Dear Applicant,

Thank you for your interest in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham.

At Barking and Dagenham, we are more than just a workplace—we’re a vibrant, diverse community committed to making our borough a place where people are proud to live, work, study, and stay.

As a borough we continue to undertake ambitious transformation to deliver real change for our community. We’ve redefined the way we provide services and have emerged as London’s biggest growth opportunity, with a growing reputation as a place to invest and prosper. For adult social care, this means we are having to rethink our services in how best to deliver to our changing community needs, younger working age adults especially those residents within our Learning Disabilities and Autism cohort; and use of new ways of working, such as Caretechnology and more support within the community to support independence such as employment and housing.

Our borough will soon be home to London’s largest film studios and a new base for three of London’s iconic markets—Billingsgate, New Spitalfields, and Smithfield. With 95% of our schools rated good or outstanding by Ofsted, the capital’s first multi-million-pound Youth Zone, and an ambitious plan to build 50,000 new homes in the next 20 years, we are transforming our future while ensuring our residents remain at the heart of everything we do.

If you join us in this leadership role, you’ll be responsible for overseeing a range of crucial services, including adult care, disability services, and mental health services—all of which are key to the council’s priorities as well as leading a high-performing team.

As part of this leadership role, you will oversee the review of pathways into social care, allowing us to better manage the demand for our services. You will also ensure that our services make full use of new ways of working to optimise resources and deliver the necessary efficiencies. Additionally, you will focus on enhancing reablement services and integrating new technologies to continuously improve outcomes for our residents. Furthermore, you will play a critical role in preparing the borough for upcoming inspections, ensuring we meet the highest standards of care and service delivery.

We are looking for someone passionate about adult services, who is eager to explore innovative approaches, lead strategic change, and bring together a diverse range of staff, partners, and providers to achieve our goals.

In return, we offer a supportive and inclusive working environment, with active staff networks, hybrid working and many other benefits. Most importantly, we offer a real opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the lives of our residents.

If you share our vision and are looking for a place where you can truly make an impact, we’d love to hear from you.

I look forward to receiving your application.

Best Regards,

Elaine Allegretti

Strategic Director Children’s and Adults