We are seeking an experienced and values‑driven Service Manager , Safeguarding and Quality to provide strong operational leadership across a specialist portfolio that sits at the heart of how Enfield safeguards children. This is a pivotal role overseeing the Independent Reviewing Officer service, the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) function, Enfield Children's Safeguarding Partnership, Family Decision Making and Contextual Safeguarding, with a clear remit to ensure statutory responsibilities are met while championing high quality, relational practice. You will lead, support and challenge senior practitioners, embedding reflective supervision, robust quality assurance and a relentless focus on improving outcomes for children through meaningful engagement with families and partners.

Enfield is an ambitious, diverse and forward‑thinking borough, committed to improving the lives of children and families through Family Safeguarding and strengths‑based ways of working. We believe that sustained change happens through strong relationships, skilled practice and partnership working that places families at the centre of decision‑making. Our leadership culture is grounded in openness, learning and shared responsibility, with a clear focus on supporting staff wellbeing alongside high expectations for practice quality. You will join a service that values professional curiosity, collective accountability and innovation, and which is committed to creating the conditions for practitioners and managers to do their best work.

You will be a qualified and registered social worker with substantial leadership experience within children’s safeguarding services, bringing deep expertise in quality assurance, allegations management, independent reviewing and multi‑agency child protection arrangements. You will have a proven track record of leading senior staff, supporting professional judgement and driving improvement through reflective supervision, data‑informed oversight and effective audit activity. Crucially, you will be confident in promoting relational, strengths‑based practice, with a strong understanding of the Family Safeguarding model and the practical application of motivational interviewing to support change, participation and engagement at all levels of practice. You will be skilled in working collaboratively with partners, able to provide constructive challenge, and comfortable holding complexity while keeping children’s lived experience at the centre. The Service Manager is expected to deputise in the Head of Service's absence/leave.

In return, Enfield offers a senior leadership role with real influence, where your expertise will shape practice, culture and outcomes across a critical service area. You will receive high‑quality support from an experienced Head of Service, opportunities to contribute to service development and system leadership, and the professional autonomy to lead with confidence and integrity. Alongside our competitive benefits package, we offer a reflective management culture, access to leadership development, and a working environment that genuinely values relationships, emotional intelligence and learning. This is an opportunity to make a meaningful difference, not only to children and families, but to the practitioners and partners you lead alongside.

Contact Details -

If you would like to know more about the role, please contact Donna Gilfillan on +44 20 8132 2195 and/or donna.gilfillan@enfield.gov.uk for an informal discussion or to arrange a visit to the team. If you have any difficulties accessing this information, please contact Debola Olufon at debola.olufon@enfield.gov.uk.

Enfield’s Social Care Centre of Excellence confirms our commitment to creating and maintaining an environment for new and existing staff to be the best and deliver high quality social work to our most vulnerable children and young people. It brings our recruitment, professional development and support into the one portal for social care staff to see what we have to offer and how we are supporting them to continue to learn and develop on a professional basis. For more information please visit https://new.enfield.gov.uk/centreofexcellence/about-us/

“This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share in this commitment”.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications have been received. Therefore, we advise that you complete fully and submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

We do not see your name or title when shortlisting your application. This is one of many initiatives to build a more talented and diverse workforce. However, if you put your name on your CV or Statement it will be visible to us. For this reason, we ask that you do not include your name on these documents. Please note it is your responses to the Essential/Desirable criteria, as detailed in the Job Description and Person Specification which is available on the job advert, that will determine if you are shortlisted for an interview, therefore we encourage you to always address the essential and desirable criteria in your application/CV.

Why it's great to work for Enfield Council:

An excellent pension through the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).
Up to 32 days annual leave depending on grade and length of service. You will also get eight public holidays per year and an extra day off at Christmas.
A blend of remote and office based working for most roles.
Interest free season ticket loan repayable over three or ten months.
Career development and learning experiences from a range of training courses and learning methods.
Employee Assistance Programme to provide advice and counselling services. This is a free and confidential service available to staff and members of their family.
Health and leisure discounts and tax-free bikes for work.
1 month paid sabbatical for Children’s Social Workers

We are passionate about our people and how we deliver services to our community in Enfield. That’s why we encourage a culture that puts our customers at the heart of everything we do - by empowering our people to work together to find solutions, be open, honest and respectful, take responsibility and listen and learn. If you value these behaviours too, we’d love to hear from you - and of course we are always happy to talk flexible working, click here to find out more.

If you have previously applied for this role within the past 6 months, unfortunately, a second application will not be considered.