Mark Harvey is Executive Director of Adults and Communities and statutory Director of Adult Social Services (DASS) at Southend-on-Sea City Council. He leads adult social care, community, culture and heritage services, with a strong focus on improving outcomes and quality of life for local residents.
A qualified and registered social worker, Mark brings extensive experience across local government and national leadership. He previously served as Chief Social Worker for England at the Department of Health and Social Care, where he provided professional leadership for adult social work, championing high standards of practice, safeguarding, and continuous improvement. In this role, he also advised government on social care policy and practice at a national level.
Earlier in his career, Mark held a range of senior leadership roles across adult social care within Hertfordshire County Council and NHS organisations in Hertfordshire. His work spanned service transformation, operational delivery, commissioning, and partnership development with health and voluntary sector organisations.
Mark has contributed to the academic and professional field through published research on social justice, human rights and learning disabilities, and has co-authored several books on social work practice and social justice.
As DASS in Southend-on-Sea, Mark is committed to strengths-based, person-centred practice, investing in workforce development, and working collaboratively with partners and communities to deliver sustainable, high-quality adult social care.