Interim Head of Children, Families and Justice

Service: Health and Social Care Partnership

Closing Date: Thursday 28 May 2026

 

 

 

Due to planned leave an exciting opportunity has arisen for an Interim Head of Service Children, Families and Justice and Chief Social Work Officer (6 months fixed term) with Argyll & Bute Health and Social Care Partnership.

Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership is responsible for the planning and delivery of all community-based health and social care services for adults and children in Argyll and Bute. Our vision and objectives are that “people in Argyll and Bute will live longer, healthier, independent lives”.

Argyll and Bute is one of Scotland’s most stunning areas. As its award-winning council, we play a vital part in the day-to-day life and long-term future of our beautiful and diverse communities. Our unwavering purpose is to make Argyll and Bute the place to be, the place where people want to live, to work and do business. And we are committed to making the council the place to have a great career, by providing excellent benefits and a friendly, dynamic working culture so that each of our 5000 colleagues can deliver services that help our corner of Scotland thrive. Join us to make a difference.

You will lead the delivery and provision of Children, Young People and Families health and social work services including Justice Social Work.

You will work in close partnership with local agencies including the Head of Education, Early years and Lifelong Learning, Education Service, the Police and Third Sector organisations in developing an integrated service which places the well-being of children and young people at the centre of service design and provision.

We are looking for an exceptional leader to provide effective management and team leadership in developing and planning the delivery of the services provided by the Children, Families and Justice health and social work teams, ensuring that services are designed and delivered to reflect local needs and that there is a corporate approach to service provision, and that effective outcomes are achieved.

This post is also available for internal secondment.

Our employees make good things happen in the day-to-day life and for the longer term future of Argyll and Bute. We want you to feel valued working for us. We offer various benefits to support you, such as a competitive salary, pension scheme, generous leave entitlement, cycle to work scheme, discounts on gym memberships and leisure centres, wellbeing initiatives, and opportunities for learning and career growth. We also embrace a modern approach to work, offering a flexible first approach where possible to requests from our employees to how they work.

We care about our people and the world around us and always aim to do the right thing. From employee recognition schemes to environmental policies we have many initiatives in place to help us look after the things we all care about.

Learn more here Argyll and Bute Employee Recognition Programme, Disability Confident, Armed Forces, Fair Work First Statement, Equality and Fairness, Climate Change, Hybrid and Flexible Working Policy

Argyll and Bute Council recognises the numerous benefits of a positive work-life balance to the wellbeing and productivity of our employees. We will take a flexible first approach to requests from our employees to change the way that they work. While we must balance such requests with the need to ensure the quality of the important services we deliver is not compromised, we will ensure that each request is given careful consideration with a view to achieving a positive outcome wherever possible.

This post is temporary for 6 months fixed term.

Applicants should note that:-

• Happy to talk about flexible working arrangements.
• This post is not suitable for job share.
• The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exclusions and Exceptions) (Scotland) Order 2013, as amended, applies to this post.
• This post requires Protection of Vulnerable Group (PVG) Membership in relation to working with both children and adults.
• This is a temporary post which may be filled on a secondment basis by an employee wishing to gain experience/career development and will be at the discretion of the employee’s Third Tier Manager. If you wish to apply for this post as a secondment, please refer to the secondment guidance.
• You will be required to participate in standby or other out of hour's service arrangements, as appropriate.
• This post requires registration with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC).

To apply for this vacancy, please click on the Apply Now button at the top of this page. 

If you would like clarification on any information contained within the vacancy advert and/or the job description please contact the recruiting manager, who is:

 

Evan Beswick, Chief Officer

Email Address: evan.beswick@nhs.scot

 

Please note that you cannot apply for this vacancy by contacting the recruiting manager, applications must be made by clicking on the Apply Now button at the top of this page.  

Please also note that we do not accept CVs, only applications completed and submitted via the Apply Now button on this page.  

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about our commitment to this please visit Equality & Diversity Policy