Are you looking for an opportunity to progress in your Senior Leadership career, develop experience of leading transformation and change programmes and contribute to changing outcomes for children in Gloucestershire? The Families First Partnership Programme is a national programme leading reforms of the children's social care and early help system including the introduction of Family Help and Multi‑Agency Child Protection Teams to deliver against the ambitions of the Keeping Children Safe, Helping Families Policy Document and Children Wellbeing and Schools' Bill.
We are looking to appoint an experienced Social Work qualified Group Manager embedded within the multi‑disciplinary Families First Partnership Programme Team. This post is a fixed term contract until 31st March 2027.
As a subject matter expert, you will be responsible for leading the change and implementation programme of the new Family Help and Multi‑Agency Child Protection teams in collaboration with key statutory partners. You will also lead on the development of the programme's policy development and co‑production approach in partnership with the Academy and operational stakeholders. This is a crucial time for the programme and the post‑holder will be instrumental in working alongside the Gloucestershire Senior Leadership Team to implement the new ways of working, supporting excellence in our practice delivery. You will be expected to work closely with teams and services, and may be embedded within some service areas to support implementation delivery where this is required.
The successful candidate will demonstrate an excellent knowledge of child protection and legal literacy to interpret new statutory guidance and legislation, have skills in negotiation and collaboration with partners, demonstrate strong written and presentation skills, have organisational and project skills, be research driven, and be able to think creatively and horizon scan. The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate experience of strong practice leadership and service improvement enabling others to achieve good outcomes for children and families.
Reward and Support
For all your hard work, you will receive the following:
* between £63,132 - £68,342 per annum subject to experience
* flexible and agile working opportunities
* 25.5 days annual leave rising to 30.5 days after 5 years continuous service
* option to purchase 10 days of additional leave per year
* family friendly policies and benefits to help support you and your family
* supportive and positive working environment with regular, robust supervision
* Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
* access to our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) that provides free, confidential, counselling and advice for employees, available 24 hours a day, online and by telephone
* an in‑house Occupational Health service
* employee discount scheme
* links to employee networks such as Prism (LGBT+) and the Young Employees Network
* career development and qualification opportunities
* access to our Social Work Academy
* Cycle to Work scheme (eligibility criteria and t&cs apply)
* Green Car Salary Sacrifice Scheme (eligibility criteria and t&cs apply)
Right child, right support, right time, every time
In our recent inspection in June 2025, our Children’s Services have been officially judged as ‘Good’ with ‘Outstanding’ elements. Ofsted also said ‘Leaders have set out a clear vision for delivering success for children, by modelling values and creating a culture where the workforce, children and families feel valued and heard; risk is managed confidently with bottom lines clearly set out.’
This marks an important step in our journey to improve outcomes for our children and young people, and we remain focused on our mission: to continue building on this success and ensure that every child and young person in our county has the opportunity to thrive.
Gloucestershire offers a range of opportunities to develop your career, supported by a phenomenal Social Work Academy offer, a developing systemic practice methodology, an ambitious leadership team and an award‑winning workforce.
We are a local authority adopting, and training all colleagues in, systemic social work practice. If you would like to be part of an authority that takes a relational approach to working with families and focuses on what needs to change in the system around a child and family to enable children to thrive, then consider a role with GCC.
About the team
This role sits within our Senior Leadership Team, you will report directly to the Assistant Director responsible for your area.
You will play a key part in children’s services leadership to provide oversight of the following:
* leading and embedding systemic practice with children and families
* enabling children to remain with birth families wherever possible
* protecting children who experience or are at risk of significant harm
* acting as corporate parent to children unable to remain within birth families
* providing help and support to disabled children and their families
* providing system leadership as a statutory safeguarding partner
About the role
You will lead your teams in delivering a culture of high‑quality practice that achieves good outcomes for vulnerable children and young people, you will establish clear goals and expectations in line with GCC priorities, provide challenging and supportive line management to ensure these are met, and hold your direct reports to account.
You will:
* collaborate with Assistant Directors and the Senior Leadership Team leading services through change
* be accountable for the rigorous implementation of the children’s services Families First Partnership Programme’s vision
* support the quality assurance framework to monitor and review performance (both compliance and quality), take action to build on strengths and respond to areas for improvement to support and liaise with the assistant director to feed into their high‑level service delivery planning
* work with the other Group Managers across the county to ensure consistent delivery of high‑quality support to children and families
* take on operational lead roles in enhancing and developing practice
About you
As well as your experience, there are some things we require of you to be successfully appointed to this post:
* a full driving licence and willingness to drive
* DBS clearance (Enhanced Adults and Children’s)
* some management and leadership experience
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