The Employment Sub-Committee of Barnet Council met on Wednesday 3rd December 2025 and approved the creation of two new senior management posts within the Children and Families Service. The meeting also approved the salary packages for these new roles, which will be recommended to Full Council for final approval.

Senior Management Restructure in Children and Family Service

The Sub-Committee approved the creation of two new Assistant Director posts within the Children and Families Service: Assistant Director Prevention and Practice Improvement and Assistant Director Family Help and Adolescent Services. These roles have been assessed as Grade 6, with a salary range of £104,044 to £126,754 per annum. The Sub-Committee also recommended these salary packages to Full Council for approval.

John Anthony, Executive Director of Children and Families, presented the report, explaining that the proposed restructure was necessary to consolidate existing interim arrangements and ensure sufficient capacity to manage the current strategic landscape, particularly in light of the Best Start of Life, Social Care, and SEND Reforms. He highlighted that the changes would provide greater strategic coverage to adequately manage new demands on children's services. The new structure aims to bring consistency and stability by transitioning staff from acting-up positions to permanent roles, funded by existing budgets.

Members of the Sub-Committee inquired about the proposed structure in comparison to other local authorities, with Mr. Anthony referencing his experience and stating that the proposed model was right for Barnet. Discussions also covered the consultation process with trade unions, with Mr. Anthony referring to the Council's Trade Union Engagement and Consultation framework and the practice of informal conversations when implementing change.

The roles of Assistant Director for Prevention and Practice Improvement and Assistant Director for Family Help and Adolescent Services were confirmed to be providing statutory functions. The Sub-Committee also discussed the probationary period for new staff, noting that employees already on permanent contracts moving to new roles would not be subject to a probationary period.

Concerns were raised about the availability of suitable candidates with the right skills for these significant changes. Mr. Anthony expressed confidence that, in addition to the two current acting-up candidates, other strong internal candidates would be encouraged to apply through a transparent recruitment process. The job descriptions were reviewed, and it was confirmed that timely support for high mental health needs would be provided by teams under the Assistant Director for Prevention and Practice Improvement. Mr. Anthony acknowledged that national mental health and wellbeing challenges were beyond the scope of these new posts but stressed that the roles would still influence overall clinical services.

The report indicated that the costs for these new posts would be covered within the existing budget. The creation of these roles is considered critical to achieving the corporate priorities set out in Our Plan for Barnet 2023 – 2026, building resilience in the service, and ensuring children remain at the centre of the council's work. The decision aims to mitigate the risks associated with not having a stable, permanent Senior Leadership Team structure.

The Sub-Committee also approved the minutes of the previous meeting held on 1 May 2025.