Cheshire East Council have an opportunity to appoint an ambitious leader to deliver our Cared for Children and Care Leavers’ Service. We want Cheshire East to be a great place to be young where all children are well supported to maximise their life chances; a place where they can thrive in our care, are safe from any harm or abuse, have access to the best education and training, and feel prepared for adulthood.

We require an individual who has the ability to lead strategically whilst remaining connected to frontline practice in order to achieve the very best outcomes for children, young people and their families. You will need to be a registered social worker with a relevant degree and ideally, a management qualification; you will have extensive experience of safeguarding children, permanency planning and Court work, and be a confident decision maker who can provide leadership, support and professional development to the Managers, Social Workers and Personal Advisors who make up the service. You will also need a comprehensive understanding of the challenges facing Cared For Children and Care Leavers, a proven track record of working alongside key partner agencies, be comfortable in managing resources responsibly and have innovative ideas for service delivery and improvement. Above all else, we are looking for someone with passion and resilience who is determined to achieve the best possible outcomes for the children and young people of Cheshire East.

The post is based at Sandbach but there is an expectation of travel throughout the borough; however in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have developed greater options to work flexibly and will provide appropriate IT equipment to facilitate this.

For an informal discussion please contact kerry.birtles@cheshireeast.gov.uk, Director of Children’s Social Care or telephone 07870 896895; interviews will be held in the week commencing 14th December.

Cheshire East Council is committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults across the Borough. As such, any cautions, convictions, reprimands or final warnings that are ‘not protected’ as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) order 1975 (as amended in 2013) relating to the non-disclosure of spent convictions do not apply to this job. You must therefore, disclose whether you have any previous convictions where prompted to do so within the application process.