Head of Service – Safeguarding & Family Support Southend-on-Sea £600 per day (LTD) Minimum 3 days on-site per week An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Head of Service to join Southend-on-Sea, leading the Safeguarding & Family Support Service at a pivotal time of transformation. This is a key leadership role where you will drive forward service improvement, shape practice, and deliver high-quality outcomes for children, young people, and families. About the Role You will: Lead and modernise Children’s Social Care services, ensuring effective and high-quality delivery Oversee and performance manage 3 Service Managers across: CSPOC (formerly MASH) Assessment & Intervention Family Support & Protection (Child Protection) Children with Disabilities (CWD) Provide strong strategic and operational leadership across safeguarding services Create a supportive, innovative, and transparent culture that promotes excellent practice Ensure effective use of resources while maintaining high standards of service delivery Key Responsibilities Drive performance, quality assurance, and continuous improvement across multiple service areas Lead, develop and support senior managers to achieve outstanding outcomes Contribute to and implement the Children’s Social Care annual service plan Align service delivery with local priorities and national policy/legislation Work collaboratively across the wider council and partner agencies Transformation Opportunity Southend-on-Sea is launching a brand-new Families First service, going live in May. As Head of Service, you will play a lead role in shaping and delivering this innovative model, ensuring early intervention, improved outcomes, and sustainable change for families. About You Proven experience at Head of Service level within Children’s Social Care Strong background in safeguarding, child protection, and frontline services Experience managing multiple teams/services through senior managers Track record of driving service improvement and transformation Confident in leading through change in a complex, fast-paced environment This is a fantastic opportunity to take on a high-impact leadership role and be at the forefront of meaningful service transformation. Apply now or get in touch to discuss further. Please email your CV to Delanie.Heyes@servicecare.org.uk or Call 01772 208964