Head of Service Children in our Care and Care Leavers

Head of Service – Children in Our Care and Leaving Care

Children’s Social Care – Lancashire County Council
Salary: £80,401 – £87,928 (Grade 14)
Location: Lancashire – Countywide

Lead With Ambition. Create Stability. Help Young People Build Futures.

Few leadership roles give you the opportunity to influence a child’s life from care through to independence.

As our Head of Service – Children in Our Care and Leaving Care, you will lead Lancashire’s Permanence Service, supporting children in our care aged 0–18 and care-experienced young people through to the age of 25.

You will be a passionate and ambitious corporate parent, leading services that help children experience stability, loving relationships and permanence, while ensuring care-experienced young people have the support, opportunities and confidence they need as they move into adulthood.

This is an opportunity to lead at scale, shape strategy and make sure the ambitions we have for Lancashire’s children are every bit as high as those we would have for our own.

About the Role

You will provide strategic and operational leadership for a large, complex service of approximately 250 FTE, setting the direction for services supporting children in our care and care-experienced young people across Lancashire.

Your leadership will span the full permanence journey. You will ensure children have high-quality plans that consider family networks, reunification, kinship, fostering, residential care, adoption and supported accommodation, with a relentless focus on stability and achieving the right long-term outcomes.

For young people leaving care, you will lead services that deliver effective pathway planning and Personal Adviser support, helping ensure young people can access suitable accommodation, education, employment, training, health support, positive relationships and practical help as they move towards independence.

You will also provide strategic leadership to the Corporate Parenting Board, oversee quality, performance, budgets and workforce planning, and build strong partnerships across health, education, housing, police, commissioning and the voluntary sector.

Most importantly, you will ensure the voices and lived experiences of children and young people genuinely influence the decisions we make and the services we provide.

About You

You will be an accomplished senior leader with substantial experience within statutory children’s social care, including services for children in care, permanence and care-experienced young people.

You will bring a strong track record of improving practice, safety, stability and outcomes while leading large and diverse services through change. You will be comfortable operating in complex and high-risk environments, balancing quality, safeguarding, workforce, sufficiency, finance and performance without losing sight of the individual child behind every decision.

We are looking for someone who can inspire people, challenge constructively and build a culture where excellent social work practice can thrive. You will be confident working with senior leaders, elected members, regulators and strategic partners and using evidence, performance intelligence and lived experience to drive improvement.

You must hold a recognised social work qualification and current registration with Social Work England, alongside substantial continuing professional development relevant to senior children’s social care leadership.

Why Join Us?

A workplace built on trust, balance and flexibility

Senior leadership comes with significant responsibility. We want our leaders to feel trusted, supported and empowered to make decisions, lead confidently and create the conditions where their teams can deliver outstanding services.

Development that grows with you

You will have significant scope to influence the strategic direction of Children’s Social Care across Lancashire, working alongside senior leaders and partners and representing the council locally, regionally and nationally.

A culture grounded in inclusivity

Our values are Supportive, Innovative, Respectful and Collaborative. We want a leader who listens to children, young people, families and colleagues and creates an inclusive learning culture built on professional curiosity, accountability and continuous improvement.

How to Apply

Please use your application to show how you meet the criteria outlined in the Job Description and Person Specification. Attach a supporting statement and resume.

We’re looking for more than an experienced senior leader. We’re looking for an ambitious corporate parent who can create stability, champion children’s rights and help care-experienced young people build the futures they deserve.

Closing Date: Tuesday 24th November 2026
Interviews: Monday 30th November 2026

The post you are applying for is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2013). If successful you will be required to apply to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) for a 'disclosure'. Further information can be found on the 'Our Recruitment Process' tab.
You will be required to provide a car for use in connection with the duties of this post and must be insured for business use. However, we may consider you if you cannot drive because of a disability.

You will be required to provide a car for use in connection with the duties of this post and must be insured for business use. However, we may consider you if you cannot drive because of a disability.

In return Lancashire County Council offers a range of benefits, which can be found on LCC Vacancies website.

We reserve the right to close down a vacancy early, before the closing date, if we receive sufficient applications.

Job Description and Person Specification