Head of Service for Corporate Parenting

Location: Romford, United Kingdom; based at Town Hall, Romford, Essex.

Salary: £77,550–£87,084 per year plus a £10,000 market supplement.

Company

hirify.global is a local authority whose People Directorate supports residents to stay safe and well, with Starting Well services focused on children, young people and families.

What you will do

• Provide visible, inclusive and values-led strategic leadership across Corporate Parenting services.
• Lead services supporting Children in Care, Care Leavers and Permanence, ensuring statutory responsibilities, high practice standards and sound decision-making.
• Drive service improvement through performance information, audits, quality assurance and feedback from children and young people.
• Develop Service Managers and frontline teams through reflective supervision, performance management and workforce development.
• Champion the voice of children and young people and ensure their experiences influence service delivery.
• Build partnerships across education, health, police and the voluntary sector, represent Havering in multi-agency partnerships, and manage budgets and resources effectively.

Requirements

• Qualified Social Worker with a Diploma in Social Work, CQSW or equivalent.
• Current registration with Social Work England.
• Significant senior leadership experience within Children's Services.
• Strong track record of improving practice quality, performance and outcomes in Corporate Parenting, Children in Care, Care Leavers, Permanence or related statutory services.
• Detailed knowledge of children's social care legislation, statutory guidance and practice frameworks.
• Proven experience leading, developing and motivating managers and teams.
• Experience delivering service improvement through performance management, quality assurance and learning.
• Strong partnership-working and influencing skills across a complex system.
• Experience managing budgets and resources, with excellent analytical, strategic planning and decision-making skills.

Culture & Benefits

• Supportive and collaborative senior leadership team.
• Commitment to practice excellence, corporate parenting, permanence, inclusion and diversity.
• Focus on workforce development, partnership working and continuous improvement.
• Opportunity to improve outcomes for children and young people and shape the future of Children's Services.
• Employment may involve a Disclosure and Barring Service check due to work with children, young people and vulnerable adults.

Hiring process

• Submit a supporting statement of no more than two A4 pages explaining how the criteria are met.
• The closing date is 10 November 2026, although the vacancy may close early; the interview date is to be confirmed.
• Anonymised recruitment is used, and personal information should be removed from uploaded documents.