Service Manager, Family Help

Are you a passionate and ambitious leader who believes that children thrive when families are empowered, supported and connected to the right help at the right time?

Do you have the vision, experience and determination to lead transformational practice, inspire teams and build strong partnerships that improve outcomes for children and families?

If so, we have an exciting opportunity for an exceptional Service Manager, Family Help to join us at a pivotal moment in the evolution of children's services.

As we embrace the Government's Families First Partnership Programme, we are reshaping how we support children and families through the creation of our integrated Family Help Service, bringing together Early Help, Child in Need and Child Protection services into a single, coordinated approach focused on delivering effective, relationship-based support earlier and more consistently.

This is a unique opportunity to lead this service and help shape a service that is ambitious, innovative and relentless in its focus on improving outcomes for children and families.

We welcome applications from all sections of the community. We particularly encourage applications from members of the Black, Asian and ethnic minority communities to increase representation at senior management within Children's Services as these groups are currently under-represented in our workforce

We seek the best talent from the widest pool of people as diversity and inclusion is the key to our success. Reading Borough Council is a Disability Confident Employer and is committed to the recruitment and continued employment of people with disabilities.

The Opportunity

As Service Manager, Family Help, you will provide strategic and operational leadership across our Family Help Service, leading Team Managers and multidisciplinary teams to deliver seamless support for children and families from the earliest point of intervention through to statutory safeguarding and child protection.

You will play a key role in embedding and leading our Family Safeguarding Model, bringing together social workers and specialist adult practitioners to address the factors that impact family life, including domestic abuse, substance misuse and mental health challenges.

Through collaborative practice and whole-family interventions, you will help create lasting change and reduce the need for children to enter care.

This role offers the opportunity to influence practice, shape services and work alongside partners across education, health, police, housing, community safety and the voluntary sector to create a coordinated and effective system of support.

What You'll Do

As Service Manager, Family Help, you will:

Lead and develop Family Help Services.

Drive the implementation and ongoing development of the Family Safeguarding Model, ensuring high-quality multidisciplinary practice.

Provide inspirational leadership to Team Managers, creating a culture of accountability, learning and continuous improvement.

Ensure children receive timely and effective support, intervention and protection when they need it most.

Champion strengths-based, relationship-focused practice that empowers families and builds resilience.

Lead service performance, quality assurance and improvement activity, ensuring consistently high standards of practice.

Build strong relationships and work collaboratively with key partners across the children's system.

Support workforce development, succession planning and staff wellbeing, enabling teams to thrive and deliver excellent services.

Contribute to strategic planning and service transformation as a valued member of the wider leadership team.

Use data, insight and performance information to drive continuous improvement and achieve the best possible outcomes.

We are building a service that is centred on relationships, focused on strengths and committed to delivering the right help at the right time. We are investing in our workforce, embracing innovation and creating opportunities for leaders to influence system-wide change.

You will join an ambitious organisation that values collaboration, celebrates innovation and places children and families at the heart of everything we do.

For the right leader, this role offers the opportunity to shape the future of Family Help, develop outstanding practice and leave a lasting legacy for children, families and communities.

If you are ready to lead transformational change, inspire others and help families achieve brighter futures, we would love to hear from you.

We are going places. Join us on the journey of possibility.

Our offer

We offer a supportive environment to grow and develop your career with the opportunity to put your ideas across. Innovation and ambition is strongly encouraged, and you'll get a great feel for that working in our friendly and collaborative environment.

A competitive salary alongside a range of benefits including:

Generous holiday entitlement - 25 days holiday each year plus bank holidays - rising to 30 days after 5 years' service and 33 days after 10 years' service, with the option to buy additional leave

A wide range of flexible working opportunities

Modern working environment at the Civic Offices in the heart of Reading

Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)

Life Assurance - three times your annual salary (for members of the LGPS)

On-site day nursery (Kennet Day nursery) rated outstanding by Ofsted

Season Ticket Loan - a loan to help with the cost of your rail or bus journey, to and from work

Lease car salary sacrifice scheme allowing you to lease a brand new, greener car for three years. The monthly fee includes insurance, servicing and road tax