Missing Children Engagement Worker

Missing Children Engagement Worker

Full Time, Fixed Term for 6 months
Location: City Hall with travel across the city and at times out of area.

Safer Connections is seeking a Missing Children Engagement Worker to join Bristol Children’s Services. This is an exciting opportunity for a proactive, motivated practitioner who can quickly build safe, trusting relationships with children who have been missing, helping them share their lived experiences and supporting them to plan for safer outcomes.

We are an inclusive service, and it is essential that you demonstrate the Council’s values: Dedicated, Respect, Ownership, Curious, Collaborative. These values underpin everything we do to protect children from Harm Outside the Home and strengthen their safety networks.

In this role, you will engage directly with children on a regular basis, offering sensitive, trauma‑informed conversations that help them explore what happened while missing and what they need moving forward. You will work closely with multi‑agency partners to ensure safeguarding concerns are clearly understood and responded to, and you will record your work with accuracy and clarity.

You will be based within the Safer Connections team, working alongside experienced colleagues to ensure children across the city receive a timely, coordinated response. This is a chance to make a meaningful difference to children’s lives, contribute to a developing service, and be part of a team committed to contextual safeguarding and improving outcomes.

Please note that this role is subject to an Enhanced DBS Check.

Why Bristol City Council?

At Bristol City Council, we go that extra mile for our people; we offer a work environment which is fast moving and supportive, giving you the chance to use your skills and develop new ones within a high-profile organisation. For the majority of our roles hybrid working arrangements are available, giving teams the opportunity to work in a way that suits them, balancing service need and individual choice - mixing both home and office working.

Join us and you’ll receive an excellent rewards package including flexible working and flexitime, membership of the Local Government Pension scheme, and a generous annual leave allowance. In addition, you’ll be working in a supportive environment where you’ll have the chance to make Bristol a better place and contribute to its future.

How do I apply?

If you share our values and are ready to be part of our exciting journey please select the apply button below.

To be shortlisted for interview you’ll need to demonstrate how you meet each of the essential criteria in the Person Specification within the Further Information section of your application. On occasion we will receive high numbers of applications, we may then shortlist against the desirable criteria along with the essential criteria, so if you can, please demonstrate how you meet this in your application.

For permanent Bristol City Council employees, this post will be a secondment.

For employees who are currently on a fixed term contract with Bristol City Council, the secondment must not extend beyond the end of the fixed term period to ensure there is a substantive post to return to.

If you are currently a casual worker or a member of an employment agency (currently working with Bristol City Council) this post will be a fixed term contract.

We're a Disability Confident employer which means we value recruiting and retaining disabled people. Any job applicants who consider themselves to be disabled and meet the essential criteria in the Person Specification are guaranteed an interview. We'll make reasonable adjustments throughout the interview process and provide continued workplace support throughout your career.

For further information, please refer to the Job Description and Person Specification or alternatively, please contact

At Bristol City Council, we value having a workforce as diverse as the city we serve. We therefore welcome, develop and promote people from all sections of the community. Appointments will be made on merit.

The personal information section (including your name) you’ll complete as part of the application form will not be visible to hiring managers, but is used confidentially to make sure that everyone is treated fairly.