Based in the heart of Dorset, this leadership role offers a unique opportunity to shape and strengthen the systems that support Dorset Council’s Children’s Services. Working alongside our children’s residential services, you will mentor managers on their professional journey, helping them to be ever more confident, reflective leaders who deliver outstanding outcomes for children and young people. What’s in it for you: You will be part of our ever-improving Children’s Service making a difference to children in Dorset. Recently rated overall as OUTSTANDING by Ofsted, our approach to how we work with our children, families and communities is embedded in making Dorset a place where all children thrive. You will be joining a supportive and inclusive Council who will provide you with support, invest and nurture you to enable you to thrive in your job. You will by making a difference by ensuring that our children stay in Dorset, and they are given the best start in life through outstanding care, support and services. This includes the best education and training opportunities, which enable them to thrive, realise their potential and be the best they can be. What you can expect to be doing: As the Lead for the implementation of ClearCare, you will provide both operational and strategic leadership to drive meaningful change across Dorset’s Children’s Services. Your focus will be on building sustainable relationships and embedding new systems across residential settings, with the clear aim of improving work with families and safely reducing the number of children entering care. You will champion evidence-based and systems approaches, including Trauma Informed and Restorative Practices, to guide your leadership. Working closely with Residential Managers, you will oversee all stages of implementation—from initial planning, training to piloting and full rollout – within a six-month timeframe. Collaboration will be key, as you engage with partner agencies to strengthen social work practice and support confident, informed decision-making that leads to better outcomes for children and young people. About you: We are looking for an experienced, dynamic and motivated children’s home senior leader who will lead from the front to continue to grow a strengths based culture, systems, relationships, practice and ways of working together, whilst making a real difference to the lives of children, young people and families. You must have prior experience in a children’s home senior leadership within the previous two years. You must have sound knowledge of the Children’s Home Regulations, Quality Standards along with a workable knowledge of the Ofsted Inspection Framework and ClearCare systems. It is desirable that you have your L5 in leadership and management (or working towards the qualification) or a Social Work qualification. You will be a kind and caring person with a passion for improving lives, be aspirational in attitude and resilient and flexible in approach. As an inspirational leader you will be passionate about improving the lives of Dorset children and create opportunities for them to thrive. Further Information This is a part time position at 15 hours per week and is a fixed term contact for 6 months. The starting salary is £25,560 - £26,537, this is pro rata based on the full time salary of £63,050 -£65,458 FTE. For an informal conversation to discuss this vacancy further, we welcome you to contact Louise Drury: [email protected] You must be able to work some evenings, weekends and bank holidays. This post has a significant travel requirement and you are contractually required to have a vehicle (or transport deemed to be suitable by the council) available for use as required. This post involves working with children and/or vulnerable adults and/or having access to significant information about them. It will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service check. See our policy on the employment of ex-offenders. The role is subject to an enhanced DBS check. If you have lived outside the UK for 12 months or more within the last 10 years, you will be required to provide a criminal record check from the relevant country or countries before a conditional offer of employment can be made. See our policy on safeguarding children and young people. See our adult safeguarding policy. About Us At Dorset Council, we are working together to create a fairer, more prosperous, and more sustainable Dorset for everyone, now and in the future. We: provide essential services that support over 380,000 residents work in partnership to make a real difference value every role and the impact it has on our communities support our employees to grow, develop, and thrive You will: be part of a team that works together for a better Dorset have access to a range of benefits and support have access to range of training opportunities which will help with your personal development and career progression We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation where different skills, perspectives, and backgrounds strengthen both our council and the communities we serve. We welcome applications from everyone and are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. If you declare a disability and meet the essential criteria for the role, we will offer you an interview. We also want our recruitment process to be accessible. If you need any reasonable adjustments, just let us know on your application. This role is UK-based, and we will need to confirm your Right to Work as part of the appointment process. We use generic job descriptions and person specifications, so the job title in any attachments may differ from the advert. If needed, we will provide additional details in a context statement. If you’re passionate about making a difference, we’d love you to join us. Find out more about how to apply.