Adoption & Permanency Services Lead

Staffordshire Local Enterprise Partnership; Stafford; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

Staffordshire County Council is seeking a Service Manager for Adoption and Permanency to lead the adoption, kinship and permanence services, ensuring safe and legally secure family arrangements for children. You will drive improvement through audits, data, and multi-agency collaboration, shaping service design and outcome-focused practice.

You will oversee performance, budgets and risk while championing the voices of children and families, ensuring timely, high-quality permanency planning and

Qualifications

• A recognised degree-level qualification and registration as a Social Worker.
• Significant management experience within children's social care services, including multi-agency environments.
• Extensive knowledge of adoption, permanence and kinship care legislation, policy and best practice.
• Experience of managing adoption support and kinship support services, including assessment, therapeutic interventions and support arrangements.
• Proven experience of leading service improvement, operational planning and change programmes.
• Strong leadership, partnership-working and performance management skills, with experience of budget management and quality assurance.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop adoption, kinship and permanence services to ensure children achieve safe, stable and legally secure family arrangements.
• Drive continuous improvement through quality assurance, performance monitoring and learning from audits, feedback and inspections.
• Build strong partnerships with regional adoption agencies, health services, education, legal professionals and community organisations to support effective permanence planning.
• Provide leadership, support and challenge to managers and practitioners, fostering a culture of reflective practice, accountability and continuous learning.
• Oversee service performance, operational risk, budgets and resources to ensure effective and sustainable service delivery.
• Champion the voices of children, adoptive families and kinship carers, ensuring their experiences help shape service design and development.
• Undertake the Agency Decision Maker (ADM) responsibilities.

Education

Social Worker degree and registration

Job description

Staffordshire County Council is seeking a Service Manager for Adoption and Permanency to lead the adoption, kinship and permanence services, ensuring safe and legally secure family arrangements for children. You will drive improvement through audits, data, and multi-agency collaboration, shaping service design and outcome-focused practice.

You will oversee performance, budgets and risk while championing the voices of children and families, ensuring timely, high-quality permanency planning and