Local Authority Designated Officer - Children & Families Service

Local Authority Designated Officer - Children & Families Service

A fantastic opportunity has opened for a Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) in Hackney's Children and Families Service (CFS). This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in ensuring that children are safeguarded, while supporting organisations and professionals to develop strong, effective safeguarding practice.

The successful candidate will join the Quality Assurance and Improvement service, leading and coordinating the management of allegations against adults working with children. If you are professionally curious, confident in your judgement and passionate about achieving the best outcomes for children, Hackney would love to hear from you.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading and coordinating the management of allegations against adults working with children, ensuring prompt and proportionate responses aligned with statutory guidance
• Providing independent oversight, advice, and professional challenge to partner agencies
• Facilitating strategy discussions to manage safeguarding risks effectively
• Keeping the welfare and voice of children central to decision-making
• Identifying learning themes for continuous service improvement and building strong collaborative relationships across the partnership

About you

Hackney is looking for enthusiastic, passionate, and highly skilled people who are committed to developing their practice and dedicated to improving outcomes for children and families. At the heart of this role is a desire to co-create meaningful change for children, young people, and families, aligned with Hackney's Systemic, Trauma-Informed and Anti-Racist (STAR) model of practice.

The ideal candidate will:

• Hold a degree-level qualification in social work that is certified and current
• Demonstrate evidence of ongoing professional development as an experienced safeguarding professional
• Have strong knowledge of safeguarding children, statutory guidance, and managing allegations against people who work with children
• Possess excellent professional judgement to assess complex information, identify risk, and make defensible decisions
• Be confident in providing challenge and holding organisations to account whilst maintaining positive working relationships
• Have exceptional multi-agency collaboration, negotiation, and communication skills across all levels
• Be a reflective, professionally curious practitioner who manages competing priorities effectively
• Embody Hackney's STAR practice model, PROUD values, and commitment to anti-racist practice and dismantling systemic discrimination

This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check. Hackney Council works to eradicate discrimination on the basis of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation, and also works to eliminate disadvantage caused by social class. Applications are particularly welcomed from disabled people, as this group is currently under-represented in Hackney's workforce.

About Hackney

Our vision is to make Hackney a place for everyone. Where all our residents, whatever their background, have a chance to lead healthy and successful lives; a place of which everyone can be proud, with excellent services and public spaces, thriving businesses, and strong communities; a place that celebrates diversity, and where everyone can feel valued, included, and involved.

It is an exciting time to be working in Hackney as we are embedding our practice model of Systemic, Trauma-informed and Anti-Racist practice. We are an innovative borough where we collaborate to support change for the children and families we work for and for each other. You will change and develop while working in Hackney and we will be behind you every step of the way. So, why don't you find yourself in Hackney?

Our Offer To You

Retention bonus for social workers (post ASYE) of £1500 every 6 months and senior social workers in the Family Help Services

Wellbeing Day for staff within the Family Help Services - a fortnightly day off in lieu, recognising the hard work and time that practitioners put into their practice

Ad hoc parking permits available for social workers when required to use a vehicle for their role.

We prioritise the development and growth of staff and have reviewed and updated our ASYE programme of support, to ensure a structured learning programme that understands the journey of the child and utilises protected time.

Celebration and appreciation opportunities including a World Social Work Week thank you event.

Dedicated support from Practice Lead’s across the services including a Anti-Racist Practice Strategic Leadworking to embed active anti-racist practice and support staff’s anti-racism journey.

Monthly case level supervision and monthly group supervision for collaboration and support when things feel stuck.

A comprehensive training and development offer including a 4 day training in our Systemic, Trauma-informed and Anti-Racist Practice Model plus opportunities to apply for Practice Educator training and the Systemic Year 1 Certificate as well as a multitude of other practice related trainings.

Access to Research in Practice.

Opportunity to apply for our internally commissioned bespoke Realising Potential training - a leadership and development programme specifically for Black and Global Majority staff.

Opportunities to shadow and observe senior leaders throughout the service.

Access to MagicNotes to support case recording.

As well as our Council-wide benefits:

Generous holiday allowance - 28 days a year, rising to 33 after five years

Unrivalled pension scheme

Flexible working options

Family friendly policies

A range of discounts, including subsidised gym membership and local eating

Access to financial and season ticket loans

Health and wellbeing benefits, such as lunchtime fitness classes

A comprehensive training and development offer

We are a member of Cycle Scheme and offer free pool bikes

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