Head of Service - Safeguarding

Civic Recruitment Limited; Taunton (MA); On-site; USD 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Civic Recruitment Limited is recruiting for a 6 Month Contract with a local authority in Somerset. The post holder will provide strategic and operational leadership across Family Safeguarding Services, ensuring safeguarding and child protection deliver high-quality outcomes for children and families.

Responsibilities include chairing legal planning meetings, leading multi-agency partnership work and driving service improvement across county-wide safeguarding teams.

Qualifications

• Qualified Social Worker with SWE registration.
• Significant senior leadership experience within Children's Social Care.
• Experience as Head of Service, Service Manager or equivalent senior management role.
• Extensive experience within safeguarding and child protection services.
• Experience leading service improvement and transformation programmes.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership: Lead the delivery of Family Safeguarding Services across Somerset and support Families First Partnership reforms.
• Safeguarding & Service Delivery: Oversee safeguarding activity, ensure timely and child-centred interventions.
• Legal Planning & Permanence: Lead legal tracking, chair Legal Gateway Meetings, ensure robust planning.
• Leadership & Management: Line manage 4 Operational Managers, drive performance and workforce development.
• Partnership Working: Build relationships with Legal Services, Education, Health, Police and Early Help.
• Quality Assurance & Improvement: Monitor performance, improve practice standards, prepare for inspections.

Skills

Strategic leadership

People management

Communication

Decision making

Education

Qualified Social Worker

Social Work England Registration

Job description

Taunton, United Kingdom | Posted on 10/11/2026

At Civic Recruitment and Limited, we know that individuals are more than just fixed expenses; they are the cornerstone of every thriving organisation.  That’s why we are passionate about transforming recruitment in the public and private sectors.

In the modern job market, organisations in both public and private sectors face significant workforce challenges. Public sector entities, such as local councils and central government departments, often struggle with lengthy recruitment processes, limited access to qualified candidates, and stringent budgetary and regulatory constraints. Private sector businesses, on the other hand, encounter high turnover rates, difficulties managing a mix of permanent and temporary staff, and challenges in sourcing specialised talent for niche industries. These sector-specific obstacles, coupled with the universal complexities of payroll management, create a pressing need for efficient workforce solutions.

With an extensive database of over 1 million pre-screened candidates, Civic Recruitment Limited is well-positioned to cater to the specific needs of both public and private sectors.

Job Description

6 Month Contract With A local Authority

Job Purpose

To provide strategic and operational leadership across Family Safeguarding Services, ensuring the delivery of high-quality safeguarding, child protection and family support services for children, young people and families across Somerset.

The postholder will oversee Family Safeguarding Teams across multiple localities, provide leadership to Operational Managers, and ensure statutory responsibilities are met. A key focus of the role will be supporting the implementation of the Families First Partnership reforms , maintaining service performance and driving improvement while ensuring effective legal planning and decision-making for children subject to safeguarding interventions.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Lead the delivery of Family Safeguarding Services across Somerset.
• Support the implementation of Families First Partnership reforms.
• Ensure safeguarding services deliver positive outcomes for children and families.
• Contribute to the strategic leadership of Children's Social Care as a member of the Head of Service management team.
• Support service transformation, improvement and organisational development initiatives.
• Ensure compliance with statutory responsibilities, regulations and inspection requirements.

Safeguarding & Service Delivery

• Maintain oversight of safeguarding and child protection activity across the county.
• Ensure statutory interventions are timely, effective and child-centred.
• Monitor service performance, quality and outcomes.
• Promote excellent social work practice and strengths-based approaches.
• Oversee complex and high-risk safeguarding cases where necessary.
• Ensure services remain focused on improving outcomes for vulnerable children and families.

Legal Planning & Permanence

• Lead on legal tracking and legal case oversight.
• Chair weekly Legal Gateway Meetings.
• Ensure appropriate thresholds and legal interventions are applied consistently.
• Oversee pre-proceedings and Public Law Outline activity.
• Work closely with Legal Services to ensure robust legal planning and decision-making.
• Monitor case progression and permanence planning for children.

Leadership & Management

• Provide direct line management to 4 Operational Managers.
• Offer professional support, supervision and challenge to senior managers.
• Drive performance management and workforce development.
• Ensure staff are supported to deliver high-quality practice.
• Promote a culture of accountability, learning and continuous improvement.

Partnership Working

• Develop strong relationships with:
  • Legal Services
  • Education Services
  • Health Partners
  • Police
  • Early Help Services
  • Family Support Services
  • Safeguarding Partnerships
• Represent Children's Social Care at strategic and operational meetings.
• Chair and attend multi-agency meetings as required.

Quality Assurance & Improvement

• Monitor and improve safeguarding performance and practice standards.
• Promote learning from audits, inspections and reviews.
• Ensure compliance with relevant legislation and guidance.
• Support preparation for inspections and regulatory scrutiny.
• Drive continuous service improvement across Family Safeguarding Teams.

Requirements

• Qualified Social Worker.
• Social Work England Registration.
• Significant senior leadership experience within Children's Social Care.
• Previous experience as a Head of Service, Service Manager or equivalent senior management role.
• Extensive experience within safeguarding and child protection services.
• Strong knowledge of:
  • Children Act 1989 & 2004
  • Working Together to Safeguard Children
  • Public Law Outline (PLO)
  • Care Proceedings
  • Child Protection Processes
  • Families First Partnership Reforms
• Experience chairing legal planning and gateway meetings.
• Experience overseeing complex safeguarding and legal casework.
• Experience managing senior managers and multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong partnership working and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience leading service improvement and transformation programmes.
• Excellent communication, leadership and decision-making abilities.
• Experience implementing Families First Partnership reforms.
• Experience within a county-wide safeguarding service.
• Experience supporting Ofsted improvement and inspection activity.
• Practice Educator or leadership qualification.

Additional Information

• Location: Somerset (County-Wide Multi-Site Service)