Job Description

About Us


When a child goes missing or runs away from home, care or school, they are at risk. When a child is found, the child must be offered an independent Return Home Interview - arranged and/or completed by West Sussex County Council's Missing Children Team.



The Missing Children Team exists to provide an independent Return Home Interview to any child returning to their home or care setting after they have been reported to police as a missing child. This is to meet the statutory guidance on children who run away or go missing from home or care.



Return Home Interviews provide an opportunity for professionals to understand why the child ran away, to uncover information that can be used to reduce the likelihood of the child going missing again; to address the risks or incidents they may have been exposed to while missing and the risk factors in their home and social life.


About the Role

Salary:

29,540 to 32,061 per annum

Contract Type:

Permanent

Working Pattern:

Full time, 37 hours per week

Location:

County Hall North, Horsham with hybrid working and occasional countywide travel may be required



As a member of the Missing Children Team, you will arrange and deliver high quality Return Home Interviews to a range of children and adolescents who have been reported as missing, aiming to understand why they went missing to reduce the risk of them going missing again.



You should be grounded evidence-based practice, yet able to use your initiative, keeping up to date with current research and practice, attending training and conferences about 'missing and runaway children', to take responsibility for the development of your practice.



Your communication and interpersonal skills will be excellent, and you should have experience of working in partnership with both the service users/carers as well as colleagues in our multi-agency environment including Police, Schools, health professionals etc.


About You


Just a few key skills and experience you will need include:


Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to assist in engaging children and adolescents you will be supporting, providing advice and guidance, and ensuring you are sensitive and empathetic. Ability to work as part of a multi-agency environment an understanding of the impact of the work on yourself and others. Ability to be self-aware, balance competing demands and recognising when to refer upwards and seek help appropriately. Sound and accurate IT skills including report writing, maintaining accurate records - confidentiality and protecting information. QCF Level 3 Diploma for the Children and Young People's Workforce (or equivalent) or demonstrable equivalent comparable experience. You will need to be able to travel independently around the county, including to areas that may not be easily accessible by public transport. Pool cars and pool bikes are available.

Please refer to the job description for the full list of required key skills, experiences and qualifications.

Rewards and Benefits


As an employer we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance and are rewarded for the work they do. Upon joining us you will have access to a range of benefits including:

For a full list this can be found at our

Rewards and Benefits page.

Further Information


The reference number for this role is

CAFHE05970

.



For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact Maria Dimitriou on maria.dimitriou@westsussex.gov.uk For issues or queries regarding your application please contact charlotte.blandford@westsussex.gov.uk



To apply, please follow the links below to upload your CV and Cover Letter. In your cover letter please outline your motivations for applying and explaining the skills and experience you can bring to the role (please refer to the key skills) ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV. Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.



We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check, 5 years referencing and a health check.



Equity, inclusion and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.



We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application help page.



LOCATION

Horsham area

CONTRACT TYPE

Permanent

JOB TYPE

Children's Services

CLOSING DATE

06 October 2025