Senior Leadership Role

Description:

The London Borough of Newham is seeking a highly experienced, visionary, and compassionate leader to join as Assistant Director of Children’s Social Care and Safeguarding. This pivotal role offers the opportunity to drive systemic improvement in outcomes for children, young people, and families across one of London’s most diverse boroughs. The successful candidate will play a key part in shaping Family Help services, implementing government reforms, and promoting a culture of excellence and inclusion.

As the Assistant Director, you will be responsible for strategic leadership across Family Help, MASH (Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub), EDT (Emergency Duty Team), and NRPF (No Recourse to Public Funds) Teams. You will lead the development of Newham’s Family Hubs, ensuring that services are accessible, effective, and aligned with national reforms that aim to provide every child with the best start in life.

This is an exceptional opportunity for a leader who is passionate about safeguarding children, developing integrated services, and embedding a culture of collaboration and accountability.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide strategic leadership for the development and delivery of Newham’s Family Help offer, ensuring effective collaboration across multi-agency partners.

• Oversee Family Help, MASH, EDT, and NRPF Teams, ensuring service effectiveness and compliance with statutory obligations.

• Lead the development and implementation of strategic plans based on national reforms and legislative updates.

• Drive the establishment and continuous improvement of Best Start Family Hubs, delivering holistic support for families.

• Ensure high standards of safeguarding practice, governance, and performance management across services.

• Collaborate with partners, residents, and council colleagues to deliver innovative and sustainable solutions that improve outcomes for children.

• Model and promote Newham’s core values of inclusion, anti-racism, and equity in every aspect of leadership and service delivery.

• Monitor and report performance, ensuring the delivery of measurable improvements in service quality and outcomes.

About You:

You are a strategic thinker and compassionate leader with substantial experience in Children’s Social Care at a senior level. You possess the vision and determination to lead complex service improvements, ensuring that every child in Newham can thrive. You have deep knowledge of national policy, statutory frameworks, and best practice in safeguarding and family support.

Your leadership style is collaborative and empowering, and you are adept at working across multiple stakeholders to implement change. You are committed to anti-racist and inclusive practice and can foster a culture that reflects these values throughout your teams.

About the Organization:

The London Borough of Newham is one of the most vibrant and diverse local authorities in the UK, with more than 100 languages spoken and nearly a quarter of residents under 18. Despite facing significant social and economic challenges, Newham is a borough with immense potential and ambition.

The Council’s vision is to ensure that every child and young person enjoys the best possible opportunities—through outstanding education, high-quality family support, and first-class social care services. Newham’s commitment to equality, inclusion, and community engagement underpins all of its work.

The borough is also a leader in Corporate Social Responsibility and community partnership, supporting initiatives that promote well-being, inclusion, and anti-racist practices across all departments.

Equality and Diversity Commitment:

Newham is deeply committed to fostering an inclusive, anti-racist, and equitable work environment. Applications are welcomed from all backgrounds, and recruitment decisions are made purely based on merit, experience, and alignment with the council’s values.

If appointed to a role involving children or vulnerable adults, candidates will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check to ensure safeguarding standards.