Children's Safeguarding & Family Support Lead

Cambridge County Council; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Wellbeing package

Additional annual leave

Flexible holidays

Pension contributions (AVCs)

Development opportunities

Paid volunteering hours

IDEAL network

Employee Recognition Awards

Our Cambs Rewards discounts

Car Lease

Cycle to Work

Job summary

Cambridgeshire County Council is seeking an experienced Children's Social Care leader to drive performance and shape high-quality, child-centred safeguarding and family support services. You will work with the Head of Service and other managers to ensure outstanding practice and professional growth within a trauma-informed, strength-based framework.

The role covers the City and South Cambridgeshire teams with flexibility to cover other localities as required, and will evolve toward a Family Help

Qualifications

• Experience as a Children's Social Care leader with track record of performance improvement.
• Strong understanding of safeguarding responsibilities, child protection, and court processes.
• Excellent partnership working, stakeholder management and engagement.
• Able to analyse complex information, manage risk, and make decisions under pressure.
• Qualified Social Worker with Social Work England registration and ability to travel countywide.

Responsibilities

• Lead and drive service performance, ensuring KPIs, statutory requirements, and service targets are met and improved.
• Provide strategic oversight and quality assurance of all court-related work across the service.
• Ensure robust safeguarding arrangements and leadership of immediate responses to risk.
• Take overall responsibility for decisions and service delivery in high-risk safeguarding cases.
• Monitor and evaluate outcomes, implement improvement plans to enhance impact.
• Collaborate with managers, practitioners and partners to deliver plans that improve outcomes for children and families.
• Build and maintain relationships with partners to deliver effective safeguarding and family support.
• Support and challenge managers and practitioners to maintain high-quality safeguarding practice.
• Work with partner agencies, legal services and judiciary to coordinate planning and outcomes.

Skills

Leadership

People management

Stakeholder management

Communication

Risk management

Education

Social Work England registration

Qualified Social Worker

Job description

Cambridgeshire County Council is seeking an experienced Children's Social Care leader to drive performance and shape high-quality, child-centred safeguarding and family support services. You will work with the Head of Service and other managers to ensure outstanding practice and professional growth within a trauma-informed, strength-based framework.

The role covers the City and South Cambridgeshire teams with flexibility to cover other localities as required, and will evolve toward a Family Help