Legal Assistant (Child Protection Team)

Full Time, Permanent

The Child Protection team within Bristol City Council's legal service are looking for a Legal Assistant to provide legal support and to co-work cases with designated Solicitors.

Working for a diverse and innovative Council, you'll need to be quick-thinking, versatile and comfortable working with a wide range of people. It's an exciting, intellectually challenging environment that will test your skills and knowledge to the full.

What will I be doing?

The role will involve handling court cases including care proceedings work or dealing with disclosure requests from the Family Court. This will mean liaising with the Family Courts, CAFCASS, Lawyers and internal Council Stakeholders and sometimes citizens. Knowledge of Data Protection rules, including redaction of documents would be welcomed.

We also welcome individuals who are proficient in excel and dealing with statistics, as a part of the role will involve collecting data about the cases we deal with.

You should be aware the nature of the Child Protection remit involves handling sensitive and sometimes distressing material.

You will be IT literate, including using a legal case management system and able to demonstrate competence in the provision of support to the legal practitioners in the team. Knowledge and experience of the law and working in a legal environment protection would be an advantage but is not essential.

You will be able to work with minimum supervision and must be able to support a varied caseload and develop strong client relationships.

The ability to work to tight deadlines and prioritise will be essential. Above all, you will carry out all duties in a professional and accurate manner with a client focused approach.

Working arrangements

Hybrid working arrangements are available, combining home and office working, subject to the requirements of the service and the needs of individual cases.

You will be expected to attend City Hall in person for the monthly whole-team meeting. Additional office, court and meeting attendance will be required according to your workload and service needs. Regular office attendance is encouraged to support learning, collaboration and connection with colleagues.

We work hard to ensure that colleagues are well supported, have opportunities to develop and are able to manage the demands of this important area of work.

Why Bristol City Council?

At Bristol City Council, we go that extra mile for our people; we offer a work environment which is fast moving and supportive, giving you the chance to use your skills and develop new ones within a high-profile organisation. For the majority of our roles hybrid working arrangements are available, giving teams the opportunity to work in a way that suits them, balancing service need and individual choice - mixing both home and office working.

Join us and you'll receive an excellent rewards package including flexible working and flexitime, membership of the Local Government Pension scheme, and a generous annual leave allowance. In addition, you'll be working in a supportive environment where you'll have the chance to make Bristol a better place and contribute to its future.

How do I apply?

If you share our values and are ready to be part of our exciting journey please select the apply button below.

To be shortlisted for interview you'll need to demonstrate how you meet each of the essential criteria in the Person Specification within the Further Information section of your application. On occasion we will receive high numbers of applications, we may then shortlist against the desirable criteria along with the essential criteria, so if you can, please demonstrate how you meet this in your application.

We're a Disability Confident employer which means we value recruiting and retaining disabled people. Any job applicants who consider themselves to be disabled and meet the essential criteria in the Person Specification are guaranteed an interview. We'll make reasonable adjustments throughout the interview process and provide continued workplace support throughout your career.

If you would like an informal discussion about the role before applying, please contact Team Managers Caroline Harris or Rebecca Davies at caroline.harris@bristol.gov.uk/ rebecca.davies@bristol.gov.uk

Applications will be reviewed as they are received, and we reserve the right to close this vacancy early. We therefore encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

Bristol City Council strives to have a workforce that reflects the communities it serves. We are committed to ensuring diversity throughout our recruitment process and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Appointments will be made on merit.

The personal information section of the application form, including your name, will not be visible to hiring managers. This information is used confidentially to help ensure that everyone is treated fairly.