Working directly with senior leaders, practitioners and partners, you will lead the quality assurance framework across Children's Services, using insight, learning and performance information to strengthen practice and improve outcomes. This is an exciting opportunity to influence the culture of the organisation, champion good practice and ensure that Stoke-on-Trent continues to develop services that deliver excellence for children, young people and families.

Head of Service: Sufficiency and Adoption

This is an exciting opportunity to lead some of the most important and impactful services within Children's Services. You will provide leadership across Sufficiency, Adoption, Permanence Support and Family Time Services, ensuring that children have access to safe, stable and loving homes that meet their needs. At a time of significant national challenge within the placement market, you will lead ambitious plans to increase local provision, develop innovative solutions and improve outcomes for cared for children.

The role will also be central to delivering our ambitious Valuing Care programme, helping to transform how care and support are provided across the city. You will lead the Sufficiency Action Plan, driving our strategic ambition to ensure there are the right homes, in the right place, at the right time for our children and young people. In the face of continuing challenges within the placement market, you will work with partners to increase local provision, develop innovative solutions and improve outcomes for cared for children.

Alongside this, you will oversee adoption assessments, permanence support and supervised family time services, ensuring children and families receive high-quality support at every stage of their journey. Working closely with our Regional Adoption Agency, you will play a key role in ensuring children achieve permanence through adoption wherever this is the right plan, helping more children to find safe, stable and loving forever homes.

This is a rare opportunity to shape services that have a lifelong impact on children, lead transformational change and contribute to one of the most important priorities for the city.

About You

You will have:

• A recognised social work qualification, current Social Work England registration and substantial senior management experience within children's social care.
• Detailed knowledge of children's legislation, statutory safeguarding responsibilities and the regulatory framework within which local authorities operate.
• A strong track record of providing strategic leadership and delivering high-performing services within complex environments.
• Proven experience of leading service transformation, managing change and delivering sustained improvements in practice, performance and outcomes.
• Experience of leading and motivating large, multidisciplinary teams within a complex and high-pressure environment.
• Significant experience of managing substantial budgets, resources, performance and service delivery effectively.
• Excellent communication, partnership and influencing skills, with the confidence to work alongside senior leaders, elected members, partner agencies and external organisations.
• A clear commitment to safeguarding children and improving the life chances of children and young people.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership to deliver high-quality, effective and financially sustainable services for children and families.
• Drive continuous improvement and ensure services comply with statutory duties, council policies and national standards.
• Lead, motivate and develop teams, fostering a culture of excellence, learning, accountability and collaboration.
• Manage budgets, resources and performance effectively, ensuring the best possible use of public resources.
• Champion restorative, child-centred and relationship-based practice across service design and delivery.
• Influence and deliver the council's transformation agenda, achieving measurable improvements in practice and outcomes.
• Build strong partnerships with children, families, colleagues, elected members and external agencies.

Why Join Us?

• Lead transformational change that has a genuine impact on children, young people and families.
• Join a supportive, ambitious and forward-thinking Children and Families leadership team.
• Help shape the future of children's services across Stoke-on-Trent.
• Benefit from a competitive salary and comprehensive employee benefits package.

What We Offer:

• A competitive salary based on your skills, experience and talent
• Hybrid and flexible working options
• An excellent local authority benefits pension scheme
• Professional development through learning opportunities, regular training sessions and apprenticeship and management schemes

Further information on our Rewards and Benefits can be found here

If you would like to discuss the role further please email

Jane Stuart FFP Manager • Children & Families

Jane.Stuart@stoke.gov.uk

Any offer of employment will be subject to the successful completion of required pre-employment checks. These may include:

• Right to Work in the UK
• Proof of address
• Satisfactory references
• Occupational Health Clearance
• Evidence of professional qualifications or registrations
• DBS check at the appropriate level

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and we expect all our employees and volunteers to share this commitment. This position is exempt under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the successful applicant will be subject to a criminal record check from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

Please note that if an employee who is currently at risk of redundancy within the organisation applies for this vacancy their application will receive priority. If this happens you will be advised accordingly.

Your career matters here.

At Stoke-on-Trent City Council, we're committed to helping our people thrive. From competitive pay and a supportive working environment to opportunities for development and career progression, we invest in our workforce because we know they're our greatest asset. We're building an inclusive organisation that reflects the communities we serve, where everyone is welcomed, valued and encouraged to make a difference.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

At Stoke-on-Trent City Council, we believe our strength comes from the diversity of our community, and we want our workforce to reflect that. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and experiences. We understand that some people, especially those from underrepresented or marginalised backgrounds, may hesitate to apply if they don't meet all the listed requirements. If this role interests you and you think you could be a good fit, we encourage you to apply. We are proud of what makes each of us unique and are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels included, can be themselves, and can succeed together.