Consultant Social Worker

Job summary

About the role

You will hold a small caseload of complex, high-risk cases while providing expert supervision, case consultation, and planned management for the team. You will contribute to intake decisions, case discussions, and service delivery planning, ensuring the highest standards of advocacy and safeguarding in line with ISVA, Home Office and Ministry of Justice guidance. You will lead quality assurance, audits, service improvement initiatives, and support research into children's experiences of the criminal justice process.

You will represent the Lighthouse externally at case management meetings, support professional training and workshops, and ensure the voice of children, young people and families informs service development. You will promote contextual and transitional safeguarding across the service, contribute to clinical governance, and maintain high standards of risk management, documentation, and data reporting.

About you

You will be a qualified, experienced social worker with strong ISVA/ChISVA knowledge, confidence managing complex safeguarding cases, and proven leadership in supervising multidisciplinary teams. You will have exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, with experience navigating highly sensitive, emotive or complex situations. You will value reflective practice, psychological safety, and collaborative partnership working.

Main duties of the job

o Lead on providing expert consultation and on child sexual abuse to community colleagues including childrens social care. Hold a small caseload of complex, high-risk cases, delivering trauma-informed, child-centred direct interventions.
o Provide supervision, case consultation, guidance and planned case management to Child and Family Practitioners.
o Contribute to intake decisions, case discussions and multidisciplinary planning to ensure effective safeguarding and advocacy for children and families.
o Ensure compliance with ISVA, Home Office and Ministry of Justice guidance, and maintain high standards of clinical, safeguarding and operational governance.
o Lead and participate in quality assurance, audits, and research initiatives to improve the child's experience of the criminal justice process.
o Support service development, continuous improvement, and the implementation of best-practice directives across the Lighthouse.
o Represent the Lighthouse at internal and external meetings, fostering strong partnership working with police, social care, legal partners, therapeutic services and community organisations.

...continued below (detailed job description section)

About us

University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) is one of the most complex NHS trusts in the UK, serving a large and diverse population. We provide academically led acute and specialist services, to people from the local area, from throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. Our vision is to deliver top-quality patient care, excellent education, and world-class research.

o We provide first-class acute and specialist services across eight sites:
o University College Hospital (incorporating the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Wing)
o National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery
o Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospitals
o University College Hospital Grafton Way Building
o Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine
o University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre
o The Hospital for Tropical Diseases
o University College Hospital at Westmoreland Street

We are dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of many complex illnesses. UCLH specialises in women's health and the treatment of cancer, infection, neurological, gastrointestinal and oral disease. It has world class support services including critical care, imaging, nuclear medicine and pathology.

We are committed to sustainability and have pledged to become a carbon net zero health service, embedding sustainable practice throughout UCLH. We have set an ambitious target of net zero for our direct emissions by 2031 and indirect emissions by 2040.

Job description

Job responsibilities

For the full Person Specification and more information regarding the main responsibilities of this role, please refer to the attached Job Description.

....CONTINUED FROM MAIN DUTIES SECTION:

Deliver or support training, workshops, and practice development initiatives to build team competence and knowledge. Promote contextual and transitional safeguarding approaches, ensuring risk assessments and safety plans are robust and regularly reviewed. Champion the voice of children, young people and families, supporting participation in forums, feedback surveys and service evaluation. Maintain accurate, timely records in electronic systems, ensuring compliance with information governance and audit requirements. Support the development and professional growth of the case management team, modelling reflective practice, psychological safety, and high-quality, child-centred advocacy.

The Lighthouse, Camden

The Lighthouse is the UKs first Child House and a national leader in trauma-informed, multidisciplinary support for children and young people who have experienced sexual abuse. Based in Camden and serving North Central London, we bring together police, health, psychology and advocacy under one roof to provide holistic care, early support, and criminal justice advocacy. We are seeking a Consultant Social Worker to lead our Case Management team, supporting and Child and Family Practitioners while shaping high-quality, child-centred services.

We are committed to addressing structural inequality inexperienced by children who report sexual abuse both in our service provision and referral criteria.

Come and be a part of the best NHS trust in England to work for, according to our staff*

*UCLH top trust to work at in England- In the most recentNHS staff surveyUCLH had the highest percentage of staff who said they would recommend us as a place to work, out of all general acute or acute/community NHS trusts in England for the third year in a row.

UCLH recognises the benefits of flexible working for staff To find out more, visit:Flexible working.

To discover more about what makes UCLHa great place to work, visit: Why Choose UCLH?

Person Specification

Knowledge

Essential
a.Social work qualification (Masters Level or equivalent), Practice Educator Professional standards (PEPS) qualification and current HCPC registration.
b.Recognised management and leadership qualification or demonstrable equivalent management and leadership experience.
c.Highly developed specialist knowledge in working with victims of child sexual abuse cases going through the criminal justice system including up to date knowledge fo the criminal justice system.
d.A highly developed understanding of systems and barriers faced by vulnerable children in accessing services to support their experience of recovery from child sexual abuse particularly for black, Asian and minority ethnic groups and children with disabilities.
e.Knowledge of up to date Pan London child protection procedures and statutory guidance relating to multidisciplinary safeguarding.
c.Postgraduate or significant further CPD in on for the following: systemic practice at foundation of intermediate level; or Compassion- focused therapy (CFT); motivational interviewing; or CBT skills.

Experience

Essential
a.Substantial work experience working with children and carers affected by sexual abuse through the investigation and criminal justice process.
b.Experience of managing Social workers/social work students, offering oversight, case management and reflective supervision
d.Experience of anti-racist practice or practice that is focused on addressing barriers for vulnerable children particularly those from minoritised groups in accessing support services and justice in the criminal process .
e.Experience of working with police officers and promoting the rights of victims with in investigations and the criminal justice process.
f.Experience of multiagency engagement working collaboratively with Children's Social Care and safeguarding processes.

Desirable
c.Experience of supporting children and their carers in complex criminal justice cases including undertaking needs and risk assessments, safety planning and case co-ordination.

Communication

Essential
a.Ability to provide and receive receiving highly complex, highly sensitive or highly contentious information where there are significant barriers to acceptance which need to be overcome using the highest level of interpersonal and communication skills, such as would be required when communicating in a hostile, antagonistic or highly emotive atmosphere.
b.Excellent written and verbal communication skills
c.Excellent oral, written and presentation skills
d.To ensure the Service's procedures for managing risk are followed at all times, and to seek appropriate advice as necessary.

Skills

Essential
a.Decision-making skills
b.Knowledge on safeguarding issues linked to this role
c.Able to communicate effectively to all disciplines
d.Able to manage time effectively
e.Able to priorities objectives and workload

Quality

Essential
a.Ability to prioritise work in the face of competing demands in a busy service.
b.Ability to manage workloads and deliver to deadlines within resources
c.Ability to review work in accordance with Lighthouse and Barnahus quality standards.
d.To support data analysis and collation when requested.