Lead Child Protection Practitioner

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 Practitioners 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.

Roles for East Surrey will be based out of our office in Reigate and roles for West Surrey will work out of our office in Woking.  During the application process you will be asked to share your location preference.

• 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 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.

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.

• 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.

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 protection decisions. 
• The ability to chair complex meetings, provide expert guidance and offer appropriate professional challenge. 
• Experience of effective multi-agency working, building constructive relationships and providing professional reflective supervision. 
• Clear and concise communication skills, alongside a commitment to inclusive, relational and child-centred practice

To apply, we request that you submit a CV and answer the following 4 questions:

1. What has motivated you to apply for the Lead Child Protection Practitioner role, and how do you believe your values, experience, and professional aspirations align with the purpose of Surrey's Multi-Agency Child Protection Team?
2. Please tell us about a complex child protection or safeguarding situation you managed. Describe your assessment of risk, the decisions made, and how your actions contributed to improved outcomes for the child or family.
3. Describe a situation where you worked with multiple agencies to safeguard a child or young person. How did you build effective partnership working, manage differing professional views, and ensure the child's needs remained central to decision-making?
4. Please provide an example of when you have led or influenced practice improvement, service development, or supported colleagues with a particularly complex safeguarding decision. What approach did you take, what challenges did you encounter, and what was the impact?

An enhanced DBS ‘Disclosure and Barring Service’ check for regulated activity (formerly known as CRB) and the Children’s and Adults’ Barred List checks will be required for this role.

Surrey has both urban and rural areas and candidates will be expected to have a valid driving licence to drive in the UK, access to a vehicle and be willing to travel across a wide geographical area. Reasonable adjustments where needed will be made for successful applicants who have a disability or long term health condition to enable them to fulfil the requirements of the job.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on the 15th of November 2026.

Please note that the successful applicant must be available to commence employment on or before 31 January. 

Before submitting your application, we recommend you read the job description and our Life at Surrey Handbook to get an insight into working at Surrey.

Surrey County Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation, moving from a two-tier system to two new unitary councils in April 2027. If you are employed by Surrey on 1st April 2027, your role will transfer with current terms and conditions to one of the new organisations, supporting local devolution and greater powers for our communities. 

Join our dynamic team and shape the future of local government. Make a lasting impact with innovative solutions and improved services for our community. Help us build a brighter future for our residents! Please see more information here: Information for applicants on Local Government Reorganisation - Surrey County Council.

We are a disability confident employer which means if you have shared a disability on your application form and have evidenced you meet the minimum shortlisting criteria as displayed on the advert, we guarantee you an interview.

Your skills and experience truly matter to us. From application to your first day, we’re committed to supporting you with any adjustments you need, we value inclusion and warmly welcome you to join and help build a workplace where everyone belongs.

Contract: Permanent N/A

• BM-2026-290 - PS10SC - Lead Child Protection Practitioner.pdf - Lead Child Protection Practitioner- Job Description