This is an exciting opportunity to be part of the Children’s Safeguarding and Support Services Departmental Leadership Team, as Head of Safeguarding & Support. We require an experienced social work qualified professional to take forward the strategic and operational agenda for our teams responsible for safeguarding and permanency. You will oversee a service that is focussed on timely assessments and purposeful interventions, ensuring that permanence is achieved for children without delay. You will drive forward an agenda of keeping children within their family network where it is safe to do so, ensuring the service continues to evolve in line with national social care reforms.
About The Team You’ll Be Working In
The post is graded at HMG1 and will have operational and strategic responsibility for the following teams:
• Intake (child protection investigations and assessments)
• Safeguarding & Support X2 (child protection plans and care proceedings)
• Specialist Intensive Support Programme (multi-disciplinary team undertaking specialist parenting assessments and LAC prevention, including our GROW project working with parents to avoid repeated care proceedings, and FGCs)
• Adoption & Permanence Team (kinship assessments and permanence planning)
The postholder will be required to maintain the service but will also have an opportunity for innovation where it can be shown to support good outcomes for children.
In addition, the postholder will be required to take a leading role in service-related projects such as the delivery of aspects of national social care reforms.
Successful candidates will have a professional social work qualification and will have extensive experience of working with a range of agencies and providing leadership and management within children’s social care. Good communication skills, both written and verbal, are an essential requirement for the role. They should be able to demonstrate excellent technical knowledge and experience of sound financial control.
If the points above resonate with you, we’d love you to put in an application via the London Borough of Hounslow website.
The London Borough of Hounslow is a vibrant, exciting place to visit, stay and explore, with many hidden gems. Miles of rivers – including the Thames, canals, nature reserves and parks, bustling town centres, and a fantastic leisure offer.
Children, young people and families are at the heart of all we do here in Hounslow. We listen to what children, young people and families have to say about what we do and how and where we do it because their say matters. Putting children, young people and families first is at the heart of our Family Friendly vision and we are committed to developing and supporting our workforce to deliver excellent services using resilience-based approaches.
We are looking for skilled, dynamic and motivated professionals who are aspirational for children and young people with the ability to drive change in the families and professional systems they work within. If you thrive in a child-centred and creative environment – Hounslow could be for you. We know that to recruit passionate, dedicated social workers - where there’s simply more demand than the available resource - we must show our appreciation in more tangible ways. That's why we have put together an attractive package for all our social workers.
In return for your skills, knowledge, and experience, you will receive an appropriate starting salary and a friendly, kind, positive and supportive working culture. We also offer:
Annual leave – Generous annual leave entitlements starting from 22 days and rising to max 30 days.
Christmas closure – Up to 3 days, between Christmas and New Year, if your office is closed. This is at the discretion of the council.
Employee benefits –a range of discounts and benefits across a range of companies which you can access as an employee of Hounslow.
Enhanced maternity leave – Up to 52 weeks’ leave after the birth of the baby and the option of a phased return over 3 months.
Flexible working arrangements - our focus is on the outcomes you deliver and we are flexible about where and how this is best achieved.
Local Government Pension Scheme – Open to all employees, this is a tax approved, occupational pension scheme. Your contributions are based on a sliding scale according to your salary band.
Learning and development – we want you to learn everyday. We have a fantastic range of resources and opportunities and are committed to your development throughout your career with us.
Premature baby leave and pay – where a baby is born prematurely. We are proud to have The Smallest Things Charter mark.
Paternity Leave – Up to two weeks paid leave Parental Leave – Up to 18 weeks’ unpaid leave.
Parental Bereavement leave - two weeks’ paid leave following the death of a child or a stillbirth.
Pool cars –Pool bikes –available for our employees to use for work.
Shared parental leave – Up to 50 weeks’ shared parental leave.
Season ticket loans – Interest free loans for British Rail, Underground and Bus season tickets.
Staff wellbeing services - Including access to Occupational Health, an Osteopath/Chiropractor and Employee Assistance Programme.