Childcare Advocate

Reading Borough Council is host to the Joint Legal Team, a long-standing shared legal service for all the Berkshire councils and a recognised centre of excellence for childcare, adults and education law. 

The purpose of Legal Services is to provide the Council and its partners with the highest quality professional legal advice and representation which allows them to run their organisations well, and to serve our community.  Our ambition is to be the best place to practice law in local government; being close to our customers, recruiting the best talent, successfully deploying legal technology and ensuring the continued growth of the business to new customers.   

Reading Borough Council is a Disability Confident Employer and is committed to the recruitment and continued employment of people with disabilities. We seek the best talent from the widest pool of people as diversity is the key to our success. 

Our vision is to ensure that Reading realises its potential as a great place to live, work and play, and that everyone shares the benefits of this success. Our values and behaviours guide how we will achieve this:  

Work Together as one team - work collaboratively, with each other and with our partners, and demonstrate the Team Reading values in everything we do  

Drive Efficiency - show initiative, be adaptable to change and put forward ideas to help improve delivery and efficiency. Take responsibility for our own learning and development and for reaching our potential  

Be Ambitious - be demanding of our own performance – striving to be even better – and be prepared to engage with and challenge leaders in a constructive and positive way  

Make a Difference to Reading - maintain the highest levels of customer service and be flexible and willing to provide the services needed at the time they are needed.  

The TEAM Reading values underpin the way we work day-to-day and are the foundation for modern, cost effective services to improve the lives of local people. 

About the role 

This is an exciting opportunity to join our Advocacy Team.  You will conduct advocacy primarily in childcare and adoption proceedings and gain experience in all levels of the family court. You will have a varied caseload representing six distinctive client authorities. This will provide you with a challenging and interesting caseload. 

There will be a high volume of work and on occasions you will be dealing with emergency and urgent applications on short notice.  You will work closely with the lawyer who has conduct of the case and on more complex cases will be involved in case preparation and strategic planning to achieve the best outcome for the subject child.  

You will thrive on change and continuous improvement and be supported by the Team Leader for Advocacy and Legal Operations Team.  You will be one of two advocates working closely together to deliver the outcomes required by our shared service partners.  

All our lawyer roles are open to qualified Barristers, Solicitors and Chartered Legal Executives.  

About you 

To apply for this role you will require:  

• A current practising certificate and be entitled to practice in England as a Solicitor, Barrister, or Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executive 
• Experience of providing legal services for a range of local government services 
• Experience of conducting advocacy in childcare matters 
• Ability to prioritise workload and to work effectively under pressure  

• Ability and confidence to represent the team in meetings and at Court  
• A flexible approach to work and ability to use initiative 
• Ability to maintain confidentiality 

Our offer 

We offer a supportive environment to grow and develop your career with the opportunity to put your ideas across. Innovation and ambition are strongly encouraged, and you’ll get a great feel for that working in our friendly and collaborative environment. 

All staff are encouraged to actively participate in the development and implementation of the Legal Services Strategy for us to be the best place to practice law in local government. 

A competitive salary alongside a range of benefits including: 

• Generous holiday entitlement - 24 days holiday each year plus bank holidays - rising to 32 days after 10 years' service, with the option to buy additional leave 

• A wide range of flexible working opportunities  
• Modern working environment at the Civic Offices in the heart of Reading 
• Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)  
• Life Assurance - three times your annual salary (for members of the LGPS) 
• On-site day nursery (Kennet Day nursery) rated outstanding by Ofsted, and a salary sacrifice scheme to help lower the cost of your nursery fees 

• Season Ticket Loan - to help with the cost of your rail/ bus journey, to & from work 
• Lease car salary sacrifice scheme allowing you to lease a brand new, greener car for three years.  The monthly fee includes insurance, servicing and road tax 

For more information on this position please contact: recruitment@reading.gov.uk  

 
Closing Date: 5th February 2023 

Interview Date: To be confirmed