Head of Social Work, Community Support and Safeguarding

Make a lasting difference. Shape the future of social work, community support and safeguarding.

We are seeking an experienced and forward-thinking senior leader to shape the future of social work, community support and safeguarding at Jewish Care, driving service innovation, strengthening professional practice and improving outcomes for the people and families we support.

This post is working 36.25 hours per week, Monday to Friday with an expectation of of 3 days onsite per week.

About the service

Our Community Services help people access the support they need to live independently, maintain their wellbeing and remain connected to their communities. We work collaboratively with individuals, families, carers and partner organisations to provide person-centred support that responds to changing needs and promotes independence, resilience and choice.

About the role

We are looking for an experienced and forward-thinking Head of Social Work, Community Support and Safeguarding to provide strategic leadership across our social work, community support and family carer services, alongside organisation-wide leadership for adult and children’s safeguarding.

This is a pivotal senior leadership role, combining professional social work accountability, safeguarding assurance, service development and organisational transformation. You will shape the future of our community support offer, ensuring our services respond to changing needs, address gaps in provision and help people remain independent, connected and well in their own homes and communities for longer.

Working closely with senior leaders, multidisciplinary teams and external partners, you will use data, evidence and community insight to inform strategic decisions, improve outcomes and develop innovative, sustainable models of support.

You will also act as Jewish Care’s professional lead for social work, championing high standards of practice, reflective supervision and continuous professional development. As the organisation’s safeguarding lead, you will provide authoritative advice, constructive challenge and assurance, strengthening safeguarding culture, governance and organisational learning.

What you’ll be responsible for

• Strategic leadership and service development: Shape and deliver strategies for social work, community support and family carer services, driving innovation, prevention, early intervention and service improvement.
• Safeguarding leadership: Lead Jewish Care’s adult and children’s safeguarding strategy, training, assurance and governance, ensuring robust processes, effective escalation and organisational learning.
• Professional social work leadership: Promote high standards of person-centred, strengths-based and anti-discriminatory practice, supporting professional development, reflective supervision and workforce planning.
• Community insight and outcomes: Use data, demographic analysis, service feedback and community intelligence to identify emerging needs, improve access and demonstrate the impact of our services.
• Integrated support and partnerships: Develop strong relationships across health, local authorities and voluntary and community organisations to create joined-up pathways and improve outcomes for individuals and family carers.
• Leadership and performance: Lead and develop managers and multidisciplinary teams, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, compassion and continuous improvement.
• Finance, governance and risk: Oversee budgets, resources, performance and strategic risks, providing clear, evidence-based reports and recommendations to senior leaders, governance committees and trustees.

About you

You will be a confident and credible senior leader with significant experience in social work, safeguarding and strategic service development within health, social care, community services or the voluntary sector.

You will bring:

• A recognised professional qualification in Social Work and current registration with Social Work England.
• Substantial experience of safeguarding leadership, complex decision-making and organisational assurance.
• A track record of providing professional leadership for social work practice across teams or services.
• Experience of leading multidisciplinary services, managing managers or senior practitioners, and delivering service transformation.
• Strong knowledge of adult and children’s safeguarding legislation, statutory guidance and professional social work standards.
• The ability to interpret complex data and evidence, translate insight into action and influence strategic decisions.
• Experience of budget management, business planning, resource allocation and reporting to senior leaders or governance bodies.
• Excellent communication, relationship-building and influencing skills, with the confidence to challenge constructively and lead change.
• A commitment to person-centred, strengths-based and culturally responsive practice, with a focus on prevention, independence and family carer support.
• You will be compassionate, collaborative and accountable, with a strong commitment to safeguarding, equality, diversity and inclusion. An understanding of the Jewish community, or a willingness to develop this knowledge, is essential.

Why join Jewish Care?

This is an opportunity to make a meaningful difference at a strategic level, shaping services that support individuals and families through changing circumstances and complex needs.

You will help strengthen safeguarding and professional practice across the organisation, influence the future of community support and ensure that the voices and experiences of the people we support remain central to service development.

If you are passionate about improving outcomes, developing people and building integrated, sustainable services that enable individuals and family carers to thrive, we would love to hear from you.

Ready to make a difference? Apply today.

Jewish Care is the largest provider of health and social care services for the Jewish community in the UK. Every week, we touch the lives of 10,000 people. We provide services to a range of people including older people, people with mental health needs and people living with dementia.

Our five values are at the heart of the way we work. They drive how we act as individuals and as an organisation and shape our culture. We value Excellence, Integrity, Innovation, Compassion, and Inclusivity.

Jewish Care operate a rolling recruitment process and reserve the right to close the advert once a suitable candidate has been identified.