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- Tasks: Lead and develop children's homes, ensuring quality care for families in Stockport.
- Company: Join Stockport Council's dynamic team making a real difference in children's lives.
- Benefits: Enjoy flexible working, professional development, and access to wellbeing support services.
- Why this job: Be part of a mission-driven team creating opportunities for the community.
- Qualifications: Experience in leadership and a passion for improving children's services.
- Other info: Diverse and inclusive workplace with strong support for career growth.
The predicted salary is between 36000 - 60000 £ per year.
Service Leader Residential Services
MB2 (£59,395 – £67,990) + Market Supplement
37 Hours, Full Time
Permanent
Hybrid: Children’s Homes and homeworking around the needs of the service.
Application Deadline: 29 January 2026, 11:59pm
Please be aware that we may close this vacancy early if a high volume of applications are received. We encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
Shortlisting Date: 30 January 2026
Interview Date: w/c 2 February 2026
Interview Type: In Person
While we embrace the use of AI as an innovative tool to maximise our services at Stockport Council, we are looking for authenticity in applications we receive. We therefore ask you to think carefully if choosing to use AI when completing your application and ask that you ensure you read all instructions carefully and that your application is written by you and reflects your skills, knowledge and enthusiasm.
Join us at Stockport Council MJ Local Authority of the Year 2025
Your Role
This is an exciting opportunity to be part of our Stockport Family Children social care senior management team working together to make a real difference to the lives of children and families.
The Service Lead Residential Services has the strategic lead for the development and delivery of Stockport’s children’s homes and supported accommodation. As Responsible/ Nominated Individual you will lead on ofsted inspections, provide effective leadership of the workforce and operations in a manner that delivers a good standard of quality care that best meets children and family’s needs, working closely with locality teams and wider partners.
In this role, you will further provide ongoing leadership and development for the service that is creative to deliver against the council’s sufficiency plan and ambitions.
About You
We are seeking a highly motivated, creative and skilled service leader to join our leadership team to support our residential services to deliver outstanding care and support for our children.
You will be experienced in leadership and management of children’s homes and supported accommodation, with a proven track record of delivering high quality services for children. You will join an experienced leadership team and be supported to lead and drive improvements within our services delivering our sufficiency plan.
About Us
In this role you can expect benefits such as
- Flexible and hybrid working
- Strong leadership team
- Access to the councils’ benefits, wellbeing and support services
- Opportunities for training and professional career development
At Stockport Council we are one ambitious team on a mission to create opportunities for everyone who lives, works and spends time in the borough. Working at Stockport Council means contributing to one of the most thriving towns in the North. We’re keen to recruit people with the right values and behaviours that can help us ensure our workplace values are at the heart of everything we do.
We are proud to be recognised under the Good Employment Charter as an organisation committed to the wellbeing of our colleagues. As members of the charter, we have been recognised as a great place to work for all colleagues and pledge to pay the real living wage, engage staff in key decisions and endorse fair and flexible working conditions.
If you would like to find out more about the role please contact Jeanette Warburton for an informal discussion about the role.
The successful applicant’s appointment will be subject to satisfactory pre-employment clearances including a Disclosure and Barring Service check.
Stockport Council holds a Visa sponsorship licence but this can only be used for certain roles and this campaign does not currently qualify.
Please note that we have made a commitment to improve the employment opportunities for people with disabilities, care leavers and ex-military personnel. As part of the Guaranteed Assessment Scheme you will therefore be guaranteed to be shortlisted for Assessment if you meet both the criteria for the scheme and the essential job role criteria.
Find out if you meet the criteria here:
If you have completed the GM Elevate (Leadership Development) Programme, please indicate this within the ‘About You’ or ‘Supporting Statement’ section of your application. Please also email
Follow our recruitment team on X , Instagram and Facebook for updates on our vacancies and recruitment events.
Stockport Council is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive workforce culture – a place where we can all be ourselves and succeed. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and communities to join our workforce.
We want our employees to have a good work life balance and in many job roles we can offer a range of flexible/hybrid working arrangements. We also have inclusive employment policies and staff engagement forums to support our diverse workforce. We will listen to, learn from, and develop our workforce.
Service Leader Residential Services employer: Stockport Council
Contact Detail:
Stockport Council Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Service Leader Residential Services
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in your field, especially those already working at Stockport Council. A friendly chat can give you insider info and maybe even a referral.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for the interview by researching Stockport's children's services. Show us you know what we do and how you can contribute to our mission of making a difference in children's lives.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice your leadership stories! We want to hear about your experiences leading teams and driving change. Be ready to share specific examples that highlight your skills and creativity.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen. Plus, you’ll find all the details you need about the role and our values right there.
We think you need these skills to ace Service Leader Residential Services
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your application to highlight how your experience aligns with the role of Service Leader Residential Services. Use keywords from the job description to show that you understand what we're looking for.
Showcase Your Leadership Skills: Since this role involves leading teams and operations, be sure to provide examples of your leadership experience. We want to see how you've successfully managed teams and delivered quality care in previous roles.
Be Creative in Your Approach: We value creativity, especially when it comes to service improvement. Share any innovative ideas or strategies you've implemented in past positions that could benefit our children's homes and supported accommodation.
Apply Through Our Website: Don't forget to submit your application through our official website! This ensures that your application is processed correctly and gives us a chance to review your details thoroughly.
How to prepare for a job interview at Stockport Council
✨Know Your Stuff
Make sure you’re well-versed in the specifics of Stockport's children's homes and supported accommodation. Familiarise yourself with the council’s sufficiency plan and ambitions, as well as recent Ofsted inspection reports. This will show that you’re genuinely interested and prepared.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
Prepare examples of how you've effectively led teams in the past. Think about times when you’ve improved service delivery or quality care. Be ready to discuss your approach to leadership and how you can inspire and develop a workforce to meet the needs of children and families.
✨Collaborative Mindset
Highlight your experience working with locality teams and external partners. Discuss how you’ve successfully collaborated in previous roles to achieve common goals. This is crucial for the role, so be specific about your contributions and the outcomes.
✨Embrace Creativity
The job requires a creative approach to service improvement. Come prepared with ideas on how you could innovate within the service. Whether it’s new programmes or strategies, showing that you can think outside the box will set you apart from other candidates.
