Social Work Improvement Lead - Children's Services

Civic Recruitment Limited; Reigate; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Job summary

Civic Recruitment Limited is seeking a Social Work Improvement Lead for Surrey-based Children’s Services. You will lead the Family Safeguarding Hub, ensuring timely triage and allocation of safeguarding referrals, and provide strategic leadership across partner agencies to improve outcomes for children and families.

The role requires a Qualified Social Worker with senior management experience, enhanced DBS clearance, and the ability to travel as needed.

Qualifications

• Qualified Social Worker with applicable registration (SW England).
• Significant senior management experience within Children's Social Care or safeguarding.
• Demonstrated success in service improvement, quality assurance, and performance management.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Family Safeguarding Hub, ensuring timely assessment of referrals within statutory timescales.
• Provide strategic and operational leadership across multi-agency safeguarding partners.
• Oversee performance, quality assurance, audits, and continuous service improvement initiatives.
• Develop and deliver multi-agency safeguarding training and awareness.
• Represent the service at multi-agency boards and safeguarding forums.

Skills

Management experience

Senior leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Education

CQSW / DipSW

Job description

Social Work Improvement Lead - Children's Services

Contract | Civic Recruitment Limited | United Kingdom

Posted On 15/09/2026

Job Information

Work Experience Management Experience

Interim & Executive Management

City Reigate

Province Surrey

Postal Code RH2

Job Description

3 Month Contract With A Local Authority

Job Purpose

To lead, manage, and develop the multi-agency Family Safeguarding Hub, ensuring that children, young people, and families receive the right help at the right time. The Service Manager will oversee the effective screening, triage, and allocation of safeguarding referrals, ensuring statutory timescales are met, multi-agency information sharing is effective, and safeguarding risks are appropriately managed. The postholder will provide strategic and operational leadership, drive service improvement, oversee performance and quality assurance, and work collaboratively with partners to improve outcomes for children and families.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, direct, and manage the Family Safeguarding Hub, ensuring all high-priority referrals are assessed, screened, and allocated appropriately within statutory timescales.
• Provide strategic oversight of multi-agency safeguarding arrangements, ensuring effective collaboration between Children's Services, Police, Health, Education, Early Help, and other partner agencies.
• Ensure robust decision-making processes are in place to identify risk, safeguard children, and promote positive outcomes for families.
• Promote strong partnership working between Early Help Services and the Family Safeguarding Hub, ensuring seamless pathways and timely interventions.
• Oversee information-sharing arrangements across agencies to support effective safeguarding and decision-making.
• Lead on the development and delivery of multi-agency safeguarding training and awareness initiatives.
• Manage the consultation service for professionals seeking advice regarding safeguarding concerns and referral thresholds.
• Develop and maintain a high-performance culture, ensuring compliance with national legislation, statutory guidance, local procedures, and service standards.
• Monitor service performance through the analysis of key performance indicators, quality assurance activity, audits, and performance reporting.
• Lead on quality assurance processes, including referral audits, threshold reviews, case tracking, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Ensure children, young people, and families' voices are central to service planning, decision-making, and practice development.
• Promote and embed strengths-based practice and motivational interviewing approaches throughout the service.
• Lead, motivate, supervise, and develop managers and staff, ensuring high-quality supervision, workforce development, and retention.
• Manage complex safeguarding issues, escalations, complaints, and operational risks effectively.
• Contribute to strategic planning, service transformation, policy development, and organisational improvement initiatives.
• Represent the service at multi-agency boards, partnership meetings, and safeguarding forums.
• Deputise for the Assistant Director when required and provide leadership across wider Children's Services functions.

Requirements

• Qualified Social Worker with a recognised Social Work qualification (CQSW, DipSW, Social Work Degree, or equivalent).
• Registered with Social Work England.
• Significant senior management experience within Children's Social Care, Safeguarding, Early Help, or related statutory services.
• Proven experience leading safeguarding services, referral and assessment teams, MASH/Family Safeguarding Hubs, or similar multi-agency environments.
• Extensive understanding of child protection legislation, safeguarding frameworks, statutory guidance, and relevant government policy.
• Strong knowledge of threshold management, early intervention, risk management, and multi-agency safeguarding practices.
• Demonstrated success in leading service improvement, quality assurance, performance management, and inspection readiness.
• Experience managing substantial staffing budgets, resources, and workforce planning.
• Excellent leadership, coaching, mentoring, and people management skills.
• Strong analytical and decision-making abilities with the capacity to manage complex safeguarding challenges.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, stakeholder engagement, and partnership-building skills.
• Experience of driving cultural change, implementing new ways of working, and delivering continuous service improvement.
• Ability to influence senior leaders, elected members, and partner agencies to achieve positive outcomes for children and families.
• Enhanced DBS clearance required.
• Willingness to travel and work flexibly in line with service requirements.

Additional Information

• Location: Surrey County Council - Hybrid / Council Offices / Multi-Agency Hub
• Payment Frequency: Bi-Weekly Payments
• DBS Requirement: Enhanced DBS Check Required