Head of Service Children & Families

Job Introduction

Job Title: Head of Service
- East Herts

Starting Salary: £84,421 with the opportunity to progress to £93,565 per annum (pro rata for part time) - Pay award pending

Hours: 37

Location: Stevenage

Contract Type: Permanent

Directorate: Children's Services

Help shape the future of Family Help and Safeguarding in Hertfordshire

This is an exceptional opportunity to join Hertfordshire County Council at one of the most significant periods of transformation in children's social care. As the birthplace of the Family Safeguarding Model and a recognised leader in practice innovation, we continue to shape the future through the Families First Partnership Programme. As Head of Service for East Herts, you will play a key strategic role in driving this ambitious agenda and improving outcomes for children and families.

This is a pivotal leadership role with a clear mission: to help shape and further develop our Families First Partnership Programme arrangements across East Hertfordshire, ensuring that children and families receive the right support, at the right time, through a connected and relational system that improves outcomes and reduces the need for statutory intervention wherever possible.

As a key member of the Children & Families leadership team, you will play a central role in delivering and embedding the ambitions of the Families First Partnership Programme, building on the significant progress already made through Family Help, Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams (MACPT), Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) and our nationally recognised Family Safeguarding model. Working closely with senior leaders, Head of Service colleagues and partners, you will help shape an integrated family help system that strengthens early intervention, promotes family-led solutions and ensures children are protected through effective multi-agency collaboration.

Leading with heart, compassion and purpose, you will provide strategic and operational leadership across a broad continuum of services, bringing expertise across Targeted Early Help, Assessment, Child in Need, Child Protection and Court Proceedings. You will ensure children and families experience seamless support and intervention, with clear pathways, consistent decision-making and a relentless focus on achieving the best possible outcomes.

You will champion and further embed our strengths-based Family Safeguarding practice model, ensuring multidisciplinary teams continue to deliver high-quality, relationship-based interventions that empower families to achieve sustainable change. Your leadership will be instrumental in building on the success of our Families First arrangements, supporting the continued evolution of Family Help and strengthening the interface between early help and safeguarding.

This role requires a leader who can successfully navigate significant national reform, translating policy into practice and ensuring Hertfordshire remains at the forefront of delivering family‑centred services. Through strong partnership leadership, you will work across the system to develop innovative and effective responses to need, ensuring families receive joined‑up support that recognises their strengths, harnesses their networks and improves long‑term outcomes for children.

You will also play a key role in shaping and delivering our social work workforce strategy, developing and retaining a highly skilled workforce, championing diversity and inclusion, and creating an environment where practitioners can thrive and deliver outstanding practice

As a qualified and registered Social Worker, you'll bring substantial leadership experience within statutory Children's Social Care and a strong track record of delivering positive outcomes for children and families. You'll be an inspiring and collaborative leader, able to navigate complex change while maintaining a relentless focus on excellent practice.

Essential criteria

• Qualified Social Worker with current Social Work England registration.
• Substantial leadership experience within statutory Children's Social Care services.
• Strong knowledge of Targeted Early Help, Assessment, Child in Need, Child Protection and Court Proceedings, and how these services operate together within a Families First approach.
• Proven experience of leading and embedding effective social work practice, including strengths-based and relationship-focused approaches such as Family Safeguarding.
• A strong understanding of the Families First Partnership Programme and the opportunities presented through Family Help, Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams (MACPT), Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) and integrated partnership working.
• Significant experience of working collaboratively across agencies and organisational boundaries to improve outcomes for children and families.
• A proven track record of leading transformation, service improvement and change within complex social care environments.
• Experience of developing, motivating and leading…