This post is for Internal candidates only.

About Barnet Council

Barnet is a borough with much to be proud of. Our excellent schools, vibrant town centres, vast green spaces and diverse communities all help make it a great place to live and work. As a council we want to build on these strengths as we move into the future. We are growing and developing as an organisation to meet the challenges facing our borough and we are committed to working with partner organisations and residents to make Barnet even better. As an organisation, our staff are committed to Our Values: Learning to Improve, Caring, Inclusive, Collaborative – which drive everything we do.

About the role

At the London Borough of Barnet, we are ambitious for our children and families. We are committed to delivering an integrated, child‑centred and relational approach to Family Help and safeguarding, focused on improving outcomes through excellent practice, strong partnerships and a culture that values innovation, learning and reflective leadership.

The Assistant Head of Service for Assessment, Intervention and Planning will play a key role in supporting Barnet’s delivery of the Children’s Social Care Reforms and the development of an integrated Family Help model. Working collaboratively with the Head of Service and other senior leaders, the postholder will contribute to the realignment of Assessment, Intervention and Planning into a single, coherent Family Help service that provides the right help at the right time through consistent relational practice with children and families.

As a member of the Senior Leadership Team in Family Services, you will provide strategic and operational leadership across these functions, supporting the transition to a unified Family Help service. You will ensure practice is proportionate, restorative and inclusive, with a strong focus on strengthening families, reducing unnecessary escalation and improving timely outcomes for children.

In collaboration with senior colleagues, you will support the delivery of high‑quality, cost‑effective social care services by contributing to clear standards and promoting effective joint working with partners and other agencies. You will provide strong relational and system leadership across multi‑agency partners to embed a shared Family Help approach, including effective thresholds, pathways and joint decision‑making that improve the experience of children and families in Barnet.

Please click here to download the Job description for this role. (Right-click and select “Open in new tab” so you can keep the job description open while completing your application)

About you

You will be a qualified and registered social worker with experience of managing complex services, including oversight of projects and budgets. This is an opportunity for an aspiring senior leader who can build on strong foundations, drive high‑quality service delivery, compliance, and create the conditions for the children’s workforce to thrive.

You will have a strong track record of achieving positive outcomes for children and young people and be passionate about working alongside families. You will value children’s lived experience, actively seek feedback and promote co‑production in the development of services, policies and plans.

You will be comfortable leading services through change, maintaining strong operational grip whilst contributing to longer‑term transformation. You will understand the direction of travel for children’s social care and be motivated to translate reform ambition into sustainable, high‑quality frontline practice, working collaboratively across the Barnet Family Services system and other partners.

You will:

Have excellent knowledge of relevant legislative frameworks, government guidance, policies and procedures relating to Children and Families.
Have a clear understanding of the purpose and direction of the Children’s Social Care Reforms, including the evidence, values and practice principles that underpin them, and how these translate into effective frontline practice.
Have experience of driving workforce development activities leading to improvements in the quality of practice.
Have detailed knowledge of government guidelines and standards that support the delivery of safe, high quality service.
Have knowledge of professional codes of practice that underpin the Children’s Workforce in statutory and early help settings.
Have a track record of effectively delivering safe services within a multi-agency framework, which has delivered excellent outcomes.
Have a proven track record of working collaboratively with senior managers in children’s services and in partnership with other agencies.
Be passionate about engaging children, young people and their families, obtaining feedback, listening to their ideas and promoting co-production of services, policies and plans.

What we offer

31 days annual leave, plus public and bank holidays
Access to the Local Government Pension Scheme, which provides a valuable guaranteed income in your retirement together with security for your dependents
Work-life balance options may include hybrid working, flexitime, job share, home working, part-time
A vast range of lifestyle discounts from major retailers, supermarkets, energy suppliers and more
Broad range of payroll benefits including cycle to work, eye care vouchers, travel and gym membership
Excellent training and development opportunities
Employee well- being training programs including confidential employee assistance

How to apply

Read the job description and person specification before clicking ‘Apply’ to commence the online application form. If you would like any further information about the role before applying, please contact Lakeisha Hicks at lakeisha.hicks@barnet.gov.uk

System notice: Some dates shown on our online application system (such as “Apply Before”) appear in US date format (MM/DD/YYYY) due to Oracle system settings.

Artificial intelligence (AI) can be a useful tool to support your application as a reasonable adjustment, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn, escalated to counter Fraud for further investigation and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Barnet Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Barnet operates stringent safer recruitment procedures, this may include AI Detection Screening, Biometric ID/Right to Work Checks, Qualification and Registration Checks, Up to 6 years of Employment Data and Insights to Accelerate Screening (Konfir), Up to 5 years of Employment History References, DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) Checks, Credit Checks and Social Media, Sanctions and Occupational Health Screening.

To deliver Barnet Council’s commitment to equality of opportunity in the provision of services, all staff are expected to promote equality in the workplace and in the services the Council delivers. As such we value diversity and welcome applications from all backgrounds.

Barnet Council embraces all forms of flexible working (including part-time, compressed hours, and hybrid working) and is committed to offering employees a healthy work-life balance. Candidates are encouraged to talk about relevant requirements and preferences at interview. We can’t promise to give you exactly what you want, but we do promise not to judge you for asking.

Barnet Council is a Disability Confident Committed Employer. We welcome and encourage job applications of all abilities. If you require any reasonable adjustments in the application or interview, please contact the lead contact on this advert. We will make reasonable adjustments to make sure our disabled applicants and those with health conditions are supported throughout our recruitment process. We support the access to work scheme, further details are available at www.gov.uk/access-to-work/apply

All posts with the council are subject to a probationary period of six months, during which time you will be required to demonstrate to the council satisfaction your suitability for the position in which you will be employed.

Due to the high number of applications that are received for some posts we may close vacancies before the stated closing date if sufficient number of applications are received. Therefore, please apply as soon as possible.

Please ensure you regularly check the email account (including JUNK MAIL folders) that you use to submit your application, as any further communication regarding your application will be sent electronically. Should you not hear from us within four working weeks of the closing date for this post, then regretfully in this instance, you have not been shortlisted.