Service Manager - Adoption and Care Leavers

Connected Local Government; North East; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A public sector organization in County Durham seeks a manager for its Adoption and Care Leavers Service. The role involves leading teams dedicated to improving the lives of children and young people, promoting outstanding practices in alignment with legislative frameworks. Ideal candidates will have strong management skills, a background in children's services, and a commitment to improving outcomes. The position offers competitive salary, flexible working arrangements, and a supportive environment fostering professional development.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Generous annual leave

Pension scheme

Flexible working arrangements

Recruitment/retention allowance

Qualifications

• Proven leader with experience in children's services.
• Able to mentor and empower teams.
• Strong understanding of regulations and safeguarding.

Responsibilities

• Lead Adoption and Care Leavers Service.
• Promote outstanding practice focusing on children and families.
• Ensure decision-making prioritizes welfare of children.

Skills

Leadership skills

Team mentoring

Regulatory knowledge

Relationship building

Education

Qualified and registered social worker

Job description

Are you ready to shape the future of our Adoption and Care Leavers Service?

Are you a proven manager ready to take the next step in your leadership journey? This is a rare opportunity to lead a service where you can make a lasting difference to the lives of children and young people in County Durham.

You will have a broad portfolio covering our Adoption, Care Leavers, Permanence and Unaccompanied Asylum‑Seeking Children teams. Although all of your teams are social work led, and working within the legislative framework they benefit from the skills and experience of alternatively qualified practitioners.

• Promote outstanding practice that keeps children, young people, families, and carers at the centre of everything you and your teams do
• Lead with empathy, integrity, and ambition, ensuring every decision is rooted in what’s best for our children and young people
• Work within our “How we Practice in Durham” framework embedding it in your practice and that of your teams
• Set high standards and create a positive environment that supports good practice and wellbeing

You’ll join us at a fantastic time—our Children’s Services have been judged Outstanding by Ofsted. Read the full report here.

If you would like to find out more, please contact Paula Jemson, Strategic Manager for an informal conversation about the post. You can contact Paula by e‑mail at [e-mail].

HOW WILL I BE SUPPORTED?

We are passionate about social work in County Durham. We are committed to providing a culture where good practice can flourish.

We will ensure you are highly supported. You will benefit from high quality professional supervision, a great induction, and access to our really strong learning and development offer. When you are ready to take your next step our aspiring managers programme “rising stars” will be there for you.

We encourage flexible working to achieve a good work‑life balance.

You can find out more about social work in Durham here.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

We are looking for a qualified and registered social worker who:

• Is a proven leader with strong management skills and experience in children’s services
• Is able to mentor and empower teams, driving improvement
• Has a strong understanding of regulations, inspection frameworks, and safeguarding
• Is ambitious for our children and young people and committed to improving outcomes
• Is skilled in building effective relationships with multi‑agency partners

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.

INTERVIEWS

Interviews are expected to be held on 30th January 2026.

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.

Rewards and benefits are subject to individual terms and conditions. Take a closer look: Rewards and Benefits.

This post is eligible for a recruitment/retention allowance of £2,500 over 12 months (pro‑rata for part time workers). Payments are made in equal instalments across a 12‑month period alongside your pay. The allowances are subject to tax, National Insurance and pension contributions.

Removal, lodging and separation expenses may be available to you if at the time you apply for the role your place of residence is outside the administrative area of County Durham and more than 30 miles in a straight line from their new administrative centre, along with other criteria for eligibility.

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 people and offer support throughout the recruitment process.

HOW TO APPLY

Please note, we do not accept CVs. All applications must be submitted online via the Northeast Jobs portal. Use the ‘Person Specification’ section of the form to clearly demonstrate how you meet the essential (and where possible, desirable) criteria. Applications that do not evidence the essential requirements will not be shortlisted. For guidance on completing your application, visit our website.

If you require assistance when applying for this role, please contact our Recruitment Helpdesk on 03000 26 27 27, or via email [e-mail].

All correspondence relating to your application will be sent from [e-mail]. Kindly check your spam/junk folder regularly to ensure you don’t miss any updates.

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