Solicitor social care (children)

Childrens Social Care Solicitors/Barristers

Permanent

Full-Time (37 hours per week) x3 and Part-Time (18.5 hours per week) x1

Social Care Lawyer – Childcare x2.5

Social Care Lawyer – SEN x1

Salary range - £49,498 - £55,630

Our Team

We are a multi-award winning, Lexcel accredited Legal Services team, ahead of the game when it comes to legal excellence, offering the opportunity to excel as individuals and as part of a team.

The Civic Centre where Legal Services have dedicated office space has been modernised in recent years offering an attractive and pleasant place to work.

This is an exciting period for the City of Wolverhampton, the Council and our Legal Services team and a fantastic time to join us.

What The Role Offers You

A career with our team offers opportunities to develop beyond qualification. Every member of the team has a learning and development plan personal to them and running alongside that an annual appraisal which combined with being mentored and developed within the wider leadership team means that by joining us will see you set your career on the right path for success.

Legal Services are at the heart of the Council’s functions and are vital to its work. This role gives you the opportunity to play an integral part in the City of Wolverhampton Council achieving its goals and aspirations.

We are looking to recruit motivated and enthusiastic Social Care Solicitors or Barristers. Candidates from both Local Government and Private Practice are welcomed.

Both roles will offer you the opportunity to:

• Provide legal support and representation to our children and education client departments;
• Manage your own varied caseload including but not limited to:
• public law children matters relating to care and placement order proceedings, fostering and adoption, and general children’s social care matters including non-school education prosecutions;
• SEN, education matters in general;
• Advise senior officers within the local authority; and
• Active involvement in client care and business development.

The SEN role will also offer you the opportunity to:

• Manage a case load of complex cases, comprising mainly SEN Tribunal cases, with minimum supervision;
• Undertake advocacy in case management hearings and final hearings in the first tier SEND Tribunal and to instruct counsel as appropriate; and
• Ensure the effective identification and awareness of risks associated with the relevant areas of legal practice.

What We Are Looking For From You

• A passion to further a career in Social Care – Childcare and/or SEN;
• Recent in-depth knowledge and post qualification in childcare litigation and of the law and practice relating to safeguarding children litigation;
• Advocacy experience and skills in all tiers of court, including the High Court, Family Court and ideally the Court of Protection and a willingness to undertake advocacy;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills as well as demonstrable skills and strengths in negotiation, drafting, persuading, and influencing;
• An ability to command the respect, trust and confidence of your clients and senior managers as well as the court;
• Flexibility to assist other team members as required;
• The ability to work confidently and effectively either alone or as part of a team;
• A desire to develop legal skills to enable you to achieve technical excellence;
• The willingness to take on challenges;
• To be solutions and outcome focused; seeking to provide practical options by removing or working around what may be regarded as barriers;
• The ability to form strong working relationships with client departments to enable you to provide the best service you can for clients and the residents of Wolverhampton;
• To be organised with an eye for detail;
• A practical and commercial approach; and
• To be willing to consistently go above and beyond to provide good client care, sound legal advice and a fantastic quality of work.

Our Benefits – What We Can Offer You

• Competitive salary with pay progression through multiple increments;
• Flexible working including hybrid working; requiring only 2 days office attendance per week;
• Generous annual leave, starting at 26 days and rising to 35 days (plus bank holidays) in line with length of service;
• The opportunity to join the Local Government Pension Scheme;
• Free parking at a number of sites across the City; and
• Wellbeing and lifestyle savings through our benefits App.

Additional Information

If you want to progress your legal career with a successful, innovative and forward-looking organisation and team, then look no further than the Legal Services Team and the City of Wolverhampton Council and apply today.

To learn more about this role then please contact Saroj Bangard on 01902 554922 or Tracey Christie on 01902 554925 for an informal chat.

Closing Date: 18.05.2024

Interviews: week commencing 27/05/2024