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- Tasks: Lead strategic initiatives to improve children's care placements and outcomes.
- Company: Eden Brown Synergy, a leader in children's social care.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, professional development, and a commitment to equal opportunities.
- Other info: Join a dynamic team focused on innovative solutions for children's care.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in children's lives through impactful leadership.
- Qualifications: Proven experience in children's social care and strong leadership skills.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 75000 £ per year.
We are recruiting an Interim Head of Sufficiency to provide senior strategic leadership and operational oversight of our placement sufficiency programme. The postholder will drive delivery of the Sufficiency Action Plan, strengthen cross-department alignment, and ensure sufficiency activity translates into improved outcomes for children and measurable financial impact.
What success looks like
- Clear line of sight from the Sufficiency Action Plan to governance, reporting, risks, decisions, and measurable impact.
- Reduced reliance on residential provision through stronger fostering sufficiency and sharper pathways to step-down, stability, and reunification where safe and appropriate.
- Stronger market management with consistent provider engagement, improved negotiation, and decisions grounded in needs and affordability.
- Forecasting and benefits tracking that supports real-time decision-making and drives delivery in line with our Valuing Care Approach.
About you
You will be a credible senior leader with a strong track record in children's social care sufficiency, placements, commissioning, market management, and performance oversight.
The role reports to the Director for Corporate Parenting and Quality and provides senior leadership to the Sufficiency Core Group, supporting robust reporting and governance through the Sufficiency Board. Stoke-on-Trent has many areas of strong practice. However, the current level of demand and the number of children in care create acute challenges for placement capacity and cost. This role exists to maintain pace, bring grip to delivery, and improve how we match children to the right homes quickly and sustainably.
A key requirement is to reduce reliance on residential children's homes by strengthening foster care sufficiency, working closely with our internal fostering service and external partners. The postholder will also lead our newly established Valuing Care approach, ensuring practice-led insights translate into step-down, reunification, placement stability, and faster home-finding.
What you will be responsible for
- Lead the coordinated delivery of the Sufficiency Action Plan, ensuring clear progress against milestones, clear ownership of workstreams, and active risk management.
- Strengthen alignment across fostering, residential services, commissioning, brokerage, social work teams, and strategic finance, ensuring a joined-up approach to demand pressures and placement decision pathways.
- Work with commissioning and brokerage on market shaping activity with independent fostering agencies, external residential providers, and supported accommodation services, ensuring provider engagement and negotiation is aligned to sufficiency priorities and financial modelling.
- Support the development and embedding of improved forecasting processes, opportunity tracking, demand projections, and benefits realisation, so that impact is visible, measurable, and acted on.
- Work closely with the Valuing Care lead and panel process so that practice-led insights identify and deliver step-down, reunification, and placement stability opportunities, and inform commissioning.
Head of Sufficiency (Childrens Social Care) in Stoke-on-Trent employer: Eden Brown Synergy
Contact Detail:
Eden Brown Synergy Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of Sufficiency (Childrens Social Care) in Stoke-on-Trent
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in children's social care and let them know you're on the lookout for opportunities. You never know who might have the inside scoop on a role that’s perfect for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by diving deep into the Sufficiency Action Plan. Understand its goals and how your experience aligns with driving delivery and improving outcomes for children. Show them you’re the right fit!
✨Tip Number 3
Don’t just wait for job postings; be proactive! Check our website regularly and apply directly through us. We love seeing candidates who take the initiative and show genuine interest in our mission.
✨Tip Number 4
Follow up after interviews! A quick thank-you email can go a long way. It shows your enthusiasm for the role and keeps you fresh in their minds as they make their decision.
We think you need these skills to ace Head of Sufficiency (Childrens Social Care) in Stoke-on-Trent
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter to highlight your experience in children's social care sufficiency and placements. We want to see how your skills align with the role, so don’t hold back on showcasing your relevant achievements!
Showcase Your Leadership Skills: As a senior leader, it’s crucial to demonstrate your strategic thinking and operational oversight capabilities. Use specific examples from your past roles to illustrate how you've driven successful outcomes in similar contexts.
Be Clear and Concise: When writing your application, clarity is key! Keep your language straightforward and avoid jargon. We appreciate a well-structured application that gets straight to the point while still reflecting your personality.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to submit your application through our website for the best chance of being noticed. It’s super easy, and you’ll be able to track your application status directly!
How to prepare for a job interview at Eden Brown Synergy
✨Know the Sufficiency Action Plan Inside Out
Make sure you thoroughly understand the Sufficiency Action Plan and how it aligns with governance and reporting. Be ready to discuss specific milestones and how you would manage risks while driving delivery.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Experience
Prepare examples from your past roles that demonstrate your strategic leadership in children's social care. Highlight your successes in market management, fostering sufficiency, and how you've improved outcomes for children.
✨Understand Financial Implications
Familiarise yourself with financial modelling related to placement sufficiency. Be prepared to discuss how you would ensure decisions are grounded in affordability while still meeting the needs of children.
✨Emphasise Collaboration Skills
This role requires strong alignment across various teams. Prepare to talk about how you've successfully collaborated with different departments in the past, particularly in fostering and residential services.