Head of Service - Safeguarding and Family Support Service
| Posting date: | 12 February 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £71,826.0 per year |
| Additional salary information: | £79,807-£89,823 after 12 months. |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 26 February 2026 |
| Location: | Southend-On-Sea, Essex, SS1 1AB |
| Remote working: | Hybrid - work remotely up to 3 days per week |
| Company: | Hays Specialist Recruitment |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 4770663_1770902196 |
Summary
Your new role
Southend City Council are looking to appoint a permanent full-time Head of Service for the Safeguarding and Family Support Service.The Head of Service will lead and modernise social care and delivery services to children, their families and carers, whilst ensuring the best deployment of resources that provide the highest quality of service.There will be a need to performance manage 3 service managers that cover CSPOC (formally MASH+), Assessment & Intervention, Family Support & Protection Team and Children with Disabilities. The Head of Service will lead, develop, provide direction and create a supportive, innovative and transparent environment for the wider service, so that individuals can work collaboratively to enable practice groups to achieve excellence in service delivery. As part of the Children's Social Care management team, the new Head of Service will share responsibility for the development and implementation of the annual service plan, including identification of learning and development needs to support targets and direction. This will reflect broader council and departmental objectives, and government-led guidance or initiatives for the service.
Southend are in the process of creating a new Families First service which goes live in May. The Head of Service will be directly responsible for this new and exciting service.
Within this position, hybrid working opportunities are available. However, you are required to be on-site at the Civic Centre a minimum of 3 days a week.
Development salary - £71,826 rising to £79,807-£89,823 after 12 months
What you'll need to succeed
To be shortlisted for this position, you must be able to work in the UK, have a recognised Social Work qualification and be registered with Social Work England.
You are required to be an experienced Children's Head of Service with experience of leading change & transformation. Have extensive knowledge of working with vulnerable children and young people, along with expertise in effective strategies for reducing social exclusion, anti-social behaviours and other risk issues.Have proven experience in partnership working at senior level, along with long-term experience in successfully driving service improvement.You need to be able to lead by example, and through your behaviour and positive professional approach to work. Be able to encourage team motivation and achievements. Actively challenge bad behaviour and respect other people's views.
What you'll get in return
When joining the council, you can enjoy a range of benefits including: 25 days annual leave, flexible working and excellent training and development opportunities. They are committed to ensuring that you are supported in this varied and challenging role with the appropriate level of training.
What you need to do now
If you're interested in this role, click 'apply now' to forward an up-to-date copy of your CV - or for a full JD on the post, please contact
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