Midland House
Permanent
37 hours per week
Grade L (£55,945 to £59,921)
Head Of Service - Role Profile
An exciting opportunity has arisen as part of our Bright Futures for Children strategy, to join us as a Head of Service. In doing so, you will be joining a forward thinking authority, with a restorative approach to supervision and a multi-agency commitment to work together as trauma informed partners for the City. You will be supported by enthusiastic colleagues and an enviable vacancy rate in your workforce that consistently sits below 5%. The Academy of Social Work Plymouth provides outstanding leadership and delivery of continuing professional development and as a service we have maintained a successful hybrid model of safe working and safe learning during the current pandemic challenges. Plymouth is a beautiful city, with over five miles of walkable sea front, affordable housing and ready access to the moors and idyllic coastal environment of the South Hams. As a Head of Service, you will provide expert and detailed advice to the Service Director, DCS and elected Members on a range of matters associated with your role. At the heart of everything you do, will be a passion to ensure that children, young people and their families achieve positive and improved outcomes are effectively safeguarded. You will lead, motivate and inspire others to deliver the best standards of practice, demonstrated by achieving both local and national performance expectations. You must be a qualified social worker, registered with Social Work England. A leadership or management qualification or evidence of higher related study would be an advantage. You will be committed to the national statutory post qualifying standards for your own continuing professional development, joining an authority where these are nationally recognised as well embedded. You should demonstrate in your application key areas of learning and progression in your own journey. You will bring to the role considerable management experience including managing others and service budgets. You will be able to talk in interview about your experience of managing and motivating teams to achieve significant service improvements and improved outcomes for children and young people. As an individual, you will embrace change as an opportunity for innovation and will have a track record in performance gains. You will be able practice with confident authority in relation to key aspects for safeguarding children, ensuring that statutory guidance is followed. This confidence will enable you to take lead roles in quality assurance and inspection activity. There are two positions on offer. The first position is targeted within the front line teams who are dedicated to statutory child and family processes, from child in need to permanency including care experienced young people. This role involves ensuring successful implementation of local and national procedures delivered through service and team managers and teams of social workers and associated practitioners. The second post is leadership of Quality Assurance and Safeguarding Service, which is responsible for quality assurance mechanisms, the Independent Reviewing and Child Protection Conference Chair team, LADO, the Professional Development Service which includes the Social Work Academy, and the children’s participation service. Please visit the Academy’s dedicated site
here Please indicate clearly in your personal statement whether you are interested in both positions, or of you have a clear preference for the Head of Service Children’s Social Work & Permanency – or the Head of Service Quality Assurance and Safeguarding. Successful applicants will be offered on the basis of fit between their demonstrable skills and abilities as well as aspirations.
For an informal discussion, please contact our Service Director Jean.Kelly@plymouth.gov.uk to arrange a time for discussion, stating Head of Service in subject line.
For general enquiries relating to process, please contact our dedicated Recruitment Manager Mark Anderson on SWChildren.Staffing@plymouth.gov.uk. Please note that interviews and selection activity will be carried out remotely.
Closing Date - Sunday 1 November