Children’s Services
The children’s services department within Lincolnshire County Council is dedicated to supporting and improving the lives of children, young people, and families. It encompasses six key areas: safeguarding, education, social care (including residential care), early years childcare and support, youth offending services, and children’s health and commissioning. Each area offers opportunities to make a meaningful impact on the wellbeing and future of the county’s youngest residents.
Areas that sit within this department include:
Safeguarding
Safeguarding focuses on protecting children and young people from harm and ensuring they grow up in safe, supportive environments. This area involves direct intervention in cases of abuse or neglect, ongoing family support, and collaboration with agencies like schools, healthcare providers, and law enforcement. Teams include Social Workers and Child Protection Officers, who manage caseloads and deliver tailored interventions, and Family Support Workers, who assist families in overcoming challenges. Regardless of the role, the aim is to ensure every child in Lincolnshire is safe, secure, and empowered to thrive.
Working in safeguarding suits individuals who are compassionate, resilient, and committed to making a difference. Whether you’re handling child protection cases, coordinating family interventions, or ensuring legal compliance, these roles are challenging but incredibly rewarding.
If you have strong problem-solving skills, empathy, and a passion for child welfare, a career in safeguarding offers opportunities to create lasting change.
Education
Education teams work to improve school standards, ensuring children in Lincolnshire have access to high-quality teaching and learning. This includes supporting teachers with professional development, advising schools on best practices, and monitoring performance to ensure continuous improvement. Roles like School Standards Advisors and Education Improvement Officers collaborate with schools, parents, and governors to address challenges, improve teaching outcomes, and foster an inclusive environment. Whether focusing on general education or specific areas like Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), the goal remains to ensure every child has the tools and opportunities to succeed.
Working in education is ideal for those passionate about empowering schools, supporting children’s learning, and raising educational standards. These roles involve collaboration with teachers, governors, and parents to ensure every child receives the best opportunities to succeed.
If you enjoy strategic thinking, mentoring, and fostering educational growth, a career in education allows you to shape future generations.
Children’s health and commissioning
Children’s Health and Commissioning teams design and deliver services that meet the health and wellbeing needs of children and young people. This involves commissioning healthcare providers, managing contracts, and ensuring services such as mental health programmes and specialised health interventions are accessible and effective. Roles include Commissioners, Contract Managers, and Public Health Officers, who work collaboratively with social care and community services. The focus is on delivering holistic, child-centred support that addresses physical, emotional, and mental health needs.
Working in children’s health and commissioning suits individuals who are detail-oriented, collaborative, and committed to improving health outcomes. Whether managing service contracts, designing health programmes, or liaising with care providers, these roles directly impact children’s physical and emotional wellbeing.
If you are skilled in project management, data analysis, and stakeholder engagement, this area offers opportunities to drive impactful health initiatives.
Early years, childcare and support
Early Years teams focus on supporting children under five, their families, and childcare providers to promote early development and education. This includes helping nurseries, childminders, and pre-schools deliver high-quality care, as well as running family-focused programmes. Roles like Early Years Advisors, Family Support Workers, and Nursery Coordinators work closely with parents and providers to ensure children have the best possible start. Regardless of the role, the aim is to create nurturing environments where young children can thrive, learn, and develop key skills.
Working in early years is perfect for those passionate about nurturing young children’s development and supporting families. These roles involve collaborating with childcare providers, creating family programmes, and ensuring children have the best start in life.
If you enjoy working directly with children and families and have a strong understanding of early childhood development, this area offers highly fulfilling career paths.
Social care (including residential care)
Social Care teams focus on supporting children and young people facing complex challenges, such as those in foster care, residential homes, or in need of family support. These roles include assessing needs, designing care plans, and working closely with families and carers to provide stability and security. Residential Care Workers provide day-to-day support for children in care homes, offering a nurturing environment and helping them achieve their full potential. Family Support Workers and Social Workers address broader issues such as poverty, mental health, and relationship breakdowns, ensuring holistic care.
Working in social care suits individuals with empathy, resilience, and a desire to make a difference. Whether you’re offering direct care in a residential setting or managing complex family cases, these roles require strong interpersonal skills and the ability to navigate challenging situations.
A career in social care provides the chance to transform lives and create brighter futures for vulnerable children and families.
Youth offending services
Youth Offending Services aim to prevent young people from entering the criminal justice system and to rehabilitate those who have offended. This includes working with young people, their families, and the wider community to address the root causes of offending behaviour. Teams include Youth Justice Officers, Restorative Justice Practitioners, and Family Intervention Workers, who deliver tailored support plans, mentoring, and skills development programmes. By combining accountability with support, these roles help young people build brighter futures
Working in youth offending services is ideal for those who are empathetic, non-judgemental, and committed to supporting young people. These roles require excellent communication skills, problem-solving abilities, and the capacity to build trusting relationships.
If you’re passionate about creating positive change and reducing reoffending, this area provides a rewarding career path.
Check out the different roles below
Management and operations
The management team within Children’s Services ensures the strategic planning and operational delivery across Safeguarding, Education, Children’s Commissioning and Health, Early Years, Social Care, and Youth Offending Services. These leaders oversee multidisciplinary teams, manage budgets, and foster partnerships to achieve the best outcomes for children and families.
