Job summary
To lead and coordinate the development and delivery of innovative programmes within the Start for Life and Family Hubs programme. The role will coordinate cross-sectoral initiatives across public health, education, early years, early help and community services to improve outcomes for children and families, ensuring delivery aligns with Department for Education (DfE) expectations and local priorities. There will be a particular focus on integrating digital solutions, to enhance support for families. This job is linked to grant funding and will end when the funding ends which is 31 March 2026.
Main duties of the job
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the design and implementation of new programmes across key areas including parenting support, infant feeding, parental mental health, the home learning environment, and parent-carer engagement.
- Translate strategic priorities into clear, actionable operational plans and oversee their implementation across multiple services.
- Develop robust business cases, delivery plans, and evaluation frameworks to support new initiatives and ensure measurable impact.
- Champion innovation through digital tools, leading the development and piloting of digital support solutions that help families navigate services and access early intervention.
- Collaborate with digital partners, internal IT teams, and service users to co-produce ethical, user-centred tools that respond to real family needs.
- Monitor the impact of digital innovations and contribute to evaluation and scaling strategies to ensure long-term success.
This job description is provided to assist the job holder to know what their main duties are. It may be amended from time to time without change to the level of responsibility appropriate to the grade of post.
About us
At Barking and Dagenham, were proud to be one of just 75 local authorities selected to deliver the Department for Educations Start for Life and Family Hubs Programme, backed by a share of £301.75 million in national investment. This is your opportunity to be part of a transformative initiative that's reshaping how families are supported during the most critical early years of a child's life from conception to age two.
Our work is grounded in The Best Start for Life: A Vision for the 1,001 Critical Days, and were committed to delivering real, lasting change for families in our community. What Were Building Together Were creating a system that's:
- Seamless where families experience joined-up support across services.
- Welcoming with Family Hubs that feel like a home from home.
- Accessible providing the right information at the right time.
- Empowered with a confident, skilled Start for Life workforce.
- Evolving always learning, improving, and innovating.
- Visionary with strong leadership driving meaningful change.
Our Four Key Workstreams:
1. Infant Feeding supporting healthy starts and confident parenting.
2. Perinatal Mental Health & Parent-Infant Relationships nurturing emotional wellbeing and strong bonds.
3. Home Learning Environment empowering parents to be their childs first educator.
4. Parenting Support offering practical, evidence-based guidance every step of the way.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Job Purpose:
To lead and coordinate the development and delivery of innovative programmes within the Start for Life and Family Hubs programme. The role will coordinate cross-sectoral initiatives across public health, education, early years, early help and community services to improve outcomes for children and families, ensuring delivery aligns with Department for Education (DfE) expectations and local priorities. There will be a particular focus on integrating digital solutions, to enhance support for families.
Key Responsibilities:
Programme Development & Delivery
- Lead the design and implementation of new Start for Life and Family Hub programmes, including parenting support, infant feeding, parental mental health, home learning environment, and parent-carer engagement.
- Translate strategic priorities into operational plans and oversee implementation across multiple services.
- Develop business cases, delivery plans, and evaluation frameworks for new initiatives.
- Innovation through digital tools.
- Lead on the development and piloting of digital support for families to enable them to navigate services and access early intervention services.
- Collaborate with digital partners, internal IT teams, and service users to understand need to ensure the tools are co-produced, ethical, and responsive to family needs.
- Monitor the impact of digital innovations and contribute to evaluation and scaling strategies.
Project Management
- Apply robust project management methodologies to track progress, manage risks, and ensure delivery on time and within budget.
- Lead specific work packages and coordinate multi-agency delivery teams.
- Monitor and report on project outcomes to internal governance boards and support the returns to DfE.
Stakeholder Engagement & Promotion
- Promote the Family Hubs and Start for Life offer across the borough, increasing awareness and uptake among families, particularly those from underrepresented or vulnerable groups.
- Build strong relationships with internal teams, external partners, and community stakeholders to support integrated working and shared outcomes.
- Develop and implement effective communication channels and materials to engage families and services, ensuring clear, accessible, and culturally appropriate messaging.
General Accountabilities and Responsibilities
Project Management
- Undertake assigned projects, ensuring that agreed outcomes are delivered on time, within budget and to the expected standard.
Communication and relationship skills
- Maintain regular and effective communication with colleagues at all levels within the Directorate and beyond, as well as multi-agency partners, attending team briefings and preparing and delivering briefings when required.
Customer Care
- Provide services that are fair and accessible to all, challenging existing practices that support the traditional culture and promote the Customer First proposition across the Council.
General Accountabilities and Responsibilities (All roles)
- Ensure compliance with appropriate legislation, Council Policies, the Council Constitution (including Contract Rules, Financial Regulations and Rules, Employment Procedure Rules,
- Employees Code of Conduct), Information Security Policies, Social Media Policy and other requirements of the Council.
