This is a rare and exciting opportunity for an experienced and ambitious leader to play a key role in shaping the future of fostering and family-based care across the North East.
You will be part of a small leadership team developing and delivering a pioneering regional model that brings together fostering services across multiple local authorities. Your leadership will help create a more connected, sustainable and effective fostering system, improving experiences and outcomes for children, young people, foster carers and families across the region.
This is a strategic and highly influential leadership role where you will lead the development and implementation of a new locality-based fostering service, translating regional ambitions into high-quality services that make a tangible difference to people’s lives. Working alongside senior leaders, partner organisations and key stakeholders, you will drive innovation, lead cultural and organisational change, and ensure excellence in service delivery across a complex partnership landscape.
You will be joining Foster with North East at a pivotal moment in its development, helping to establish new ways of working and creating services that are fit for the future. As a visible and trusted leader, you will inspire teams, build strong relationships and champion a culture of collaboration, continuous improvement and high performance.
This role is temporary until 31 March 2028, when we expect the Regional Care Co-operative to be formally established, however employees of north east local authorities are encouraged to apply on a secondment basis with the support of their employer.
WHAT IS INVOLVED?
- Lead the implementation of a new regional foster care model across your locality.
- Provide visible and influential leadership to fostering services, driving innovation, quality, and performance.
- Manage locality budgets, resources and workforce planning to ensure sustainable service delivery.
- Establish and lead newly integrated locality teams and structures.
- Act as Agency Decision Maker (ADM) for foster carer approvals.
- Develop strong partnerships with local authorities, Regional Adoption Agencies and wider stakeholders.
- Champion co-production, ensuring the voices of carers, children and young people shape service development.
- Drive cultural change and embed new ways of working across a complex regional landscape.
- Provide strategic oversight of quality assurance, performance management and risk mitigation.
WHY JOIN US?
- Shape a major regional transformation programme from the ground up.
- Influence strategy at a regional level.
- Work alongside senior leaders across the region.
- Deliver lasting improvements for children, young people, foster carers and families.
- Be part of an ambitious, collaborative and values-led leadership team.
ABOUT THE LOCALITY AREAS
We are recruiting to three Locality Delivery Manager roles. Each post holder will provide strategic and operational leadership for one of three geographical localities: North, Central or South.
North: Northumberland, North Tyneside, Newcastle and Gateshead
Central: Durham, South Tyneside and Sunderland
South: Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland and Stockton
Please indicate your preferred locality when applying.
HOW CAN I FIND OUT MORE?
We encourage you to contact one of the members of the recruitment panel by e-mail to arrange an informal discussion about the role.
You can contact Liz Spaven at Liz.spaven@newcastle.gov.uk or Kathryn McCabe at Kathryn.McCabe@togetherforchildren.org.uk
- Proposed RCC structure(PDF,1 MB)
- Gov.uk: Renewing fostering – homes for 10,000 more children
- Gov.uk: Apply to set up a regional care cooperative
WHAT WILL I NEED?
To apply for this role you will to be a qualified and registered social worker and have:
- Extensive experience of leading fostering services
- Experience of effective system leadership across a complex system
- Experience of establishing new services and functions
Please refer to the attached Person Specification for the full criteria.
If successful, you will be required to apply for a Disclosure and Barring Service Enhanced Disclosure.
OUR COMMITMENT TO SAFEGUARDING
Durham County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all employees and volunteers to share this commitment. This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore if successful in your application, an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be sought inclusive of a check of the Children’s Barred List, due to the position working in regulated activity. Applicants should be aware that the DBS check will disclose both spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands and warnings, in line with current legislation and will confirm whether an individual is barred from working with children.
INTERVIEWS
Interviews will be held on 23 September. We can offer flexibility for candidates unable to attend on the date.
We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that can show they meet all the essential criteria and have indicated they have a disability, are a looked after young person, care leaver or a veteran.
OUR OFFER TO YOU
We offer a competitive rewards package that includes attractive salaries, a generous annual leave entitlement of 27 days (rising to 32 after five years’ continuous local government service), membership of the excellent contributory career average Local Government Pension Scheme, and a range of flexible working arrangements including hybrid working (home and office) where applicable. Explore the full range of rewards and benefits on our website
Rewards and benefits are subject to individual terms and conditions.
EQUALITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION
We are a proud equal opportunities employer and believe a diverse workforce brings fresh ideas and drives service improvement. We welcome applications from everyone and make employment decisions based on skills and ability. As a Disability Confident Leader, we actively encourage applications from disabled and neurodivergent people and offer support throughout the recruitment process.
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