Head of Service (Justice Services)
- Location:
- GCHSCP, Justice Services, Commonwealth House, 32 Albion Street, Glasgow City, G1 1LH
- Salary:
- £83,605.86 - £97,007.73 per year
- Contract Type:
- Permanent
- Position Type:
- Full Time
- Hours:
- 35 hours per week
Job Description
Role – Head of Service (Justice Services)
Location – GCHSCP, Justice Services, Commonwealth House, 32 Albion Street, Glasgow, G1 1LH
Contract Status – Permanent
Salary and Hours: GCC – Grade 10, £83,605.86 - £97,007.73 - 35hrs per week
NHS - Band 8C, £87,400.00 - £93,685.00 – 37.5 hrs per week
Interviews will take place on the 22nd January 2026.
Are you interested in working for the largest local authority in Scotland, in partnership with the NHS, to help improve the health and wellbeing of our community? Then, you are in the right place!
This is an integrated position as part of the Glasgow Health and Social Care Partnership. Applications are invited from current employees of Glasgow City Council, Social Work Services and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. The successful applicant will be appointed to the post under the terms and conditions of either GCC or NHS depending on current employer.
The Head of Service for Justice Social Work and Prison Health in Glasgow will lead strategic and operational delivery of comprehensive justice social work and prison health services across Glasgow Health and Social Care (HSCP) and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (GGC). These services encompass court assessments and reports, bail supervision, community payback and drug treatment orders, unpaid work placements (including partnerships with third-sector providers), and tailored prison social work support. The post holder ensures effective throughcare—supporting prisoners and their families during custody and upon release—alongside victim support services, all aimed at reducing reoffending and enhancing public protection. Services are accessible via courts, local social work offices, prisons, and community justice frameworks throughout Glasgow.
In addition, the role uniquely incorporates oversight of prison health provision for NHS GGC based custody facilities. The post holder is responsible for the leadership and integration of Prison Healthcare Services across HMP Barlinnie, Lilias Community Custody Unit (women’s CCU in Maryhill), HMP Low Moss, and HMP Greenock. This includes coordinating with NHS GGC and the Scottish Prison Service to ensure continuous, high-quality healthcare in line with inspection findings and ongoing service improvement commitments.
Together, these responsibilities position the Head of Service at the intersection of justice, social welfare, public health, and community safety ensuring cohesive delivery of both justice social work and prison health services for Glasgow’s diverse custodial population.
The postholder will be part of the Operations and Governance senior management team within the HSCP ensuring the delivery of key objectives through high impact transformational leadership and the implementation of a robust performance management framework. The postholder will deliver a complex service development agenda within existing governance arrangements, develop new and existing co-production strategies which respond to local and national policy, reflecting evidence based practice.
The postholder will be expected to represent the HSCP (Glasgow City Council and NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde) at a national level on such issues as required with specific reference to justice emerging themes.
Applicants should be educated to degree level, such as a degree and relevant professional qualification, with significant senior management experience within a large, complex organisation, preferably within the NHS/ Local Authority or Public/ Caring Sector. Experience of managing at a senior level in a multidisciplinary and multiagency environment with responsibility for care, staff and financial governance is also required along with a relevant management qualification.
These roles are excepted under Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exclusions and Exceptions) (Scotland) Order 2013 (as amended).
Under the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, this post is politically restricted.
The interviews for this post will take place on the 28 November 2025.
If you would like to find out more about the role before applying, you can contact: Lynsey Smith, Assistant Chief Officer Operations and Governance on 07870606191 or by email: lynsey.smith@glasgow.gov.uk
Working for us!
For more information on Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership (GCC) please visit the following websites:
GCC Website and GCC Conditions of Service
Application Packs
We want everyone to be able to apply. If you need the Application Pack in another format, like Braille, large print, or another language, please call us on 0141 287 1054.
If we need to post it to you, we’ll send it by second-class mail within three working days. Please allow enough time to complete and return your application before the closing date. If you think you might need more time because of accessibility needs, please get in touch and we’ll be happy to help.
There are also a number of Accessibility Tools compatible with the myjobscotland website which may assist you with your application. More information on these can be found at https://myjobscotland.gov.uk/accessibility-statement.
Further Information
Please note that Glasgow City Council is currently completing a Job Evaluation exercise and introducing a new pay and grading structure which may impact on current salaries quoted in job adverts, see