Missing Support Worker

About the Role

Are you passionate about making a positive difference in the lives of children and young people?

We are looking for experienced, motivated and reflective practitioners to join our Empower U Team as Missing Support Workers. This is an exciting opportunity to work directly with children who have experienced missing episodes and help reduce the risks of exploitation and other harms both within and outside the home.

As a Missing Support Worker, you will undertake high-quality Return Home Interviews with children and young people following a missing episode. These interventions may involve a single contact or a series of focused engagements designed to understand the circumstances that contributed to the child going missing, identify safeguarding concerns and contextual risks, and support informed planning to reduce future missing episodes.

This is a highly autonomous role requiring strong professional judgement, excellent organisational skills and the ability to manage your own caseload within tight timescales. The role involves travelling across Birmingham to respond to referrals and engage with children in a variety of settings.

You will work as part of Empower U, Birmingham's innovative multi-agency Contextual Safeguarding Hub, collaborating with professionals, partner agencies and community organisations to address the factors contributing to missing episodes and wider safeguarding concerns.

Together, we are committed to making the lives of Birmingham's children safe, happy and full of opportunity.

In this role, you will:

• Deliver child-centred Return Home Interviews with children and young people following a missing episode.
• Build trusting relationships through creative, non-judgemental and strengths-based engagement.
• Explore and assess safeguarding concerns, risks of exploitation and wider contextual factors impacting children and young people.
• Use professional curiosity to understand the reasons behind missing episodes and identify protective interventions.
• Produce clear assessments and recommendations to reduce future missing episodes and improve outcomes.
• Work collaboratively with social workers, education providers, police, community organisations and other partners.
• Contribute to the development of effective safeguarding plans and contextual safeguarding responses.
• Ensure all practice is trauma-informed, anti-oppressive, culturally competent and centred on the voice of the child.

About You

We are looking for individuals who can demonstrate:

• Significant experience of working directly with children and young people who have experienced safeguarding concerns.
• Strong knowledge of safeguarding legislation, procedures and best practice.
• An understanding of exploitation, serious youth violence, contextual safeguarding and the factors that contribute to children going missing.
• Experience of engaging children in creative, child-centred and non-judgemental ways.
• The ability to undertake assessments, analyse risk and make clear recommendations.
• Excellent communication and partnership-working skills.
• Confidence in working independently, managing competing priorities and meeting deadlines.
• An awareness of the diverse communities across Birmingham and a commitment to anti-discriminatory and culturally competent practice.
• Professional curiosity, resilience and a genuine passion for improving outcomes for children and young people.

Why Join Us?

At Birmingham Children's Trust, we are committed to supporting our staff to deliver outstanding services for children and families.

By joining our Empower U Team, you will:

• Make a tangible difference to the lives of children and young people.
• Be part of an innovative and nationally recognised contextual safeguarding approach.
• Work within a supportive and dynamic multi-agency team.
• Develop specialist knowledge and experience in missing children, exploitation and contextual safeguarding.
• Help shape services that empower children and amplify their voices.

We have been rated as ‘Good’ by Ofsted, following a 2023 inspection. This is a fantastic achievement for Birmingham Children's Trust, with many positive highlights focusing on areas including the quality of staff leadership, partnership working, safeguarding and corporate parenting.

This is a hybrid role based in Birmingham so you must reside within a suitable commutable distance around Birmingham and have the correct right-to-work documents to work in the UK. Sadly, we do not support those who require sponsorship.

Help us to change children and young people’s lives!

At Birmingham Children’s Trust, we are committed to making a positive impact on the lives of over 10,000 children and young people in our city every day. Our mission is to support the most disadvantaged children and young people in Birmingham, ensuring they are safe, happy, and healthy.

Why Join Us?

• Impactful Work - be part of a team that makes a real difference in the lives of the city’s most vulnerable children.
• Supportive Environment - enjoy a supportive and collaborative work culture where your contributions are valued.
• Career Development - benefit from tailored development programs, supportive supervision, and a range of learning opportunities to enhance your skills and advance your career.
• Generous Benefits - take advantage of our competitive reward package including generous leave allowance, Local Government pension scheme, and additional benefits.

Our Values

We approach our work with care and compassion, actively listening to the needs of the children and young people we serve. We involve them in the decisions that affect their lives, ensuring their voices are heard and respected.

We are committed to using our resources wisely, ensuring that every penny is spent where it counts the most. We foster collaboration among schools, health professionals, and the police, working together to create a supportive network for our young people.

We believe that when we work as one cohesive team, the children and young people of Birmingham are more likely to thrive. Our unified approach ensures that we provide the best possible support and opportunities for their growth and development.

Join us and together, we can create a brighter future for all.

Safeguarding

At Birmingham Children’s Trust, we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.

Depending on the role, you may be asked to undergo the appropriate level of Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check to assess your suitability for working with children and young people.

The level of check (Standard, Enhanced, or Enhanced with Barred List) is determined based on the specific responsibilities of the role and the level of contact with children and young people.

We are committed to the fair treatment of all applicants, including those with criminal records. Having a criminal record will not necessarily bar an individual from working with us. This will depend on the nature of the position and the circumstances and background of the offence.