Job Description

Head of Service - Children's Regulated Services

Local Authority East Midlands (City-Based)

An opportunity has arisen with a large local authority in the East Midlands for an experienced Head of Service - Children's Regulated Services to join on a 13-month ongoing interim assignment.

This is a senior leadership role with responsibility for a complex and high-profile portfolio of regulated children's services, playing a critical role in delivering safe, high-quality outcomes for children and young people while supporting strategic transformation, governance and financial sustainability.

Assignment Details

• Contract Length: 13 months (ongoing assignment)
• Pay Rate: 500 per day (Umbrella)
  Higher rates may be considered for exceptional candidates, based on experience
• Working Pattern: Hybrid - 1 to 2 days per week in the office
  Remote working may be considered for an exceptional candidate
• Office Base: City-centre office, East Midlands

About the Role

You will provide strategic leadership across Children's Regulated Services, leading a portfolio that includes:

• Children's residential homes
• Semi-independent provision
• Fostering services
• Corporate parenting functions

Working closely with the Director of Children's Services, senior leaders, elected members and partners, you will translate strategic vision into operational delivery, ensuring services are safe, effective, compliant and continuously improving. A key focus of the role is strong governance, inspection readiness, placement sufficiency and ensuring the voice of the child is central to service design and delivery

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership across children's regulated services
• Act as Responsible Individual for residential care and fostering services
• Lead service development in line with national minimum standards, legislation and policy
• Drive innovation, quality assurance and performance improvement across the portfolio
• Lead placement sufficiency and work closely with commissioning to ensure best value
• Chair and contribute to placement and decision-making panels
• Champion corporate parenting responsibilities and co-production with children and young people
• Lead services through Ofsted inspection frameworks, ensuring compliance and continuous improvement
• Build strong partnerships across health, education, commissioning and safeguarding arrangements
• Promote equality, diversity and inclusion in both service delivery and workforce culture

What We're Looking For

• Registered Social Worker (Social Work England) with a relevant professional qualification
• Appropriate senior management qualification (or willingness to work towards one)
• Proven senior leadership experience within complex children's social care environments
• Demonstrable experience managing regulated services and leading through inspections
• Strong delivery strategic outcomes, service improvement and transformation
• Experience of placement sufficiency, commissioning and financial governance
• Excellent partnership working, political awareness and decision-making skills
• Deep understanding of safeguarding, corporate parenting and inclusive practice

Apply now for a confidential discussion.

Linsco is acting as an Employment Business in relation to this vacancy.