Job description - Head of Children in Care and Resources

Purpose

To provide Strategic leadership, vision and direction for the Children in Care and Resources services in line with the Council Thrive Agenda and priorities as identified by the Deputy Strategic Director of Children's Social Care and Early Help. To provide policy direction and contribute to the wider corporate priorities, vision and values as directed and engage with other service areas to achieve better outcomes for the council and families. To be a key member of the Children and Families Social Work management team.

The post hold will have 2 direct reports who will have overall portfolio responsibilities; Children in Our Care; Care Experienced; Children's Homes; Fostering; Kinship Care; Mockingbird and Staying Close; UASC.

Key results areas

• To contribute to meeting the Council priorities and MTFS priorities by ensuring the delivery of high quality, consistent and value for money services through effective service and business planning, budget and performance management and effectively manage and monitor the dedicated budget to provide best value for money, whilst operating within the terms of the Council's Constitution and Financial Regulations. 
• To contribute to meeting political and financial objectives by leading and encouraging the innovation of service delivery methods and improvements through active engagement with partner organisations.
• To lead and strategically develop, innovate and manage funding streams across the partnership and internally to the council, to ensure efficiencies can be achieved whilst and to carry out specific corporate roles and assignments as directed by the Deputy Strategic Director.
• To lead, develop and expand the designated portfolio areas to ensure the effective management and delivery of social work practice relevant to the specific service area and promote the Council's commitment to achieving excellent outcomes and engagement of children, young people and their families. 
• To lead on transformational legislative, statutory and regulatory requirements across the service and implement quality assurance, performance management and benchmarking frameworks and the sharing of good practice to ensure safe and high standards of performance are consistently in place.
• To drive forward good quality services leading to strong outcomes in the Ofsted inspection framework. 
• To keep up to date with all national and legislative changes that impact on children's services and ensure implementation of changes where applicable.
• To lead on implementing effective performance management and quality assurance systems though the consistent application of thresholds, social work assessments, associated planning for children in care and exiting care, to maintain the highest possible professional standards of social work within the Service, ensuring appropriate safeguards are instigated and legislative and statutory requirements are met.
• To lead and support Practice Leads in the designated portfolio area for strategy, planning, performance and policies, working in partnership with other statutory, voluntary and independent organisations in the borough to maintain and develop strong collaborative working practices ensuring that everyone is working towards a common goal and intended outcomes which safeguard and enhance the wellbeing of children and young people and result in better outcomes for children, young people and their families to enable them to fulfil their potential.
• To lead and support Practice Leads to deliver effective and efficient leadership, direction, motivation and overall management of the service, managing employees within council's policies and procedures including effective supervision and appraisal and the identification of development programmes for frontline managers, workload management and strong collaborative working practices.
• Leading, developing and managing a range of connected and inter-dependent services for vulnerable children, the provision of services to children in our care, care leavers and resources including children; s homes, fostering and kinship care services. need, In addition, the post-holder is also responsible for the effective management and implementation of strategic plans to manage all children; s homes within the statutory and regulatory Ofsted framework.
• Ensure the consistent and safe operation of the safeguarding procedures including regular collaboration with senior representatives of other lead agencies such as the police and NHS bodies and Ofsted .
• Delivery of high-quality services for all children and families ensuring that standards linked to safeguarding and best practice are met and key responsibility for ensuring successful outcomes to regulatory and other broader OFSTED inspections.
• Robustly leading on planning for innovative and cross cutting services to meet the needs of children, young people and their families and enter into productive partnership arrangements with key providers and statutory agencies.
• Working effectively with partners and the wider corporate services to ensure effective overall performance management of the provision of services delivered and ensure that all service employees work to the same standard.
• Leading on the interface working between contract management for Children's Services and commissioning services for partnership working i.e. NHS partner, drug and alcohol services, procurement and contracting of external residential, supported accommodation and fostering placements.
• Strategic lead in agreed areas and senior representative of the Council on the appropriate Partnership Boards and Strategic Groups such as Strategic Management Board Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA), Strategic Commissioning Board, Sufficiency Board and the Child Death Overview Group and the Local Safeguarding Children Board Serious Case Review Committee.
• Leading and participating in relevant policy and decision making forums and influencing policy at a local, regional and national level.
• Contribute to the work of the Gateshead Safeguarding Executive Board.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of quality assurance of operational services including service audits, service standards, compliance management and service review.
• Contribute to the work of Corporate Parenting Panel of the council.
• Work with statutory inspection agencies on an ongoing and proactive basis.
• Responsible for presenting as required to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
• To promote equality of opportunity, learning and organisational development to create and maintain the skills and competencies required to deliver an effective collaborative service.
• To be accountable for the decision making within the service area and be responsible for the effectiveness and quality of social work.
• To robustly support and lead Practice leads in managing risks within the designated portfolio area and where necessary identify and communicate to the Deputy Strategic Director any risks to the effective work, reputation or interests of the Council.
• To respond effectively to service users' complaints and where appropriate act as adjudicating officer to ensure continuous improvement in the services.
• To ensure that health and safety policies and procedures are understood, implemented and monitored to ensure that health and safety standards are met.
• Manage corporate and service projects and initiatives of varying complexity ensuring that the standard project management methodology is properly utilised. Provide opportunities for employees by encouraging cross-service and matrix working.
• Ensure the consistent and safe operation of the safeguarding procedures including regular collaboration with senior representatives of other lead agencies such as the police and NHS bodies.
• Such other responsibilities allocated which are appropriate to the grade of the post.

Critical success factors

• Achievement of Best Value.
• Continued strategic shift of services.
• Development and maintenance of Partnership arrangements.

Compliance with:

• Legislation
• OFSTED Framework
• User satisfaction.
• Member satisfaction.
• Budgetary control.
• Safeguarding children and young people.

Skills, know-how and experience

• Professional qualification in social work to degree level or equivalent.
• Management/Leadership qualification
• Social Work England registered
• Significant post-qualifying experience in a broad range of social work settings.
• Significant children's services management
• Exceptional knowledge of Social Work methodologies, theory and best practice.
• Working knowledge of relevant legislation and case law
• Knowledge of the national political and professional context.
• Knowledge of regulatory processes, inspections and expectations
• Risk assessment and risk management models
• Child protection system and thresholds and welfare systems
• Performance and improvement frameworks
• Financial management within large organisations
• Leading and motivating front-line managers and teams.
• Managing risk and making sound decisions in complex and pressured situations
• Developing and delivering on strategic visions and plans
• Delivering within tight deadlines and targets 
• Writing and delivering reports to high profile forums
• Management and monitoring of budgets
• Partnership working with other statutory and voluntary agencies
• Human resource management and effective performance management 
• Chairing complex and challenging meetings.
• Multi agency / partnership working with other statutory and voluntary agencies at a senior management level

Competencies

• Directing Strategy
• Corporate Responsibility
• Building a shared vision
• Change Leadership
• Managing Service Delivery
• Business Acumen
• Facilitating Change
• Communication and Engagement
• Developing teams and individuals
• Managing performance
• Personal impact
• Making things happen
• Customer Focus
• Communication
• Team Working
• Flexibility
• Learning and Development

Dimensions

Direct reports:

• 2 Practice Leads/Service Managers
• 100+ staff
• 6 children's homes
• 800+ children's cases

Budget: 

• £34.873m

Cover:

• Provide Senior Manager cover on the Children's and Adult's Emergency Duty Team (out of hours) rota

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