Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO)

Is it time for a change and a challenge? Are you ready to make a real difference?

Are you passionate about outcomes for children and young people?

At Solihull Council, we pride ourselves on being a Council that is small enough to care, but big enough to make a difference.

We are well on our way on our transformational journey, designed to improve the experience of the children, young people and families we work with. Children's Services is our top priority for improvement within our Council Plan and we are placing children at the heart of all that we do.

We are investing in our services and people and putting additional resources in place to ensure the best possible outcomes for our children, young people and their families. And we want you to help us make this happen.

We have developed the role of a dedicated specialist Local Authority Designated Officer. This is a vital role, building on our commitment to children's safety and wellbeing.

Reporting to the Head of Safeguarding and Quality Assurance, as Solihull's Local Authority Designated Officer you will provide high quality professional and practice advice to the Council and its partners and you will have the overall responsibility for the management of allegations of abuse against adults in a position of trust across the authority.

In this highly respected and rewarding role, you will lead the allegations, management and safeguarding processes on behalf of the Local Authority and wider partnership.

You will ensure that effective processes are consistently followed in order to lead to the very best outcomes in terms of protecting our children and young people.

Working with autonomy, you will also analyse and report upon data, as well as undertaking an influential Quality Assurance role and communicating decisions and outcomes with key partners and employers.

And as a member of the regional LADO network, you will have the opportunity to connect with LADO's across the West Midlands region.

And to ensure you can really make a positive difference, we have also created a designated Business Support Officer to provide crucial administrative support to you, freeing you up to focus on what really matters.

You will be Social Work England registered, have a degree (or equivalent) in social work, have significant post qualifying experience in children's safeguarding, and excellent knowledge of relevant childcare legislation, policy and best practice.

You will also possess excellent communication and interpersonal skills and have the ability to work independently and confidently with a range of agencies, and be able to challenge practice at all levels. You will have a great ability to make tough decisions on complex cases too.

You will hold a driving licence and own your own vehicle, as this is an essential car user post due to the demands of the job. For disabled applicants, reasonable adjustments will be made where required.

In return, we can offer professional guidance from our experienced and supportive management team and the opportunity to further develop your leadership skills. In addition to access to a broad suite of high quality training packages through our Social Care Academy, our people also enjoy a hybrid approach to flexible working, competitive salaries and a generous benefits package that includes a focus on staff wellbeing.

We are ambitious in Solihull and are building a stronger Solihull for our children, families and workforce . Connecting Families is the name of Solihull Children's Services practice framework. At its core Connecting Families demonstrates the beliefs, values and principles of restorative practice and gives us a consistent relationship-based way of practicing to improve outcomes for children, young people and their families.

We believe that families and their connected networks are of primary importance and are the most important influence on improving outcomes for children. We believe that children and their family networks are experts in their own lives and that children and their family networks have strengths, on which they should be empowered to build and draw on through effective family decision making.

If you are ready to join our ambitious team - and make a tangible impact and positive difference to families' lives at this critical time - then we would be delighted to receive your application., Social Workers at Solihull Council are covered by the Fluency Duty, as outlined in the Code of Practice on the English language requirements for public sector workers.

Solihull Council is proud to be an Equal Opportunities Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees - a place where we can all be ourselves and succeed on merit.

Solihull Council has a responsibility for, and is committed to, safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk, and requires all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.