Pixel Personnel are currently recruiting for an experienced Qualified Social Worker, acting as a Head of Service for the Fostering, Children in Care and young peoples service based in Trowbridge, Wiltshire. Excellent rates of pay on offer up to £550 per day dependent upon experience.

Role Purpose

A head of service with sole responsibility for a large corporate function or significant service to include an equal split of both operational and strategic responsibilities.

You will be the council's lead professional in the function or will be managing a significant service which has wide impact across the whole council.

Will include managing significant risk for the council.

Will typically have large operational teams and/or significant budget.

Will report to an associate director and be working independently.

Roles at this level will be the exception and there will not be more than one L3 post within the function/service area.

It is likely that these roles will be complex and managing large numbers of staff, therefore you would not expect the whole of these services to be delivered via contracts.

Job Purpose:

This post is part of the senior management team for Families and Children's Service which has made excellent progress on its improvement journey to transform the lives of vulnerable children and young people in line with the Council's business plan.

This post leads the Children in Care and Young People's Service and works with families and young people who are on the edge of care, in care, carer leavers, and those involved in the youth justice system, displaying significantly risky behaviours, missing or being exploited.

The service is responsible for ensuring that children and young people who are looked after, care leavers, involved in the youth justice system or being exploited are provided with intervention and support to best meet their needs and to ensure they have the best opportunities to succeed in life.

We are dedicated to working in partnership with others developing new ways of engaging with our children, young people and their families and communities to improve their outcomes by ensuring that we build resilience and work as one team.

This post has responsibility for the following services:

• Young people service - youth offending team, no wrong door, emerald team
• Virtual school and vulnerable groups including CME and CMOE and care leavers up to the age of 25
• Children in care and placements and liaison with Adoption West as strategic lead for adoption work

The impact of this service is to ensure:

• placement stability
• permanence
• healthy and happy
• reduced risk
• improved resilience for the children and young people
• opportunity to thrive
• the most vulnerable groups achieve positive educational and health outcomes

Job purpose

In addition to the responsibilities described in the role profile, specific duties include:

• Take overall strategic responsibility for improving outcomes for some of Wiltshire's most vulnerable children and young people, including young offenders, children and young people in and on the edge of care, care leavers, children missing, children at risk of sexual exploitation and county lines.
• Create and deliver a clear vision for the strategic management and development of services, including the embedding of new services such as No Wrong Door and an integrated service for vulnerable adolescents.
• Develop, review and embed strategies to ensure ongoing improvement to all services, taking into account all relevant legislative and regulatory requirements.

• Overall responsibility for the placement budget, ensuring the delivery high quality, value for money spend and budget management and monitoring.

• Supporting and leading projects as part of the partnership transformation programme (FACT) which will improve outcomes across all aspects of Families and Children's services.

• Work within a System Leadership framework to ensure all partners deliver in a joined up and collaborative way.
• Lead on performance and outcomes for these services, with a key focus on maintaining good performance across all areas and making continued improvements within areas such as fostering recruitment, with the aim of making Wiltshire outstanding.
• Ensure that the council fulfils statutory duties in relation to all services within your remit, ensuring fostering regulations are adhered to, legislation and statutory guidance are met, ensuring ofsted registration for relevant services and making key decisions, for example in the capacity as ADM.

• Manage and develop staff teams, taking the lead on actions to improve staff engagement, staff development and progression planning, and ensuring organisational structures support delivery of best working practices.
• Ensure services work in close collaboration with other teams and stakeholders to ensure there is effective service provision, including information, advice and guidance for children, young people and their parents/carers on the services available. Ensure the effective involvement and participation of parents/carers, children and young people in the development and evaluation of services along with cross-council and multi-agency working.

Requirements:

• A professional qualification in social work and experience of managing a service
• Eligibility to work in the UK
• Registered social worker with the HCPC

Benefits of working with Pixel:

• Your own dedicated & experienced consultant
• Free on-going training opportunities upon registering as part of our commitment to you.
• Competitive Rates of pay
• Recommend a friend scheme - Receive £300 per successful referral*
• Secure your own role Scheme - Receive £350 for finding or bringing your own position to Pixel Personnel*
• In house payroll, providing weekly payments and support
• Enhanced DBS completed for free upon registering

If you would like to find out more information about this role, or the other opportunities Pixel Personnel have available feel free to click the 'Apply' button below or contact the team on 01920 898 704 or email your CV to us at contact@pixelpersonnel.co.uk

*Terms and conditions are applicable to the recommend a friend and secure your own role scheme.