Senior Children's Rights Officer - Children and Families Service

Posted 13th Oct, 2025
Location
Hackney
Salary/rate
£55,353 – £57,495
Working pattern
Full-time – 36 hours per week
Working arrangements
Blended
Contract type
Permanent
Closing date
2nd Nov, 2025
About the role

As a Senior Children's Rights Officer for Hackney's Children and Families Services, you will be able to access an outstanding range of local support services, enabling you to make a real difference for children and families. You will be a part of a high quality and effective Children's Rights service that responds to the needs of children in a timely manner and within statutory and best practice guidelines.

You will be working at the forefront of best practice delivering high quality advocacy and interventions to children and young people in a team led by our Contextual Safeguarding Practice Lead and provided high level administrative support by a Contextual Safeguarding and Extra-Familial Risk Panel (EFRP) Coordinator. You will play a key role in developing our participation offer for children and young people, as well as developing our approaches to supporting children and young people at risk of extra familial harm. Key responsibilities include:

  • Providing and overseeing high quality advocacy to children looked after, care experienced young adults, children supported through child protection plans and child in need plans
  • Overseeing missing children with a focus upon independent return home interviews and responses to children who go missing from home or care
  • Ensuring that children are supported to understand their rights including through use of the statutory complaints process
  • Line managing and supervising the Children's Rights Officers and holding a small caseload of advocacy and return home interviews
  • Supporting the Contextual Safeguarding Practice Lead with the leadership and development of staff within the team

To apply, please click on the apply button to create an account and submit your application. You will need to complete competency based questions as part of the application process. We operate a fair and open anonymous selection process and do not accept supporting statements or CVs.

About you

We are looking for an experienced professional who is dynamic, innovative, committed and passionate, bringing a comprehensive knowledge and skill-base to the challenge of working with vulnerable children and families. You will demonstrate professional potential and personal attributes to respond to our children's needs and share Hackney's commitment to tackling racism and all other forms of discrimination. The ideal candidate will:

  • Hold a degree-level education, including a certified and current qualification in social work, youth work or equivalent professional qualification
  • Provide evidence of ongoing professional development
  • Have experience in delivering high quality advocacy and interventions to children and young people
  • Demonstrate knowledge of statutory and best practice guidelines in children's rights
  • Show commitment to systemic, trauma informed and anti-racist practice

An enhanced DBS check is required. Hackney Council works to eradicate discrimination and particularly welcomes applications from disabled people and those from Black and Global Majority Ethnic backgrounds, as these groups are currently under represented in our workforce.

About Hackney

Our vision is to make Hackney a place for everyone. Where all our residents, whatever their background, have a chance to lead healthy and successful lives; a place of which everyone can be proud, with excellent services and public spaces, thriving businesses, and strong communities; a place that celebrates diversity, and where everyone can feel valued, included, and involved.

It is an exciting time to be working in Hackney as we are embedding our practice model of Systemic, Trauma informed and Anti-Racist practice. We are an innovative borough where we collaborate to support change for the children and families we work for and for each other. You will change and develop while working in Hackney and we will be behind you every step of the way. So, why don't you find yourself in Hackney?

Our Offer To You

  • Retention bonus for social workers in Children in Need and Access and Assessment Services- £1500 every 6 months. 

  • Ad hoc parking permits available for social workers when required to use a vehicle for their role. 

  • We prioritise the development and growth of staff and have reviewed and updated our ASYE programme of support, to ensure a structured learning programme that understands the journey of the child and utilises protected time.

  • Celebration and appreciation opportunities including a World Social Work Week thank you event and our Coffee Connection networking events.

  • A dedicated Race Equality and Inclusion team working to embed active anti-racist practice and support staff’s anti-racism journey.

  • Monthly group supervision for collaboration and support when things feel stuck 

As well as our Council-wide benefits:

  • Generous holiday allowance – 27 days a year, rising to 32 after five years

  • Unrivalled pension scheme

  • Flexible working options

  • Family friendly policies

  • A range of discounts, including subsidised gym membership and local eating

  • Access to financial and season ticket loans

  • Health and wellbeing benefits, such as lunchtime fitness classes

  • A comprehensive training and development offer

  • We are a member of Cycle Scheme and offer free pool bikes

Email our recruitment team for more information on this role at cfs.recruitment@hackney.gov.uk