Job description

Head of Service – Front Door (Children's Services) – 6 Month Contract

Location: Swindon

Rate: £600.00 per day (Umbrella)

Hours: 37 Hours per Week

Contract: Temporary (6 Months)

Pay: Bi-weekly

Summary

This role is a 6-month contract position responsible for leading the Front Door Service within Children's Services. The Head of Service will ensure the delivery of high-quality safeguarding services for children, young people, and families. The role involves providing strategic and operational leadership across various functions, including Children in Need, Child Protection, Pre-Proceedings, and Court Work. The postholder will play a crucial role in driving service improvement, enhancing safeguarding practices, and embedding a culture of restorative, relationship-based social work.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership
- Lead and manage the Front Door Service.
- Provide strategic and operational leadership across safeguarding functions.
- Ensure effective and timely interventions for children and families.
- Contribute to the Children's Services improvement programme.
- Drive sustainable service improvement and practice excellence.

Safeguarding & Child Protection
- Lead Children in Need, Child Protection, Pre-Proceedings, Court Work, and Safeguarding Services.
- Ensure child-focused, effective safeguarding practices compliant with statutory requirements.
- Promote strong decision-making and effective risk management.
- Maintain high standards of practice and professional accountability.

Service Improvement
- Lead service improvement initiatives and transformation programmes.
- Use performance data and quality assurance findings to drive change.
- Identify development areas and implement improvement plans.
- Ensure continuous improvement in service delivery and outcomes.

Practice Leadership
- Champion restorative and relationship-based social work practice.
- Promote excellent social work standards across teams.
- Support managers and practitioners in delivering high-quality interventions.
- Embed Family Safeguarding principles and systemic practice approaches.

Performance Management
- Monitor service performance and statutory compliance.
- Ensure performance targets and service objectives are achieved.
- Use management information to assess effectiveness and inform decision-making.
- Address areas of underperformance and implement corrective actions.

Court & Legal Services
- Oversee court proceedings and pre-proceedings work.
- Collaborate effectively with legal services and court representatives.
- Ensure robust evidence-based decision-making.
- Support managers and staff involved in legal processes.

Partnership & Multi-Agency Working
- Build effective relationships with Police, Health Services, Education Providers, Legal Services, and Safeguarding Partnerships.
- Promote effective partnership working across agencies.
- Strengthen safeguarding arrangements through collaborative working.

Workforce Development
- Lead, support, and develop managers and practitioners.
- Promote a positive, supportive, and accountable culture.
- Support workforce planning, learning, and development activities.
- Encourage reflective supervision and continuous professional development.

Requirements

Requirements:

Qualifications
- Essential: Degree in Social Work or equivalent recognised qualification; Current Social Work England registration.
- Desirable: Leadership or management qualification; Post-qualifying social work awards; Management development or safeguarding leadership training.

Knowledge
- Extensive knowledge of Children Act 1989 and 2004, Working Together to Safeguard Children, Child Protection Procedures, Public Law Outline (PLO), Care Proceedings, Family Court Processes, and safeguarding legislation and guidance.
- Understanding of Family Safeguarding and restorative practice models.
- Knowledge of performance management and quality assurance frameworks.

Experience
- Essential: Significant senior management experience within Children's Social Care; Experience leading Front Door or Safeguarding Services; Experience overseeing Child Protection, Children in Need, Pre-Proceedings, and Court Work; Experience delivering service improvement and transformation programmes; Experience managing large multidisciplinary teams; Experience working with inspection frameworks and improvement plans; Experience working with courts, legal services, and safeguarding partners.
- Desirable: Experience within a local authority improvement journey; Experience implementing Family Safeguarding models; Experience developing leadership and management capability across services.

Skills & Competencies
- Strong strategic leadership skills.
- Excellent safeguarding knowledge and decision-making capability.
- Outstanding communication and influencing skills.
- Ability to lead change and drive improvement.
- Strong analytical and performance management skills.
- Ability to build effective partnerships.
- Excellent people management and coaching skills.
- Strong understanding of quality assurance and audit processes.
- Ability to work under pressure and manage competing priorities.

Additional Information

This is a 6-month temporary contract.
Rate: £600.00 per day (Umbrella).
Location: Swindon.
Pay is provided on a bi-weekly basis.
Social Work England registration is essential.
Previous senior leadership experience within Children's Safeguarding Services is essential.
Experience leading Front Door Services, Child Protection, Court Work, and Children in Need services is essential.
Local authority experience is essential.
Opportunity to lead a critical service area at the centre of Children's Services improvement and transformation.

Head of Service, Front Door