Head of Service - Corporate Parenting

This role is subject to a £10,000 market supplement in addition to the advertised salary.

About the role

The London Borough of Havering's People Directorate vision is "Supporting our residents to stay safe and well." In Starting Well, this means creating the conditions for every child, young person and family in Havering to feel safe, be heard and achieve their best possible outcomes. Havering is on an ambitious journey of continuous improvement, and this is a significant leadership opportunity to shape services, influence strategic direction and drive excellent outcomes for children and young people who are looked after and care experienced.

As Head of Service – Corporate Parenting, you will provide strategic leadership for services supporting Children in Care, Care Leavers, Permanence and Corporate Parenting responsibilities, playing a pivotal role in ensuring that children and young people experience stability, safety, permanence and the support they need to thrive. You will lead Service Managers and frontline teams to deliver purposeful, child-centred and relationship-based practice, ensuring statutory responsibilities are met and that children receive support that is timely, effective and focused on achieving positive outcomes. You will also contribute as a key member of the Starting Well Senior Leadership Team, helping to shape the future direction of Children's Services in Havering.

Key responsibilities include:

• Providing visible, inclusive and values-led leadership across Corporate Parenting services
• Driving service improvement through effective use of performance information, audit activity, quality assurance and feedback from children and young people
• Championing the voice of children and young people, ensuring their experiences and views influence service delivery and improvement
• Building strong and productive relationships with partners across education, health, police and the voluntary sector, and representing Havering confidently within local, regional and multi-agency partnerships
• Managing resources and budgets effectively, ensuring services deliver value for money whilst maintaining excellent outcomes for young people

About you

Havering is looking for an experienced and credible senior leader within Children's Services who is able to provide strategic direction whilst maintaining a strong focus on practice quality and outcomes. The successful candidate will bring the resilience, judgement and emotional intelligence needed to lead complex statutory services and inspire confidence across the workforce, partners and wider community.

Most importantly, you will bring a genuine commitment to children and young people, a passion for improving outcomes and a belief that every child deserves the opportunity to flourish. The ideal candidate will:

• Hold a recognised social work qualification (Diploma in Social Work, CQSW or equivalent)
• Be currently registered with Social Work England
• Have significant senior leadership experience within Children’s Services
• Have a strong track record of improving practice quality, performance and outcomes within Corporate Parenting, Children in Care, Care Leavers, Permanence or related statutory services
• Have detailed knowledge of children’s social care legislation, statutory guidance and practice frameworks
• Have proven experience of leading, developing and motivating managers and teams
• Have experience of delivering service improvement through performance management, quality assurance and learning
• Have strong partnership working skills and the ability to influence across a complex system
• Have experience of budget and resource management
• Have excellent analytical, strategic planning and decision-making skills

We want everyone to choose Havering. When you apply for a job with us, your application is considered on its merits regardless of your age, disability, ethnicity, faith, gender identity or sexual orientation. The London Borough of Havering has important responsibilities for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. If appointed to this role, you may be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

About Havering

A message from our director:

There has never been a more exciting or meaningful time to join Havering Children’s Services.

Following the outcome of our Ofsted inspection in December 2023, we have embraced a clear and ambitious improvement journey, one defined by honesty, reflection and a genuine commitment to delivering the very best outcomes for children and families. As we move into year three of our improvement plan, we are not starting from scratch, we are building on strong foundations already laid and accelerating the pace of meaningful, sustainable change.

Alongside our improvement journey, we have continued to make strong progress in delivering the Families First Partnership Programme (FFPP) reforms. A key milestone in this has been the launch of our first Family Help pilot team in April 2026, developed in line with the national reforms to provide earlier, more joined up and relationship-based support for families.

Havering is an outer London borough like no other. Sitting in Northeast London (Zone 6), we have three Crossrail stations in borough which means we are only 30 minutes from Oxford Street. We are well connected to the hustle and bustle of the city, whilst just a short drive or bus ride from the surrounding Essex countryside and coast, giving our residents the best of both city and rural living.

It’s no wonder that we have one of the fastest growing and increasingly diverse child populations in the country, who benefit from living in one of the greenest areas in London. We have some amazing parks, 16 of which have green flag award status, and we are served by a rich mix of foundation, community, voluntary aided and academy schools with great Ofsted ratings.

Havering Town Hall, which hosts our main offices, is in the centre of Romford - our largest town and home to a vibrant street market dating back to 1247. Our offices are a 5 minute walk from the main shopping centres which host a range of popular shops, restaurants and gyms.

We are dedicated to creating the right conditions to support our social care practitioners to thrive by fostering an environment where you can develop your skills and knowledge alongside like-minded individuals. We value our employees and offer a range of benefits:

• A commitment to manageable caseloads and stable teams
• A clear and supported improvement journey, with a leadership team that is visible, committed and invested in your success
• £4,000 annual market supplement for Social Workers, Advanced Practitioners, Team Managers and Service Managers
• Accredited systemic training, in-house practice application workshops and reflective practice opportunities
• A tailored training programme and development opportunities through our dedicated Social Care Academy, plus a corporate offer of 10 days of learning per year
• A family-friendly employer welcoming applications for part-time roles at 0.5 full time equivalent
• Generous local government pension scheme and leave entitlement
• A strong corporate health and wellbeing offer, discounted gym membership, employee assistance programme and much more
• Annual staff recognition schemes (STAR awards and Social Care awards) celebrating staff commitment and achievement
• Access to a range of staff forums including LGBTQI+, RISE, Faith, Ability, Women's and Men's forums
• Modern workplace equipped with the latest technology
• Subsidised parking at various council-owned car parks across the borough