Head of Service - Family Help

Reading Borough Council; Reading; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Reading Borough Council is seeking an exceptional Head of Service for Family Help to join our leadership team and help shape the future of children's services.

You will provide strategic leadership across Family Help, Child in Need and Child Protection services, guiding transformational practice and ensuring high-quality support for vulnerable children and families.

Job description

Are you a passionate and ambitious leader who believes children are best supported within their families and communities wherever it is safe to do so?

Do you have the vision, credibility and drive to lead high-quality statutory services, strengthen family networks and inspire a culture where children and families achieve lasting positive change?

If so, Reading is looking for an exceptional Head of Service for Family Help to join our leadership team and help shape the future of children's services.

This is a unique opportunity to lead some of the most important services within children's social care, ensuring children and families receive the right help, protection and support at the right time. You will play a key role in delivering Reading's vision for Family Help, Family Safeguarding and relational practice, ensuring children remain at the heart of everything we do.

As Head of Service, you will provide strategic leadership across our:

Family Help Teams

Child in Need Services

Child Protection Services

Pre-Proceedings and Care Proceedings

Family Safeguarding Practice Model

Leading Service Managers and multidisciplinary teams, you will bring together professionals around a shared vision that delivers excellent social work practice, strengthens families and improves outcomes for children.

We welcome applications from all sections of the community. We particularly encourage applications from members of the Black, Asian and ethnic minority communities to increase representation at senior management within Children’s Services as these groups are currently under-represented in our workforce

We seek the best talent from the widest pool of people as diversity and inclusion is the key to our success. Reading Borough Council is a Disability Confident Employer and is committed to the recruitment and continued employment of people with disabilities.

The Opportunity

This role is about much more than managing services.

It is an opportunity to lead transformational practice, influence strategic direction and ensure children and families receive high-quality support through every stage of their journey.

You will be responsible for services supporting some of Reading's most vulnerable children, from those requiring targeted intervention and protection through to children in care and care leavers. Working closely with senior leaders, health partners, education, police, legal services and the voluntary