What's involved with this role: Interim Childcare Solicitor Reference no: Newcastle 6155915359603 Pay Rate: £42.90 per hour PAYE 37 Monday – Friday, normal working hours This opening assignment is for 2-3 months City: Newcastle As a Childcare Solicitor, you will play a vital role in the protection and safeguarding of vulnerable children by providing high-quality legal advice and representation to the Council. You’ll handle a caseload of public law childcare matters, advise social care teams, and represent the Council in Family Court proceedings, ensuring legal compliance and positive outcomes for children and families. Key duties: Handle a full caseload of public law childcare matters, from issuing care proceedings to completion. Offer clear legal advice to social workers and other professionals on all aspects of child protection and family law. Prepare all necessary legal documentation, such as court applications, case summaries, and witness statements. Attend and represent the Council at family court hearings, including undertaking advocacy and liaising with counsel. Monitor compliance with relevant laws, court directions, and procedural requirements to support timely case progression. Key requirements: Qualified Solicitor, Barrister, or Chartered Legal Executive with a valid practising certificate Strong understanding of legislation such as the Children Act 1989 and related statutory frameworks Substantial experience in public law childcare work, including case management and advocacy Excellent legal drafting, communication, and negotiation skills Ability to manage competing deadlines in a high-pressure legal environment Confident in court settings and capable of handling hearings independently Proficient in case management systems and legal research tools Desirable: Understanding of local government procedures and governance Experience in local authority or public sector legal teams Please quote the Job Title & Vacancy Reference No. in your application, or we will be unable to match your CV to the role being applied for. Qualification details and any other experience/skills relevant to the role to help support your application should be clearly shown in your CV. Due to the number of CVs being sent to us unfortunately we cannot respond to all applications. If you have not heard from us within 3 working days please assume that you have not been shortlisted on this occasion. ALD Please note that clients invariably ask us to strip out contact details from CVs before we submit them for consideration. This is always quicker and easier to do if you send your CV to us in Word format, rather than as a PDF please.