Job Description
1 Year Contract With A Local Authority
Job Purpose
To lead and be fully accountable for the delivery, performance, and continuous improvement of Children’s Social Care transformation programmes, including the Families First for Children (FFP) and wider national and local reform agenda. The postholder will drive strategic change, ensure robust governance, and improve outcomes for children and families in line with Swindon’s vision and priorities.
Key Responsibilities
* Lead the development and delivery of a comprehensive transformation roadmap aligned to national reforms and local priorities.
* Set clear short-, medium-, and long-term objectives, including measurable performance and improvement targets.
* Provide strategic and practice leadership across all aspects of service improvement and reform.
* Translate reform objectives into operational delivery, supporting managers and practitioners to embed new ways of working.
* Foster a culture of reflection, learning, and continuous improvement across Children’s Services.
* Oversee delivery of the Families First for Children (FFP) programme and wider care reforms.
* Co-design, pilot, and embed new service models, including:
o Early Support
o Multi-Agency Child Protection Services
o Family Help Teams
o Fostering and Kinship Support
* Build on and expand family group decision-making approaches.
* Use data, feedback, and evaluation to measure impact and inform continuous improvement.
* Lead preparation for inspections and coordinate action planning in response to outcomes, including Department for Education (DfE) requirements.
* Ensure compliance with statutory responsibilities, including:
o Section 11 duties
o Statutory guidance
o Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023)
* Ensure safeguarding and quality standards are consistently met and improved.
* Establish and maintain effective governance structures, including:
o Programme boards
o Workstreams
o RAG reporting
o Risk registers
* Ensure delivery of milestones on time and within agreed resources.
* Provide regular performance reports to key boards and partnerships, including:
o Swindon 2028 Transformation Board
o Children’s Improvement Board
o Swindon Safeguarding Partnership (SSP) Executive
* Work collaboratively with partners across education, health, police, and the voluntary sector.
* Strengthen integrated working and joint accountability across agencies.
* Actively contribute to the Swindon Safeguarding Partnership and report progress to the SSP Executive.
* Represent Swindon at local, regional, and national forums.
* Develop and implement co-production approaches with children, young people, families, and carers.
* Engage staff and service users in designing and improving service delivery models.
* Build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including DfE advisors and partners.
* Develop business cases and business plans to support transformation initiatives.
* Maximise funding opportunities, including securing external grants.
* Oversee effective use of budgets, grants, and resources to deliver programme outcomes.
* Line manage programme management staff (minimum of one Programme Manager).
* Provide leadership across multi-agency workstreams.
* Lead strategic meetings and ensure accurate and timely data and performance reporting to the Department for Education.
Requirements
* Significant and recent experience leading sustained transformation in Children’s Social Care.
* Proven track record of delivering complex change programmes and service improvement.
* Experience working within inspection frameworks and responding to regulatory requirements.
* Strong strategic leadership and programme management capability.
* Excellent partnership working and stakeholder engagement skills.
* In-depth knowledge of Children’s Social Care legislation, policy, and best practice.
* Ability to analyse data and use evidence to drive decision-making.
* Strong communication and influencing skills at senior level.
* Degree Or Equivalent qualification
Additional Information
* Bi-Weekly Payments
* 37 Hours Per Week
* Hybrid Working