Senior Children & Families Participation Worker

Job Title: Senior Children & Families Participation Worker
Starting Salary: £38,220 progressing to £41,771 per annum
Hours: 37
Base Location: Stevenage or Hatfield with countywide travel required
Contract Type: Fixed Term/Secondment - 12 months from start date
Directorate: Children's Services

About the team

The Participation Team sits within Children’s Services and works directly with children, young people and families who have experienced intervention from statutory services. This includes those who are in care, care leavers, and young people supported through Child in Need, Child Protection and Family Help plans.

Our vision is to ensure that the voice of the child is at the centre of everything we do. We are committed to influencing and improving services by listening to lived experiences and using this insight to shape practice, policy and support across the wider system.

This role is a key part of a dynamic and developing team. You will lead and support Participation Workers, helping to strengthen the impact of the service. You will also lead on the new Return Home Interview service, establishing yourself as a subject matter expert and ensuring continuity of this delivery to all Hertfordshire Children.

The team works closely with a wide range of internal colleagues across Children’s Services, as well as external partners such as safeguarding panels, specialist services and community organisations.

The service is well established but continues to evolve. This role provides an opportunity to shape future delivery, develop new approaches to engagement, and improve outcomes for children and young people across the county.

About the role

This is a varied and rewarding role for an experienced and motivation professional who is passionate about improving outcomes for children and young people.

As a Senior Participation Worker, key responsibilities are as follows:

• Lead and support staff by supervising Participation Workers, providing guidance, performance management and professional development.
• Deliver and oversee return home discussions for young people who have experienced missing episodes, ensuring these are timely, high quality and focused on reducing future risk.
• Analyse and use feedback and data to inform service improvements and influence practice across Children’s Services.
• Work directly with young people and families, building trusting relationships and capturing their experiences to inform care planning and service design.
• Identify barriers to engagement, developing creative and inclusive approaches to improve access and participation across diverse communities.
• Collaborate with partners, including safeguarding panels and multi-agency forums, to support effective risk management and coordinated care.
• Contribute to safeguarding oversight, ensuring risks are identified and responded to appropriately.
• Deputise for the Team Manager when required, supporting service continuity and project delivery.

About you

Essential:

• Experience of working in frontline statutory children’s services, with relevant training and a strong understanding of safeguarding practices.
• Evidence of working with vulnerable children and young people, including those at risk of exploitation or who go missing.
• Strong partnership working skills, with the ability to build effective relationships across teams and agencies.
• Ability to analyse information and use data and feedback to inform decision-making and influence service delivery.
• Experience of leading or supporting others, whether through formal management, project leadership or peer support.
• Excellent organisational and prioritisation skills, with the ability to manage competing demands and meet deadlines.
• A child-centred approach, ensuring the voice and lived experience of young people informs all aspects of your work.
• Knowledge of child development and social, emotional and mental health needs.
• Willingness to travel and work flexibly, including occasional evenings
• Full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle for work purposes

Desirable

• Experience of supervising or managing staff
• Knowledge of participation and co-production approaches
• Experience of Liquid Logic Case Management Systems

This is a unique opportunity to take on a role that combines leadership, practice and service development, where you can make a real difference to the lives of children and young people.

You will face rewarding challenges, from engaging vulnerable young people to influencing system-wide change. In return, you will gain valuable leadership experience, develop your strategic thinking, and play a key role in shaping how participation drives service improvement in the future.

If you are passionate about amplifying young people’s voices and creating meaningful change, this role offers an excellent next step in your career.

We welcome applications from candidates who currently reside in the UK with established proof of right to work documentation. We are not able to offer sponsorship at this time for this role.

This job role is Level 10. Please locate the job profile here: Job profiles - Health and social care

To hear more about this opportunity please contact Brooke Donovan (brooke.donovan@hertfordshire.gov.uk) for an informal discussion about the role.

Interview Date: 6th July (AM only) & 7th July - Face to Face

Benefits of working for us

How to apply

As part of your application, please upload your most recent CV. Ensure your CV is up to date with your employment history (including any employment gaps), and including any training/qualifications. We encourage you to include examples of where you have demonstrated the requirements/criteria in the advert / job profile to allow the panel to fully recognise your skills and abilities. You will have the opportunity to include a short covering paragraph within your application to give us a little more information about your skills, knowledge, and experiences.

Secondment
This role is open to secondments for eligible employees who work for HCC. If you wish to apply on a secondment basis, you must have your line manager’s approval before submitting your application. You will be asked to confirm this within your application form. If you are not eligible for a secondment (e.g., you are currently on a fixed‑term contract that would end before this positions ends) or you indicate that your manager cannot support a secondment, your application will be considered on a fixed‑term contract basis instead.

Additional information

We are changing
Hertfordshire County Councilis undergoing Local Government Reorganisation (LGR). If you are employed by Hertfordshire County on 1 April 2028, it is expected that most roles will transfer to the newly-created unitary councils on existing terms and conditions under TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings – Protection of Employment) principles.

LGR is one of the biggest changes we will face in a generation. It will reshape how we work and how services are organised and gives us a real opportunity to build something better. To find out more, visit https://www.hertfordshire-lgr.co.uk/

Disability Confident
We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

Safeguarding
This role has been identified as requiring a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check.

Driving required
You’ll need to have the ability to drive and/or travel around Hertfordshire, either using your own mode of transport or a company car to travel to other locations.

English Fluency
The ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post (for those whose language is a signed language the provision of a sign language interpreter who speaks English to the necessary standard of fluency will be required). Further information about the legal requirement can be found here.