Head of Service for Family Help

We are seeking a dynamic and visionary leader to take on the role of Head of Service for Family Help in Luton. This pivotal role provides leadership and oversight across a broad portfolio including Quality Assurance, Commissioning, and Improvement activity.

As the Head of Service, you’ll ensure that all statutory duties to children and families in Luton are fully met, and that services are consistently effective, child-focused, and result in positive outcomes for children and young people.

This is an area of rapid change, and the service is required to respond to new government initiatives, which require multi-agency implementation. You’ll be responsible for holding professionals across education, police, social care, health, and other partner agencies to account, ensuring services meet statutory requirements, reflect best practice, and that all partners are fulfilling their responsibilities.

This role requires strategic oversight of borough-wide children’s services, contributing specialist knowledge to decision-making, policies, procedures, and the overall quality of practice.

You will lead on the improvement agenda, driving forward innovation and improvements in service delivery, professional practice, supervision, and case management — always with a focus on achieving meaningful outcomes for children and families.

You’re a passionate and driven leader with a strong track record of developing children’s services — and you're ready for your next big challenge. You thrive in complex, fast-paced environments and know how to turn strategic vision into real-world impact.

You’re not just experienced — you’re exceptional at building partnerships, inspiring teams, and making change happen. You bring:

• Proven leadership experience, with a deep understanding of how to shape and deliver policy and strategy at a senior level.
• A collaborative mindset, with a history of forging strong relationships across multi-agency networks — from education and health to police and the voluntary sector — to deliver joined-up services that truly meet the needs of children and families.
• Financial savvy, with experience of managing large, complex budgets and funding streams, ensuring resources are used effectively and creatively.
• A people-first approach, with the ability to lead, motivate and develop high-performing teams, bringing out the best in others to drive improvement and innovation.
• A commitment to putting children and families at the heart of everything you do, with a strong record of engaging service users and embedding their voices in service design and delivery.
• Outstanding communication skills, capable of influencing at every level, challenging the status quo, and presenting ideas with clarity and impact.
• A solid grasp of the policy landscape affecting children and young people, particularly in safeguarding, health and safety, and service delivery within diverse urban communities.

• A professional qualification in social work, backed by a management qualification or substantial leadership development training (or equivalent).

Luton Council has been selected to deliver the government’s Families First for Children Pathfinder programme.

Luton is one of seven new areas in the second wave to be chosen with the aim of protecting vulnerable children from harm and improving services to help more children stay with their families in safe and loving homes.

The programme is an amazing opportunity for Luton to shape future social care practice, which includes closer working relationships with our health, police, education and voluntary sector partners.

Children are at the heart of everything we do in Luton, and we are very proud of the tremendous work that is already taking place together with our partners, including the development of our Family Hubs and working towards making Luton a child-friendly town where our children and young people can grow up feeling happy, healthy and secure.

Our ambitious Luton 2040 Vision – that no-one in Luton will have to live in poverty – is at the heart of everything we do. We recognise that our people are remarkable, talented, committed and passionate about serving our residents.

The people of Luton depend heavily on this council – and that means our workforce! Are you ready to realise the remarkable and help us deliver our vision?

Because of the nature of this job, it will be necessary for the appropriate level of criminal record disclosure to be undertaken. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare all unspent cautions and convictions; and also any adult cautions (simple or conditional), and spent convictions that are not protected as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020). A person’s criminal record will not in itself prevent a person from being appointed to this post. Applicants will not be refused posts because of offences which are not relevant to, and do not place them at or make them a risk in, the role for which they are applying. However, in the event of the employment being taken up, any failure to disclose such offence, as detailed above, will result in dismissal or disciplinary action by the Authority.

We offer a range of excellent staff benefits which include:

• From 25 to 32 days’ annual leave: linked to length of service and grade
• Buying annual leave scheme: buy up to 20 days additional annual leave
• Career Pathways: step up in your career or move into a specialist area
• Pension scheme: with generous employer contributions of up to 20.2 per cent (at July 2023) and 3x salary death in service grant
• Generous relocation package: up to £8,000 (subject to eligibility)
• Employee Assistance Programme: a free, 24/7 confidential counselling and wellbeing support service available to all employees, their partner or spouse and dependent children over 16 still living at home
• Work/life balance: flexible working options including working from home where possible. We welcome requests for flexible working arrangements including part-time hours and alternative working patterns
• Training and support: unlimited access to development courses, mentoring and support and clear career pathways
• Staff offers: includes discounts on your MOT, gym and fitness, restaurants and salons
• Arriva Travel Club: great value savings on local bus travel
• Friday Funday Socials - One Friday every 2 months where we encourage our staff to get together to socialise after work