Key roles: Head of safeguarding; head of school standards and education improvement; head of children’s health and commissioning; head of early years and childcare; head of social care; youth offending services manager; strategic leads and service managers.
Skills & attributes: Leadership, strategic thinking, stakeholder collaboration, financial management, problem-solving, and exceptional communication.
These roles are perfect for individuals who thrive on leading teams, driving change, and delivering impactful services for children and families.
Scorecard
Salary Potential*
Flexible Hours
Flexible Location
Physicality
*based on a 40-hour working week
Safeguarding and social care roles
The safeguarding team ensures the safety and wellbeing of children and young people by responding to concerns of abuse, neglect, or harm. This involves assessing risks, providing direct interventions to protect vulnerable children, supporting families in crisis, and working with agencies like schools, healthcare, and police. Advocacy ensures children’s voices are heard, safeguarding their rights and promoting their best interests. Social care roles extend to providing tailored support in foster care, residential care homes, and family support.
Key roles: Social worker; family support worker; child protection officer; residential care worker; MASH (multi-agency safeguarding hub) coordinator; advocacy officer.
Skills & attributes: Empathy, resilience, strong communication, case management expertise, and the ability to work collaboratively under pressure.
These roles are perfect for individuals passionate about child welfare, who can remain composed in challenging situations and deliver impactful outcomes for vulnerable families.
Scorecard
Salary Potential*
Flexible Hours
Flexible Location
Physicality
*based on a 40-hour working week
Education and school support roles
The education team collaborates with schools, teachers, and governors to raise teaching standards, enhance student outcomes, and ensure every child has access to a high-quality education. This includes providing professional development for educators, monitoring school performance, supporting inclusive practices for SEND pupils, and fostering partnerships to address challenges and drive continuous improvement.
Key roles: School standards advisor; education improvement officer; SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) coordinator; school liaison officer; education welfare officer.
Skills & attributes: Knowledge of education systems, mentoring skills, analytical thinking, and a passion for improving children’s learning outcomes.
These roles are perfect for individuals who enjoy working collaboratively with schools and stakeholders to inspire and achieve educational excellence.
Scorecard
Salary Potential*
Flexible Hours
Flexible Location
Physicality
*based on a 40-hour working week
Health and commissioning roles
These roles involve planning, commissioning, and coordinating services to support the physical, emotional, and mental health of children and young people. Teams work on delivering targeted interventions, such as mental health programmes, public health initiatives, and specialised care services, ensuring accessible, high-quality support tailored to meet the diverse needs of families and communities.
Key roles: Children’s health commissioner; contract manager; public health Officer; CAMHS (child and adolescent mental health services) coordinator.
Skills & attributes: Project management, data analysis, stakeholder engagement, and a strong understanding of health systems and commissioning processes.
These roles are perfect for individuals who excel in organising services, managing resources, and driving impactful health outcomes for children.
Scorecard
Salary Potential*
Flexible Hours
Flexible Location
Physciality
*based on a 40-hour working week
Early years and child care roles
The early years team collaborates with families, nurseries, and childminders to provide children under five with the best start in life. This includes promoting high standards in early education, offering training and guidance to childcare providers, and delivering family support programmes that enhance learning, social development, and school readiness.
Key roles: Early years advisor; family support worker; nursery coordinator; childcare development officer.
Skills & attributes: Knowledge of early childhood development, strong communication, organisational skills, and a passion for nurturing young children.
These roles are ideal for individuals who are empathetic, resilient, and passionate about guiding young people towards better life choices.
Scorecard
Salary Potential*
Flexible Hours
Flexible Location
Flexibility
*based on a 40-hour working week
Youth offending services roles
The youth offending services team works with young people to prevent criminal behaviour and support rehabilitation. This includes identifying root causes of offending, delivering tailored intervention programmes, and collaborating with families, schools, and law enforcement to reduce reoffending. The focus is on promoting positive choices, improving life skills, and guiding young people towards brighter futures.
Key roles: youth justice officer; restorative justice practitioner; intervention worker; case manager.
Skills & attributes: Strong communication, problem-solving abilities, resilience, and a passion for supporting young people in making positive changes.
These roles are ideal for individuals who are empathetic, resilient, and passionate about guiding young people towards better life choices.
Scorecard
Salary Potential*
Flexible Hours
Flexible Location
Physicality
*based on a 40-hour working week
Administrative and support roles
Administrative and support teams play a crucial role in ensuring the smooth operation of children’s services. They manage case records, coordinate schedules for social workers and educators, process vital documentation, and oversee compliance with legal and regulatory standards. Their work enables frontline teams to focus on delivering impactful services to children and families.
Key roles: Administrative coordinator, data analyst, compliance officer, finance assistant, HR support officer
Skills & attributes: Attention to detail, organisational skills, IT proficiency, and the ability to multitask in a dynamic environment.
These roles are perfect for individuals who enjoy managing processes, maintaining compliance, and providing essential support to frontline teams.
Scorecard
Salary Potential*
Flexible Hours
Flexible Location
Physicality
*based on a 40-hour working week
In addition to customer-facing roles, departments within the council rely on support functions like marketing, finance, HR, IT, procurement and operations. For more information on these departments and the roles they offer, click here to explore further.
For local courses and education providers that could support your career with the council please click here.