At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead strategic initiatives to improve children's care placements and outcomes.
- Company: Join a forward-thinking organisation dedicated to enhancing children's social care.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, professional development, and the chance to make a real difference.
- Other info: Dynamic role with opportunities for growth and collaboration across departments.
- Why this job: Shape the future of children's care and drive impactful change in the community.
- Qualifications: Proven leadership in children's social care and strong market management skills.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 75000 £ per year.
About the role
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.
Eden Brown Synergy is an equal opportunities employer.
Head of Sufficiency (Childrens Social Care). Job in Stoke-on-trent LilyLifestyle Jobs in Sandford employer: United Cerebral Palsy of Georgia
Eden Brown Synergy is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment in Stoke-on-Trent that prioritises the well-being and development of its employees. With a strong commitment to children's social care, the company fosters a culture of collaboration and innovation, providing ample opportunities for professional growth and meaningful impact in the community. Employees benefit from a supportive leadership team, comprehensive training programmes, and a focus on achieving positive outcomes for children, making it a rewarding place to advance your career.
Contact Details:
United Cerebral Palsy of Georgia Recruitment Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of Sufficiency (Childrens Social Care). Job in Stoke-on-trent LilyLifestyle Jobs in Sandford
✨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 the perfect role for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the organisation's values and recent projects. This will help you tailor your responses and show that you're genuinely interested in making a difference in children's lives.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice your pitch! Be ready to explain how your experience aligns with the Sufficiency Action Plan and how you can drive measurable impact. Confidence is key, so rehearse until it feels natural.
✨Tip Number 4
Don't forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are proactive about their job search.
We think you need these skills to ace Head of Sufficiency (Childrens Social Care). Job in Stoke-on-trent LilyLifestyle Jobs in Sandford
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 leadership abilities. Use specific examples from your past roles where you’ve driven change or improved outcomes for children. We love seeing how you’ve made a tangible impact!
Be Clear and Concise:When writing your application, keep it clear and to the point. We appreciate well-structured responses that get straight to the heart of your experience and how it relates to the Sufficiency Action Plan. Avoid jargon and make it easy for us to understand your points.
Apply Through Our Website:Don’t forget to submit your application through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your details and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it gives you a chance to explore more about what we do at StudySmarter!
How to prepare for a job interview at United Cerebral Palsy of Georgia
✨Know the Sufficiency Action Plan Inside Out
Make sure you thoroughly understand the Sufficiency Action Plan and its key milestones. Be prepared to discuss how your previous experience aligns with the goals of the plan and how you can drive its delivery effectively.
✨Demonstrate Cross-Department Collaboration Skills
Highlight your ability to work across various departments, such as fostering, residential services, and commissioning. Share specific examples of how you've successfully aligned teams in the past to tackle complex challenges in children's social care.
✨Showcase Your Market Management Expertise
Be ready to talk about your experience with market shaping and provider engagement. Discuss strategies you've used to negotiate with independent fostering agencies and residential providers, ensuring they align with sufficiency priorities and financial modelling.
✨Emphasise Data-Driven Decision Making
Prepare to explain how you've used forecasting and benefits tracking in your previous roles. Provide examples of how real-time data has informed your decisions and led to measurable improvements in placement stability and outcomes for children.
