Head of Service for Corporate Parenting

Are you an experienced senior leader who is determined to make a real difference for children in care, and care experienced young people?

Does working with foster carers to ensure there is a range of loving, caring and nurturing homes for children and young people, drive you?

Is the voice of our children and young people and their aspirations integral to all you do?

Have you got the experience, skills, and knowledge to deliver on a transformation plan? If this sounds like you then please read on., Are you the passionate, inspirational leader they are looking for, to act as the advocate and champion for children, young people and foster carers?

As an experienced Head of Service within Children's Services, you have taken responsibility for the quality, practice and performance of your teams. Working as a motivational leader to ensure you collectively delivered the very best outcomes for children, young people and their families.

You will have experience of managing budgets of over £3m across Children in Care, Leaving Care and Fostering, continually reviewing and reshaping service delivery to ensure efficiency and effective management, whilst supporting the highest standards for children, young people, their families and foster families.

You have experience acting as deputy for the Service Director or Director of Children's and Young People's Services, where you have stepped-in to provide leadership as-and-when needed at service or multi-agency meetings, Boards or Committees.

You have a strong track record of leading the marketing and recruitment of Fostering Services including the recruitment of Mainstream Carers, Emergency Carers and Carers for Disabled Children - with demonstrable results in the increased quality of care and services for children.

You are familiar with the Mockingbird Model of foster care (and may have helped to implement this in past roles) so appreciate the strong benefits this pioneering programme creates and the role it plays in building a resilient and caring fostering community.

Innovation is core to how you drive improvement - you have an open-minded approach to new ways of working and foster a culture of idea sharing and appropriate risk taking to deliver improved results.

This role reports to Sara Graves, Service Director. Like her, you are a strong advocate and champion for children and young people, keeping them at the heart of everything you do.

Children and young people in care deserve the same opportunities and support as any other child - a loving, caring home life and the chance to achieve their hopes, dreams and ambitions.

The responsibility for making that happen falls under Corporate Parenting where in the words of the Executive Director for Children's Services at Peterborough City Council, John Gregg, "Council members and all employees demonstrate their total commitment to our children and young people that the local authority has in its care".

John cares deeply about children and young people and is a passionate champion for those who take on the role of caring for them and that includes foster carers who he describes as "the lifeblood of the looked-after system and really critical to its success - the people that make the difference, each and every day, to children's lives".

Peterborough City Council is on a transformation and improvement journey and recognises the need for the greater integration of thinking around children and young people in their care.

The plan and ambition, with investment and resourcing, is to make a significant difference to the Corporate Parenting Service and the successes of its children and young people.

This is a full-time role across a five-day working week, paying from £75,834 to £92,244 per year (dependant on experience) with an attractive LGPS pension scheme amongst other benefits.

Peterborough City Council works a hybrid-working model where you will have the opportunity to collaborate and plan alongside colleagues for a minimum two days per week, in the purpose-built riverside city centre offices.