Head of Service, Disabled Children

GLOUCESTERSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL; Gloucester; On-site; GBP 67,000 - 73,000; Full time

Job description

We are looking to appoint a permanent head of service who can join our children’s service leadership team to work alongside colleagues to ensure that service delivery is of the highest standard and that staff are supported to develop and grow to do their best for children and young people. We are ambitious for our children and the successful candidate will continue to drive change and embed high standards of practice. This is an exciting and fantastic development opportunity working closely with our partner agencies to form and shape processes where the focus is ensuring children can be cared for within their families and their communities and have the same opportunities as their peers.

Rewards and benefits

For all your hard work, you will receive the following:

• Between £67,108 - £72,158 per annum subject to experience
• Flexible and agile working opportunities
• 30 days annual leave
• An option to purchase up to 10 days of additional leave per year
• Family friendly policies and benefits to help support you and your family
• Supportive and positive working environment with regular, robust supervision
• Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• Access to our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) that provides free, confidential, counselling and advice for employees, available 24 hours a day, online and by telephone
• An in-house Occupational Health service
• Employee discount scheme
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Links to employee networks such as Prism (LGBT+) and the Young Employees Network
• Career development and qualification opportunities
• Access to our Social Work Academy

Right child, right support, right time, every time

We are working together to support families and communities to give every child the best chance of a happy and rewarding life, especially those who need more help.

Gloucestershire offers a range of opportunities to develop your career, supported by a phenomenal Social Work Academy offer, a developing systemic practice methodology, an ambitious leadership team and an award-winning workforce.

Gloucestershire Children’s Services are improving. Our latest Ofsted inspection (February 2022) identified that:

‘Significant progress has been made in many areas of Gloucestershire’s children’s services… significant financial investment and the backing of political leaders, has led to improved services that are now more effective in meeting the needs of children and families’.

About us

We are a local authority adopting, and training all colleagues in, systemic social work practice. If you would like to be part of an authority that takes a relational approach to working with families and focuses on what needs to change in the system around a child and family to enable children to thrive, then consider a role with GCC. We are delighted to advertise this post to further support the continuation of the journey and focused transformation of our Disabled Children’s Team. We have seen investment into the team which has supported the expansion of the service with the aim of ensuring all children receive targeted support that meets their identified needs whilst maintaining some focus on safeguarding where required.

About you

The ideal candidate will be a qualified social worker who has a proven track record of working at a management level and leading a service through change. The post holder will need a strong understanding of working with disabled children and the legal processes within which the team operates. This opportunity is suited to someone who has a desire to improve outcomes for children and can bring a creative and innovative approach to how we deliver inclusivity and belonging for our children.

The post holder will also need to understand the role of Designated Social Care Officer (DSCO) and will support the ongoing requirements of this role.

A relevant social work qualification and previous experience of management and leadership is essential.

For a preliminary discussion please contact [e-mail]