Job Description
This is for internal candidates only. Please do not apply if you do not work for the London Borough of Barnet.
About Barnet Council
Barnet is a borough with much to be proud of. Our excellent schools, vibrant town centres, vast green spaces and diverse communities all help make it a great place to live and work. As a council we want to build on these strengths as we move into the future. We are growing and developing as an organisation to meet the challenges facing our borough and we are committed to working with partner organisations and residents to make Barnet even better. As an organisation, our staff are committed to Our Values: Learning to Improve, Caring, Inclusive, Collaborative – which drive everything we do.
About The Role
At the London Borough of Barnet, we are ambitious for our children and families. We are committed to delivering an integrated, child‑centred and relational approach to Family Help and safeguarding, focused on improving outcomes through excellent practice, strong partnerships and a culture that values innovation, learning and reflective leadership.
The Assistant Head of Service for Safeguarding, Quality Assurance and Workforce Development will play a key role in supporting Barnet’s delivery of the Children’s Wellbeing & Schools Act, providing leadership of the development, implementation and effectiveness of the Barnet Multi‑Agency Safety teams (MAST). Working collaboratively with the Head of Service and other senior leaders, the postholder will contribute to ensuring that child protection intervention and children’s needs are assessed in a holistic and timely manner and that appropriate services are provided or commissioned to meet their needs and are consistent with their best interests.
As a member of the Senior Management Team in Family Services, you will provide strategic and operational leadership across these functions. You will champion engagement, family‑led decision‑making, partnership working, co‑production strategies and development of services with children and young people. You will also promote active participation of children and young people, ensuring their voices are heard, listened to and influence how we deliver services to children and families in Barnet.
In collaboration with senior colleagues, you will support the delivery of high‑quality, cost‑effective social care services by contributing to clear practice standards, ensuring compliance with statutory requirements and promoting effective joint working with partners and other agencies. You will provide strong relational and system leadership across multi‑agency partners to embed a shared approach, including effective thresholds, pathways and joint decision‑making, which improve the experience and outcomes for children and families in Barnet.
About You
You will be a qualified and registered social worker with experience of managing complex services, including oversight of projects and budgets. This is an opportunity for an aspiring senior leader who can build on strong foundations, drive high‑quality service delivery, compliance, and create the conditions for the children’s workforce to thrive.
You will have a strong track record of achieving positive outcomes for children and young people and be passionate about working alongside families. You will value the lived experience of children, actively seek family feedback and promote collaboration and co‑production in the development of services, policies, intervention and plans.
You will be comfortable leading services through change, maintaining strong operational grip whilst contributing to longer‑term transformation. You will understand the direction of travel for children’s social care and be motivated to translate reform ambition into sustainable, high‑quality frontline practice, working collaboratively across the Barnet Family Services system and other partners.
Key Requirements
- Have excellent knowledge of relevant legislative frameworks, government guidance, policies and procedures relating to Children and Families.
- Have a clear understanding of the purpose and direction of the Children’s Social Care Reforms, including the evidence, values and practice principles that underpin them, and how these translate into effective frontline practice.
- Have experience of driving workforce development activities leading to improvements in the quality of practice.
- Have detailed knowledge of government guidelines and standards that support the delivery of safe, high‑quality service.
- Have knowledge of professional codes of practice that underpin the Children’s Workforce in statutory and early help settings.
- Have a track record of effectively delivering safe services within a multi‑agency framework, which has delivered excellent outcomes.
- Have a proven track record of working collaboratively with senior managers in children’s services and in partnership with other agencies.
- Be passionate about engaging children, young people and their families, obtaining feedback, listening to their ideas and promoting co‑production of services, policies and plans.
What We Offer
- 31 days annual leave, plus public and bank holidays
- Access to the Local Government Pension Scheme, which provides a valuable guaranteed income in your retirement together with security for your dependents
- Work‑life balance options may include hybrid working, flexitime, job share, home working, part‑time
- A vast range of lifestyle discounts from major retailers, supermarkets, energy suppliers and more
- Broad range of payroll benefits including cycle to work, eye care vouchers, travel and gym membership
- Excellent training and development opportunities
- Employee well‑being training programmes including confidential employee assistance
Equal Opportunity and Workplace Policies
Barnet Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Barnet operates stringent safer recruitment procedures, including AI Detection Screening, Biometric ID/Right to Work Checks, Qualification and Registration Checks, up to 6 years of employment data and insights to accelerate screening, references, DBS checks, credit checks and social media checks, sanctions and occupational health screening.
To deliver Barnet Council’s commitment to equality of opportunity in the provision of services, all staff are expected to promote equality in the workplace and in the services the Council delivers. As such we value diversity and welcome applications from all backgrounds.
Barnet Council embraces all forms of flexible working (including part‑time, compressed hours, and hybrid working) and is committed to offering employees a healthy work‑life balance. Candidates are encouraged to talk about relevant requirements and preferences at interview. We can’t promise to give you exactly what you want, but we do promise not to judge you for asking.
Barnet Council is a Disability Confident Committed Employer. We welcome and encourage job applications of all abilities. If you require any reasonable adjustments in the application or interview, please contact the lead contact on this advert. We will make reasonable adjustments to make sure our disabled applicants and those with health conditions are supported throughout our recruitment process. We support the access to work scheme, further details are available at www.gov.uk/access-to-work/apply.
All posts with the council are subject to a probationary period of six months, during which time you will be required to demonstrate to the council satisfaction your suitability for the position in which you will be employed.
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