Director of Children’s Social Care (Deputy DCS)

Could you lead one of the fastest-improving Children’s Social Care teams in the country?

Oldham is looking for a dynamic and visionary leader with a passion for continuous improvement to lead Oldham’s Ofsted rated ‘Good’ Children’s Social Care Service to become Outstanding.

This role oversees teams across Children’s Services Integration, Corporate Parenting, Safeguarding, Social Work Services and Early Help, with a workforce of around 600 employees.

As Director of Children’s Social Care (Deputy DCS), you will lead the operational and strategic delivery of Oldham’s Children’s Social Care functions. You will provide clear, expert and reasoned advice on safeguarding and corporate parenting within the Council and with partners. You will lead the way in raising standards across the service and driving further ambition, bringing everyone together to shape and understand future priorities and plans that will lead us through the next stage of our improvement journey.

Here in Oldham, we are ambitious and seek the very best outcomes for our children and young people, and we are making great progress in delivering on the promises we set out in our Children’s Services Investment Plan. Our plans are clear and robust, but it is our people that really make the difference, and we are proud of the determination and passion that all our team members bring.

Oldham is a proud, welcoming, diverse, and creative place, with lots of great history, heritage and plenty of ambition. Oldham has a high population of young people and we are building a future for this borough that centres them, that invests in them and that recognises the role the town can play in improving their lives.

We are a strong team with a focus on building a workplace that is fair, inclusive and supportive, offering a positive environment where people can thrive and reach their full potential.

With various work locations across the borough, including our modern and inclusive Spindles Offices, you can enjoy collaborative spaces and amenities like a multi-faith room, family and wellbeing room, showers, and secure parking.

For an informal discussion about this opportunity, please contact Julie Daniels, Strategic Director Children‘s Services – julie.daniels@oldham.gov.uk

CVs should be sent to wendy.jackson@oldham.gov.uk

Closing date: 22 September 2024.

This post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure from the DBS (and a Certificate of Good Conduct where you have lived abroad for 12 months or more in the last 10 years).

NB. - Any candidate that meets the criteria of our Guaranteed Assessment Scheme and meets the essential criteria of the role, will be guaranteed the first stage of assessment (whether that is an interview or another assessment, as appropriate).

Our Guaranteed Assessment Scheme supports candidates with disabilities, carers, those who are aged 24 or under and have previously been in or currently in care, and those whose last long term substantive employer was the Armed Forces.

Diversity and Inclusion:

At Oldham Council, we are committed to creating a fair and inclusive workplace that is as diverse as the communities we serve. We aim to develop a culture of respect, where differences are recognised regardless of background. We aim to be an employer of choice by engaging in fair and open recruitment processes and Applications are encouraged from all communities across the borough to create a workforce that represents the diversity of our population.

About Us:

Oldham is committed to developing a Co-operative future; one where citizens, partners and staff work together to improve the borough.  Anyone joining the council is coming into an ambitious organisation with big plans. We are working hard to build a brighter future for our borough and we need people from a wide range of backgrounds to continue delivering the best for our communities.

The Council has a clear set of Behaviours, which outline how we do business and we share these borough wide with our residents, partners and businesses.  Internally we have translated these into five cooperative behaviours which outline the priority areas of focus for all staff at all levels.

Please note that should a vacancy that has been released for internal or external recruitment be deemed suitable for an at-risk employee, it can be pulled back at any point up to the post being formally offered to an external candidate or an internal candidate that is not at risk of redundancy.