries, supports child protection planning and provides consultation and quality assurance across the safeguarding partnership. Daily partnership working with Child Exploitation Police, Serious Youth Violence Police, Youth Justice Services, Family First Contact Point and Risk Outside The Home & Family Help Teams is a key feature of the role.

What’s in it for you?

Excellent training and development opportunities, plus a range of benefits including:

• Generous holiday allowance


• Local Government Pension scheme


• Flexible working and family friendly policies


• Season ticket and bicycle loans


• A range of staff discounts including local subsidised gym memberships


• Supportive staff networks

What we’re looking for

This role requires a manager who understands adolescent development and the unique safeguarding challenges faced by teenagers. The successful candidate will be committed to relationship-based practice, understanding risk beyond the family home, and ensuring that young people are supported through coordinated multi-agency safeguarding responses.

Location

The job is primarily based in London Borough of Lewisham, Ground Floor, Old Town Hall, Catford Road, SE6 4RU, but we operate a hybrid approach where you will be required to work both in the office and from home on a regular basis.

Special conditions

• To apply for this post, you must have a degree in social work or equivalent qualification and be registered with Social Work England.


• The job is subject to an enhanced DBS check

The recruitment process is anonymous and we don’t accept CVs.

Applicant handbook - please read the guidance in this handbook when applying. It is essential that you complete the application fully and that your supporting statement covers how you meet each of the person specification criteria listed.

For an informal discussion about this job, please contact Marcia Lee-Chang [email protected]

Please click here to view the Job Description and Person Specification

Salary

£62,634 - £64,815 per annum (SWTM)

N.B: All appointments will be offered at the minimum spinal column point (SCP) for the grade of the role. The only exception to this will be when matching current salary (up to the maximum of the scale), which is subject to evidential proof.

Diversity

Lewisham Council is a Disability Confident employer. We welcome and encourage job applications of all abilities. If you require any reasonable adjustments in the application or interview, please contact the lead contact on this advert. We will make reasonable adjustments to make sure our disabled applicants and those with health conditions are supported throughout our recruitment process. We support the access to work scheme, further details are available at www.gov.uk/access-to-work/apply

The Council reserves the right to close adverts early if there is a large response.

Let’s stay connected, follow us on social media:

LinkedIn Facebook X Instagram TikTok YouTube