Newham Council has convened a Chief Officer Appointments Sub-Committee to appoint a new Director of Early Help and Safeguarding.

The committee, which met on Monday 15 September 2025, interviewed candidates and considered a recommendation for the appointment, subject to consultation with cabinet members, according to the Public reports pack.

The recruitment process began with an advert placed in the online Guardian, Jobs Go Public, and the Newham Council's website for three weeks, starting Wednesday 16th July 2025. Laura Eden, Corporate Director of Children and Young People Services, oversaw the recruitment, with support from Caroline Bloch, Strategic HR Business Partner. Councillor Sarah Jane Ruiz, Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Children Services and Education, and Sustainable Transport, was also consulted.

Twenty-two applications were received, with five applicants longlisted. Thirteen of the applicants were Social Work Registered, which was described as an essential requirement for the role. Tim Aldridge, Corporate Director of Children's Services, London Borough of Camden and former Corporate Director of Children's Services with the London Borough of Newham, assessed the longlisted candidates on 19 and 20 August 2025. Three candidates were identified to go forward to a selection assessment centre, which was scheduled to take place between 4 and 10 September 2025. The assessment process was to involve a partner stakeholder panel and young people's panel. Representatives attending the partner stakeholder panel were to be drawn from health, police, education and the voluntary sector. Further details of the three candidates taking part in the selection assessment centre together with the supporting candidate documentation are set out in the exempt enclosures of this report, Appendix A.

The salary for the Director of Early Help and Safeguarding position will be within the range set out in the Council's Pay Policy for 2025/2026.

The members selected for the Chief Officer Appointment Sub-Committee were:

  • Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz OBE
  • Councillor Sarah Jane Ruiz
  • Councillor Mehmood Mirza, Leader of Newham Independents Group
  • Councillor Lakmini Shah, Scrutiny Commission Chair
  • Councillor Amar Virdee, Statutory Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Housing Needs, Homelessness and Private Rented Sector, and Community Safety
  • Councillor Shantu Ferdous

The recommendation of the committee will be subject to consultation with every member of the Cabinet for a period of two working days. During this time, Cabinet members will be able to consider the proposed appointment and raise any objections. Any objection would have to be reasonable, well-founded and based on material fact.

During the meeting, members were expected to declare any interests, as detailed in the Declaration of Interest Guidance, including Disclosable Pecuniary Interests (DPIs) and Non-Disclosable Pecuniary Interests or Non-Pecuniary Interests.