Durham County Council - Child Protection Lawyer

Contract Type: Permanent

Working Pattern: Full time

Salary: £47,181 to £51,356 p.a. (Grade 13)

Allowances: n/a

Hours per week: 37

Job Category: Legal

Vacancy ID: 288952

Employment Location: The Rivergreen Centre, Durham plus Hybrid Working

Post Number: CES/25/48

Number of posts: 2

Closing date: Sunday 22nd March

Are you looking to progress your legal career in child protection work? If so, we are seeking a Lawyer to join our Children’s Social Care Team within Legal Services, specialising in child care law.

This role offers lawyers the opportunity to work at the heart of public law children’s practice, using their legal expertise to directly influence outcomes for vulnerable children. It combines intellectually challenging casework, meaningful public service, and genuine professional autonomy. You’ll operate as a trusted legal adviser within a multidisciplinary environment, working closely with senior practitioners and decision makers to ensure robust, lawful and child centric outcomes in accordance with the Children Act 1989.

Key Responsibilities (Lawyer‑Focused)

• Deliver strategic, solutions‑focused legal advice to social care teams and senior leaders, helping shape case direction while ensuring decisions withstand legal and evidential scrutiny.
• Lead on issuing and managing public law children’s proceedings, exercising judgment on threshold, proportionality, evidence, and litigation strategy throughout the case lifecycle.
• Draft precise, persuasive legal documents, including threshold statements, witness statements, and case summaries that clearly frame the Local Authority’s case before the court.
• Undertake advocacy for case management hearings and a range of contested applications, with opportunities to appear regularly in the Family Court.
• Instruct and collaborate with experienced counsel on complex or contested hearings, working as part of a unified case team to present the Authority’s position effectively.
• Work in partnership with social work professionals to analyse evidence, test care plans, and drive progress in line with court directions and statutory responsibilities.
• Lead and advise on PLO pre‑proceedings, influencing early case planning and supporting the Authority to take timely, proportionate steps before issuing care proceedings.
• Manage legal risk proactively, ensuring decision‑making is compliant with statute, case law, and procedural requirements while balancing the realities of frontline practice.
• Negotiate constructively with other parties’ representatives, identifying areas for agreement, narrowing issues, and pursuing resolution where appropriate.
• Champion high standards of information governance, ensuring accurate, defensible disclosure and safeguarding of sensitive personal data.

WHAT WILL I NEED?

You must be a Qualified Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive Advocate (Family Open Court) with a current practising certificate (we will also consider applicants about to qualify who have completed all academic stages).

Please refer to the attached Person Specification for the full criteria.

INTERVIEWS

Interviews will be held week commencing 6th April.

We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants who can show they meet all the essential criteria and have indicated they have a disability, are a looked after young person, a care leaver or a veteran.

OUR OFFER TO YOU

We offer a competitive rewards package that includes attractive salaries, a generous annual leave entitlement of 27 days (rising to 32 after five years’ continuous local government service), membership of the contributory career average Local Government Pension Scheme, and a range of flexible working arrangements including hybrid working.

Explore the full range of rewards and benefits on our website.

Rewards and benefits are subject to individual terms and conditions.

EQUALITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION

We are a proud equal opportunities employer and believe a diverse workforce brings fresh ideas and drives service improvement. We welcome applications from everyone and make employment decisions based on skills and ability. As a Disability Confident Leader, we actively encourage applications from disabled people and offer support throughout the recruitment process.

For a confidential discussion contact: brian.gallagher@penna.com or 07716 098175

How to Apply

1. Upload your CV under “Please select one of the options below.”
2. Complete the short mandatory fields on the next page.
3. Use ‘Add Attachments’ to upload your Supporting Statement and any other documents.
4. Please ensure that the file name of your CV and supporting statement includes your full name.
5. Ensure both CV and Supporting Statement are uploaded before submitting your application.
6. If you have a long term health condition or disability and would like your application to be considered in accordance with a Disability Confident Scheme, please email: execapplications@penna.com to inform the Penna team.

You can review the full Job Description Here