Job Description

Job info	Job info details
Job title	Divisional Director – Children’s Services Transformation
Strategic team/Directorate	Childrens Services
Service	Childrens Services
Business unit	Childrens Services
Responsible to (day to day issues)	Director Children’s Services
Accountable to (line manager)	Director Children’s Services
Salary grade	HAY460
JE ref	HAY123

1. Key purpose of job

To be directly accountable for the delivery of wholescale National Reforms as required by Government across the whole of Children’s Services
To act as the lead officer on all aspects of Children’s Services Transformation and Strategic Change for the Council.
To oversee the significant strategic transformation of all Children’s Services in Torbay, including supporting and encouraging partners.

Strategic Responsibilities:

To consult as appropriate with the Lead Member for Children’s Services and to provide appropriate and meaningful information to enable Members of the Council to monitor performance against standards, progress and set targets for the future achievement of the Council’s strategic objectives.
To oversee a significant wholescale Transformation programme for Children’s Services, including the delivery of partners, shaping services to deliver outcomes for children, young people and their families within the agreed financial envelope.
To lead from the Local Authority in the reshaping of future services within Children’s Services focussing on service integration with other public bodies and in partnership with evolving resilient communities.

2. Anticipated outcomes of post

Strategic Objectives: Develop and deliver strategic objectives for transformation services, ensuring alignment with the overall direction of the Council
Leadership: Provide clear, strong, and motivational leadership to create a high-performance culture across the division and wider directorate
Service Improvement: deliver resulting service improvement within Children's Services and the wider partnership
Budget Management: Plan, monitor, and control associated budgets in compliance with financial regulations to meet targets set by the Director of Children's Services
Integration: Ensure integration with the overall objectives of both the Council and Central Government, including key national and local performance indicators, policies and frameworks
Planning to succeed: through analysis of all relevant information concerning costs, benefits, impact and risks to business unit

3. List key duties and accountabilities of the post

As an Employee of Torbay Council all roles are expected to work in a way that ensures vulnerable children and adults are safeguarded and report any safeguarding concerns in accordance with established policies and procedures. The Designated Senior Lead for Safeguarding is the Chief Executive and Director of Children’s Services.
Ensure the delivery of safe and effective services, safeguard and promote the welfare of
Children, young people and their families and all other statutory duties
To support the Council’s Senior Leadership Team in promoting the safety and safeguarding of children and young people and their families, including safe recruitment practice, as well as deputising for the Director of Children’s Services as and when required.
Provide strategic leadership and operational management for all aspects of the Children's Services reforms
Develop and deliver strategic objectives for transformation services, ensuring alignment with the overall direction of the Council
Lead and manage policy, procedure, and practice to ensure effective and robust procedures are established and maintained
Engage with schools, VCS, Early Years, and other stakeholders to ensure comprehensive consultation and collaboration
Ability to inspire the trust and confidence of frontline practitioners and managers across children's services, building alliances across different professions, and systematically involving children, young people, and families in the development and delivery of services
Proven ability to lead change and support services during periods of significant change and development, minimizing the impact on outcomes, performance, and resources while maximizing and sustaining performance improvements
To monitor and evaluate services and practices to ensure agreed standards are maintained and intervene constructively where necessary.
Ensure integration with the overall objectives of both the Council and Central Government, including key national and local performance indicators
Ensure key professional decisions are made according to the highest standards, using an evidence base and stand up to scrutiny. Provide appropriate challenge to the decisions of other managers.
To drive the consistent implementation of high-quality standards, share good practice and ensure benchmarks for service development have been established and progress against these are effectively monitored
Ensure strategies and policies reflect statutory requirements and best practice and that they are understood and implemented within area of responsibility.
Drive innovation in models of service delivery through leading and developing relevant partnerships between the Council and other public, private and voluntary bodies
To have budget responsibility and to be accountable to the Director of Children’s Services for its management ensuring that budgets are monitored and controlled through clear service and partner accountability and reporting and in line with the priorities agreed by the Council and other related partners
To deliver cost effective high quality, responsive services within the resources made available and to ensure that all services delivered or procured represent effective value for money

