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
AAt the London Borough of Barnet, we believe in making changes that will bring positive results. Our goal is to serve our community to the best of our ability, and we place the people of Barnet at the heart of everything we do. Establishing better ways of working is important, but it's the impact they have on our borough that's paramount. We're undertaking a major transformation to bring child centred and systemic practice to the heart of what we do.
This is a pivotal leadership role responsible for shaping and delivering Barnet’s Family Support (Early Help) and Prevention vision, including the development of a Team Around the School model. You will lead a borough-wide system that includes Early Years provision, Family Hubs, parenting services, youth interventions, targeted support programmes and our local offers such as Duke of Edinburgh and holiday programmes.
You will play a key leadership role ensuring a seamless, holistic, and timely early intervention offer that supports families at the earliest point of need within the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH),
A core part of the role will be embedding family-led decision making, whole family practice, and restorative approaches across the family support systems to ensure children remain safe, supported and able to thrive in their families and communities.
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
About You
We are looking for a senior leader with:
• A strong track record in Early Help, Education, Safeguarding, Early Years or Children’s Social Care
• Deep knowledge of early intervention, integrated pathways and multi-agency partnership working
• Experience operating at scale across complex systems
• Exceptional leadership, communication, and relationship building skills
• The vision and drive to lead transformation and deliver evidence-based practice
• Passion for prevention and improving outcomes for children, young people, and families
Above all, you’ll be committed to working collaboratively with partners across health, education, police, the voluntary and community sector, and local communities to build a preventative and supportive system that is proactive, accessible, and impactful.
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What We Offer
• A highly supportive and ambitious Senior Leadership Team
• A strong culture of learning, innovation and continuous improvement
• Opportunities to shape and influence system-wide developments across Barnet
• A commitment to flexible working and professional development
• Being part of a borough known for strong practice and strong partnerships
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Apply Now
If you are passionate about prevention, committed to integrated working, and ready to lead one of London’s most ambitious Early Help systems, we would love to hear from you.
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 Donna Swanberg at
donna.swanberg@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.
