Participation Coordinator

To lead the engagement of (UASC) Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children, younger children in care, care leavers and those children in care who have been placed out of Borough. To drive participation of more UASC, children in care and care leavers to meaningfully inform and influence the design of services (across social care, health and schools) so those services better meet the needs of children in care. Working alongside Skittles (the children in care council for LBBD) and line managing the Participation Apprentice.

This post carries a requirement to have a Disclosure and Baring Service check for both Adults and Children’s.

You are passionate about wanting the best for our children in care and care leavers. You have experience working with children and young people in care and have experience of using different tools and techniques to successful engage and support the participation of children and young people in care. You also have excellent communication skills and have experience of managing others.

We have over 700 children in care and care leavers up to the age of 25 and we aim to reach as many of these young people as possible with our enhanced participation resource. Our current children in care council works with children and young people who live locally to Barking and Dagenham and they are very engaged with working with the local authority to improve outcomes for young people. However, we have more to do to ensure a much wider reach of participation with those young people we are Corporate Parents for. Our ethos for our children in care and care leavers is that there is no expiry date for support which was recognized by the National Advisor for Care Leavers during his visit in 2022. In addition, the Enhanced Local Offer was also recognized as one of the best in the country and this was developed in collaboration with Care Leavers! We want to build upon these positive developments and expand our participation work to ensure that young people’s views are influencing what the Council and its partners to ensure they have the best life chances as possible.


We are putting the heart back into social work, supported by our CARES relational practice model where we ensure the child’s lived experience takes center stage. Ours is a culture of high support, high expectations and fair challenge. We need committed individuals to support us in the delivery of these aims and to become part of our team to make a difference to our children and families. In return we offer a competitive pay package, generous pension and relocation package, annual leave up to 30 days, excellent opportunities for career progression, whether you want to broaden your experience as a social worker or step into management, investment in your learning and development as well as a commitment to your well being. We are currently reviewing our pay and benefits offer. The details in this advert reflect the offer that is in place at the time of this recruitment campaign. If you like the sound of moving to an authority where social work practitioners are truly valued, get in touch with us today for a confidential discussion about this post by emailing socialcarerecruitment@lbbd.gov.uk and we will get back to you within 48 hours.