Child Protection Chair - Children Social Care

Posted 23rd May, 2025
Location
Sutton
Salary/rate
£47,532 – £55,620
Hours
Full-time
Working arrangements
Blended
Contract type
Fixed term
Closing date
30th Jun, 2025
About the role

We have an exciting opportunity to join us as a Child Protection Chair within Children’s Social Care at the London Borough of Sutton. Our objective is to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children and young people in our community. Join on a 12 month fixed term contract and enjoy a Golden Hello along with a Recruitment and Retention Bonus, outlined as follows:

  • £1,000 paid with your first month's salary
  • £1,000 for your first completed year of service

Reporting to the Senior Safeguarding Chair, your responsibilities will include:

  • Leading and facilitating child protection conferences, ensuring the best interests of the child are central to all discussions
  • Improving child protection outcomes by developing outcome-focused, multi-agency child protection plans within strict timescales
  • Monitoring and reviewing progress on protection plans, offering guidance and support to those involved
  • Providing training and support to staff and partner agencies on child protection processes and procedures
  • Staying up to date with legislation, best practice, and research in child protection and safeguarding

You will join a small team of Child Protection Chairs. Your ability to analyse complex information and communicate effectively with families and professionals will support the delivery of our statutory responsibilities. You will work collaboratively with social workers, educators, health professionals, and other stakeholders to develop effective safety plans. Your knowledge of social work, safeguarding, and restorative practice will be essential in supporting a strength-based approach across our services.

There is also an expectation that you will provide cover for the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO), including chairing meetings related to allegations against professionals in either their work or personal lives.

About you

This role is a great opportunity for:

  • Experienced social workers with a strong background in child protection and line management at Assistant or Team Manager level. If you're passionate about progressing your career, this is a key leadership role focused on chairing and facilitating critical decisions that impact children’s lives
  • Current or former child protection professionals with significant experience in child welfare, social work, or safeguarding, seeking to take on a leadership role within a local authority

We expect suitable candidates to demonstrate the following:

  • A professional qualification in Social Work and registration with Social Work England
  • Line management experience gained at Assistant or Team Manager level
  • Significant experience in child protection and safeguarding, with a strong understanding of relevant legislation, local authority processes, and multi-agency collaboration
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work sensitively with families and make sound decisions in complex situations
  • Ability to work at Sutton Civic Offices up to three days a week
About Sutton

Sutton combines a high quality of life, green and spacious, with distinctive town centres providing access to jobs and culture the capital has to offer.

Ofsted rated us as ‘Good’, with 'Outstanding' leadership, in December 2021. However, we have not rested but continue to strive to do more for families, strengthen practice and bring innovative ways of working across our systems.

Our offer to you

As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We’re constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across - however big or small - will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.

In addition, we offer a modern and flexible working environment for our staff, supported by our IT infrastructure, including Google Chromebooks and Google Apps.

Employees have access to a wide range of benefits, some of which include:

  • Generous annual leave entitlement plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply)

  • Flexi-time (Please note, this applies to roles at grades 1-9 only)

  • Comprehensive learning and development programme

  • Local and national discounts for shopping, eating out and leisure activities

  • Interest free season ticket loans

  • Local Government Pension Scheme

  • Car parking scheme

  • Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme

  • Zip car scheme

  • Free eye tests and contribution towards glasses

  • Confidential wellbeing and counselling support

  • Subsidised gym membership

Interested in working in Sutton? Hear from our staff below on why they think Sutton is a great place to be a Social Worker.

If you have any questions about applying for this role, please contact recruitment@sutton.gov.uk