Head of Children in Care Services

Head of Children in Care Services – Children’s Social Work Matters

Join us at Barnsley Council Children and Young People’s Service, an Ofsted rated ‘Good’ Children’s Service, to lead our Children in Care Services.

As Head of Children in Care Services, you will provide senior strategic and operational leadership across key areas including Children in Care, Fostering and Adoption, Care Leavers, and Residential. You will have three reporting Service Managers.

As the Head of Service, you will be responsible for driving high performance and continuous improvement. We are looking for an exceptional leader who understands the importance of social work practice and has substantial experience in delivering outstanding services to children and young people.

We are seeking a highly ambitious leader who will work collaboratively and strategically to deliver outstanding social work services and outcomes for our Children in Care Service.

In Barnsley, the Head of Service role is pivotal to our Corporate Parent duties, delivering on our strategy and ensuring the right support for our Children Looked After and Care Leavers. This requires highly visible leadership within the service and with partners, reflecting our ambition, compassion, and commitment to improving outcomes.

You will join a skilled, enthusiastic, and dedicated Senior Leadership Team, contributing to a culture of collaboration, innovation, and excellence as we continue our journey to deliver the highest quality services for our children and young people.

To join us, you’ll need to be educated to degree level or equivalent and registered with Social Work England as a social worker.

As the responsible Head of Service, you will bring excellent leadership skills, balancing strategic priorities and operational workload, maintaining high‑quality services, and managing overall service delivery performance. You will build strong internal alliances with other senior managers across Children’s Services and work externally with partners, drawing on your communication skills, stakeholder management, and commitment to relationship‑based practice.

You will be committed to delivering high‑performing, high‑quality services, motivating your teams, and ensuring value for money while acting as a Corporate parent.

• Significant experience in children’s social work as a Social Work England registered social worker.
• Extensive and detailed knowledge of children’s services and an understanding of the legislative and statutory obligations relevant to such services.
• A natural professional curiosity and horizon scanning for upcoming legislative or policy change.
• A relentless drive to amplify the voice of the child and continue to use it in co‑production processes.
• Inspirational, visible, and credible leadership capabilities.
• Experience of good oversight, governance, and administration of large budgets.
• A desire to continuously develop yourself and others within a culture of care.

For more information, please visit .

Interviews for this role will take place on 30th January 2026.

For an informal discussion contact Matthew Boud, Service Director
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Email: .