Overview
Children's Social Care - Head of Service Improvement
Location: Swindon (2-3 days office-based)
Contract: 12 months (with potential extension)
Aatom Recruitment is currently recruiting an experienced Head of Service Improvement - Children's Social Care on behalf of a local authority. This is a senior leadership role responsible for driving service improvement, transformation, and delivery of national and local children's social care reforms.
Role Overview
The postholder will be fully accountable for service delivery, performance management, and reform programmes, including the Families First Pathway (FFP). You will provide strategic and practice leadership across Children\'s Services, ensuring strong governance, statutory compliance, and improved outcomes for children and families.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead all aspects of service delivery and performance management for FFP and wider children\'s social care reform programmes.
- Set clear short, medium, and long‑term objectives, including service improvement and performance targets.
- Lead preparation and action planning for Ofsted inspections and Department for Education (DfE) requirements.
- Act as a senior member of the Children\'s Services Senior Leadership Team, contributing to improved outcomes for children in Swindon.
- Provide strategic leadership across the transformation and reform agenda, promoting effective partnership working.
- Establish and oversee robust governance structures, including programme boards, workstreams, RAG reporting, risk registers, and delivery milestones.
- Ensure compliance with statutory responsibilities, including Section 11 duties, statutory guidance, and Working Together 2023.
- Strengthen existing Family Group Decision‑Making approaches.
- Translate reform objectives into operational practice, supporting managers and practitioners to adopt new ways of working.
- Work closely with partners across education, health, police, and the voluntary sector to improve integrated working.
- Use data, feedback, and evaluation to evidence impact and inform continuous improvement.
Supplementary Accountabilities
- Provide formal reports and evidence of impact to:
- Swindon 2028 Transformation Board
- Children\'s Improvement Board
- SSP Executive and other strategic forums
- Represent Swindon at local, regional, and national forums.
- Liaise with senior officials, advisers, and caseworkers within the Department for Education.
- Develop robust business cases and business plans, maximising funding and grant opportunities.
Management Responsibilities
- Line‑manage at least one Programme Manager (structure may evolve as services develop).
- Lead strategic engagement with the DfE, ensuring accurate and timely data and performance returns.
- Work collaboratively with multi‑agency partners across reform workstreams.
Essential Experience & Skills
- Significant recent experience leading sustained change and transformation within Children\'s Social Care.
- Strong relationship‑building and communication skills with internal and external stakeholders.
- Proven ability to provide expert leadership in best practice with children and families.
- Experience supporting senior governance bodies in strategic decision‑making
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