4. Budgetary/Financial Responsibilities of the post

To lead the service response to the Children’s Services Transformation Plan, reshaping services where appropriate to enhance outcomes for Children, young people and their families within the agreed financial envelope.
To monitor the budgetary performance of the service within the Scheme of Delegation, being responsible for ensuring that budget spend is online and appropriate action is taken to address any pressures.
To secure resources for the delivery of plans including creating and taking opportunities to gain external funding.
Post will have shared responsibility with Director of Children’s Services for the re-allocation of Children’s Services budget under transformation changes (circa £55m)

5. Supervision/Line Management Responsibilities of the post

To directly line manage the Service Lead, Transformation to implement the reforms in line with the children’s prevention grant and key deliverables detailed within.
Line management responsibility of The Service Manager, Business Intelligence and Business Intelligence team of: 3 x Business Analysts, 3.61 x Systems Support Officers, 2 x Data Cleanse Officers and 2 x Report Writers.
Line management of the Project Lead
To continually challenge teams and managers to improve performance.
To establish annual objectives and ensure that these are cascaded to team members,
monitoring their performance through the Council’s appraisal process.
To ensure the effective safe recruitment, retention and training of staff.

6. Working environment and conditions of the post

Normal working conditions

7. Physical demands of the post

Normal physical demands

8. Specific resources used by the post

Normal Resources

9. Key contacts and relationships

External

Other Local Authorities, Other Public Sector Organisations, the Council’s Auditors, Private and Voluntary Organisations and Employers, HMIs including Ofsted and the CQC

Internal

Executive Members, Elected Members, Chief Executive, Directors, Senior Leadership Team, staff at all levels across the Council, Trades Unions

10. Other duties

To undertake additional duties as required, commensurate with the level of the job.

Other Information

All staff must commit to the Workplace Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Practice and Policy.
Torbay Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and applicants must be willing to undergo the checks appropriate to the post applied for.
The post holder is expected to work in a way that ensures vulnerable children and adults are safeguarded and report any safeguarding concerns in accordance with established policies and procedures and is aware that the Chief Executive and the Director for Children’s Services are the Safeguarding Leads for the Council
This post is office based at Town Hall Torquay but the post holder may be required to move their base to any other location within the Council at a future date.
As this post meets the requirements in respect of exempted questions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, all applicants who are offered employment will be subject to a criminal record check (Disclosure) from the Disclosure & Barring Service before the appointment is confirmed. This will include details of ALL cautions, reprimands or final warnings as well as convictions, whether “spent” or “unspent”. Criminal convictions will only be taken into account when they are relevant to the post.
The Council operates a Smoke-Free Policy and the post-holder is prohibited from smoking in any of the Council's buildings (including Council owned and Council leased buildings, but excluding designated areas in residential schemes), enclosed spaces within the curtilage of buildings, and Council vehicles. The Council does not permit smoking breaks within work time, however, in services where the flexi-scheme is in operation, employees may take reasonable break times outside of core hours, in accordance with flexi-time arrangements. Employees should follow the flexi-scheme procedure for agreeing time away from their duties in the normal manner with their immediate colleagues and line manager, with break start and finish times being recorded, as with any other break-time arrangement.
The post-holder is expected to familiarise themselves with and adhere to all relevant Council Policies and Procedures.
The post-holder must comply with the Council’s Health and Safety requirements as outlined in the H&S policy appropriate to the role.
The post-holder must be committed to the Council’s Core Values for employees – “Torbay Council employees are committed to being forward thinking, people orientated and adaptable - always with integrity”. Evidence will be sought during the probation and appraisal processes.
If this post is customer facing, it will require the ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence and fluency in English.
If you are required to access a government system such as HMRC, DWP or The Public services network (PSN) as part of your role with the Council you will be required to complete a basic disclose with your line manager before you can access these systems. Your manager will be required to complete a verification form that confirms your identity, nationality and immigration status, employment history and unspent convictions (third party).
If you are required to use your own vehicle on Council business or drive a council vehicle you will be asked to provide information on any driving endorsements by accessing gov.uk/view-driving-licence and providing a code to your Line Manager in order to share your driving licence information with the Council.

Person Specification

Note for Candidate

All Candidates

The supporting statement on your application form will be used to assess ability to meet the essential requirements of the role, so you should explain how you meet each of the numbered essential requirements within your supporting statement. In a competitive situation, the desirable criteria may be taken into consideration, so you are encouraged to show how you also meet each of the desirable criteria.

