Service Manager (Family Help)

Service Manager
£66,378 to £69,984 pa (inclusive)
Grade 16

Ealing Council have an exciting new opportunity of Service Manager available on a full-time basis.

Ealing Council is strengthening its Family Help system and is recruiting a Service Manager to form a new, cohesive Service Manager leadership cohort across our Front door Family Pathways and Family Help Service.

These pivotal middle leadership roles offer a significant opportunity to shape children’s social care reform, strengthen early help and safeguarding pathways, and ensure children and families receive the right help, at the right time, from the right professionals.

At Ealing Council, we strive to create communities where everyone can live a long, happy, and healthy life, full of pride and identity. We aim to create an environment where every child can reach their potential and achieve their dreams.

 

The Service Manager role

As a Service Manager, you will provide visible, relational and accountable leadership across key areas of children’s social care, ensuring high quality practice, strong decision making and excellent outcomes for children, young people and families.

Posts will be aligned to:

• Family Help Pathways (including integrated response, family help assessments and decision making)

Alignment will be based on experience, strengths and preferences.

You will work as part of a collective Service Manager cohort, reporting to a Head of Service and contributing to a supportive, high challenge senior management culture.

 

As a Service Manager you will

• Lead the day-to-day delivery of statutory and non statutory children’s social care services, ensuring children are safeguarded and supported effectively
• Provide clear leadership and oversight to Team Managers, ensuring high quality supervision, consistent standards and professional development
• Make and oversee timely, proportionate and defensible safeguarding decisions, including at points of referral, assessment, escalation, and closure
• Drive continuous service improvement through audit, performance data, learning and reflective practice
• Embed relationship based, trauma informed and strengths based approaches, including effective responses to adolescent risk and extra familial harm
• Strengthen multi agency working with police, health, education, voluntary and community partners
• Play an active role in children’s social care reform, strengthening Family Help, early intervention and effective front door pathways in line with national expectations
• Contribute to service planning, workforce development, budget management and inspection readiness
• Deputise for the Head of Service as required and provide cross service leadership cover

 

We are seeking experienced, values driven social work leaders who bring confidence, warmth and grip to complex systems.

You will have

• A recognised social work qualification (Degree / DipSW / CQSW or equivalent) and registration with Social Work England
• Significant post qualification experience in children’s social care
• Proven experience as a Team Manager or Service Manager, with responsibility for statutory services
• A strong track record of leading teams, managing performance and improving practice
• In depth knowledge of children’s legislation, statutory guidance and safeguarding frameworks
• Experience of multi-agency working and partnership leadership
• Confidence in leading change, managing risk and making sound professional judgements
• A clear commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, staff wellbeing and workforce development

 

Additional information

Ealing Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults. All posts are subject to an enhanced DBS check.

We value diversity and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone feels respected and supported.

You must have the right to work in the UK. Evidence for the right to work in the UK will be requested at the interview stage. We cannot provide sponsorship for this position.

It is an exciting time to join us, here at Ealing Council. If you would like to make a positive difference to our residents and borough, then we are looking forward to hearing from you.

Ealing Council is committed to creating good jobs and delivering on its connected communities’ agenda. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive.

We therefore welcome applications from all residents of the borough, we particularly welcome applications from candidates who are mid-career professionals, who are currently underrepresented in Ealing’s workforce.

Please note all applications will be determined on merit.

Ealing council is committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff to share this commitment. Ealing follows safe recruitment practices to protect children and vulnerable adults. The post holder will be subject to an enhanced disclosure and barring check.

This post is subject to Ealing Council's enhanced vetting process.

 

Closing date for applications: Monday 22 June 2026