Head of Service - MASH and Early Help

Job Description

Join Harrow Children’s Services

Help shape our front door, strengthen early help and improve outcomes for children and families

Harrow is looking for an experienced, confident and ambitious social work qualified leader to take on the role of Head of MASH and Early Help. This is a key strategic role at the front door of Children’s Services, working with partners to ensure children, young people and families receive the right help, at the right time, from the right service.

The Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub is central to Harrow’s safeguarding arrangements, bringing together information, professional judgement and partnership expertise to support timely, proportionate and effective decision-making. Alongside this, our Early Help offer plays a vital role in identifying need earlier, strengthening families and preventing escalation wherever possible.

As Head of Service, you will provide strategic and operational leadership across MASH and Early Help, leading multi-disciplinary teams and working closely with Social Care, Police, Health, Education and wider partnership colleagues. You will drive high-quality practice, strengthen decision-making, support service improvement and ensure that children and families experience coordinated, responsive and effective support.

What makes this role special?

• Lead services that sit at the heart of Harrow’s safeguarding and prevention system, ensuring children are identified, assessed and supported effectively.

• Shape the development of integrated, multi-agency practice across the front door and early help arrangements.

• Champion strengths-based, relationship-based and family-led practice, with a clear focus on early intervention, prevention and sustainable outcomes.

• Use performance insight, audit, quality assurance and professional curiosity to drive continuous improvement and support confident decision-making.

• Work collaboratively with other senior leaders and partners to strengthen safeguarding responses, manage risk well and promote inclusive, anti-racist, culturally competent practice.

We are looking for a strategic and resilient leader with a strong background in children’s social care, safeguarding and early help. You will bring credibility, sound judgement and the ability to lead in a complex, fast-paced environment where partnership working, risk management and high-quality practice are essential.

You will be confident in providing both support and challenge, developing managers and practitioners, and creating the conditions for reflective, evidence-informed and child-centred practice. You will also be able to translate strategy into delivery, using data and intelligence to improve services, manage demand and demonstrate impact for children and families.

Your experience will include:

• A recognised Social Work qualification and registration with Social Work England.

• Substantial experience in children’s services, including leadership of safeguarding, MASH, assessment and Early Help services.

• Strong knowledge of safeguarding legislation, statutory guidance, thresholds, information-sharing and multi-agency decision-making.

• A proven ability to lead service improvement, strengthen practice quality and use performance information to evaluate impact.

• Experience of managing people, budgets and resources effectively within a complex service environment.

• Excellent communication and partnership skills, with the ability to engage confidently with staff, senior leaders, elected members, schools, partners and communities.

• A strong commitment to equality, anti-racist & culturally competent practice, professional curiosity and improving outcomes for children, young people and families.

This is an exciting opportunity to help shape Harrow’s early help and safeguarding front door at a pivotal time for Children’s Services. If you are an inclusive, proactive and improvement-focused leader who is passionate about making a difference, we would welcome your application.

Closing date: 20 September 2026

Interviews: 8 - 9 October 2026

For further information about these roles please contact roisin.madden@harrow.gov.uk

Form more information please refer to the Role Profile/ Selection Criteria

About us

Harrow Council is the 12th largest London borough and one of the most culturally diverse local authorities in the UK, making it a great place to live, work and visit with a range of cultures, religions and opinions that come together to produce high achieving schools and a close and friendly community. Located 10 miles from the city centre and just 13 minutes to Euston from Harrow & Wealdstone station there are great transport links via the Metropolitan Line, Watford DC Line and national rail service. It is easily accessible to the M1, M25 and A406.

Other information

Support for candidates visit:Harrow.gov.uk Our behavioural indicators roles below G11 and above G11 Here at Harrow Council, the vision is one of 'Working together to make a difference for Harrow' Please click here to view Harrow Council's benefits

Important Note

To deliver our commitment to equality of opportunity in service provision, all staff are expected to promote equality in the workplace and in the services the Council delivers. All sections of the population will have equal access to jobs at the London Borough of Harrow. No applicant or employee will receive less favourable treatment because of age, disability, gender, reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy, or maternity unless a Genuine Occupational Qualification applies. As such, we value diversity and welcome applications from all backgrounds. For further information, please read our equality statement.

As a disability-confident employer, we are committed to making our recruitment practices barrier-free and accessible to everyone. This includes reasonably adjusting the recruitment process for those with disabilities or long-term health conditions. For further information, please contact us at resourcing@harrow.gov.uk

London Borough of Harrow is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Harrow operates stringent, safer recruitment procedures.

Due to the high number of applications received for some posts, we may close vacancies before the stated closing date if sufficient applications are received. Therefore, please apply as soon as possible.

Harrow redeployees will be given priority consideration.

The personal information we have collected from you will be shared with Cifas who will use it to prevent fraud, other unlawful or dishonest conduct, malpractice, and other seriously improper conduct. If any of these are detected you could be refused certain services or employment. Your personal information will also be used to verify your identity. Further details of how your information will be used by us and Cifas, any your data protection rights, can be found by visiting www.cifas.org.uk/fpn