Service Lead – Complex Safeguarding

Hours Per Week: 36hours

Base

Location:

Tameside One

Assessment Date
: 19th March 2026

Are you passionate about making a real difference in the lives of children and families? Do you bring compassion, curiosity, collaboration, conversation, and courage to your practice? If so, Tameside is looking for you.

This role will provide strategic direction, leadership and support to the multi-agency complex safeguarding and missing children service, ensuring that children and young people in Tameside are well supported across the spectrum of need, from early help to risk intervention, with a focus on increasing safety, aspiration and building trusted relationships.

The service lead will work closely with key partners, strengthening information sharing, prevention of harm, responses to children’s needs and protection, and support to recover from harm. You will have opportunities to engage with the wider Greater Manchester Complex Safeguarding agenda, with rich opportunities for learning and support.

There will be a close relationship with the work of the Tameside Children’s Safeguarding Partnership, with the service lead playing a key role in offering assurance to partners that the complex safeguarding response in Tameside is robust and making a difference to outcomes for children, young people and their families.

This is an exciting opportunity to join us on our improvement journey. The work is varied, offering you the chance to develop new skills, gain valuable experience, and progress in your career.

You will be supported by the assistant director with a comprehensive induction, ongoing training, and regular supervision to help you reach your full potential.

We are looking for a strong, credible leader who has passion and determination to empower, enable, motivate and develop the workforce, fostering a positive organisational culture to achieve our ambitious improvement plan to achieve better outcomes for children and families.

• Openness to possibilities
• Ability to collaborate
• Belief in your team and people
• Personal resilience and tenacity
• Ability to create and sustain commitment
• Results and outcomes focused solutions
• Ability to learn continuously
• Evidence based decision making

At Tameside, we believe in:

• Compassion understanding the lived experiences of children and families.
• Curiosity asking questions that lead to deeper insight and better outcomes for children.
• Collaboration working together across services to deliver joined-up support.
• Conversation listening and engaging meaningfully with children, families and professionals.
• Courage leading with courage, making bold and compassionate decisions that put children first.

Message from Jill Colbert, Director of Children’s Services

“I joined the council at the beginning of 2025 and was instantly charmed by the warmth, openness, and energy of colleagues.”

“I came to Tameside for one reason; because I know we can do fantastic things for our families here.”

“We’re a children’s service on a significant improvement journey. We know what needs to be different for our children and families and we’re ambitious to deliver that change.”

“We have a growing range of specialist services for children, where you can test and grow your skills and practice. We have a Social Work Academy that is led by people who bring passion to learning and who know that the DCS’ of the future are right in front of them. We are working on our progression pathways so that staying in Tameside is rewarded and recognised.

We have investment in innovation and improvement from the council so that we can grow services and support for families that we can sustain, from family hubs through to complex safeguarding.”

“I am so certain that we can build a proud, inclusive and safe climate for great practice to flourish in Tameside. I’d love you to join me on the journey here at Team Tameside.”

At Tameside, we are committed to ensuring all our Citizens lead long, fulfilling and healthy lives. We are committed to supporting economic growth, providing high quality health and care services, protecting our most vulnerable…