As Head of Service for Children in Care and Care Leavers, you will lead a critical, established service and help stabilize delivery during a period of demand and complexity. This high-impact leadership role supports vulnerable young people by maintaining delivery focus, resilience, and continuous improvements to outcomes. You will work within senior leadership expectations and provide calm, credible leadership in fast-paced, pressured environments.
In this role, you will provide strong operational leadership to ensure statutory duties are delivered effectively. You will lead and support staff through high-pressure situations, promoting wellbeing and resilience, while driving service performance and improvement. You will champion corporate parenting responsibilities by embedding best practice across teams, and you will build and maintain effective partnerships with internal and external stakeholders.
You are expected to bring senior management-level leadership experience within children in care services, including a demonstrated ability to support teams through challenging and complex periods. The role requires a strong understanding of statutory frameworks, legislation, and inspection requirements, along with a track record of driving performance, managing risk, and delivering positive outcomes for children and care leavers. A social work qualification with extensive experience in a local authority setting is required, and you may be well-suited if you can quickly establish credibility and bring stability to a dedicated workforce.