Location: Kedleston Road Training Centre, 184 Kedleston Road, Derby, DE22 1GT
Hours: 37 hours a week, Monday - Friday
Closing Date: 24/08/2026
Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract, 12 months - Secondments considered (with prior Manager approval
The Derby and Derbyshire Safeguarding Children Partnership (DDSCP) brings together statutory and relevant partner agencies to safeguard children, strengthen multi-agency practice and promote the welfare of children and young people across Derby and Derbyshire.
We are looking for a motivated and organised Policy Officer to support the DDSCP at a significant point of national and local change. The Families First reforms are reshaping the way safeguarding partners work together to provide earlier, more joined-up help and protection for children and families. This includes the development of Family Help, strengthened multi-agency child protection arrangements, greater use of family networks and Family Group Decision Making, and system enablers such as effective information sharing, data collation, evidence-based practice and implementation support.
Responsible to the Partnership Manager, the post holder will support the development, review and implementation of multi-agency safeguarding policies, procedures and practice guidance. The role will help ensure local arrangements reflect statutory guidance, national reform expectations and the needs of children, families and practitioners across Derby and Derbyshire.
This is an exciting opportunity to work as part of the integrated DDSCP business team and contribute to a wide-ranging programme of partnership improvement. You will work closely with colleagues and partner agencies to translate national policy into clear local guidance, support consultation and engagement, and help partners prepare for and embed reform across the safeguarding system.
Who We Are
Here at Derby City Council, we’re dedicated to delivering nearly 250 first-class services to citizens and businesses in the heart of the Midlands. People are at the centre of all that we do, and we have an outstanding track record of recruiting and developing talented individuals by providing them with varied and fulfilling career opportunities. Find out more about what it’s like to work for us.
What We Offer
You too could be part of something brilliant by becoming a colleague at Derby City Council; in addition to making a difference to the lives of people across the city, you’ll also receive:
- Flexible work/life balance scheme (depending on your role)
- Hybrid working (depending on your role)
- Modern office environment (depending on your job location)
- Continued professional development opportunities & career conversations
- 27 days annual leave (rising to 32 days after 5 years' service), plus bank holidays (depending on contract)
- Local Government Pension Scheme (depending on contract)
- Team Derby Rewards – retail and leisure discounts
- Tusker Car Benefit Scheme
- Cycle2Work Scheme & free cycle training
- Employee Assistance Programme, Wellbeing Calendar and Support
- Access to our Equality Employee Networks – LGBTQ+, Disabled Employee Network & Carers and our Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic Employee Support Network and Neurodiversity Network
- Support for colleagues who are carers
The Opportunity
In the role of DDSCP Policy Officer – Families First, here’s an example of what you’ll be doing to make an impact:
The role will include:
- supporting the review and development of DDSCP multi-agency safeguarding policies, procedures and practice guidance
- helping to align local guidance with Families First reform priorities, including Family Help, multi-agency child protection, family networks and Family Group Decision Making
- working with partner agencies to gather feedback, support consultation and promote consistent implementation of policy, procedures and guidance changes
- producing clear written briefings, summaries, templates and guidance for a multi-agency audience
- supporting improvement activity linked to effective information sharing, front door arrangements, learning from reviews and evidence-based practice
About You
To be successful in this role, you’ll ideally have…
- safeguarding experience and a good understanding of safeguarding children arrangements, multi-agency working, and the responsibilities of statutory and relevant partner agencies
- the ability to interpret national guidance and translate complex information into accessible local policies, procedures and practice guidance
- strong written communication skills and attention to detail
- confidence working with a range of professionals and supporting partnership engagement, consultation and implementation activity
- the ability to organise workload, work on your own initiative and contribute positively as part of a busy partnership team
Next Steps
If you would like to apply for this vacancy via an application form, please submit an application via the Derby City Council website.
The closing date for this vacancy is at midnight on 24th August 2026. Any applications received after the closing date will not be accepted.
Interviews will be held: on Friday 18th September In person at Kedleston Road Training Centre, 184 Kedleston Road, Derby, DE22 1GT
If you would prefer to apply for this job using your CV, then please download the attached Declaration Form and send it to [email protected].Without a completed declaration form, your application will not be accepted. We also encourage you to download the Equalities Form and return this to [email protected], however this is optional and will not affect your application.
Important Information
Links to the full Job Description and Person Specification are below.
All employees will normally be appointed to the minimum of the grade for the job.
Before you complete your application, please read our guidance on filling in your application form.
Remember to align your personal statement to the essential criteria in the Person Specification.
Please be aware that where there are colleagues within the organisation who are 'at risk' of redundancy, requirements to redeploy to another suitable role will apply and take priority.
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
We are a fair and inclusive employer and welcome applications from people from all backgrounds. We recruit for diversity and value difference. As many of our roles can now be home-based, we are able to offer more opportunities for people who need this facility.
We are proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. If you are a disabled person, you have the choice to apply under our Guaranteed Interview Scheme so long as you demonstrate that you meet the essential requirements for the job.
We feel it is essential that we recruit a talented workforce that is as diverse as the community we work for.
Please let us know of any individual requirements or reasonable adjustments you may have during the application, interview, or onboarding process and we’ll do all we can to help. We strongly believe in social understanding of disability and for us it’s all about removing barriers to equality.
If you have any questions regarding this vacancy or are having difficulty applying, please contact our Recruitment Team on01332 640844 (Relay UK - 18001 01332 640 844) or at [email protected] . https://www.derby.gov.uk/signing-service/