- Ensure high standards of records management and assume responsibility for all information assigned to the post.
- Promote the development of a high quality individual need led service, to comply at all times with the Councils policies and procedures, particularly those regarding Data Protection,
- Equalities and Diversity and Health and Safety.
- Ensure compliance with and actively promote the Councils Equalities and Diversity policies and strategies and comply with the Equality Act 2010.
- Ensure compliance with and actively promote Health and Safety at work legislation, Council and Service H&S policies and procedures.
- Comply with the competencies and standard requisites agreed by the Council as relevant to your post.
- Comply with the General Data Protection Regulation and Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018) (all employees of the Council will not disclose or make use of, for their private advantage, any information held on manual or computer records, which are not available to the public, however acquired).
- Take responsibility for continuing self-development and participate in training and development activities.
- The above mentioned duties are neither exclusive nor exhaustive and the postholder may be called upon to carry out such other appropriate duties as may be required by the Line Manager within the grading level of the post and the competence of the postholder and/or as detailed in the Councils and Services Business Continuity Plans.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Job Purpose:
To lead and coordinate the development and delivery of innovative programmes within the Start for Life and Family Hubs programme. The role will coordinate cross-sectoral initiatives across public health, education, early years, early help and community services to improve outcomes for children and families, ensuring delivery aligns with Department for Education (DfE) expectations and local priorities. There will be a particular focus on integrating digital solutions, to enhance support for families.
Key Responsibilities:
Programme Development & Delivery
- Lead the design and implementation of new Start for Life and Family Hub programmes, including parenting support, infant feeding, parental mental health, home learning environment, and parent-carer engagement.
- Translate strategic priorities into operational plans and oversee implementation across multiple services.
- Develop business cases, delivery plans, and evaluation frameworks for new initiatives.
- Innovation through digital tools.
- Lead on the development and piloting of digital support for families to enable them to navigate services and access early intervention services.
- Collaborate with digital partners, internal IT teams, and service users to understand need to ensure the tools are co-produced, ethical, and responsive to family needs.
- Monitor the impact of digital innovations and contribute to evaluation and scaling strategies.
Project Management
- Apply robust project management methodologies to track progress, manage risks, and ensure delivery on time and within budget.
- Lead specific work packages and coordinate multi-agency delivery teams.
- Monitor and report on project outcomes to internal governance boards and support the returns to DfE.
Stakeholder Engagement & Promotion
- Promote the Family Hubs and Start for Life offer across the borough, increasing awareness and uptake among families, particularly those from underrepresented or vulnerable groups.
- Build strong relationships with internal teams, external partners, and community stakeholders to support integrated working and shared outcomes.
- Develop and implement effective communication channels and materials to engage families and services, ensuring clear, accessible, and culturally appropriate messaging.
General Accountabilities and Responsibilities
Project Management
- Undertake assigned projects, ensuring that agreed outcomes are delivered on time, within budget and to the expected standard.
Communication and relationship skills
- Maintain regular and effective communication with colleagues at all levels within the Directorate and beyond, as well as multi-agency partners, attending team briefings and preparing and delivering briefings when required.
Customer Care
- Provide services that are fair and accessible to all, challenging existing practices that support the traditional culture and promote the Customer First proposition across the Council.
General Accountabilities and Responsibilities (All roles)
- Ensure compliance with appropriate legislation, Council Policies, the Council Constitution (including Contract Rules, Financial Regulations and Rules, Employment Procedure Rules,
- Employees Code of Conduct), Information Security Policies, Social Media Policy and other requirements of the Council.
- Ensure high standards of records management and assume responsibility for all information assigned to the post.
- Promote the development of a high quality individual need led service, to comply at all times with the Councils policies and procedures, particularly those regarding Data Protection,
- Equalities and Diversity and Health and Safety.
- Ensure compliance with and actively promote the Councils Equalities and Diversity policies and strategies and comply with the Equality Act 2010.
- Ensure compliance with and actively promote Health and Safety at work legislation, Council and Service H&S policies and procedures.
- Comply with the competencies and standard requisites agreed by the Council as relevant to your post.
- Comply with the General Data Protection Regulation and Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018) (all employees of the Council will not disclose or make use of, for their private advantage, any information held on manual or computer records, which are not available to the public, however acquired).
- Take responsibility for continuing self-development and participate in training and development activities.
- The above mentioned duties are neither exclusive nor exhaustive and the postholder may be called upon to carry out such other appropriate duties as may be required by the Line Manager within the grading level of the post and the competence of the postholder and/or as detailed in the Councils and Services Business Continuity Plans.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Qualification and/or extensive experience in programme management
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Qualification and/or extensive experience in programme management
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
