Lead Child Protection Practitioner

The Lead Child Protection Practitioner will be a collaborative practitioner, working together with multi-agency partners and the children & families service to ensure expert support, guidance and decision-making across the system. The post holder will ensure that children are safeguarded in the right way at the right time. They will ensure responsibility and oversight of child protection decision-making and processes.

The post holder will provide high support and high challenge for the wider Children and Families workforce and with partners. They may be involved in undertaking direct practice with children alongside Family Help Lead Practitioners.

The Lead Child Protection Practitioner will ensure they work to:

• Enable practice – Children’s welfare is paramount, and we seek to work in partnership with whole families through a trauma informed lens.
  
  
• Empower people – We will ensure children’s voices shape our response and service delivery. We will consider how we equip staff to consider all the circumstances which impact children and families.
• Deliver progress – We will proactively work with other agencies to review and develop how we work with families, including building family networks and local sufficiency.

Cheshire West and Chester Council is a place where everyone can Thrive – through our core values of Teamwork, Honesty, Respect, Innovation, Value for Money and Empowerment.

Cheshire West and Chester Council is seeking passionate Lead Child Protection Practitioner to join their teams as part of their commitment to improving outcomes for children, young people, and families. The council is implementing the Families First Partnership Programme which focuses on locality-based family help teams working closely with family help safeguarding teams and Multi Agency Child Protection Teams (MACPT) services to provide consistent, trauma-informed, and systemic support tailored to the needs of families.

The council’s approach is rooted in trauma-informed and systemic practice, ensuring empathetic and holistic interventions. Social workers are equipped with bespoke training, including trauma-informed practice and motivational interviewing, to deliver high-quality support.

Cheshire West and Chester offer a supportive work environment with strong leadership, reflective practice frameworks, and a culture of shared learning.

We have Magic Notes in Cheshire West, and this is delivering clear benefits for both practitioners and managers, significantly reducing written administration by an average of six hours per week and allowing social workers to spend more time on direct practice. As a result, % of practitioners report increased job enjoyment and improved work–life balance. Practitioners describe being more physically and emotionally present with families, able to maintain eye contact, focus fully during assessments and meetings, and allow conversations to flow naturally, with positive feedback from families. The tool also reduces admin-related stress, enabling quicker case recording, deeper analysis, and greater focus on understanding lived experience, while improving accessibility for staff with additional needs such as dyslexia. From a management perspective, Magic Notes has improved morale, strengthened relationships with children and families, enhanced care planning and direct work, and is seen by all managers as having a positive impact on recruitment and retention, with most identifying it as a key factor in attracting and keeping staff.

The council is committed to professional growth, with many senior roles filled by individuals who have progressed internally. High-quality training and development opportunities are available, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

A recent survey with Frontline highlighted strong child-focused leadership, clear practice standards, and high-quality supervision. Staff feel trusted, supported, and valued, with many recommending Cheshire West and Chester as an excellent place to work.

If you choose to join us we offer:

- Flexible remote working

- Bright, modern, recently refurbished office environments

- Free parking at all office locations

- Competitive salary and working rewards

- Up to days’ flexi leave per year, in addition to annual leave

- Social Work England registration paid for by the council

- High-quality supervision

- Strong reflective practice framework

- Excellent training opportunities

- Clear progression and developmental opportunities

- We offer competitive rates of pay depending on experience.

Please see Job Description / Person Specification.