Head of Youth Justice & Contextual Safeguarding
Posted 10 October 2025
Job Summary
This is an opportunity to join a creative, forward‑thinking leadership team. We are ambitious for children, young people and their families, and our last Ofsted inspection recognised the significant improvement that has been made to the quality of practice and to the culture of appreciation for our skilled practitioners. As Head of Youth Justice & Contextual Safeguarding, you will build on well‑established partnerships, working collaboratively with the senior leadership team to deliver impactful services for young people at risk.
Responsibilities
* Lead the Youth Engagement Service and interface with the Youth Justice Service.
* Champion contextual safeguarding approaches across multi‑agency partnerships.
* Represent the service in strategic forums, meetings and events.
* Develop and deliver services that reduce risk of exploitation and criminal influences.
* Ensure effective intervention pre‑ and post‑offending for young people.
* Collaborate with partners to embed a whole‑system approach to youth safety.
* Support strategic planning and continuous improvement across the service.
* Deliver upon commercial objectives to demonstrate growth and improve service outcomes.
* Motivate, manage and develop staff to foster a culture of high‑quality performance.
* Advise stakeholders on regulations, standards and risks, ensuring compliance with legislation.
* Identify, manage and mitigate risks within service operations.
* Collaborate across the Council and wider region to deliver system‑wide solutions for residents.
Qualifications
* Professional Social Work qualification with current SWE registration.
* Substantial experience in frontline child protection practice, with depth and breadth of knowledge.
Experience
* Management experience within contextual safeguarding.
* Experience delivering services to those at risk of child exploitation, gang affiliation and criminal influences.
* Significant senior leadership experience in children’s social care.
* Ability to lead, manage and develop a team or provide technical leadership through a matrix structure.
* Up‑to‑date knowledge of external issues (legislative, regulatory, best‑practice standards) that affect youth justice practice.
* Demonstrable commitment to performance management and productivity to meet council priorities.
Disclosures and Checks
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975. A Disclosure and Barring Service check is required. Applicants must have current UK professional registration.
Employer Details
Kirklees Council, Across Kirklees, Huddersfield, HD1 2TG.
Reference number: F0014-25-0002
Contract: Permanent; Working pattern: Full‑time, Flexible. Pay scheme: Very senior manager (VSM). Salary: £60,537 to £70,791 per year plus a £6,000 market rate supplement (reviewed annually).
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