Childcare Solicitor

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Location : Hybrid Remote and Spindles offices

Closing Date: Sunday 14th September 2025

Shortlisting & Interview Dates: TBC.

Role Overview:

To provide the professional services of a solicitor to the Council and other bodies within the Directorate for Health and Well-being.

Key Responsibilities:

• To advise Council, Executive, Committees, Officers and Departments of the Council on legal matters primarily, but not exclusively, relating to all areas of Social Services including attendance at evening meetings as requested.
• Advocacy in contested and uncontested hearings in Court and when necessary instruction of Counsel at the Family Court, including the preparation and management of cases.
• Drafting and settling of legal documentation with particular reference to Children’s Social Care.
• Conduct of litigation with particular reference to Children’s Social Care and matters.

Key Requirements:

To succeed in this role you will need as a minimum:

• Extensive experience of advising Social work clients and their managers.
• Extensive post qualification experience in conducting child care proceedings.
• Advocacy experience including Contested Hearings at Court.
• Ability to advise competently in complex child care matters and to assimilate and advise upon evidential matters relating thereto.

If you would like support with this application, an interview or interested in looking at any courses that could help with this position please get in touch with Get Oldham Working – Get Oldham Working registration form – Oldham Council

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and therefore expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you have completed the GM Elevate (Leadership Development) Programme, please indicate this within the ‘About You’ or ‘Supporting Statement’ section of your application

About Us:

We want Oldham to have vibrant, safe neighbourhoods where people are proud to live with opportunities for healthier, more fulfilled lives; and a sustainable, thriving economy. As we look to the future, the challenges may be significant, but so are the opportunities. We’ve identified three missions with our residents and partners, focusing on what will deliver the biggest impact:

A Great Place to Live, Healthier, Happier Lives, and Green and Growing.

We’re looking for candidates who will support us to achieve our ambitions and we encourage you to download our Corporate Plan: Ready for the Future and our Oldham Plan for further information.

Our Values and Behaviours:

By driving innovation, investing in our people, and championing our communities, we will ensure that Oldham continues to be a place where everyone can live their best life. To support this, we have three core values which define who we are and how we operate. These are ‘Proud, Ambitious, and Together’, and they shape our culture, inform our decisions, and inspire us to deliver on our commitments to the people of Oldham.

We have translated these values into five behaviours which guide our actions and are the standards we hold ourselves to, day in and day out:

• Work with a resident focus
• Support local leaders
• Committed to the borough
• Delivery high performance
• Take ownership and drive change

You can find out more about our values and behaviours on our greater.jobs Oldham page

Inclusive Recruitment:

We work closely with employees to help them work at their best, including making adjustments such as flexible working, describing available working patterns, providing equipment or making changes to the workplace.

NB. – Any candidate that meets the criteria of our Guaranteed Assessment Scheme and meets the essential criteria of the role, will be guaranteed the first stage of assessment (whether that is an interview or another assessment, as appropriate).

Our Guaranteed Assessment Scheme supports candidates with disabilities, have previously been in or currently in care, those that are carers, and those who have served in the Armed Forces as a regular, reserve or cadet.

Data and Privacy:

For details of how we use your data please see our privacy notice.
Important Information:

Please note that should a vacancy that has been released for internal or external recruitment be deemed suitable for a current employee at risk of redundancy, it can be pulled back at any point, up to the post being formally offered to a candidate who is not at risk of redundancy.

Right to Work in the UK from 1st July 2021.doc

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