Make a Difference Across Sefton

Children and Families Participation Officer

Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council
Location: Children and Families Service
Grade: H
Contract: Full-time, flexible (evenings & weekends as required)

“When children, young people, and families feel heard, their whole world changes — and so does ours.”

Sefton Council is looking for a compassionate, creative, and trauma-informed professional to champion the voice and influence of children, young people and families across the borough.

As Children’s Participation Officer, you’ll work alongside communities to build inclusive, empowering spaces where lived experiences help shape the future of services. This is more than a job — it’s a partnership with children, families, and carers to co-produce positive change together.

Why This Role Matters

In Sefton, we believe every child, young person and family has the right to feel seen, heard and valued. Whether care-experienced, living with additional needs, seeking asylum alone, or from minoritised groups, their insight is essential to how we design and improve services. Strengthening the voice and influence of underrepresented children — including Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC), disabled children, and those impacted by trauma — is at the heart of this role.

We are committed to building platforms that centre the lived experiences of those who are often unheard and ensuring their voices inform the services they use.

What You’ll Do

• Build, support and grow meaningful participation forums such as the Youth Council, family engagement groups, and care-experienced networks.
• Work with children, young people and families to create safe, inclusive spaces where they can influence decisions that affect their lives.
• Champion underrepresented voices — including disabled children, young carers, children with social care involvement, those in out-of-area placements, and Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC).
• Strengthen engagement pathways for UASC and other minoritised young people, ensuring their experiences are reflected in service development.
• Support children and young people to co-deliver training for professionals, helping to shift practice through lived experience.
• Collaborate across services — including social workers, carers, schools, and community partners — to embed family and youth voice into policy and service design.
• Co-produce an annual impact report to celebrate change led by families and young people.
• Promote participation as a key pillar of a trauma-informed, restorative Sefton.

What You Bring

• A background in social care, education, youth work, or community engagement — or equivalent experience.
• A commitment to inclusion, equality, and co-production in practice.
• An understanding of the challenges faced by children, young people and families — especially those who are care-experienced, disabled, unaccompanied, or impacted by trauma and migration.
• Experience facilitating group work and building trusting relationships with families and professionals alike.
• A creative, curious and reflective approach to improving outcomes.
• Flexibility to engage with people in the times and places that suit them best — including evenings and weekends.

What We Offer

• A supportive team grounded in trauma-informed and restorative practice.
• A genuine opportunity to lead meaningful co-production with children, young people and families.
• Access to high-quality training, reflective supervision and peer support networks.
• A culture that welcomes innovation, listening and learning.
• Flexible working arrangements to support a healthy work-life balance.

Your Impact

This role will help unlock the power of lived experience across Sefton — supporting children, young people and families to challenge systems, lead conversations, shape training, and build a better future with us. You will play a key role in ensuring those who are often marginalised — including UASC, children with disabilities, and care-experienced young people — are heard, respected, and involved in shaping the services that affect their lives.

We welcome applicants with lived experience of care or community services, and from all backgrounds.

Sefton Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and families, and expects all staff to uphold this responsibility.

Interviews expected to take place on 12th & 13th June 2025.

Equal Opportunities

Sefton Council strives to ensure that our workforce is inclusive and representative of our communities. A diverse workforce is important to us, our staff bring with them a wide range of experiences, views, ideas, and innovations, and we are committed to providing an environment that recognises, respects, and values everybody’s identity, where individual differences are strengths and where everyone can thrive and maximise their potential. We are always open to learning and growing as an organisation, and we welcome new ideas and initiatives that promote equality, diversity and inclusion.

We are an Equal Opportunities Employer; all candidates will receive equal treatment. Our decision to appoint will be based upon whether an individual’s skills, experience, qualifications, and abilities make them the most suitable candidate for the role.

GUARANTEED INTERVIEW SCHEME

Please note that all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for these jobs (as given in the Person Specification) and who want to apply under the Disability Confident Scheme will be invited to interview.

If you are currently in care or have previously been in care, we provide a guaranteed interview scheme for care experienced people if you meet the essential requirements for the role.