Gateshead Council
Practice Lead (Residential)
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Salary: £56,293 - £59,894 +25% Temporary Recruitment and Retention Allowance.
Interviews: Tuesday 13th October 2026
Who We Are & What We Stand For
Do you want to help make Gateshead a place where everyone thrives? If that sounds like you, keep reading - we might be the perfect match.
We’re delighted that you’re interested in working with us. You’d be joining us at a very exciting time.
We pride ourselves on our ambitious and forward-thinking approach to taking care of Gateshead and its people, and we passionately believe that our employees reflect that spirit in truly enabling Gateshead to thrive.
At Gateshead Council you’d be a highly valued member of a team that recognises and respects the skills that you bring to your role, encourages creativity and passionately advocates a great work / life balance. Our actions speak louder than words, and with flexi-time and hybrid working available across many of our roles, as well as a full suite of outstanding employee benefits, we’re confident that it isn’t just the salary that attracts our staff.
Lead Practice. Assure Quality. Transform Lives.
At Gateshead Council, we are ambitious for the children and young people in our care. Through our residential services, we provide safe, nurturing and trauma-informed homes where children can develop, recover from adversity and achieve their aspirations. As our Practice Lead (Residential) and Responsible Individual, you will play a pivotal role in leading practice, quality, compliance and continuous improvement across our residential estate, ensuring children receive the highest standards of care and support.
This is a rare opportunity to take a strategic leadership role across Gateshead Council's Children's Residential Services, shaping practice, driving continuous improvement and ensuring children experience the highest quality care.
Shape Exceptional Residential Care Across Gateshead.
What You Will Get To Do
- Provide strategic and operational leadership across Children's Residential Services as a key member of the Children's Social Care Senior Management Team and act as the Responsible Individual for the Council's residential estate.
- Lead on residential care practice, quality assurance, regulatory compliance and continuous service improvement across the residential estate.
- Embed high-quality trauma-informed, relationship-based and restorative practice that improves outcomes and life chances for children and young people.
- Support, develop and challenge Registered Managers and residential leadership teams to deliver consistently high-quality care and outstanding services.
- Ensure services meet and exceed the requirements of the Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015, Quality Standards, safeguarding legislation and Ofsted expectations.
- Lead quality assurance, audit, performance monitoring and self-evaluation processes to drive excellence and continuous improvement.
- Champion the voices, rights and aspirations of children and young people, ensuring they influence service design, planning and delivery.
- Work collaboratively across education, health, commissioning, police and safeguarding partnerships to improve placement stability, permanence and outcomes.
- Provide strategic leadership on safeguarding, serious incidents, complaints, risk management and service performance.
- Lead workforce development initiatives that promote learning, accountability, professional curiosity and high performance.
- Oversee budgets, resources and service delivery to ensure value for money while maintaining excellent standards of care.
- Promote equality, diversity and inclusion, creating environments where children, young people and staff can flourish.
- Participate in the senior management out-of-hours rota and provide leadership oversight during significant incidents and safeguarding concerns.
- Deputise for senior leaders as required.
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Be the Responsible Individual Behind Outstanding Care.
What You Will Bring
- A recognised leadership qualification together with a Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare (or a commitment to achieve this within agreed timescales) and a strong commitment to continuous professional development.
- Significant leadership and management experience within children's residential care and wider social care services, including leading managers, driving service improvement and delivering positive regulatory outcomes.
- Extensive knowledge of children's residential legislation, safeguarding frameworks, Children's Homes Regulations, Quality Standards, Ofsted requirements and corporate parenting responsibilities.
- Strong understanding and experience of trauma-informed, attachment-aware, relationship-based and restorative approaches that improve outcomes for children and young people.
- Proven experience of managing safeguarding concerns, serious incidents, risk, performance, budgets and resources within complex services.
- The ability to lead strategic change, service transformation, workforce development and partnership working across multi-agency environments.
- Excellent leadership, communication and decision-making skills, with the ability to analyse complex information, influence stakeholders, champion children's voices and create a culture of excellence, innovation and continuous improvement.
If successful you will have to apply for an Enhanced Disclosure
What’s In It For You
- Competitive Salary: We offer fair and transparent pay that reflects your skills and experience. Salary £56,293 - £59,894 +25% Temporary Recruitment and Retention Allowance
- Outstanding Pension Scheme: We don’t just offer a great salary we invest in your future too. Find out what benefits a Local Government Pension provides: https://twpf.info
- Generous Annual Leave: Enjoy 28 days of annual leave, rising to 32 days after 5 years (2 of which can be fixed by the Council), plus the option to buy up to 10 extra days.
- Flexible Working Hours: Benefit from up to 26 flexi days per year (subject to business needs), giving you more control over your time.
- Hybrid & Flexible Working: We support a healthy work-life balance with flexible and hybrid working options.
- Learning & Development: Access a wide range of training, development, and progression opportunities to help you grow your career.
- Health & Wellbeing Support: From discounted gym memberships through our partner GLL to mental health resources, we care about your wellbeing.
- Cycle to Work Scheme: Save money and stay active with our tax-efficient cycle to work programme.
- Electric & Hybrid Car Scheme: Get behind the wheel of a brand-new electric or hybrid vehicle through our salary sacrifice car scheme in partnership with NHS Fleet Solutions a cost-effective, environmentally friendly way to drive (after 12 months service).
- Exclusive Discounts & Salary Sacrifice: Through our VIVUP employee benefits platform, enjoy discounts on shopping, travel, and services plus salary sacrifice options on white goods, electronics, and more, helping you spread the cost of essential purchases (after 6 months service).
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Our commitment to you
We are an equal opportunities employer and aim to have a culture and a workplace where our people feel a sense of belonging, are respected and empowered to do their best work. We know that we deliver better services when our workforce reflects the full range of backgrounds and experiences in the society we serve. We welcome applications from suitably qualified people from all sections of the community, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation
How To Apply
You can apply online using the apply now button below. Within the form, you’ll be asked for details about you, your career history, skills, experiences and qualifications.
We advise you to be as detailed and specific as possible, paying particular attention to any of the above which are relevant to the role to which you are applying.
If you have any questions about your application, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our recruitment team via
Please note: As a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role. However, in high-volume recruitment situations, it may not always be practicable to interview every eligible candidate. In such cases, we may need to prioritise those who best meet the essential criteria, based on the information provided in the application.
Additionally, the Council reserves the right to close this vacancy early or adjust the shortlisting criteria, including the pass mark for interview selection, to ensure a fair and manageable recruitment process. We encourage early applications.
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