Neil Macdonald, Corporate Director (Children and Family Services)

As the recently appointed Corporate Director of Children and Families, we will be implementing a new structure designed to create a culture of practice excellence, delivering the best possible outcomes for our children and young people, in line with the Families first Partnership Programme. Following our recent Ofsted judgment, our political and corporate leaders are committed to a sustainable journey of improvement, and the recruitment to this post will be vital to our success on that journey, and how quickly we get there.

As our new Director for Children’s Social Care (Safeguarding and Early Help) , you will support the culture change and organisational remodel required to improve children and family services in Stoke-on-Trent, ensuring we are able to meet the expectations of the new policy requirements set out in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill and the Families First Partnership programme. Critically, you will have delivered improvement and/or can show that you understand the conditions necessary to create outstanding systems for children and families.

We want children and young people to live in homes and environments where they are safe and close to loved ones. You will share our values, central to which is the belief that intervention should always be a last resort, and that when it occurs should be in partnership with families. You will role-model visible and compassionate leadership, collaborating with our communities and partners to deliver the best outcomes for the children and young people of Stoke-on-Trent. You will be able to evidence significant experience of strong decision making, supporting a multi-agency approach to anti-oppressive practice with families. We are looking to foster a culture of visible leadership, where all Children’s services staff and the wider system are empowered and inspired to collaborate to deliver the best outcomes for our children and young people.

This role will make a significant impact on the wider partnership network and engagement with children and their families making links between community-based services, early years settings and schools’ provision at the heart, connecting and building a truly inclusive approach to all we deliver. We want leaders who are excited by the prospect of delivering meaningful change locally in response to broader changes that are taking place at a national level. You will have the opportunity to innovate and to remodel services to ensure they are fit for the future. If you know what good engagement and coproduction looks like, and have the experience and evidence of success in this area, we want to hear from you.

This is an exceptional opportunity to take on a pivotal role within a newly formed team of experienced leaders, driving major cultural change and putting children and families at the heart of everything we do.