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Open nowFirst seen 28 hours ago

Head Of Service Children In Care, Care Leaver And Fostering

Iworkrecruitment317 open roles

Pay
£55 an hour
Where
Stafford, United Kingdom
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Your applicationOpen nowHead Of Service Children In Care, Care Leaver And FosteringIworkrecruitment · Stafford, United Kingdom

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The clock on this job

Early applications get read.

13.7% of postings close within 7 days. Measured by our own scanner across the market. Iworkrecruitment postings stay open a median of 12 days.

Share of postings closed within
  1. 2.2%1 day
  2. 4.7%3 days
  3. 13.7%7 days
  4. 22.1%14 days
  5. 37.8%30 days
  6. 59.1%60 days
This job: first seen 28 hours ago

Iworkrecruitment median: 12 days open

The posting

Contract to start ASAP until 31-01-27 with a possible extension.

Full job description

Head of Service – Children in Care, Care Leavers & Fostering – Staffordshire County Council

Hours: Full-time (37 hours per week)

Contract: Temporary interim contract from 1 November 2026 to 31 January 2027

Provide Strategic Leadership Across Children in Care, Care Leavers and Fostering Services

We're recruiting an experienced Head of Service – Children in Care, Care Leavers & Fostering to join Staffordshire County Council, based at Staffordshire Place 1, ST16 2DH.

This is a senior interim leadership role responsible for overseeing key children's social care services, including services for children in care, care leavers and fostering.

You'll provide strategic and operational leadership, oversee service performance, manage senior teams and help ensure children and young people receive safe, effective and high-quality support.

About the Role

As Head of Service – Children in Care, Care Leavers & Fostering, you'll lead a range of statutory children's social care services and provide professional oversight across complex and high-risk areas.

You'll work closely with senior leaders, social work managers, partner agencies, foster carers and other stakeholders to drive service improvement, maintain strong safeguarding standards and improve outcomes for children and young people.

What you'll be doing:

  • Providing strategic and operational leadership across children in care, care leaver and fostering services
  • Leading senior managers and multidisciplinary social care teams
  • Overseeing statutory responsibilities for children in care and care leavers
  • Providing leadership across fostering recruitment, assessment and support
  • Monitoring service performance, quality and outcomes
  • Driving improvement in placement stability and permanency planning
  • Ensuring safeguarding practice remains robust and effective
  • Providing oversight of complex and high-risk cases
  • Supporting strong care planning and pathway planning
  • Working closely with corporate parenting boards and senior leaders
  • Managing budgets, resources and workforce capacity
  • Monitoring performance against statutory and regulatory requirements
  • Leading service improvement and transformation activity
  • Supporting recruitment, retention and workforce development
  • Providing professional challenge and guidance to senior managers
  • Working closely with health, education, commissioning and partner agencies
  • Supporting effective commissioning and placement sufficiency
  • Preparing reports, briefings and performance updates
  • Contributing to inspections, audits and quality assurance activity
  • Representing the Council at strategic meetings and partnership forums

Requirements

We're looking for a highly experienced senior children's social care leader with strong knowledge of children in care, leaving care and fostering services.

You'll ideally have:

  • Significant senior leadership experience within children's social care
  • A recognised Social Work qualification
  • Current Social Work England registration
  • Strong experience across children in care, care leavers and/or fostering
  • Experience leading complex statutory social care services
  • Strong knowledge of safeguarding and children's legislation
  • Experience managing senior managers and large multidisciplinary teams
  • Strong performance and quality-assurance experience
  • Experience leading service improvement and transformation
  • Strong understanding of placement sufficiency and permanency planning
  • Experience working with fostering services and foster carers
  • Ability to manage complex risks and make sound strategic decisions
  • Experience working with elected members, senior officers and partner agencies
  • Strong financial and budget-management skills
  • Previous local authority Head of Service experience would be highly desirable
  • Ability to work effectively in a high-pressure interim environment
  • Eligibility to work in the UK
  • Ability to provide relevant references/work history
  • Ability to complete enhanced safeguarding and pre-employment checks

Why Apply

  • Senior interim leadership opportunity with Staffordshire County Council
  • Competitive Umbrella rate of £55.19 per hour
  • Full-time 37-hour working week
  • Opportunity to lead critical children's social care services
  • Chance to influence outcomes for children in care and care leavers
  • Opportunity to shape fostering services and placement sufficiency
  • Work closely with senior leaders and partner agencies
  • High-impact interim assignment

Benefits

  • Weekly Pay
  • Company Pension
  • Ongoing Agency Support

Additional Information

Client: Staffordshire County Council

Job Title: Head of Service – Children in Care, Care Leavers & Fostering

Location: Staffordshire Place 1, ST16 2DH

Positions Available: 1

Hours: 37 hours per week

Start Date: 1 November 2026

End Date: 31 January 2027

Contract Type: Temporary / Interim

Pay Rate: Umbrella: £55.19 per hour

Job Types: Full-time, Temporary contract

Pay: £55.19 per hour

Benefits:

  • Company pension

Application question(s):

  • Are you a qualified Social Worker with current Social Work England registration?
  • Do you have significant senior leadership experience within children's social care?
  • Have you previously led children in care, care leaver or fostering services?
  • Are you experienced in managing senior managers, performance, safeguarding and service improvement?
  • Do you have strong knowledge of placement sufficiency, permanency planning and fostering?
  • Are you able to reliably travel to Staffordshire Place 1, ST16 2DH?
  • Are you available for this interim assignment?

Experience:

  • Senior Children's Social Care Leadership: 5 years (required)
  • Children in Care / Care Leavers / Fostering: 3 years (required)
  • Head of Service / Senior Management: 3 years (preferred)
  • Local Authority Children's Services: 3 years (preferred)

Licence/Certification:

  • Social Work England Registration (required)
  • Recognised Social Work Qualification (required)

Work authorisation:

  • United Kingdom (required)

Disclaimer: On applying for this vacancy, you agree that your personal details will be passed onto our client for their consideration of your suitability for the role. I acknowledge that it is my responsibility to notify iWork Recruitment Limited of any hirer who I do not want my details to be passed onto.

5308018-11-26

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