Assistant Head of Service (Residential Services) - FTC 12 Months

Birmingham Children's Trust; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

30 days annual leave

Bank holidays

On-site parking

EV charging ports

Health & wellbeing support

Rewards discounts

Local Government pension scheme

Hybrid working policy

Job summary

The Birmingham Children’s Trust is seeking an experienced Assistant Head of Service to lead our expanding residential children’s homes, ensuring safe, nurturing care and outstanding outcomes across multiple sites.

You will translate strategic priorities into clear operational plans, drive governance and performance oversight, and support managers to build high‑performing teams that place children’s needs at the heart of everything we do.

Qualifications

• Extensive leadership experience in residential children's services.
• Strong knowledge of Ofsted regulations, safeguarding and quality assurance.
• Experience in multi-site teams and corporate parenting.
• Ability to develop managers and build accountable leadership culture.
• Understanding of risk management, governance and performance oversight.

Responsibilities

• Oversee a portfolio of residential children’s homes and support Registered Managers.
• Drive service performance, quality assurance and continuous improvement.
• Ensure regulatory compliance and high-quality care aligned with laws and standards.
• Shape strategy into operational plans and robust governance.

Skills

Leadership

Regulatory knowledge

Multi-site leadership

Communication skills

Coaching and development

Education

Senior management qualification

Job description

We are seeking an experienced, inspirational and forward-thinking Assistant Head of Service to play a pivotal role in the leadership and development of our expanding residential children's service.

Working in partnership with the Head of Service and Responsible Individual, you will provide visible, effective and values-driven leadership across our residential children's homes, helping to ensure that children and young people receive safe, nurturing and high-quality care that enables them to thrive.

This is a strategic and operational leadership position with responsibility for overseeing a portfolio of children's homes and supporting Registered Managers to deliver excellent practice, strong regulatory compliance and outstanding outcomes. You will drive service performance, quality assurance and continuous improvement, ensuring services operate in line with relevant legislation, regulations, quality standards and organisational policies.

As the service continues to grow, you will play a key role in shaping and developing provision, translating strategic priorities into clear operational plans and ensuring robust governance, risk management and performance oversight. You will champion a culture of accountability, learning and excellence, supporting managers to build high-performing teams that place children and young people's needs at the heart of everything they do.

The successful candidate will deputise for the Head of Service when required, exercising delegated authority and providing confident leadership across the service. This is an exciting opportunity for an ambitious leader who is passionate about improving the lives of children and young people and has the drive to help shape the future of residential care.

If you are an experienced residential care leader with a strong track record of service improvement, regulatory compliance and developing high-performing teams, we would love to hear from you. We have been rated as ‘Good’ by Ofsted, following a 2023 inspection. This is a fantastic achievement for Birmingham Children's Trust, with many positive highlights focusing on areas including the quality of staff leadership, partnership working, safeguarding and corporate parenting. This is a hybrid role based in Birmingham so you must have the correct right-to-work documents to work in the UK. Sadly, we do not support those who require sponsorship.

About you

• Detailed knowledge of children’s residential care legislation, the Children’s Homes Regulations 2015, quality standards and associated statutory guidance.
• Significant experience in Residential Children’s Services.
• Strong knowledge of Ofsted regulations and standards. Understanding of inspection, quality assurance, performance management, workforce planning, risk management and service improvement.
• Strong understanding of safeguarding, corporate parenting, trauma-responsive care, children’s rights and the factors affecting children in care.
• Experience leading multi-site teams, demonstrating excellent leadership skills.
• Ability to coach, supervise and develop managers and build a consistent, accountable leadership culture.
• Strong and effective communication skills as you'll be engaging with a diverse range of colleagues, customers and stakeholders.
• Substantial successful management experience in children’s residential care or a closely related regulated children’s service.
• A recognised management or leadership qualification, or evidence of equivalent senior management development.

Onboarding Process

Please note part of our onboarding process, the successful candidate will be required undergo a series of background checks with Experian Including Experian DBS, Right to Work, and Digital ID verification. These are essential pre-employment requirements.

We will require a FULL employment history to ensure we are compliant with Schedule 2 requirements.

Our Benefits

• A generous annual leave package of 30 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days after 5 years of service and 35 days after 10 years of service.
• Free on-site parking at our offices on One Avenue Road (Aston) and Lifford House (Stirchley). We also provide onsite electric car charging ports which are free to use!
• Full access to our amazing internal employee benefits scheme including, Occupational Health services, Rewards Schemes, Benefits discounts (including the Blue Light Card), Health & Fitness and Personal Wellbeing support and much more!
• Flexible and hybrid working policy - we are well adapted to a hybrid model of working which includes a combination of time spent in the office and at home and we offer a variety of working patterns.
• Pension Scheme - You will receive a generous local government career average pension scheme in line with the local government pension scheme.

Help us to change children and young people’s lives!

At Birmingham Children’s Trust, we are committed to making a positive impact on the lives of over 10,000 children and young people in our city every day. Our mission is to support the most disadvantaged children and young people in Birmingham, ensuring they are safe, happy, and healthy.

Why Join Us?

• Impactful Work - be part of a team that makes a real difference in the lives of the city’s most vulnerable children.
• Supportive Environment - enjoy a supportive and collaborative work culture where your contributions are valued.
• Career Development - benefit from tailored development programs, supportive supervision, and a range of learning opportunities to enhance your skills and advance your career.
• Generous Benefits - take advantage of our competitive reward package including generous leave allowance, Local Government pension scheme, and additional benefits.

Our Values

We approach our work with care and compassion, actively listening to the needs of the children and young people we serve. We involve them in the decisions that affect their lives, ensuring their voices are heard and respected.

We are committed to using our resources wisely, ensuring that every penny is spent where it counts the most. We foster collaboration among schools, health professionals, and the police, working together to create a supportive network for our young people.

We believe that when we work as one cohesive team, the children and young people of Birmingham are more likely to thrive. Our unified approach ensures that we provide the best possible support and opportunities for their growth and development.

Join us and together, we can create a brighter future for all.

Safeguarding

At Birmingham Children’s Trust, we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.

Depending on the role, you may be asked to undergo the appropriate level of Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check to assess your suitability for working with children and young people.

The level of check (Standard, Enhanced, or Enhanced with Barred List) is determined based on the specific responsibilities of the role and the level of contact with children and young people.

We are committed to the fair treatment of all applicants, including those with criminal records. Having a criminal record will not necessarily bar an individual from working with us. This will depend on the nature of the position and the circumstances and background of the offence.