Head of Service - Children in Care

Head of Service – Children in Care & Care Leavers

Salary: Up to £85,000 per annum

Contract: Initial locum with potential for permanent appointment

Location: Halton Borough Council

Halton Borough Council is looking for a passionate and experienced leader to drive excellence in services for Children in Care and Care Leavers. This is a key senior role, responsible for ensuring high-quality support, safeguarding, and improved outcomes for children and young people.

Key Responsibilities:

• Children in Care & Care Leavers: Oversee care planning, permanency arrangements, and transitions into adulthood, ensuring children and young people receive the support they need.
• Fostering & Adoption: Lead recruitment, assessment, and support of foster carers and adopters, ensuring compliance with regulations and best practice.
• Residential Services: Manage the council’s residential children’s home, ensuring high standards of care and regulatory compliance.
• Performance & Quality Assurance: Develop and implement service improvement plans in line with Ofsted requirements, using data and audits to drive continuous improvement.
• Leadership & Workforce Development: Provide strong and visible leadership, supporting and developing teams to maintain high professional standards and effective service delivery.
• Budget & Resource Management: Ensure effective financial oversight and efficient use of resources, securing external funding where possible.

About You:

• Qualified social worker with Social Work England registration and significant management experience in children’s services.
• Proven leadership in local authority or similar settings, with a strong understanding of statutory responsibilities and best practice in child protection, fostering, adoption, and care leaver support.
• Skilled in strategic planning, performance management, and quality assurance.
• Strong partnership working experience, including collaboration with agencies, courts, and safeguarding boards.
• Financial management experience, ensuring cost-effective service delivery.
• Excellent communication, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, with the ability to influence and inspire teams.

This is an exciting opportunity to lead a service that makes a real difference in the lives of vulnerable children and young people.

Apply now to be part of a dedicated team committed to achieving the best outcomes for children in Halton.