Head of Service (Youth Justice and Leaving Care)

Head of Service - Care Leavers and Youth Justice12-Month Secondment / Fixed-Term OpportunityGrade 15 Chesterfield/Matlock baseReady for your next leadership challenge?This is a rare and exciting opportunity to lead two of the most impactful and successful services within Derbyshire Children's Services: Leaving Care and Youth Justice.We are looking for an ambitious, child-focused leader who is passionate about improving the lives of care-experienced young people and children involved in the youth justice system. This 12-month opportunity offers the chance to shape practice, influence strategy, lead high-performing teams and make a lasting difference to some of Derbyshire's most vulnerable young people.As Head of Service, you will provide strategic and operational leadership across both service areas, ensuring children, young people and families receive the right support at the right time. You will work closely with senior leaders, partners, elected members and young people themselves to
drive excellence, innovation and continuous improvement.Why this role mattersOur care leavers and children in the youth justice system deserve leaders who are ambitious for their futures.You will lead services that:Support care-experienced young people to thrive into adulthoodImprove outcomes in education, employment, training, housing and healthReduce offending and reoffending through effective intervention and partnership workingChampion participation and ensure young people's voices shape servicesDeliver high-quality practice that is inspection-ready and evidence informedStrengthen relationships with key partners across health, police, education, probation and the voluntary sectorAbout the roleDrawing on the responsibilities within our leadership profiles for Head of Service and Youth Justice leadership roles, you will:Provide visible and inspirational leadership across Leaving Care and Youth Justice ServicesLead strategic service development and transformationDrive performance, quality
assurance and outstanding practiceEnsure statutory responsibilities are met and services are responsive to emerging needsLead and develop managers and practitioners to achieve their full potentialWork collaboratively with the Youth Justice Partnership Board and Corporate Parenting structuresPromote innovation, learning and a culture of continuous improvementEnsure young people remain at the heart of decision makingThis role offers a unique opportunity to influence both operational delivery and strategic direction across services that are central to Derbyshire's ambitions for children and young people. Based on the Head of Service and Youth Justice leadership profiles, the role includes responsibility for service performance, safeguarding, partnership leadership, workforce development and delivering positive outcomes for children and young peopleWe are looking for someone who:Is an experienced and values-led leaderHas a strong track record of delivering excellent outcomes for children and
young peopleCan build effective partnerships and influence across complex systemsBrings energy, creativity and ambition to service improvementUnderstands the challenges and opportunities within care leaving and/or youth justice servicesCan inspire and support teams through changeIs committed to listening to young people and promoting their voiceAn exceptional commitment to corporate parentingWhat's in it for you?This is an exceptional development opportunity for an existing senior manager who wants to broaden their leadership experience and contribute to key strategic priorities across Children's Services.You'll have the opportunity to:Lead high-profile services with significant impactInfluence strategic developments across DerbyshireWork alongside a committed and supportive senior leadership teamFurther develop your leadership skills and experienceHelp shape the future of services for care-experienced young people and children in the youth justice systemJoin usIf you are, passionate about

making a difference, ambitious for children and young people, and ready to take the next step in your leadership journey, we would love to hear from you.Together, we can ensure Derbyshire is the best place for children in care to grow up, thrive and successfully move into adulthood, whilst ensuring children who enter the youth justice system receive the support they need to achieve positive futures.Provisional Interview Date: 2 November 2026We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Due to this post having access to children and/or vulnerable adults, the successful candidate will be required to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service check. The possession of a criminal record will not necessarily prevent an applicant from obtaining this post, as all cases are judged individually according to the nature of the role and information provided. Click here to see our policy on criminal background checks.Apply now and take the first step
towards a fulfilling career with us! By joining Derbyshire County Council you will have access to a range of amazing rewards and employee benefits, including our generous annual leave scheme, excellent local government pension and fantastic employee discounts. To discover more detail about the rewards and benefits available to you, click hereCS1We welcome applications from individuals who share our values - being Collaborative, Innovative, Empowered and Accountable. These values describe who we are and what we stand for as a council. They help shape our culture, encourage consistent behaviour and guide how we work together to make a positive difference for both our employees and the residents we serve.LocationCounty Hall, MatlockReferenceJOB/26/03186Salary detailsGrade 15 65,081 - 71,383 per annumJob termFull TimeAppointment typeFixed Term - Covering for secondment 12 months from start date Hours37 hours per weekClosing Date25 October 2026