Candidates who consider that they have a disability

Reasonable adjustments will be made to the job, job requirements or recruitment process for candidates with a disability.

If you consider yourself to have a disability you should indicate this on your application form, providing any information you would like us to take into account with regard to your disability in order to offer a fair selection interview.

Where ever possible and reasonable we will make adjustments and offer alternatives to help you through the application and selection process.

If you have indicated that you have a disability on your application form you will be guaranteed an interview if you clearly demonstrate in your supporting evidence how you broadly meet the essential requirements of the role.

Job info	Job info details
Job Title	Divisional Director – Children’s Services Transformation
Strategic team/Directorate	Childrens Services
Service	Childrens Services
Business unit	Childrens Services

Skills and effectiveness

Essential skills and effectiveness

Ability to drive and implement significant change across both the Council and partner organisations.
Ability to monitor and evaluate services and practices to ensure agree standards are maintained and intervene constructively where necessary.
Achievement and performance driven.
Excellent analytical and performance management skills.
First class communication, ambassadorial and media management skills – ensuring that the reputation of Torbay Council is promoted at every opportunity.
Proven ability to lead change and to support services during periods of change and development, minimising the impact on outcomes, performance improvements to a service.
Ability to inspire the trust and confidence of frontline practitioners and managers across Children’s Services, building alliances across the different professions and systematically involving experts by experience in the development and delivery of services and supports.
Champion the importance of continuing professional development – and role model good practice in this area.
Able to think creatively and develop innovative solutions.
Manage conflicting priorities.
High degree of customer awareness.
Ability to use judgement, tact and sensitivity.
High degree of personal integrity and political awareness and sensitivity.
Able to develop, negotiate and extend challenging outcomes and goals, make complex decisions based on facts and complete tasks to a high standard.
High level of financial acumen and ability to manage budgets and control costs.
Proven effective presentation and report writing skills.
Proven commitment to anti-discriminatory practice.
This role requires the ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence and fluency in English.

Desirable skills and effectiveness

N/A

Knowledge

Essential knowledge

Detailed working knowledge of current inspection and assessment framework e.g. Ofsted/CQC etc to inform decision making
Detailed knowledge of national Children’s Services policy and practice developments and the requirements for their local implementation in the context of the political and operational environment.
Detailed knowledge and understanding of the role of the Local Safeguarding Children’s Board.
Extensive knowledge of evidenced based effective practice relating to interventions for children and young people
Excellent understanding of how best to achieve the outcomes for Children, young people and their families – with proven approaches to ensuring the correct attitude and approach is taken.
A high level of knowledge and understanding of confidentiality, data protection and ethics.
A good knowledge of performance management and improvement models.

Desirable knowledge

Understanding the wider local government issues and the political context and environment in which it operates.
Project and Programme Management methodology i.e. Prince2

Experience and achievements

Essential experience and achievements

Extensive experience of managing and delivering Children’s Services, with complex, professional, and ethical issues including safeguarding children.
Experience of planning and producing complex bids for funding
Proven experience of developing strategic plans based on needs assessment and overseeing the delivery of required outcomes.
Experience of developing and implementing new ways of delivering services and innovative working practice to succeed in achieving and maintaining service.
Experience of successfully planning for and contributing to inspection processes.
Successful senior leadership within a Children’s Services role in a relevant organisation.
Minimum of three years’ successful senior management experience in Children’s Services.
Experience of leading and managing large, complex teams and working within partnership arrangements.
Proven experience of successful project/programme management.
Experience of managing large and complex budgets, reallocating resources to meet transformation targets.
Proven success in contributing to larger “corporate” agendas, ensuring that Children’s Services informs, and is informed by, the Council’s agreed economic, environmental and social priorities.
Competence and confidence in working with elected members, regulators, field forces.

Desirable experience and achievements

N/A

Qualifications/professional memberships

Essential qualifications/professional memberships

Relevant degree or equivalent experience.
Social Work Qualification

Desirable qualifications/professional memberships

Project Management qualification or equivalent.
Higher degree or equivalent in relevant profession.
Management qualification.

Other requirements

Other requirements of the job role

Demonstrates a commitment to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people
Ability to travel efficiently around the Bay/South West/UK in order to carry out duties
Ability to accommodate unsociable hours
Ability to accommodate occasional home-working