Childcare Lawyer

Childcare Lawyer - Transform Lives Through Law

Join Bury Council's Award-Winning Legal Services Team

£39,152 - £40,777 | 37 hours per week | Hybrid Working | Full Training & Support

Your Opportunity to Make a Lasting Impact

Are you a legal professional who wants to use your expertise to protect the most vulnerable in our society? Join Bury Council's Legal Services team and play a vital role in safeguarding children while building an exceptional career in public service law.

This is an exciting time to join us. As a growing council undertaking ambitious development plans across our six townships, we're expanding our legal team to meet increasing demand. You'll be part of an award-winning service that's integral to achieving timely permanence plans and the best possible outcomes for children.

Whether you're newly qualified or transitioning from private practice, you'll receive comprehensive support while handling complex, meaningful cases that make a real difference to children's lives every single day.

At Bury Council, we are committed to improving the lives of our residents and creating opportunities for our communities to thrive. Guided by our “Let’s Do It” strategy, we are working together with partners and residents to reduce inequalities, support economic growth and ensure everyone can live well in Bury.

About Your Role:

As our Childcare Lawyer, you'll be at the heart of our child protection work, handling a diverse caseload that will challenge and develop your skills:

Core Responsibilities:

• Case Management - Handle pre-proceedings and care proceedings from inception to conclusion.
• Court Advocacy - Represent Bury Council in Family Court proceedings, ensuring children's welfare is paramount.
• Strategic Collaboration - Work closely with our award-winning Children's Social Care teams to develop case strategies.
• Policy Development - Contribute your expertise to developing and implementing legal compliance policies and procedures.
• Client Advisory - Provide expert legal guidance to social workers and senior management on complex childcare matters.

The Impact You'll Make: You'll directly influence permanence planning for vulnerable children, ensuring they receive the protection and stability they deserve. Every case you handle contributes to transforming young lives and supporting families in crisis.

Who You Are:

Essential Requirements:

• Qualified solicitor with current practicing certificate.
• Genuine interest in childcare law and child protection procedures.
• Strong analytical skills with ability to manage complex, sensitive cases.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for court advocacy and client liaison.
• Ability to build trusted relationships with diverse stakeholders including social workers, families, and court officials.
• Commitment to collaborative working and continuous professional development.

Background:

• Experience in family law, childcare proceedings, or related areas (though not essential for the right candidate).
• Understanding of local authority structures and processes (full training provided).
• Previous court advocacy experience.
• Passion for public service and protecting vulnerable individuals.

Why Bury Council is the Right Choice:

At Bury Council, we are committed to improving the lives of our residents and creating opportunities for our communities to thrive. Guided by our “Let’s Do It” strategy, we are working together with partners and residents to reduce inequalities, support economic growth and ensure everyone can live well in Bury.

Our Benefits Package Includes:

Generous Holiday Allowance

Enjoy up to 26 days annual leave per year plus bank holidays, increasing to 31 days after five years of Local Government service. Want more leave? You can purchase up to two additional weeks.

A Leading Pension

You'll be enrolled in the UK's largest Local Government Pension Scheme, with plenty of options to top up your benefits. Includes life cover of three times your salary as a lump sum.

Enhanced Parental and Carers Leave

Take advantage of our enhanced family leave options, designed to provide ample time for you to bond with your newborn or support your family during critical life events.

Brilliant Perks

Access a range of discounts, from saving on the weekly shop to holidays and days out. Plus, discounts on phone contracts, cycle to work scheme, free flu jabs and eye tests, and more.

Learn and Grow

We are dedicated to nurturing talent and providing you with the tools to thrive. Take part in a diverse set of learning opportunities, from workshops and training sessions through to apprenticeships and qualifications. All this begins with our comprehensive onboarding process.

A Good Employment Charter Member

We are committed to offering secure, flexible work and embedding fairness into everything we do. We review pay annually, recognise trade unions, and are constantly working to offer the best possible health and wellbeing support throughout all stages of your working life. We also give back to the community with two days pro-rata paid volunteering leave, in addition to existing benefits.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

At Bury Council, we believe that a diverse workforce helps us better understand and serve our communities. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued, respected and empowered to reach their full potential.

We want our workforce to reflect the diversity of the communities we serve and recognise that diversity of thought, experience and perspective makes us stronger as a local authority.

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences and actively encourage applications from groups that are currently underrepresented within our workforce. We are committed to ensuring that our recruitment processes are fair, transparent and accessible to all.

Reasonable Adjustments and Disability Confident Employer

We're a Disability Confident Employer, offering:

- A Workplace Adjustment Hub which provides specialist support, advice and guidance to ensure you have the adjustments needed to thrive at work.

- Disabled Staff Network, Neurodiversity Staff Network and Mental Health Staff Network that provide safe and inclusive spaces to share experiences and opportunities to influence council practice.

- A strong commitment to ensuring all information adheres to accessibility standards and that our workplaces are accessible and disability-friendly.

We want every candidate to have the opportunity to perform at their best throughout the recruitment process.

For more information about the role or to discuss any adjustments, please email HROperations@bury.gov.uk quoting the job reference number, job title and your name. Our dedicated HR team is committed to providing you with personalised support tailored to your needs.

Guaranteed Assessment Scheme

We guarantee assessments for applicants who meet the recruiting panel's minimum shortlisting requirements for the role and identify with at least one of the following criteria:

- Members of the Armed Forces community, including serving personnel and veterans.

- Current or former care leavers.

- Individuals with a disability or long-term health condition.