Best Start in Life Senior (Inclusion)

Walsall Council; Walsall; On-site; GBP 44,000 - 48,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Lead a new service area

Career development opportunities

Local Government Pension Scheme

Wellbeing & inclusion focus

Job summary

Walsall Council is seeking a confident leader to drive the Best Start in Life inclusion programme for children aged 0-5 and their families. You will work across Family Hubs, SEND, health, education and community partners to deliver priorities and improve access and experiences of services.

The role combines operational leadership with service development, partnership engagement and safeguarding. A strong commitment to reducing inequalities and improving life chances is essential.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in early years, SEND, education, child development, family support, health or related services.
• Experience leading or supervising staff and managing performance.
• Strong understanding of inclusion, child development and partnership working.
• Experience with data, QA and service intelligence.

Responsibilities

• Provide operational leadership for the Best Start in Life inclusion programme.
• Collaborate across Family Hubs, health, education, and partners to improve access and experiences for families.
• Lead service development and cross‑agency coordination to deliver priorities across the borough.
• Oversee performance, quality and safeguarding in the service area.

Skills

Leadership experience

Inclusion expertise

Data analysis

Communication skills

Partnership building

Job description

Best Start in Life Senior (Inclusion) - Ref: CH09926

Salary: G9 SCP 32-35 (£44,253 - £47,665 per annum)

37 hours per week | Permanent

Every child deserves the best start in life.

As the Best Start in Life Senior (Inclusion), you will provide operational leadership for Walsall's Best Start in Life inclusion programme, helping to deliver Best Start and Family Hub priorities across the borough.

This is a highly collaborative role combining operational leadership, partnership working and service development to improve outcomes for children aged 0-5 and their families.

You will work across Family Hubs, early years, SEND, health, education, family support and voluntary and community partners to improve access, early identification, warm handovers and families' experiences of services This is a unique opportunity to help shape a growing and innovative Best Start in Life service that is making a real difference in communities across Walsal This is a unique opportunity to help shape a growing and innovative Best Start in Life service that is making a real difference in communities across Walsall.

At Walsall Council we offer:

• The opportunity to lead a new and developing service area.
• Meaningful work that directly improves outcomes for children and families.
• Strong multi‑agency partnerships and a collaborative culture.
• Opportunities to influence service design and improvement.
• Local Government Pension Scheme.
• Learning and development opportunities to support your career progression.
• A strong commitment to wellbeing, diversity and inclusion.

About you

We are looking for a confident and inclusive leader who can build relationships, motivate teams and deliver high-quality services.

You will have:

• Significant experience of working within early years, SEND, education, child development, family support, health or related services.
• Experience of leading or supervising staff, managing performance and supporting professional development.
• Strong understanding of inclusion, child development, early intervention and partnership working.
• Experience of working directly with children and families experiencing additional needs, vulnerability or barriers to accessing support.
• The ability to build productive relationships across organisations and communities.
• Experience of using data, quality assurance and service intelligence to improve outcomes.
• Excellent communication, organisation and problem‑solving skills.
• A commitment to improving life chances for children and reducing inequalities.

Closing date for applications: Friday 20th November 2026

Must be available for interview week beginning 30th November and 7th December 2026

This post is covered by the Government’s Code of Practice on the English Language Fluency Duty for public sector workers. The post holder will be required to communicate verbally with customers and provide advice and/or information in accurate spoken English.

Walsall Council takes seriously the responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of all the children, young people and vulnerable adults entrusted to our care and it is our expectation that all staff will share this commitment. We will ensure continuous development and improvement of robust recruitment processes and procedures that promote a culture of safeguarding amongst our workforce. Completion of an enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check is a requirement for working with children, young people and vulnerable adults.

Note: Applicants appointed to posts that require an enhanced DBS clearance must declare any periods of time that they have lived, studied or worked abroad and be prepared to provide an Overseas Criminal Records Certificate (OCRC) or a Statement of Good Conduct (SOGC) relating to anytime they were overseas.

At Walsall Council, we appreciate that AI can be a useful tool for ideas or guidance. However, we encourage you to make sure your application reflects your own voice and experiences. Over-reliance on AI can make responses feel less personal, and we really want to understand what makes you unique. Your experiences, skills, and perspective are what set you apart, so please ensure your application as a whole – particularly your ‘Supporting Information’ – reflects your own voice.

Walsall Council’s Children’s Services are the only Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ local authority in the Black Country. During a visit in May 2025, Inspectors described Walsall Council as a place where children were at the heart of. The council’s journey of continuous improvement started in 2017 and has since transformed into a service with a clear vision, clear priorities and a clear plan, all informed by the views of our staff and children. Staff are at the core of delivering great outcomes for children and young people in Walsall, which is underpinned by our Walsall Right 4 Children vision. The latest Ofsted inspection demonstrated that staff in children’s services are proud to work for Walsall Council and feel supported to do great work.