Head of Service - Family

The job requirements are detailed below. Where applicable the skills, qualifications and memberships required for this job have also been included.

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.

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 sector, you will ensure children experience coordinated and meaningful support that creates lasting change.

• Inspire and motivate others through visible, compassionate and inclusive leadership.
• Champion relationship-based, trauma-informed and restorative practice.
• Drive excellence in safeguarding, care planning and permanence planning.
• Build strong partnerships across the children's system and wider community.
• Lead improvement and innovation while maintaining a relentless focus on children's experiences and outcomes.
• Develop a positive culture where practitioners feel supported, empowered and able to achieve their best.

You are an accomplished children's social care leader with significant experience of leading statutory services and delivering sustainable improvement.

You understand the complexity of safeguarding, care planning and partnership working and bring the strategic insight, emotional intelligence and credibility needed to lead through change.

• A qualified Social Worker registered with Social Work England.
• An experienced senior leader with substantial expertise in statutory children's social care.
• Passionate about…