Location
London Borough of Hillingdon

Hours
Full Time - 36 hours per week

Salary
Up to £43,449 per annum

About the Role
Join Hillingdon's Outstanding Cared for Children’s Service and make a difference for some of the most vulnerable young people. If you are passionate about safeguarding children, ensuring fair and lawful decision-making, and want to play a key role in supporting unaccompanied children seeking asylum and age-disputed cases, Hillingdon is the place for you.

Following our recent Outstanding Ofsted judgement, we continue to invest in our services and workforce, creating an environment where staff are supported to deliver high-quality practice and achieve the best outcomes for children and young people.

We offer ambitious, dynamic and welcoming teams where you will be supported in your practice and professional growth. Our stable and experienced permanent leadership team, visible and accessible managers, flexible hybrid working arrangements, and easily accessible location (minutes from Metropolitan and Piccadilly lines and the M40 with free parking) create an excellent working environment.

Additional benefits include excellent learning, development and career progression opportunities, regular supervision and reflective practice, modern working environments, comprehensive wellbeing support, TOIL, up to 34 days annual leave rising to 37 days with long service plus bank holidays, and membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme.

As the Age Assessment Co-ordinator, you will play a pivotal role in coordinating and overseeing the age assessment process for unaccompanied asylum-seeking and age-disputed young people. You will ensure assessments are completed in a timely, trauma-informed and legally robust manner, supporting practitioners and managers to deliver high-quality practice that stands up to scrutiny.

You will work closely with Social Workers, Team Managers, Legal Services, the Home Office, Health, Education, Police and other partners to ensure effective planning, coordination and decision-making.

Our approach is simple: Protect Children. Ensure Fairness. Deliver Quality.

Through effective coordination, quality assurance and partnership working, you will help ensure young people receive appropriate support, placements and services at the right time.

Key responsibilities include:
- Coordinating all age assessment referrals from initial referral through to completion
- Monitoring and tracking age-disputed cases, identifying risks, delays and required actions
- Ensuring assessments comply with statutory guidance, case law and local procedures
- Coordinating interpreters, appropriate adults, venues and assessment arrangements
- Supporting practitioners and managers with guidance on age assessment processes and legal requirements
- Organising and facilitating planning meetings and multi-agency discussions
- Assisting with preparation of reports, chronologies, evidence bundles and documentation
- Coordinating information sharing with partner agencies and the Home Office
- Supporting quality assurance activity and inspection readiness
- Contributing to service development, policy improvement and workforce learning
- Promoting trauma-informed, strengths-based and child-centred approaches throughout the assessment process
- Helping improve outcomes for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and age-disputed young people

Experience
Experience working within Children’s Services, safeguarding or a related field is essential. Proven experience coordinating complex assessment processes and multi-agency activity is required. A strong understanding of age assessment practice, statutory guidance and relevant case law is necessary.

About you
You are an organised, knowledgeable and passionate professional committed to improving outcomes for vulnerable children and young people. You have excellent organisational and planning skills, the ability to manage competing priorities and complex workflows, and strong communication and relationship-building skills. You are committed to trauma-informed, strengths-based and child-centred practice and understand legal processes and the importance of defensible decision-making.

Qualifications
Relevant qualifications in social care, safeguarding or related disciplines are desirable but not explicitly stated. Commitment to ongoing professional development and learning is expected.