Head of Service – Strategic Lead Children Social Care Reforms

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In Barnsley we believe in working collaboratively with our families and are excited to have implemented our Stronger Together Practice model which supports our Signs of Safety and restorative approach. When you join us, you can join our exciting journey and have access to a full suite of development and training opportunities.

We are an Ofsted rated ‘Good’ Childrens Services and a double award-winning, high-performing council with a growing economy, a thriving town centre and some truly impressive outcomes in our communities. We have been awarded Council of the Year for 2023 by the Local Government Chronicle (LGC) and The Municipal Journal (MJ). Our excellent Children's Services has been a key part of our win; we’re so proud of what we’ve achieved not just for the council but for our partners and Barnsley.

We’re impressed. Are you? It’s the perfect time to join our excellent team.

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About the Post:

This is an exciting time for children’s services, in November 2024 the government published ‘Keeping Children Safe, Helping Families thrive’ an ambitious programme of transformation for children social care and our partners. This will require whole-system approach to reforming services which will include considering the end-to-end system of support from universal services through to care. We are excited about the opportunities that these reforms bring building on improvements we have already made. We are looking to recruit a dedicated Head of Service to implement, drive and deliver these reforms in Barnsley. This is an exciting and unique opportunity, and we are seeking a highly ambitious leader who will work collaboratively and strategically to design, plan and successfully deliver implementation of the new children social care reforms. You will play a pivotal role working closely with the various senior leads from our partners and stakeholders, including Police, Health and Education, to ensure the reforms are effectively embedded into practice.

Creativity, ambition and a focus on people. That’s what matters at Barnsley Council. Our award-winning council is on an exciting journey of change. It’s all about putting local people at the heart of everything, listening to and doing good for our communities. We’re now more innovative, more efficient and provide better value for money. The changes are clear to see - from new businesses and jobs, to improving school results and to museums being recognised for their community engagement.

Your role in our journey

As a Head of Service – Strategic Lead Children Social Care reforms, you’ll provide senior strategic and operational leadership across defined areas of the services, taking a lead role in the development and implementation of services and strategies which promote and safeguard the welfare of children and young people across the borough. You will have responsibility for maintaining high performance and driving forward the reforms across children’s services and with our partners. You will be an outstanding individual who understands the value of relationship-based practice and multi-agency working, recognising the specialist and diverse skills of our partners and stakeholders. You will have substantial experience of delivering first class services to children, young people and their families.  You will provide support to the Executive Director and develop strategic relationships, shaping the right services and outcomes for them. This post will have responsibility for our Children Social Care reform implementation.

You will join a skilled, enthusiastic and committed Senior Leadership Team.

What you’ll need

To join us, you’ll need be educated to degree level or equivalent plus registration with Social Work England as a social worker. You will have relevant experience of working within the statutory, regulatory and inspection regimes of the public sector. You’ll bring to the role a sound understanding of the legislative and policy framework around providing services to children, families and young people, services. You will have extensive professional knowledge of processes and interventions to support children and families. A skilled leader, you will be able to lead and manage both directly and indirectly.

For more information, please see our website: https://www.barnsley.gov.uk/hos-children-family-social-care

Please note that interviews for this role will take place on Friday 21 March 2025

For an informal discussion contact Carly Speechley, Executive Director

carlyspeechley@barnsley.gov.uk