The Role
An opportunity for staff in Southwark to apply for the Head of Service for Assessment and Intervention. This is an exciting role at the heart of Children’s Services and pivotal for the multi-agency safeguarding partnership. We need a person with child centred, family minded values, who has resilience, ambition, creativity and leadership experience, to help continue to develop our approach to ensuring children and families get the right help, at the right time, in the right place. They will be committed to making Southwark more equal and just, standing against all forms of discrimination and racism.
The role has responsibility for the MASH, A&I Teams, Keeping Families Together and Young Persons Homelessness Team, Out of Hours Social Work Service and Adolescent Safeguarding (including Extra Familial Harm and Missing Children Team). The post holder will directly manage four Service Managers and report directly to the Director of Children and Families.
The collaborative nature of the work requires excellent communication, interpersonal and influencing skills. The role is challenging requiring a strong focus on maintaining and evolving strong systems and practice centred on a relentless focus on keeping children safe, putting children first, keeping families strong. The successful candidate will need analytical and systems thinking skills, excellent practice knowledge and strong organisational skills, all of which will be used to best effect in helping to instil a reflective and open learning culture across the service and beyond.
You will need an excellent, up to date awareness of the professional agenda, relevant legislation, and be open to looking critically at research and the evidence base on what works and makes a difference.
You will need to have significant experience managing operational teams within children’s social care, and have a genuine commitment to the provision of high quality services for children young people and working with families to keep families strong.
The role will be part of the Children and Families Divisional Management Team (DMT) working together with all of the Heads of Service across the division to provide high quality leadership.
The A&I Service is well resourced, supported by an embedded Clinical Service, an internal FGC Service and Family Support Workers working directly with families to provide help and support to keep children safe within their families with a focus on addressing neglect. There are significant challenges to provide the right support and help to adolescents and their families where risk is outside the family home, and requires different and imaginative ways of working, with greater connection to communities and other services.
A key aspect of the role will be to lead the strategic development of the division as a whole, to ensure children and families get the right help, at the right time, in the right place. So while the post holder will have key responsibility for their area, they must work beyond the boundaries of their service, with other services, agencies, and groups that represent the voice of children and parents, to continue to develop the best possible help and protection for children.
The post holder will need to demonstrate a commitment to the values of the council as most recently set out in the Borough Plan, as well as be child-centred and family minded in their practice, focused on improving lives and building a fairer society.
If you are interested in a discussion about this role, please email claire.simmonds@southwark.gov.uk who will arrange an informal discussion about the role with Alasdair Smith, Director of Children and Families.
Additional details
Our offer:
- Bespoke learning and development program
- Peer support from an experienced Head of Service
- Executive coaching and service development planning support and budget
- External critical friend evaluations to support service development Dedicated specialist administrative support
- Monthly formal one to ones with availability as needed at other times
- A permanent position with a salary range of £60,675 to £76,179 plus an additional JNC financial benefits package to the value of £2,724 per annum (pro-rata April to March and reviewed annually).
Please note this role is internal only – as such, we can only accept applications from current Southwark employees or agency workers who are currently on active assignment at Southwark Council.
All applicants are welcomed but we would also encourage any permanent service managers or agency service managers who have been employed for over 12 weeks to apply. It is recognised that applicants may not have had recent experience within this service but may be suitable in many other respects and bring other understanding to the role. You are still encouraged to apply and we will build a program of support for any successful applicant over the first 12 months of the role.
Recruitment Timetable
Closing Date: 11.59pm on Sunday 18th July 2021
Assessment and Interview (including with young people and parents) will be in the week commencing 2nd August 2021
We are an organisation who is passionate about our people and understands that richness of diversity is a requirement to provide the best possible services to our communities. This is demonstrated through our council-wide ambitious commitment to tackle racial inequality in our communities and workforce through our Southwark Stands Together programme. We particularly welcome applications from members of the Black, Asian and ethnic minority communities to increase representation at senior management level in the Council.
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