Head of Service Early Help

**About Us**:
- We have fully launched the Family Safeguarding Model and now have multi-disciplinary teams embedded across our 3 social care areas, which are already having a positive impact on the children and families we work with and on the staff who work in those services. The 3 social care areas are aligned with our 6 geographically based Early Help Hubs. Having come through both our Ofsted ILACS and our SEND inspections in the past year we are excited about our plans to make further improvements and have created an environment in which every member of staff feels motivated and supported to do so._
- I look forward to the possibility of you joining us on that renewed journey.”_

**Jenny Boyd - Assistant Director - Early Help & Children’s Social Care**
**The Opportunity** Salary**: £71,190 TO £75,950 per annum

**Contract**: Permanent

**Working Pattern**:Full-time, with hybrid working

**Location**: Office Base - Chichester with a requirement for county wide presence.

**Interview dates**: Tuesday 5th March, with a potential date of 6th March.

Are you looking for a chance to truly make a difference in children’s, young people’s, and families’ lives? Are you looking for an organisation that cares about finding true work-life balance? Then joining us as a Head of Service for Early Help may be for you

The Early Help Service is an integral part of the Children, Young People and Learning Directorate, working collaboratively with Social Care and Education and Skills so that all children and families are accessing the right help, co-ordinated support, and protection from the most appropriate part of Children’s Services.

You will join an experienced leadership team at a key time as we drive forward the ‘Children First’ Improvement Plan. We are focused on improved service delivery with measurable outcomes for children, families, and communities.

We’re looking for a dynamic, responsible, and passionate leader who isn’t afraid to take on a challenge. As Head of Service, you will be tasked with generating and nurturing high morale and maintaining high standards amongst your workforce. You will have a direct responsibility for a team of Service Managers, Team Managers and Early Help Professionals, inspiring confidence in yourself and the experienced, hard-working leadership team as well as motivating and recognising the pride and dedication your service has for ensuring better outcomes for children.

For further information about us and about working in Children’s Services at West Sussex County Council, please visit **Careers in Early Help in West Sussex - West Sussex County Council**.**

**WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR** Key Skills**:

- Ability to work independently, making sound pragmatic problem solving decisions, which will have a wider service impact, including devising solutions to specific problems of a programme, prioritisation, resource or performance related nature using significant professional judgement and evaluative skills to make effective decisions.
- Exceptional, highly developed communication skills to influence and persuade the actions of others in order to construct, evaluate and deliver effective solutions.
- Effective research and planning skills to construct highly effective complex business critical solutions.
- Ability to forward plan, continuously developing and reviewing the effectiveness of service.
- Ability to recognise where change is needed and to challenge existing practices, processes and activities and identify and deliver effective solutions which promote change.
- Strong partnership working skills with the ability to develop and manage highly effective relationships and co-ordinate a range of partners and stakeholders both internally and externally to successfully deliver objectives.
- Ability to use own judgement to identify, define and analyse alternative courses of action, thinking creatively to deliver innovative solutions to complex issues.
- Effective people management and performance management skills with the ability to lead and inspire, providing direction and support to individuals and teams.

**Qualifications, knowledge and experience**:

- Fellowship membership of a relevant professional body or equivalent high-level experience of involved practices.
- Self-sufficient expertise across the technical/professional specialism at the highest level of proficiency, with a comprehensive knowledge of complex practices and precedents built on concepts and principles.
- Practical and theoretical knowledge of the political environment of local government and partner organisations.
- Comprehensive operational and strategic experience appropriate to the business and the organisation.
- Experience of delivering an exceptional service to others through the management of a service, with considerable experience of managing and leading a business function or service with a number of integrated teams and effectively managing a budget and contributing to decision m