Head of Children’s Social Care 8 views

Durham County Council

Head of Children’s Social Care

Salary: £135,406.

Durham County Council is proud of its strong legacy of excellence within Children’s Services. Following a period of significant transformation, the service has been rated Outstanding by Ofsted, reflecting the high quality of our practice, the strength of our leadership, and our unwavering commitment to improving outcomes for children, young people and families.

We are now seeking an exceptional leader to join us as our Head of Children’s Social Care – a pivotal role offering the opportunity to build on an established record of success while driving forward innovation, inclusion, and meaningful impact.

About the role

As Head of Children’s Social Care, you will provide strategic leadership across a broad portfolio of statutory and specialist services, ensuring that children are effectively safeguarded, supported, and given every opportunity to thrive. You will oversee assessment and safeguarding services, early help services, looked after children and permanence teams, fostering, adoption, residential care, and care leaver provision, ensuring each area delivers high‑quality, compliant, and impactful practice.

A key part of your leadership will involve working collaboratively with partners to implement robust safeguarding arrangements, maintain strong operational links with the family courts, and ensure that early help pathways and social care reforms are effectively embedded. You will also ensure that the council maintains a sufficient range of placements – both internal and commissioned – while working proactively with Ofsted and other inspection bodies to maintain excellence across regulated services.

You will champion continuous improvement through strong quality assurance, effective performance management, and a culture of learning. As a senior leader within the council, you will also contribute to broader transformation priorities, provide clear leadership to teams and managers, oversee staffing and budgets, and maintain productive partnerships with internal and external stakeholders.

In addition, you will play a key governance role by supporting the Corporate Parenting Panel and presenting to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, ensuring transparency, accountability, and a steadfast focus on the needs and experiences of children and young people.

About you

We are looking for a visionary, compassionate, and resilient leader with:

• A strong track record of delivering high‑performing children’s social care services.
• Deep knowledge of statutory frameworks, regulatory requirements, and best practice.
• Proven experience of leading transformational change and service improvement.
• Excellent partnership‑building skills and the ability to influence at a senior level.
• A passionate commitment to safeguarding, inclusion, and improving outcomes for children.

To find out more, please contact our retained consultants at Penna: Nick Raper on 07715 690463, or Kelly Ridley on 07709 512415 for a confidential conversation, or visit www.durhamleadership.co.uk for further information.

Closing: Midnight on Sunday 15th March 2026