Barnet Council is set to consider the creation of two new senior roles within its Children and Family Services department, aimed at bolstering prevention and family support efforts.
The council's Full Council will be asked to approve salary packages for two Assistant Director posts: Assistant Director Prevention & Practice Improvement and Assistant Director Family Help & Adolescent Services. Each of these roles would command a salary in the range of £104,044 to £126,754.
The report presented to the council states that the costs for these new positions are contained within existing budgets. The creation of these roles follows a review of the senior management structure within the Children and Family Services department by the new Executive Director. This review concluded that the interim structure should be made permanent to ensure enough strategic capacity to safeguard the children, families and young people in Barnet.
The proposed new positions are intended to provide enhanced strategic capacity to safeguard children, families, and young people in Barnet, particularly in light of the Social Care Reforms and expanding expectations in this area. The report highlights that the current landscape necessitates a more robust leadership team to manage these demands effectively. The strategic landscape has changed considerably in the last 12 months,
including the rollout of the Best Start for Life policy initiative, an expansion on the expectations and scope of the Social Care Reforms, and the forthcoming 'White Paper' for the SEND reforms. The report implies that these changes necessitate the new roles, stating that one AD would not have the strategic bandwidth to adequately manage these new demands.
These roles are evaluated as Grade 6 and require individuals with proven operational and strategic leadership experience in sectors that have led to positive outcomes for children and families. The successful candidates will be expected to lead on strategy, business improvement, partnership working, and performance management within their respective areas.
The interim arrangement for these posts was put in place in February 2025, and the new Executive Director has reviewed the structure and made the interim arrangements permanent. The report was presented to the Employment Sub-Committee on December 3rd, 2025, and then to Full Council for approval. The report also states that No staff are at risk of redundancy in accordance with the council's HR policies.
It is noted that the director post that these new roles replace was deleted as part of a senior management restructure in February 2025. While the approval process is outlined, a specific projected timeline for recruitment and appointment is not explicitly stated beyond the fact that interim arrangements were already in place and the structure is now being made permanent.
