Head of Service- CYPD

“We keep on striving for the best for our children and young people” #Be More We are looking for a dedicated and passionate Head of Service to join our Children and Young People with Disabilities service in our drive for excellence. In Barking and Dagenham, we are determined to do the very best for the children, young people, families and carers that we work with across our community. We recognise the real challenges they experience, living in one of the most deprived boroughs in London. We are committed to developing robust teams and services to ensuring the right support at the right time so they have the ‘best chance ‘to thrive, be safe and happy. As a Head of Service your role will be central to providing exceptional and creative leadership for our Children with Disabilities Service and making a positive difference to children and their families. You will be responsible for both Early Help and Social Care provision, including a CYPD Family Hub, a Short Breaks Team, a Portage Team and a CYPD Social Work Team. You will be required to plan, organise and manage your services , providing effective strategic and operational management and support, driving high performance, quality practice and timely outcomes for children subject to Early Help plans, Short Breaks services, Child in need plans, Child protection plans, those within care proceedings and in care. You would also need to work collaboratively with Adult Social Care, ensuring smooth transitions for young people as they approach adulthood. We know that working with children with complex needs is both rewarding and emotionally challenging and we therefore expect our Head of Service to create a nurturing and supportive work environment for staff where they feel contained, safe, supported and cared for in order that they can be the best they can be in their role. We are currently exploring how we can re-design our services in line with the Families First National Reform agenda. We therefore need a Head of Service who is able to hold the service through this phase of improvement and transformation. Key priorities include developing our relationships with key partners across the wider SEND agenda, including our Parent Carers Forum, expanding our Early Help and short breaks offer, ensuing consistency of practice across all teams, responding appropriately to neglect, ensuring our looked after children achieve timely permanence and our young people are well prepared for adulthood. We are looking for a candidate who understands the specific vulnerabilities and risks faced by disabled children and young people and will bring experience, enthusiasm and commitment to the role. You will be warmly welcomed by a stable, highly dedicated, enthusiastic and visionary leadership team in Children’s Care and Support who are working together with our business partners and wider partners to ensure we deliver on our ambition to improve the experiences of our most vulnerable children, young people and families.