Head of Service Children & Families

Job Title: Head of Service – East Herts
Starting Salary: £84,421 with the opportunity to progress to £93,565 per annum (pro rata for part time) - Pay award pending
Hours: 37
Location: Stevenage
Contract Type: Permanent
Directorate: Children's Services

Help shape the future of Family Help and Safeguarding in Hertfordshire

This is an exceptional opportunity to join Hertfordshire County Council at one of the most significant periods of transformation in children's social care. As the birthplace of the Family Safeguarding Model and a recognised leader in practice innovation, we continue to shape the future through the Families First Partnership Programme. As Head of Service for East Herts, you will play a key strategic role in driving this ambitious agenda and improving outcomes for children and families.

About the role

This is a pivotal leadership role with a clear mission: to help shape and further develop our Families First Partnership Programme arrangements across East Hertfordshire, ensuring that children and families receive the right support, at the right time, through a connected and relational system that improves outcomes and reduces the need for statutory intervention wherever possible.

As a key member of the Children & Families leadership team, you will play a central role in delivering and embedding the ambitions of the Families First Partnership Programme, building on the significant progress already made through Family Help, Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams (MACPT), Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) and our nationally recognised Family Safeguarding model. Working closely with senior leaders, Head of Service colleagues and partners, you will help shape an integrated family help system that strengthens early intervention, promotes family-led solutions and ensures children are protected through effective multi-agency collaboration.

Leading with heart, compassion and purpose, you will provide strategic and operational leadership across a broad continuum of services, bringing expertise across Targeted Early Help, Assessment, Child in Need, Child Protection and Court Proceedings. You will ensure children and families experience seamless support and intervention, with clear pathways, consistent decision-making and a relentless focus on achieving the best possible outcomes.

You will champion and further embed our strengths-based Family Safeguarding practice model, ensuring multidisciplinary teams continue to deliver high-quality, relationship-based interventions that empower families to achieve sustainable change. Your leadership will be instrumental in building on the success of our Families First arrangements, supporting the continued evolution of Family Help and strengthening the interface between early help and safeguarding.

This role requires a leader who can successfully navigate significant national reform, translating policy into practice and ensuring Hertfordshire remains at the forefront of delivering family-centred services. Through strong partnership leadership, you will work across the system to develop innovative and effective responses to need, ensuring families receive joined-up support that recognises their strengths, harnesses their networks and improves long-term outcomes for children.

You will also play a key role in shaping and delivering our social work workforce strategy, developing and retaining a highly skilled workforce, championing diversity and inclusion, and creating an environment where practitioners can thrive and deliver outstanding practice

About you

As a qualified and registered Social Worker, you'll bring substantial leadership experience within statutory Children's Social Care and a strong track record of delivering positive outcomes for children and families. You'll be an inspiring and collaborative leader, able to navigate complex change while maintaining a relentless focus on excellent practice.

You'll bring:

Essential criteria

• Qualified Social Worker with current Social Work England registration.
• Substantial leadership experience within statutory Children's Social Care services.
• Strong knowledge of Targeted Early Help, Assessment, Child in Need, Child Protection and Court Proceedings, and how these services operate together within a Families First approach.
• Proven experience of leading and embedding effective social work practice, including strengths-based and relationship-focused approaches such as Family Safeguarding.
• A strong understanding of the Families First Partnership Programme and the opportunities presented through Family Help, Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams (MACPT), Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) and integrated partnership working.
• Significant experience of working collaboratively across agencies and organisational boundaries to improve outcomes for children and families.
• A proven track record of leading transformation, service improvement and change within complex social care environments.
• Experience of developing, motivating and leading high-performing teams and creating cultures where practitioners can thrive.
• Full UK driving licence and regular access to a vehicle.

Desirable criteria

• Previous experience operating at Head of Service level within statutory Children's Social Care.
• Experience of working within a large, complex organisation.
• Experience of leading workforce strategy and supporting the implementation of service-wide change programmes.

Why join us?

This is an opportunity to influence system-wide change and help shape the future of children's services in Hertfordshire.

You'll join an ambitious and supportive senior leadership team committed to innovation, collaboration and outstanding practice. Together, we're building on the success of Family Safeguarding, Family Help, Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams and Family Group Decision Making to create the best possible outcomes for children and families.

If you're an inspiring leader who is passionate about improving lives, building partnerships and leading positive change, we'd love to hear from you.

We welcome applications from candidates who currently reside in the UK with established proof of right to work documentation. We are not able to offer sponsorship at this time for this role.

This job role is Level 16. Please locate the job profile here: Organisational Leadership

To hear more about this opportunity please contact Hollie Bolter who will arrange an informal discussion with the hiring manager, Janet Jones (Director of Children & Families).

Interview Date: TBC

Benefits of working for us

How to apply

As part of your application, please upload your most recent CV. Ensure your CV is up to date with your employment history (including any employment gaps), and including any training/qualifications. We encourage you to include examples of where you have demonstrated the requirements/criteria in the advert / job profile to allow the panel to fully recognise your skills and abilities. You will have the opportunity to include a covering letter within your application to give us more information about your skills, knowledge, and experiences.

Additional information

We are changing
Hertfordshire County Councilis undergoing Local Government Reorganisation (LGR). If you are employed by Hertfordshire County on 1 April 2028, it is expected that most roles will transfer to the newly-created unitary councils on existing terms and conditions under TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings – Protection of Employment) principles.

LGR is one of the biggest changes we will face in a generation. It will reshape how we work and how services are organised and gives us a real opportunity to build something better. To find out more, visit https://www.hertfordshire-lgr.co.uk/

Disability Confident
We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

Safeguarding
This role has been identified as requiring a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check.

Driving required
You’ll need to have the ability to drive and/or travel around Hertfordshire, either using your own mode of transport or a company car to travel to other locations.

English Fluency
The ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post (for those whose language is a signed language the provision of a sign language interpreter who speaks English to the necessary standard of fluency will be required). Further information about the legal requirement can be found here.