Head of Safeguarding & Support

Job description

Contract Terms

Grade: HC2
Salary: £81,729 – £95,295 per annum (Pro Rata)
Contract Type: Fixed-Term Contract (18 Months)
Working Hours: 36 Hours per week
Closing Date: Monday 4th August 2025
Interview Date: To be confirmed

About Haringey

Haringey is a fantastic place to live and work – the world in one borough. A place brimming with creativity, personality, radicalism, and community. It is a place where we stand up for each other. A place that is proudly distinctive. We’ll be celebrating all this and more as the “rebel borough” when we are the 2027 London Borough of Culture. Our history champions change-makers and everyday rebels; revelling in our differences, battling discrimination, championing equality, and doing things our own way. Haringey’s people are a huge asset, with knowledge, expertise, and passion. Our staff members embody our organisational values: Caring, Creative, Courageous, Collaborative and Community-focused. These values keep us looking forward, ambitious for the future, and continuously striving to do our very best for all of our residents.

About the Role

The Head of Service plays a pivotal leadership role in shaping and driving the strategic vision for frontline social care provision, overseeing a diverse range of multi-disciplinary teams dedicated to safeguarding and supporting children and young people. This role carries significant responsibility for ensuring high-quality, responsive services that meet the complex needs of vulnerable families, while maintaining a strong focus on child protection, early intervention, and statutory responsibilities. The Head of Service ensures that cases progress effectively through the legal system, working closely with legal teams, courts, and external partners to uphold the best interests of children and young people.

In addition to operational oversight, the Head of Service is instrumental in the strategic development and continuous improvement of the service, aligning practice with national Social Care Reforms and local priorities. This includes leading change management initiatives, embedding evidence-based approaches, and fostering a culture of innovation, accountability, and excellence. The role demands a forward-thinking leader who can influence policy, manage complex budgets, and build strong partnerships across health, education, and voluntary sectors. With a clear commitment to improving outcomes and reducing risk, the Head of Service ensures that frontline teams are well-supported, well-trained, and empowered to deliver impactful, child-centred interventions.

About You

This candidate is a qualified Social Worker with current registration with Social Work England, bringing a wealth of experience at senior level within safeguarding and social care environments. They possess a deep understanding of statutory responsibilities, risk management, and child protection frameworks, and have consistently demonstrated the ability to lead complex service delivery in high-pressure settings. Their professional background includes working with vulnerable children and families, navigating sensitive safeguarding concerns, and ensuring that interventions are both timely and effective.

With exceptional communication skills, the candidate is adept at tailoring their approach to suit a wide range of audiences—from frontline practitioners to senior executives and external partners. They have a proven track record of engaging with high-level stakeholders, both internally and externally, and managing service delivery within politically sensitive and resource-constrained environments. Their strategic insight is complemented by a strong grasp of the commercial and operational context of social care services, enabling them to make informed decisions that align with the Council’s broader aims. Known for their initiative, sound judgement, and commitment to excellence, this candidate is well-equipped to lead, influence, and drive meaningful change in complex social care systems.

Working for Haringey

At Haringey Council we are committed to creating a workplace culture where all our people feel valued, included, and able to be their best at work, and we recognise the benefits of a diverse workforce so welcome applications from all ethnicities and communities so that we continue to make a difference to our residents and community. Our benefits package includes a leave entitlement up to 31 days + bank holidays, potential hybrid working opportunities, health and wellbeing support, a generous local government pension scheme and a range of discount schemes across leisure and culture that provide both financial and money-saving discounts. Please note: we reserve the right to end this advert before the noted deadline if we receive sufficient applications. If you wish to apply for this role please ensure that you do so as soon as possible. Additionally, we are aware that automated emails may end be diverted through to junk email folders. Please continue to check these through the application process. If you have any questions about the status of you application please contact ResourcingHub@haringey.gov.uk