Service Director Childrens Social Care and Preventative Services
Location: Badminton Road
Salary Range: £94,075 - £102,664
Position Type: Full-Time
Contract Type: Permanent
Hours: 37.00
Advertising End Date: 9/2/2025
How you'll make a difference
We are thrilled to announce that in 2024 Ofsted assessed our services as ‘Good’ in all areas and acknowledged that the pace of progress over the last few years has seen fantastic improvements for services for children in need of help, care and support. A stable senior leadership team, increased investment, strengthened partner agency working and a whole council approach to children means that we are actively supporting the lives of children and young people in South Gloucestershire.
As a senior leader, you will make a difference and play a pivotal role in both maintaining and striving to build on our existing practice and performance.
What you will be doing
1. Maintain and improve the work that has already taken place to enhance our services, reviewing the steps already taken and implementing strategies for further improvement.
2. Have accountability for the leadership of services to improve outcomes for all children and young people living in South Gloucestershire, ensuring the council provides a consistently good quality service that protects and promotes the safety and wellbeing of children, especially those at risk of harm or poor outcomes.
3. Direct, lead, and determine service delivery, agreeing a strategy and operational provision to meet the full range of children’s and young people’s needs, ensuring services are within national and local performance and regulatory standards.
4. Lead your team through changes in response to government proposals to reform children’s social care, embedding new ways of working and best practices.
What we need from you
1. A professional accreditation or equivalent working knowledge with proven experience and being a qualified and registered social worker.
2. Alignment with our values and behaviours, especially those under ‘Leading Others’, directing and supporting those with line management responsibilities to deliver results.
3. Experience in creating a vision and plans, enabling managers to transform services, motivating them to improve delivery for children in need of help, care, and support.
4. Experience of creating strategies, providing realistic long-term objectives and targets against national policy and frameworks, and fostering an environment with stretching but achievable workloads.
5. Ability to drive improvements for children and families, supporting innovation and consulting with stakeholders to make complex, long-term decisions that shape services.
6. Establish and maintain a positive culture where managers feel empowered to support performance and challenge ineffectiveness to improve best practices.
What you need to know
1. All candidates that successfully reach the interview assessment panel will be required to provide a 10-minute presentation as part of the recruitment process.
2. This role is hybrid, with a mixture of working at our office at Badminton Road, across our locality sites, and from home.
3. You must have a full, valid driving licence with regular access to a vehicle or an alternative means of travel.
The interview assessment day will take place on Monday 24th February.
A second stage process will follow, attending a member’s interview panel on Tuesday 25th February.
If you would like to discuss this role in more detail, please contact Rhiannon Sim, PA to Chris Sivers on Tel: 01454 863253 or email Rhiannon.Sim@southglos.gov.uk
How a career at South Gloucestershire Council is different
1. As part of our benefits package, you will receive generous annual leave (pro rata), employee wellbeing support, and access to a range of staff discounts.
2. We welcome applications from everyone and ensure that individuals are selected, promoted, and developed based on their merits and abilities.
3. Office-based, you’ll be part of a team with access to specialist expertise and advice.
Our teams at South Gloucestershire Council are making a real difference to the lives of people who live, work, and learn here.
1. We're building and shaping communities which people are proud of.
2. We're working with the most vulnerable in our community to help them achieve their goals.
3. We're investing in our schools to ensure every child and young person in South Gloucestershire achieves their full potential.
We’re making a difference, be part of it!
To view the full job description and invite letter, please click links below:
Service Director Childrens Social Care and Preventative Services People - Job Description
Invite to apply - letter from Chris Sivers Exec Director for People
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