Job detailsDetails

• Title: Lead Child Protection Practitioner
• Reference: SCC/TP/287911/6054
• Positions: 5
• Salary: £49,464 - £52,864 per annum plus an additional market supplement payment of £5,000
• Category: Qualified Social Work - Children's
• Contract type: Permanent
• Working hours: 36 hours per week
• Posted on: 30 September 2026
• Closing date: 7 October 2026
• Directorate: Children, Families & Lifelong Learning
• Location: East and West Surrey

Description

We are committed to the development of our workforce. This position is only available to applicants who already work for Surrey County Council. We thank you for your interest in our roles and would encourage you to review our vacancies which are open to all.

The salary range for these full-time, permanent positions is £49,464- £52,864 per annum plus an additional market supplement of £5,000 per annum based on 36 hours per week.

Are you an experienced social worker looking to influence safeguarding decisions at the earliest stage and help shape the future of child protection practice?

We are recruiting Lead Child Protection Practitioner s to join Surrey's Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams, bringing together experts from social care, police, health and education to make better decisions and achieve better outcomes for children and families.

We have opportunities to join our- Surrey Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams- covering East and West Surrey. During the application process you will be asked to share your location preference.

Our Offer to You

• A competitive relocation package of up to £8,000
• We pay your Social Worker England Registration fee
• 28 days annual leave, rising to 31 days after 5 years' service (plus bank holidays)
• Access to our car lease scheme
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
• 2 paid volunteering days per year
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
• Refer a friend payment of £1,000 as a thank you for finding the right Social Worker

The Surrey Context

The national Families First Partnership Programme (FFPP) represents one of the most significant changes to children's services in recent years, placing earlier intervention, stronger partnerships and better outcomes for children and families at the heart of practice.

At Surrey County Council, we're establishing our Multi-Agency Child Protection Team (MACPT), a newly redesigned service bringing together expertise from social care, health, police and education to strengthen safeguarding decision-making and improve responses for children at risk of significant harm.

We're looking for child centred and experienced Lead Child Protection Practitioners to join our Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams. This is an exciting opportunity to take a leading role at the front end of Surrey's safeguarding system, helping ensure children at risk of significant harm receive the right support at the right time.

About the role

As a Lead Child Protection Practitioner within our Multi-Agency Child Protection Team, you will provide expert child protection leadership, facilitate critical safeguarding decisions and strengthen practice. Working closely with social care teams and colleagues in police, health, education and other agencies, you will help build a shared understanding of risk and ensure decisions are informed by robust multi-agency analysis.

You will chair strategy discussions, provide oversight of Section 47 enquiries and support the consistent application of safeguarding thresholds. You will also offer professional consultation, advice and constructive challenge, helping practitioners and managers navigate complex safeguarding concerns and situations with confidence.

This is an influential practice leadership role rather than a traditional case-holding position. You will have the opportunity to shape decision-making at the earliest stage, identify learning from practice and contribute to continuous improvement across the safeguarding system.

Key responsibilities in role will include:

• Chairing effective multi-agency strategy discussions.
• Leading and facilitating complex safeguarding decision-making with partner agencies.
• Providing professional oversight and quality assurance of Section 47 enquiries.
• Promoting the consistent and proportionate application of safeguarding thresholds, particularly in relation to planning and assessment of risk for complex cases.
• Reviewing safeguarding analysis, decisions and plans, providing constructive professional challenge where improvements are needed.
• Offering specialist advice and consultation to practitioners and managers dealing with complex child protection concerns.
• Supporting reflective discussion, critical analysis and confident professional judgement.
• Strengthening collaboration across social care, police, health, education and other safeguarding partners.
• Identifying themes and learning from practice and contribute to service improvement.
• Maintaining clear and timely records of professional analysis and decision-making.

If you are an experienced social worker with strong safeguarding knowledge, confident professional judgement and a passion for developing excellent practice, this role could be a great fit for you. Joining us represents an opportunity to use your expertise beyond an individual caseload and make a wider impact on the quality and consistency of child protection practice. You will help shape safeguarding decisions, strengthen multi-agency working and support practitioners to achieve better outcomes for children and families.

Your Application

In order to be considered for shortlisting, your application will clearly evidence the following skills and align with our behaviours:

• A recognised social work qualification and current Social Work England registration.
• Substantial experience of assessing need, risk and harm and undertaking direct work with children and young people.
• Strong knowledge of children's social care legislation, statutory guidance and safeguarding practice, with experience of making and clearly explaining complex child...