Principal Manager Young Peoples Service

Directorate: Children and Families
Section: Children Social Care
Grade: Level 15
Hours: 37
This advert is open to both Internal and External applicants.

About us:

We are a city of strengths, with a proud heritage and bright future. Working for Stoke-on Trent City Council is more than just a job, it's about making, protecting and improving the services for the local population, reducing inequalities and improving independence for the people who live and work in the city. And that's where you come in. We are always looking for people of the highest calibre with skills, knowledge and experience to help us deliver our compelling vision.

Stoke-on-Trent City Councils diverse and talented workforce is its greatest asset and most valuable resource. The skills, knowledge and experience of our c.4,600 employees are essential to delivering our ambitions and vision for our organisation and Stoke-on-Trent. We want to be an employer that people are proud to work for, and where our staff are supported, developed and rewarded in an inclusive way that helps them to excel and to deliver the high-quality services that our residents need.

Further information on why work for us

Join Our Children and Families Service

We are growing and developing our Children and Families workforce as part of an ambitious programme of service transformation, and we are looking for talented, committed and values-led professionals to join us.

We have a wide range of opportunities across Childrens Social Care. These roles will play a vital part in supporting children, young people and families across Stoke-on-Trent.

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced and passionate social work leader to join Stoke-on-Trent Childrens Social Care as Principal Manager within our Young Peoples Service.

Our Young Peoples Service supports cared-for young people and care leavers at an important stage in their lives. We want every young person we work with to feel heard, valued and supported to achieve their ambitions, develop lasting relationships and move into adulthood with confidence.

As Principal Manager, you will play a key leadership role in making that happen.

You will provide strong operational and professional leadership across the service, supporting managers and practitioners to deliver high-quality, relational and ambitious practice. You will maintain oversight of performance, quality and risk while ensuring that the experiences, wishes and aspirations of young people remain at the heart of decision-making.

This is more than managing a service. It is an opportunity to shape practice, develop our workforce, strengthen partnerships and influence how we support young people across Stoke-on-Trent.

You will:

-Provide strategic and operational leadership across the Young Peoples Service
-Ensure high-quality care planning, pathway planning and statutory practice
-Lead, support and develop managers, social workers and practitioners
-Promote strong, reflective and relationship-based practice
-Maintain oversight of performance, quality assurance, risk and outcomes
-Strengthen partnership working across Childrens Social Care, education, health, housing, employment and wider services
-Champion ambitious corporate parenting and positive transitions into adulthood
-Ensure the voices and lived experiences of young people genuinely influence their plans and the development of services
-Drive continuous improvement and contribute to the wider leadership and development of Children's Social Care

About you

We are looking for an experienced and confident leader who combines strong professional judgement with a genuine commitment to young people.

You will be:

-A qualified Social Worker registered with Social Work England
-An experienced manager and leader within Childrens Social Care
-Knowledgeable about children in care, care leavers and Corporate Parenting
-Confident leading complex practice and decision-making
-Experienced in performance management, quality assurance and service improvement
-Able to build effective relationships and partnerships across agencies
-Comfortable providing both support and professional challenge
-Committed to restorative, relational, strengths-based and anti-discriminatory practice
-Passionate about listening to young people and ensuring their voices shape the services they receive

Why Stoke-on-Trent?

There is a real opportunity to influence what comes next for our Children and Families services.

You will join a developing workforce with a shared ambition to improve outcomes for children and young people and build services around strong relationships, good practice and effective partnership working.

What we offer:

-A competitive salary based on your skills, experience and talent
-Hybrid and flexible working options
-An excellent local authority benefits pension scheme
-Professional development through learning opportunities, regular training sessions and apprenticeship and management schemes

If you are an experienced social work leader looking for your next opportunity and want to help young people build safe, stable and successful futures, we would love to hear from you.

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact:
Cheryl Barlow Head of Service
Cheryl.barlow@stoke.gov.uk

Any offer of employment will be subject to the successful completion of required pre-employment checks.

These may include:

-Right to Work in the UK
-Proof of address
-Satisfactory references
-Occupational Health Clearance
-Evidence of professional qualifications or registrations
-DBS check at the appropriate level

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and we expect all our employees and volunteers to share this commitment. This position is exempt under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the successful applicant will be subject to a criminal record check from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

Please note that if an employee who is currently at risk of redundancy within the organisation applies for this vacancy their application will receive priority. If this happens you will be advised accordingly.

Your career matters here. At Stoke-on-Trent City Council, we're committed to helping our people thrive. From competitive pay and a supportive working environment to opportunities for development and career progression, we invest in our workforce because we know they're our greatest asset. We're building an inclusive organisation that reflects the communities we serve, where everyone is welcomed, valued and encouraged to make a difference.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

At Stoke-on-Trent City Council, we believe our strength comes from the diversity of our community, and we want our workforce to reflect that. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and experiences. We understand that some people, especially those from underrepresented or marginalised backgrounds, may hesitate to apply if they don’t meet all the listed requirements. If this role interests you and you think you could be a good fit, we encourage you to apply. We are proud of what makes each of us unique and are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels included, can be themselves, and can succeed together.

To Apply

Please create / log into your account and then click 'apply'. If you have any queries or want an application form in another format, please email recruitment@stoke.gov.uk or call us on 01782 238189.

In order to apply for this vacancy, you must be able to supply the required answers to the following questions:

-Do you have the Right to Work in the UK?