The City of Edinburgh Council
Head of Children's Services - Complex Safeguarding
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Head of Children's Services - Complex Safeguarding
Waverley Court
Salary: £94,901 - £106,811
Hours: 36 per week
To be primarily responsible for the performance, efficiency and development of a major children’s service:
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Early Intervention
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Corporate Parenting
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Social work practice
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Complex Safeguarding
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Performance, Quality and Compliance
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Manage a major service area of the Council.
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Responsible for the effective delivery of statutory services for either of the above service areas.
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Ensure that services are improving outcomes to those in need of essential quality of life services across the city.
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Undertake regular practice evaluations and address and improvements in practice where required.
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Lead on the development of initiatives, strategic plans and policy development within own area of expertise and across the department and council, as required.
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Work effectively with partners including the Third and voluntary service.
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Manage and monitor the performance of external consultants and contractors.
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Effectively lead and develop team-working within own area of expertise and across the wider environment in which the post-holder operates.
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Deputise for the Service Director, other service managers, or represent the Corporate Director and/or the Council as required.
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Work closely with Chief Officers, Elected Members, senior officers and external agencies to represent the Council’s interests.
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Take personal responsibility for the development of sustainable strategic plans, service delivery and development.
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To initiate, develop and manage the implementation of major innovative projects.
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Secure funding packages and ensure delivery to budget and within timescale.
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Responsible for the preparation and content of reports, strategic plans, other documents, briefings, presentations and FOIs for Council meetings, external agencies, senior officers, including the Corporate Leadership Team and the relevant committees as well as business and stakeholder groups.
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Ensure and demonstrate the services under their control provide best value.
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Set standards, policies and procedures which ensure compliance with statutory responsibilities, national legislation, standing orders, delegated authority, Council policies, aims and objectives.
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Lead on identifying and establishing effective management arrangements for key risks within the service, compliant with the Council’s risk management policy and framework.
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Identify opportunities for continual improvement and demonstrate effective management of change within a complex internal and external environment particularly during a time of restructure.
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Present expert evidence and opinion at Public Enquiries, hearings and court proceedings etc.
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Support the Council’s democratic process, including scrutiny, local development committees, meetings of the Council and Elected Members.
This post is regulated work with children and/or protected adults under the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007. The preferred candidate will be required to join the PVG Scheme or undergo a PVG Scheme update check. Where an individual has spent a continuous period of 3 months or more out with the UK in the last 5 years, an Overseas Criminal Record Check will be required. You will be required to provide this check. An unconditional offer of employment and commencement in the post will be subject to the outcome of both these pre-employment checks being deemed satisfactory.
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We are committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce where everyone feels valued and able to be their best. We particularly encourage applications from women for senior roles, as well as people from minority ethnic backgrounds, people with disabilities or neurodivergent people, care experienced people, carers and LGBT+ people across all levels of the organisation, all of whom are currently underrepresented. All applicants will be considered fairly based on skills and experience. Disabled and care-experienced applicants who meet the minimum job criteria will be guaranteed an interview.
Find out more about our commitment to equalities https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/work-us/inclusive-edinburgh/4
As part of our goal to improve organisational culture and create a great place to work together for the people of Edinburgh, we want to make sure we're recruiting the best people. We’re interested not only in your skills and experience but also in your approach to work. Therefore, part of our interview process will be an assessment of how you would bring Our Behaviours of Respect, Integrity and Flexibility into your ways of working.
You can find out more on Our Behaviours web page Our Behaviours – The City of Edinburgh Council
Our salary range typically reflects the initial starting salary and annually increases until it reaches the top of the range.
Happy to talk flexible working.
Follow us on X at @edincounciljobs
View Head of Children's Services - Complex Safeguarding job description https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/downloads/file/40705/head-of-children-s-services-cec1123-jd
View Head of Children's Services - Complex Safeguarding person specification https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/downloads/file/40706/hos-complex-safeguarding-cec1123-ps-18-08
THE CITY OF EDINBURGH COUNCIL
About Us:
Are you keen to shape the future of Scotland’s capital city? The City of Edinburgh Council is looking for dedicated and enthusiastic individuals to work with us and deliver key services across our capital city. We’re the second largest local authority in Scotland with a workforce of over 19,000 who all play a crucial role in maintaining and supporting vital services to over 500,000 residents. We offer an incredible variety of career opportunities across a broad range of sectors. Join us and you’ll find a role where you can make a difference and grow your career.
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Our Culture:
Our Behaviours, respect, integrity, and flexibility guide everything that we do, and we strive to make sure all colleagues feel valued and have a sense of belonging in the workplace. We want to make sure that we bring people into our roles who demonstrate Our Behaviours and are dedicated and committed to our purpose of serving our community. We are focused on delivering excellent customer service to meet citizens needs and make the city a better place.
You can find out more on Our Behaviours web page Our Behaviours – The City of Edinburgh Council.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:
We recognise the benefits that diverse perspectives, experiences and backgrounds bring to our organisation, and we’re committed to employing a workforce that represents the population of the city we serve. We particularly encourage applicants from under-represented groups including women, LGBT+ people, racially minoritised groups, people with disabilities and people who are neurodivergent.
As part of our commitment to inclusive recruitment, we're delighted to announce that we have extended our guaranteed interview scheme to include all applicants who are or have been care experienced, and who meet the essential criteria for the post. This extends our current arrangements of being a Disability Confident Employer, that guarantee an interview to applicants who meet the criteria for the post and who declare a disability.
Happy to talk flexible working.
Colleague Support and Wellbeing
As outlined in our People Strategy 2024-27, we aim to nurture a healthy workforce where we can all thrive. We offer regular events, initiatives and learning opportunities covering a range of different health and wellbeing topics.
We’re committed to supporting employees to achieve a healthy work life balance. There are several policies in place to support this ranging from flexible work options to career breaks. Our full suite of employment policies can be found here.
We have a range of support options available including access to counselling, a mental health support service, an occupational health service, speak up supporters and a colleague listening service.
Reasonable Adjustments:
We’re committed to providing an inclusive and accessible experience at work for all our colleagues and we’ll work hard to ensure that we meet the changing needs of colleagues throughout their time with us. We’re also geared up to support all candidates who may require reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process. Candidates invited for interview, should let the hiring manager know what they need, and they will do everything they can to accommodate your request.
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