Senior Practitioner – Child Exploitation
At Staffordshire County Council, we are deeply committed to protecting children from exploitation and creating systems that respond early, intelligently and compassionately. Within our Futures Matter service, we bring together specialist practice, multi‑agency partnership working and contextualised safeguarding to ensure children are seen, heard and protected wherever risk exists.
We are seeking an experienced and passionate Senior Practitioner – Child Exploitation to play a pivotal role in strengthening practice across the county. You will work alongside dedicated colleagues across social care, education, health, police and voluntary partners to shape high‑quality responses that keep children safe and enable them to thrive within their families and communities.
Key Responsibilities
* Support the Child Exploitation Team Manager in supervising, mentoring and developing Futures Matter Support Workers.
* Provide expert advice, guidance and challenge to practitioners, team managers and social work colleagues on complex exploitation cases, Police operations, CSPR’s and other relevant meetings.
* Lead on contextualised safeguarding, supporting risk mitigation strategies across districts.
* Contribute to, coordinate and support MACE Panels, ensuring effective multi‑agency responses.
* Deliver training, briefings and awareness‑raising across the Children’s System to support early identification and intervention.
* Represent the Local Authority at regional and partnership forums, including West Midlands networks.
* Use research, data and learning to inform evidence‑based practice and service development.
Qualifications and Requirements
* Relevant Social Work qualification.
* Substantial post‑qualification experience in safeguarding and child exploitation.
* Strong knowledge of legislation, guidance and statutory processes, including Working Together to Safeguard Children.
* Understanding of contextual safeguarding and diversionary approaches.
* Effective communication skills with the ability to influence, challenge and support others.
* Ability to work collaboratively with partners and across services.
* Commitment to high‑quality, child‑centred and anti‑discriminatory practice.
* Full driving licence (essential for the role).
Additional Information
* Permanent, full‑time position, primarily office‑based with hybrid working arrangements.
* Requires regular travel across Staffordshire.
* Coverage: Stafford and South Staffordshire Districts, with county‑wide review and support responsibilities.
* Benefits: In addition to salary, access to rewards and benefits.
Interviews will be held in‑person in Stafford on 28th and 29th April 2026.
Contact: Stacey Black (CE Team Manager) at stacey.black1@staffordshire.gov.uk.
Staffordshire County Council is an equal opportunities organisation and Disability Confident employer. We encourage applications from all backgrounds and communities.
Employment requires a criminal record check from the Disclosure and Barring Service.
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