Salary: From £69,228 to £78,018
Grade: SM2
Contract: Permanent
Hours: 18.5 hours (Job )
Location: Northallerton, North Yorkshire
Note – This a job of a full-time role
This is an exciting opportunity to job in a senior system leadership role at the heart of the North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Partnership. As Head of Children’s Partnerships and Evaluation, you will help shape and lead ambitious multi-agency work that strengthens safeguarding practice, improves outcomes and keeps children and young people at the centre of everything we do.
About the area
North Yorkshire is a unique and rewarding place to work. As England’s largest county, it brings together rural, coastal and urban communities, with a strong partnership commitment to ensuring that children receive the right help, at the right time, from the right people. The North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Partnership is ambitious, well-established and forward looking, with a clear focus on strengthening multi-agency safeguarding, improving outcomes and keeping children’s lived experiences at the centre of decision-making.
This is an exciting time to join the partnership as we respond to national reform, strengthen our Multi-Agency Safeguarding Arrangements and continue to deliver the Being Young in North Yorkshire ambition for children to be safe, happy, healthy and achieving. We are looking for someone who s our commitment to relationship-based, child-centred and trauma-informed practice, and who can bring professional credibility, curiosity and energy to an influential job arrangement.
About the Role
Working alongside the existing Head of Children’s Partnerships and Evaluation, you will provide senior leadership across a broad and influential portfolio, including the NYSCP Business Unit, Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO), Multi-Agency Child Exploitation and Contextual Safeguarding as well as partnership assurance, inspection readiness and learning from multi-agency practice.
You will operate in a complex and changing safeguarding landscape, providing confident leadership, constructive challenge and practical support to partners. You will help translate national policy and local intelligence into meaningful improvement, ensuring that governance, quality assurance, scrutiny and performance activity lead to better outcomes for children and families.
This role would suit an experienced safeguarding professional from policing, health, education, social care or a related partnership environment who is confident working across organisational boundaries. You will be able to build trusted relationships, influence senior leaders, support and develop staff, and maintain a clear focus on children’s experiences, risk and impact — even when systems are complex and pressures are high.
About you
- Significant experience in safeguarding, policing, health, education, social care or another relevant partnership setting.
- Strong understanding of multi-agency safeguarding, professional curiosity, information sharing, risk management and child-centred practice.
Ability to lead with influence in a matrix management environment, bringing partners together around - d priorities.
- Confidence to provide constructive challenge, scrutiny and assurance while maintaining strong and respectful relationships.
- Experience of leading change, managing complex programmes and translating strategy into practical delivery.
- Strong communication, report writing, analytical and presentation skills, with the ability to engage frontline practitioners and senior leaders.
- A commitment to learning, innovation, equality, inclusion and continuous improvement.
A collaborative leadership style and the ability to make a job arrangement work effectively through trust, transparency and - d ownership.
Why join us?
You will be joining a committed, ambitious and highly collaborative partnership with a strong track record of working together to improve safeguarding practice. The role offers the opportunity to influence strategic direction, support excellent frontline practice, shape assurance and learning activity, and contribute to system-wide improvement at a time of significant national change.
As this is a job , you will not be expected to do this alone. You will work closely with an experienced postholder, sharing leadership, insight and responsibility across the portfolio. This creates a supportive opportunity for someone who wants to step into a senior strategic safeguarding role while continuing to bring their own professional background, perspective and strengths to the partnership.
For an informal discussion about this role and the service please contact Jo Heaney at [email protected]
Using AI? Please follow our guidance to ensure your application reflects your own knowledge and experience: Advice on your job application | North Yorkshire Council
Key dates
Closing Date: 16th August 2026
Interview date: TBC
Key documents
Job Description
Total rewards
Find out more
Visit the North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Partnership website: http://www.safeguardingchildren.co.uk/
View or Multi-Agency Safeguarding Arrangements NYSCP
See the Partnership’s latest annual report: https://safeguardingchildren.co.uk/Resources/annual-report-2024-2025/
Working Together to Safeguard Children: Working together to safeguard children 2026
Being Young in North Yorkshire - NYSCP
Local area SEND strategy 2023 – 2026 - Local area SEND strategy 2023 to 2026 | North Yorkshire Council
SEND Local Offer - SEND specialist support and inclusion | North Yorkshire Council
Enhanced Level DBS Disclosure is required for appointment to this post.
NYC are committed to directly recruiting staff and will not accept applications nor services from agency suppliers in respect of our vacancies.
We are committed to meeting the needs of our diverse community and aim to have a workforce reflecting this diversity. We are also committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. We expect all staff and volunteers to this commitment.
