Reference number: CF26-72
Location: Edinburgh / Glasgow
Salary: Band F (52,282 - £58,765)
Post Type: Full time (35 Hours) / Permanent
Closing Date: Tuesday 24th November 2026
Interview Date: Week commencing Monday 7th December 2026
In this role, you’ll:
- Lead the development of practice in the key areas of protection of children and prevention of harm in line with our Strategic priorities.
- Lead the ongoing development of FGDM and safeguarding practice within Children First and contribute to external developments with partner agencies.
- Act as the organisation’s designated Child Protection and Safeguarding Lead, ensuring robust systems of review, practice improvement and audit.
- Contribute to an open and accountable culture that puts children’s needs and rights at the centre of policy and practice.
- Represent Children First as a national expert offering specialist knowledge and consultancy.
- A recognised professional qualification in Social Work or a related discipline, with significant senior leadership experience in children’s services, safeguarding or family support.
- Extensive experience of Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) / Family Group Conferencing and a strong track record of leading safeguarding practice, systems and governance.
- Expertise in child protection, family support, children's rights, trauma-informed practice and restorative, strengths-based approaches.
- Experience designing and delivering practice models, training, consultancy or service development initiatives that improve outcomes for children and families.
- The ability to lead, influence and build trusted relationships across organisations, sectors and multi-agency systems.
- Excellent communication, influencing and decision-making skills, with confidence operating in complex and high-profile environments.
- A passion for children's wellbeing and rights, alongside a commitment to continuous learning, reflective practice and improving standards across the sector.
- A workplace with values of with love, with purpose and with strength
- 40 days annual leave, inclusive of bank holidays
- Pension scheme and wellbeing support
- Flexible and hybrid working arrangements
- Access to Westfield Health, giving colleagues and their families confidential counselling support, wellbeing resources, and access to health and lifestyle benefits to support physical and mental wellbeing.
- Blue Light card discount
- A Fair Work accredited workplace
Our Values
Living our values, you will help create a workplace where our people can thrive, ensuring we deliver the best possible support to children and families.
With love, we put children first.
With purpose, we transform lives together.
With strength, we do whatever it takes to protect Scotland’s children.
How to Apply
If you share our values and are passionate about supporting our people, we would love to hear from you.
Closing date: Tuesday 24th November 2026 at 12 noon
Interviews: Week commencing Monday 7th December 2026
Contact: For more information, email linda.jardine@childrenfirst.org.uk
Role Summary
The National Lead for Prevention and Protection (Family Support, Family Group Decision Making and Contextual Safeguarding) will provide strategic leadership, national oversight, and professional assurance for practice across Children First.
The postholder will:
- Lead the development of practice in the key areas of protection of children and prevention of harm in line with our Strategic priorities.
- Lead the ongoing development of FGDM and safeguarding practice within Children First and contribute to external developments with partner agencies.
- Act as the organisation’s designated Child Protection and Safeguarding Lead, ensuring robust systems of review, practice improvement and audit.
- Contribute to an open and accountable culture that puts children’s needs and rights at the centre of policy and practice.
- Represent Children First as a national expert offering specialist knowledge and consultancy.
Contribute to Children First’s influencing campaigns to embed access to restorative practice as a right for all children and families. Ensure the meaningful participation of children, young people and families is at the heart of this work.
Results Areas
1. Strategic Leadership and Development
- Develop and deliver a national FGDM strategy in line with our ambitions for children set out in our Strategic Priorities.
- Ensure consistent, high-quality FGDM practice across all services.
- Lead service innovation, embedding evidence-informed, restorative, and trauma-responsive approaches.
- Keep abreast of national policy developments and work with colleagues to influence and respond.
- Support the capture of evidence and impact to raise awareness, drive investment, and improve outcomes for children.
2. Safeguarding Leadership
- Act as Designated Safeguarding Lead for Children First
- Lead the review, development, and implementation of safeguarding policy, procedures, and practice standards.
- Ensure compliance with legislation, national guidance, and regulatory standards.
- Oversee safeguarding audits, reviews, and learning processes.
- Provide consultation and guidance on complex risk, critical incidents, and case decision-making.
- Represent Children First in undertaking investigations, practice reviews for and alongside partners.
- Support the design and delivery of our FGDM and child protection training.
3. Practice Quality and Assurance
- Establish and lead quality assurance frameworks across FGDM and safeguarding, including monitoring and evaluating practice, outcomes and impact to drive continuous improvement.
- Drive improvement through learning from audits, inspections, and case reviews.
- Promote reflective practice and continuous professional development.
4. Leadership, Practice Development, and Service Delivery
- Oversee the implementation of consistent practice models, ensuring fidelity to FGDM principles and safeguarding standards.
- Support the development and delivery of new and established training, learning programmes, and practice guidance for colleagues and volunteers.
- Ensure continuous improvement through practice development and innovation.
- Contribute to the organisation’s planning, business development and sustainability.
5. External Leadership, Influence, and Sector Expertise
- Provide expert consultancy, advice, and professional guidance to external agencies including local authorities, health, education, and charities/not for profit organisations.
- Develop and deliver external training programmes, workshops, and capacity-building initiatives and resources
- Support partners to embed FGDM and strengthen safeguarding systems within their own organisations.
- Represent the organisation at national, international and UK-wide forums as a recognised subject matter expert.
- Contribute to research, publications, and sector-wide knowledge and practice development.
6. Partnership and System Leadership
- Build effective partnerships across social work, health, education, and not for profit organisations.
- Represent Children First in national forums to influence systems reform to realise the ambitions to prevent harm, protect children and promote their recovery.
- Promote integration and collaboration to improve outcomes for children and families.
7. Operational Oversight
Support managers to deliver safe, effective, and evidence informed practice that protects children and prevents harm.
- Identify any needs for delivery infrastructure and support systems to sustain both internal services and external offer (training, consultancy, and programme delivery.)
- Contribute to organisational planning, sustainability, and relevant funding opportunities.
What We’re Looking For
We’re looking for someone who enjoys a role that combines structure with variety and who takes pride in delivering a high standard of work. You’ll be great in this role if you have/are:
· Totally driven and committed to children’s wellbeing and rights
· Experienced in FGDM, child protection and family support practice
· Confident in high-profile, external-facing environments
· Collaborative, with the ability to build trusted relationships across systems
· Resilient and able to operate effectively in complex, high-stake contexts
· Reflective, self-aware, and committed to continuous learning
· Passionate about improving practice across the wider sector
Corporate Responsibility
- Be committed and adhere to Children First vision, mission and values.
- Comply with Children First Safeguarding policies and procedures.
- Comply with Children First Colleague Code and any relevant professional standards relating to the role.
- Actively consider the involvement of children, young people and families with whom we work, in all areas of practice and to implement the Children First Participation Standards.
- Actively consider the involvement of volunteers in all areas of our work and to implement the Children First Volunteer Development Policy.
- Observe all health and safety requirements.
- Work within and promote policies in relation to Diversity Equity and Inclusion and anti-discriminatory practices.
- Undertake any other reasonably required duties as instructed by line manager or someone acting on their behalf, in addition to the role specific responsibilities detailed below.
Need to Have | Need to Show | Need to Know | Need to Be | Core Values |
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| In-depth knowledge of:
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| Our core values guide how each one of us works in our individual day to day job:
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