Job Title: Education Safeguarding Practitioner Integrated Front Door & MACPT
Salary: HC10 - £47,665 - £51,928 per annum
Contract: Permanent
Hours: 37
Location: Hereford
Closing Date: 18 November 2026
Introduction
We are looking for two experienced and passionate education safeguarding professionals to join our Integrated Front Door and Multi-Agency Child Protection Team (MACPT) as Education Safeguarding Practitioners.
This is an exciting opportunity to bring your education safeguarding expertise directly into multi-agency practice, helping to ensure that children's educational experiences, needs and voices are central to safeguarding decisions.
You will work alongside Children's Social Care and partner agencies at the point where important decisions are being made about children and families, bringing your professional knowledge, judgement and challenge to help us achieve timely, proportionate and child-centred responses.
If you want to use your education experience to influence safeguarding beyond an individual school or setting, this could be the role for you.
The Role
As a recognised safeguarding specialist, you will provide expert advice, consultation, analysis and constructive professional challenge within a fast-paced multi-agency environment. You will support practitioners and partners to understand the strengths, experiences and needs of children, helping to deliver timely, child-centred responses where concerns or risks are identified.
Working across MASH and MACPT, you will strengthen relationships between Children's Services and education settings, including early years providers, schools, academies, colleges and alternative provision providers. You will champion effective information sharing, collaborative problem-solving and shared responsibility for safeguarding children and supporting families.
This role offers a unique opportunity to influence practice across the wider safeguarding system, driving high-quality multi-agency working and strengthening education's contribution to family help and child protection. You will play an important part in supporting the delivery of the Families First reforms, promoting restorative, strengths-based and relationship-based approaches that improve outcomes for children and young people.
If you are an experienced safeguarding practitioner with significant education safeguarding expertise, strong partnership skills and a commitment to making a difference for children and families, we'd love to hear from you.
About You
We're looking for a confident and experienced safeguarding professional who can bring education expertise into a multi-agency safeguarding environment. You will:
- Hold Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) or an equivalent recognised teaching qualification, with a strong commitment to ongoing professional development in safeguarding and child protection.
- Have significant experience of safeguarding and child protection practice within education settings.
- Have operated at a senior leadership level within education, influencing practice and driving positive outcomes for children and young people.
- Demonstrate experience of complex safeguarding analysis and decision-making, balancing risk, need, strengths and protective factors.
- Be skilled in working collaboratively with partners and contributing to multi-agency safeguarding activity and decision-making.
- Have the ability to provide professional consultation, support and constructive challenge that improves practice and outcomes.
- Possess a thorough understanding of key safeguarding legislation and guidance, including Working Together to Safeguard Children, Keeping Children Safe in Education, and the Children Act 1989 and 2004.
- Understand the principles of Families First, family help, restorative practice, strengths-based approaches and child-centred safeguarding.
- Have excellent communication skills, with the ability to build strong relationships, influence partners and produce high-quality reports, assessments and briefings.
- Be resilient, professionally curious and able to work autonomously in complex, high-risk situations while maintaining sound judgement and a child-focused approach.
Desirable: Experience as a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), within a MASH or Children's Social Care environment, and in delivering safeguarding training, quality assurance activity or service improvement initiatives.
To arrange an informal discussion, or ask any questions about the role, please contact
[email protected]
We Offer
A competitive salary, holiday entitlement, and access to our contributory pension and staff benefits scheme, which includes:
- Salary range of £47,665 - £51,928
- Professional development: protected time and budget to develop yourself and your career
- Enrolment in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
- Annual Leave: 31 days’ annual leave (pro rata) plus bank holidays. You can also purchase an additional 10 days per annum during the request period
- Flexible working: including the potential for job-sharing, part-time hours and agile working.
- Employee Assistance Programme: 24/7 access to support and counselling
- Payment of professional membership fees (based on role requirements)
- Pick your perks - our benefits include access to a range of retail, leisure, holiday and health benefits. This includes savings, cash back and discounts.
Why Choose Us?
We're proud and excited to unveil our new recruitment video, a celebration of Herefordshire's people, places, and purpose. Set in the heart of England and filled with pride, compassion and possibility, the video brings to life what it means to work somewhere you truly belong.
At Herefordshire Council, every role matters and every person makes a real difference for our communities. We’re a team where people feel valued, supported and empowered to grow together.
Herefordshire is a beautiful, historic county on the Welsh border, one of England’s most rural and unspoilt areas, with vibrant market towns and a strong sense of community.
Our priority is clear: to keep children safe and give them the best start in life. We do this through passionate, dedicated professionals who build strong relationships with children, families, and partners to make a lasting difference.
It’s an exciting time to join us. We’re investing in our people and our relational practice approach, working alongside our improvement partner, Leeds City Council. You’ll be supported by experienced managers, continuous professional development, and a genuine team ethos that values collaboration and care.
If you’re committed to helping children and young people thrive, come and join the journey in Herefordshire - where your work truly matters.
Herefordshire Council Plan
The Council plan sets out how we will make our contribution to achieving a better and more successful Herefordshire, please see the link below to find out more:
Herefordshire Council Plan 2024-2028
Reasonable Adjustments
Our recruitment process runs in partnership with Hoople Resourcing. If you require any reasonable adjustments or alternative methods for the online application process, please contact the resourcing team by email: [email protected].
If you’re shortlisted for interview and require any reasonable adjustments, our Children & Young People Recruitment Team will be happy to support you.
Creating an inclusive workplace
We encourage our employees to feel empowered and to use their voices to help embrace diversity, promote inclusivity and shape our organisation. We have eight employee network groups, collectives of colleagues who often share identities, life experiences or cultures and offer support and community. They also play an important role in strengthening the voices of employees at Herefordshire Council. Embedded in the Council's values is a commitment to listen to people's views and needs.
For more information on our Employee Network Groups please view our dedicated recruitment website: www.spiritofherefordshire.com.
Commitments, Covenants and Statutory Obligations
The following candidates will be interviewed if they meet the essential criteria for the post they are applying for:
- Those who indicate that they have a disability. This is part of our commitment to the “Disability Confident” scheme.
- Those who indicate in their application that they are an Armed Forces Veteran or Reservist. This is part of our pledge to support the Armed Forces Covenant.
- Those who indicate in their application that they are a Herefordshire care leaver. This is part of our commitment to supporting young people leaving our care.
We take our commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults seriously and expect all of our staff, visitors and volunteers to share in this commitment.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children & young people and vulnerable adults. If you are offered this position, it will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service enhanced check and further pre-employment checks.
How to apply
To apply for a position, please upload an up-to-date CV and complete the application form demonstrating your experience, skills and abilities for the role.
Be sure to include reference to the job description and person specification or role profile! If you are successfully shortlisted, the C&YP Recruitment Team will contact you via email to arrange your interview and/or assessment. They will confirm the date, time and location of your interview, so please keep an eye on your email inbox - check your spam/ junk folder too.
Good luck, we’re looking forward to meeting you!