Children in Care Service Manager – Role Summary

We’re looking for a skilled and knowledgeable leader who can inspire and support their team to deliver high-quality, impactful practice. You’ll play a key role in creating a culture that puts children at the heart of everything we do and drives continuous improvement across the service.

You will:

• Lead a number of teams, consisting of managers and practitioners with responsibilities for supporting children in care, developing them to become skilled, effective, and motivated individuals who want the best outcomes for children and will work tirelessly to achieve this.
• Be responsible for leading and developing a new service area which has around 50 staff who will work across the county of Gloucestershire supporting children in care.
• Be accountable for the rigorous implementation of the children’s services quality assurance framework to monitor and review performance (compliance and quality), taking action to build on strengths and respond to areas for improvement.
• Support and work within the wider leadership team to develop service plans to measure the effectiveness of the outcomes that are set.
• Create and transform stability services and take the lead on the stability of our children in care, reunification, family time, and SGO support.
• Deputise for the Head of Service on occasions.

Additional Information

• For more details, please contact the Head of Service: Tammy.wheatley@gloucestershire.gov.uk / 01452 324077
• Interviews are due to be held at Shire Hall on 21st September 2026.
• We reserve the right to close an advertisement earlier than the stated closing date if we receive a suitable number of applications.
• We may be able to offer sponsorship for this role, in line with Home Office guidance and subject to pre-employment checks. Applicants must already hold a valid right to work in the UK that Gloucestershire County Council can transfer.
• Under the terms of our Safer Recruitment Policy, if you are invited to interview, we will take up safeguarding references prior to your interview to understand your suitability to work with vulnerable children. These references will then be discussed in your interview. Please give details of at least two referees, one of whom must be your present and/or last employer and the other from a previous employer(s). These will need to cover the last three years of employment/education. In the case of applicants leaving full-time education or not having worked since doing so, the Head of School, College or University should be one of the named referees. We do not accept references from friends or family members or workplace colleagues (who are not more senior). To ensure we process your application in a speedy and efficient way, we will contact your referees by DocuSign. Where appropriate, please inform them of your application.
• To access the Job Profile for this role, please follow the link below: Service Manager job profile
• This position is subject to a DBS check.
• Gloucestershire County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people or vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
• We want to be an employer of choice, attracting and retaining excellent people to work for us, so that we can best serve all of Gloucestershire’s diverse communities. Our promise to you is that we will provide an inclusive and supportive working environment that enables you to bring your whole self to work and realise your full potential.
• It is a legal requirement, under the Immigration Act 2016, that anyone appointed to a ‘customer facing role’ must be able to demonstrate an ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in fluent English.
• Hybrid working arrangements are available for the majority of our roles, giving teams the opportunity to work in a way that suits them, balancing service need and individual choice, with a mix of both remote and office working.