Paralegal Childcare

Helping to achieve the best possible outcomes for children and young people is at the heart of this role. As a Paralegal (Child Care), you'll join our Legal and Democratic Services team, providing vital support to lawyers who work closely with Northamptonshire Children’s Trust on some of the most important and sensitive cases affecting children and families. This is an excellent opportunity for someone with experience in child care law who is looking to develop their legal career within a supportive and collaborative environment.

Working alongside experienced Child Care Lawyers, you'll gain exposure to a varied caseload while playing an important role in ensuring cases are managed efficiently and effectively through the legal process. As part of one of England's newest and largest unitary councils, you'll be joining a modern legal service that values professional development, partnership working and high-quality outcomes for the communities we serve.

What will you be doing?

• Providing comprehensive paralegal support across a wide range of child care cases, helping lawyers prepare matters for court by gathering and organising evidence, drafting legal documents, maintaining case files and coordinating information from multiple sources.
• Assisting with diary management, instructing Counsel and experts, and ensuring cases meet statutory and procedural requirements.
• Supporting the effective management of complex and sensitive cases by coordinating communications, responding to enquiries and ensuring key information is shared appropriately.
• Acting as an important point of contact for internal clients, partner agencies and external stakeholders, helping to maintain positive working relationships and support effective decision-making.
• Contributing to the continuous improvement of the legal service, keeping up to date with relevant legislation, case law and guidance while helping to deliver a responsive, customer-focused service that supports children, families and professionals across West Northamptonshire.

About you

You're an organised and motivated legal professional with experience working within a child care legal environment and a strong understanding of the legislation and court processes that govern Children's Social Care. You have experience preparing cases for court, drafting legal documentation and managing competing priorities in a fast-paced setting.

You bring excellent written and verbal communication skills, strong research abilities and the confidence to work with sensitive information while maintaining the highest standards of confidentiality and professionalism. You'll enjoy working collaboratively, building positive relationships with colleagues and partners, and helping to ensure legal cases progress smoothly and effectively.

Most importantly, you'll be committed to delivering high-quality legal support that helps improve outcomes for children and families. You'll share our THRIVE values and our ambition to provide excellent services that make a meaningful difference to the communities we serve.

About us

At West Northants Council, it’s about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.

Our vision is ‘to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive’. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services.

We are committed to ensuring diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of WNC and everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and maximize their full potential. We are a disability confident employer, a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and a Care Leaver Covenant partner.