Job Information
A vacancy has arisen following retirement of the current post holder. Children’s Services is well established and broad in context meeting the needs of many children, young people and their families and carers across the County and beyond.
Our Quality of Practice Framework is a key approach to understanding our current practice and drives our continuous improvement. This is well established within Children’s Social Care and is effective at helping our specialist service areas understand their good practice and where they want to do even better. We want to extend this oversight and expertise into SEND and develop that service and wider partnership Quality of Practice Framework.
This is a Head of Service role reporting into a Director (tier3) and works alongside 8 other Heads of Service across all of Children’s Services.
The services for which the role will have responsibility include Quality Assurance, the Independent Reviewing Service, the Performance and Systems teams, Project and Planning, the Principal Social Worker and the Safeguarding Business Manager as well as Engagement and Participation placing importance of the voice of children, young people, and their families in the continuous improvement cycle at this time.
We have recently been commended for the new Safeguarding arrangements in Northumberland by the DFE and the Head of Quality Assurance will lead the business arrangement function for the Northumberland Safeguarding Partnership.
We are looking for a passionate, enthusiastic, committed, child centred leader to join our Directorate Management Team who will be able to engage and work across the whole of Children’s services and our partnerships. Our services are rated GOOD by Ofsted and if you would like to be part of the team striving to deliver the best child centred services with and for our young people, we would welcome your interest and application.
Requirements of the job-
- A relevant professional qualification
- A relevant professional registration
- Enhanced DBS clearance
- Valid UK driving licence and ability to meet the transport requirements of the post
- A demonstrable track record in quality assurance and partnership working.
For an informal discussion about the post please contact Graham Reiter at Graham.Reiter@northumberland.gov.uk
Interviews to be held w/c 15th or 22nd April 2024.
Northumberland is world-renowned as a visitor destination and an ideal location to strike a perfect work/life balance. There is no better way of enjoying the picturesque scenery and stunning coastline than on an everyday basis!
Northumberland County Council’s (NCC) vision is “To make Northumberland a county which you regard as a great place to live, in which you can access the activities you enjoy, whilst having the opportunity to learn and thrive”.
For further information about working for NCC, please visit our website here.
Why choose us?
We have some outstanding benefits to offer you, including:
-26 days annual leave plus public/bank holidays, rising to 31 days after 5 years of service (pro rata for part-time employees)
-Automatic enrolment into the Local Government Pension Scheme
-Flexi scheme (if applicable) – up to 2 days flexible leave available per month (pro rata for part-time employees)
-Local government discount schemes available to all employees with offers at local businesses along with various national brands
-Commitment to work/life balance offering flexibility through various schemes including job sharing, flexible working, term-time only, and compressed hours
-A range of salary sacrifice schemes are available
-Staff networks - run by staff, for staff, providing opportunities for peer networking, mutual support, staff development e.g. Apprenticeship, Armed Forces, ASD, Enable (disability), LGBT+, Menopause, Mental Wellbeing, Racial Equality
Further information
Please note that this is a full time position but applications on a secondment or part-time basis would be considered for the right applicant.
For guidance on completing your application and for information about our Equality and Diversity principles, please see the attached guidance notes here.
We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria. If you wish to notify us of your eligibility for this scheme, please email hrrecruitment@northumberland.gov.uk or ring 01670 623930 with your name and the job title you have applied for and one of the recruitment team will ensure this is factored into the shortlisting process and kept anonymous. If you have a disability and would prefer to apply in a different format, please see the alternative methods below. This information will be treated as confidential and will only be used to check that you meet the essential requirements of the post.
Alternative application format:
British Sign Language: northumberlandcc-cs.signvideo.net
For those with speech difficulties or hearing loss: Text relay service dial 018001 01670 623930
Although we advertise on North East Jobs, and other websites, your application process will be directed to our Tribepad system. Please note that all communication regarding your application for this post will be sent to the email address that you have registered on Tribepad, including your invite to interview if you are shortlisted. Please check your emails regularly, including Spam/Junk, after the closing dates for notifications.
