The Opportunity

This is an exciting time to be joining Devon County Council’s Children’s Service as we progress with our improvements. In Devon, we are committed to working with children, young people and their families in a restorative way. A way that values relationships as the way to bring about change and promotes health, well-being and good life chances for all, while focusing on protecting children and young people from harm. We’re raising the bar in terms of ambition and expectation, and we’re excited about what can be achieved.

As our new Senior Manager for Corporate Parenting, you’ll be joining a well-established and experienced senior management team and will act as a driving force for improving outcomes for our children in care and care experienced young people.

As an integral part of this, we’re seeking a highly experienced Corporate Parenting lead who has the vision, ideas and practice to help us to deliver the best possible outcomes for our children and young people. Joining our well-established and experienced senior management team and reporting to our newly appointed Deputy Chief Officer for Children’s Services, Lisa Bursill, you will be involved in shaping and delivering a restorative approach to social work practice that is strengths based, relationship focused and works with families to build capacity and bring about positive change.

We have reshaped this role to focus on driving our corporate parenting ambitions, improving the quality of care and pathway planning for children in care and care experienced young people and the impact of our partnership approaches on outcomes for children and young people. You’ll bring the vision, leadership, ideas and restorative practice to help us deliver the best possible outcomes for children, young people and families across Devon working closely with our children and young people to make sure their voices are at the heart of everything we do. Some of your key priorities will include, building workforce capacity and shaping best practice evidencing impact on outcomes in key areas. Your leadership will ensure that Devon is a strong and effective corporate parent and will make certain that the voice of the child is heard in all that we do.

The role will require you to work collaboratively with internal and external partners to improve outcomes for children, young people and their families and to continue to build on the strengths of Devon’s Children and Families Partnership.

About you

We are looking for an individual who will be a driving force in improving services for children in care and care experienced young people in our County. This must include doing the basics consistently right, improving the quality of practice and care outcomes and reducing the number of children in care.

We’re looking for a strategic thinker with an evident track record of translating strategic vision into operational action and tangible improvements. And, in return, you’ll get to work with a council that will give you the support and backing to innovate and to make a real difference.

A qualified social worker, you will already be an inspiring leader of a successful service and be able to demonstrate how you have led improvements in social work practice in previous organisations. You will have a proven commitment to outcomes for children in care and care experienced young people. It is also imperative that you understand, not only the social care agenda, but also the wider children’s services agenda in education, health and emotional wellbeing.

You’ll be both a team player and a leader. Being able to influence and build strong relationships is a prerequisite for this role. Creative in your approach, you’ll be a collaborative problem solver and have the ability to take staff with you. You’ll be incredibly passionate about the challenge that comes with this role and in supporting children, young people and families in Devon to thrive.

This is a fantastic opportunity to improve services and evidence real outcomes as part of multi-disciplinary response that works to keep children out of care and with their families, where possible. You will be leading services that are on the cusp of real change and in doing so will help improve the lives of our children and their families.

If you have what it takes to deliver on a demanding, change-driven, high-profile role where you have the scope to shape the future for children and young people in in a truly unique County, we’d love to hear from you.

For a confidential discussion, please contact our recruitment partners at Tile Hill: Chris Barrow (07437 839048) or Anita Denton (07725 554802) at our recruitment partner, Tile Hill.

Job Description and Personal Specification

Core Principles and Behaviours Framework