Lead Child Protection Practitioner

Lead Child Protection Practitioner
MB4 (£45,091 - £51,356)
37 Hours, Full Time
Permanent
Stopford House with some homeworking/remote working permitted

Application Deadline: 11:59pm 20th April 2026
Please be aware that we may close this vacancy early if a high volume of applications are received. We encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
Shortlisting Date: 21st April 2026
Interview Date: 27th and 28th April 2026
Interview Type: In person

While we embrace the use of AI as an innovative tool to maximise our services at Stockport Council, we are looking for authenticity in applications we receive. We therefore ask you to think carefully if choosing to use AI when completing your application and ask that you ensure you read all instructions carefully and that your application is written by you and reflects your skills, knowledge and enthusiasm.

Join us at Stockport Council MJ Local Authority of the Year 2025

Your Role

We’re really excited to start creating our multi-agency child protection teams (MACPTs) and the lead child protection practitioner (LCPP) role is integral to the functioning of this.

The Families First Partnership Programme (FFPP) guide outlines the new LCPP role. The guide states that this social work role should be embedded in the MACPT and that LCPPs should:

• have substantial frontline child protection experience within children’s social care and an in-depth knowledge of the statutory and legislative framework
• be skilled at identifying and responding to all types of significant harm, including extra-familial harm
• know how to work skilfully and confidently with families and parents in child protection, including those who have demonstrated resistant, hostile and/or deceptive behaviour
• this role requires you to be passionate about improving outcomes for children, and possess a strong competency in child protection knowledge

We are also recruiting to a Lead Child Protection Practitioner with Domestic Abuse Specialism; this role will have a specific focus on those children experiencing harm from high risk and complex domestic abuse; including harmful practises and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). As such, will also involve providing advice and support in various domestic abuse forums, and supporting the development of Compass, our Domestic Abuse Safeguarding and Intervention Hub.

In addition to the criteria outlined below, applicants interested in this role must have a comprehensive understanding of domestic abuse, the different forms that this can take and the key risks and protective factors/ safety planning requirements for children and families. This will include knowledge of So-called honour-based abuse, forced marriage, and FGM.

If you are interested in this specialised role, please indicate this in your application.

About You

If you’re an experienced, skilled, qualified social worker looking for your next career step, then this may be just the role for you! We’re looking for people who are:

• Dedicated to wanting to keep children safe and give them the best opportunities
• Tenacious and passionate about achieving positive outcomes for children
• Strong in their verbal and written communication skills, to professionals, families, and children
• Able to work independently and who thrives in being a part of a multi-agency team
• Sees the benefit in sharing their practice knowledge and wisdom with others, whilst also offering respectful challenge when things aren’t right
• You must be registered with Social Work England.

About Us

The role will be a part of the newly established multi agency child protection team (MACPT), as outlined in the national social care reforms.

As this is a brand-new role, you will need to be creative and responsive, helping us to shape the LCPP role and the MACPT, in line with the guidance under the FFPP. We will work together and you’ll be supported to embed this role into the MACPT.

You will be a part of a friendly and ambitious local authority with an approachable and inclusive leadership team.

As a new starter, you’ll have a welcoming induction specific to the service and will receive a Stockport Council corporate induction. You will also have access to a wide range of training and learning opportunities to support your development.

We offer a hybrid way of working with some home working and some flexibility around working hours. There will be an expectation to be office based for part of the week.

At Stockport Council we are one ambitious team on a mission to create opportunities for everyone who lives, works and spends time in the borough. Working at Stockport Council means contributing to one of the most thriving towns in the North. We’re keen to recruit people with the right values and behaviours that can help us ensure our workplace values are at the heart of everything we do.

We are proud to be recognised under the Good Employment Charter as an organisation committed to the wellbeing of our colleagues. As members of the charter, we have been recognised as a great place to work for all colleagues and pledge to pay the real living wage, engage staff in key decisions and endorse fair and flexible working conditions.

If you would like to find out more about the role please contact Mathew Finegan (mathew.finegan@stockport.gov.uk) or Eleanor Hirst (eleanor.hirst@stockport.gov.uk) for an informal discussion about the role.

This post is also open as secondment opportunity for Stockport Council Employees, however, you must seek the permission of your current manager prior to making an application.

The successful applicant’s appointment will be subject to satisfactory pre-employment clearances including a Disclosure and Barring Service check.

Stockport Council holds a Visa sponsorship licence but this can only be used for certain roles and this campaign does not currently qualify.

Please note that we have made a commitment to improve the employment opportunities for people with disabilities, care leavers and ex-military personnel. As part of the Guaranteed Assessment Scheme you will therefore be guaranteed to be shortlisted for Assessment if you meet both the criteria for the scheme and the essential job role criteria.

Find out if you meet the criteria here: https://www.greater.jobs/our-guaranteed-assessment-scheme

If you have completed the GM Elevate (Leadership Development) Programme, please indicate this within the ‘About You’ or ‘Supporting Statement’ section of your application. Please also email recruitment@stockport.gov.uk.

Privacy Notice

Eligible at-risk employees are entitled to have their applications considered ahead of internal employees in line with the Council’s Recruitment and Selection Policy. At risk employees are either employees in the last three months of their fixed term contract, or those who have been notified in writing that they are at risk by Human Resources following an employee consultation meeting. Employees wishing to be considered as an at-risk applicant are requested to email recruitment@stockport.gov.uk to inform Human Resources. At risk applications are only permitted for opportunities at the employees’ current grade or grades below.