This is a Gloucestershire County Council job.
1. Job Title: Head of Service - Mental Health Social Work
2. Job Location: Shire Hall, Block 5, 3rd Floor
3. Salary: £63,132 - £68,342 per annum
4. Benefits: Free offsite parking and a !
5. Hours per Week: 37.00
6. Contract Type: Fixed Term
7. Duration: One year
8. Closing Date: 08/09/2025
9. Job Requisition Number: 12424
10. This post is not open to job share
Are you ready to take your leadership to the next level? Do you thrive in a fast-paced, people-focused environment where your decisions directly impact lives for the better?
Gloucestershire County Council is on the lookout for a visionary, values-driven Head of Service - Mental Health Social Work to help shape the future of Adult Social Care. This is more than a job – it’s a chance to lead transformation, empower teams, and deliver life-changing outcomes for our communities.
About the Role:
This pivotal role will shape strategic developments, lead operational services, and ensure the delivery of high-quality, person-centred care that promotes independence and wellbeing.
You will deputise for the Assistant Director, lead designated programmes, and drive transformation across services. Your leadership will be instrumental in safeguarding vulnerable adults, achieving value for money, and fostering integrated working with health and community partners.
You will:
11. Deputise for the Assistant Director and represent ASC at local, regional, and national forums.
12. Lead and manage strategic service areas, ensuring high standards of practice and performance.
13. Champion a culture of learning, development, and accountability across teams.
14. Drive service transformation and continuous improvement initiatives.
15. Manage budgets effectively to deliver outcomes within available resources.
16. Collaborate with commissioners and partners to deliver integrated services.
17. Prepare services for CQC inspection and ensure compliance with statutory duties.
18. Promote equality, diversity, and inclusion in all aspects of service delivery.
About you:
You are a strategic thinker with excellent decision-making and analytical skills. You will have proven senior leadership experience in adult social care or related sectors.
You have got track record of delivering high-impact service improvements, and strong background in partnership working and inter-agency collaboration.
You will have experience managing large budgets and leading high-performing teams.
You will have worked in a local authority mental health statutory setting and have an understanding of the adult social care legal and policy framework and other relevant legislation including the Mental Health Act and an awareness of the proposed reforms currently going through Parliament and how this may be reflected within the NHS 10 year plan.
A recognised Social Work qualification and registration with Social Work England, along with previous experience as an Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP), would be highly desirable.
Perhaps most importantly, you will be an ambassador for adult social care and have a passion for making a difference to people’s lives!
Our are at the heart of everything we do and how we treat each other. They provide essential guiding principles about the way we work and set the tone for our culture, and identify what we, as an organisation, care about. .
If you hold the same behaviours and approach, then we want to hear from you! In exchange, we will provide you with full training and support to help you succeed in your role.
About us:
Our people do all they can to make the difference to local communities in Gloucestershire. And that is exactly what we aim to do for our people! Here are some of the ways we aim to achieve this:
19. Regular formal and informal support
20. Safe, supportive and positive working environment with regular, robust supervision
21. Access to training and development and leadership conferences, enabling you to develop your skills
22. 30.5 days annual leave
23. Access to the Local Government Pension Scheme
24. Staff discount scheme that offers access to great savings including discounts with major supermarket chains and high street retailers
25. Access to our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) that provides free, confidential, counselling and advice for employees, available 24 hours a day, online and by telephone.
26. Cycle to Work scheme
27. Gloucestershire Salary Sacrifice Green Car Scheme (T&C's apply)
28. Links to employee networks such as Prism (LGBT+) network and the Young Employees Network.
We’re closer than you think:
We are an easy commute from many locations, to see what we mean.
Applying:
Additional Information:
Please note that the recruitment and selection process will be held in-person on the week commencing 15/09 and comprise of a 2-stage process:
29. Stakeholder panel discussion
30. Presentation and competitive interview process
To access the Job Profile for this role, please follow the link below:
Please note that this post:
31. is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check
32. involves travel throughout the County
33. will involve working outside of normal office hours at times, including management cover for out of hours services
34. will be part of the Council’s Emergency Welfare Team cover.
Gloucestershire County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people or vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early due to the volume of applications received and / or due to the needs of the service. The advert will be open for a minimum of 7 calendar days. If you are interested in applying, we encourage you to submit your application as early as possible
We want to be an employer of choice, attracting and retaining excellent people to work for us, so that we can best serve all of Gloucestershire’s diverse communities. Our promise to you is that we will provide an inclusive and supportive working environment that enables you to bring your whole self to work and realise your full potential.
It is a legal requirement, under the Immigration Act 2016, that anyone appointed to a ‘customer facing role’ must be able to demonstrate an ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in fluent English.
Hybrid working arrangements are available for the majority of our roles, giving teams the opportunity to work in a way that suits them, balancing service need and individual choice, with a mix of both remote and office working.