Service Manager - Cared for Children

Rochdale Borough Council; Greater Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary up to £1,000 extra annually

Green fleet car scheme

Hybrid and flexible working

Staff recognition awards

Mileage payment and town centreparking

Up to 34 days annual leave

Paid for Social Work England fees

Staff discount at retail and leisure

Job summary

Rochdale Borough Council is seeking a Service Manager for Cared For Children within Children’s Social Care. You will lead strategic development and delivery to safeguard and promote outcomes for children, young people, and families in Rochdale.

You will provide executive leadership across care services, focusing on permanence planning, placement stability, and transitions to adulthood, while championing the voice of care-experienced young people and partners.

Qualifications

• You will be a qualified social worker registered with Social Work England.
• Strong track record in senior leadership and management.
• In-depth knowledge of childcare legislation, national strategies, and emerging policy developments.

Responsibilities

• System Leadership: Drive strategic alignment with national policy and local priorities, ensuring services reflect the Council’s vision.
• Permanence and Corporate Parenting Leadership: Provide strategic leadership for permanence planning and Corporate Parenting responsibilities, ensuring stable relationships and high-quality care planning.
• Quality of Practice: Embed trauma-informed and relational practice across services, fostering high performance and innovation.
• Communication & Engagement: Provide visible leadership that inspires teams and promotes continuous improvement.
• Managing Resources: Build a capable, resilient workforce through ethical leadership and professional development.
• Quality Assurance & Performance Management: Contribute to strategic planning and delivery of key service plans, including the Children’s Services Plan.
• Organisational Development: Champion equality, diversity, and inclusion with timely Equality Impact Assessments.

Skills

Senior leadership

Strategic planning

Social work expertise

Job description

Join Rochdale’s Visionary Leadership Team

We are delighted to the opportunity to join Rochdale Borough Council as Service Manager for Cared For Children within Children’s Social Care. This pivotal role will shape and lead the strategic development and delivery of services that safeguard and promote the welfare of children, young people, and their families.

Rochdale is nationally recognised for its innovative and impactful work with children and families with OFSTED recognising our ambitions for children and families in Rochdale as part of a recent focus visit.

Our strong partnerships and pioneering Family Safeguarding Model place relationships at the heart of our practice. We are proud of our culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

The Opportunity

As Service Manager for Cared For Children, you will play a pivotal role in delivering Rochdale's ambition for children in our care to experience stable, loving and nurturing childhoods that enable them to thrive. Working closely with the Strategic Head of Service for Corporate Parenting, you will lead and develop services that place children at the heart of everything we do, ensuring they receive the care, support and opportunities they need to achieve positive lifelong outcomes.

You will provide strategic and operational leadership across services supporting children in care, driving improvements in permanence planning, placement stability, care planning and transitions to adulthood. You will ensure that permanence is considered from the earliest opportunity, supporting children to achieve secure and lasting family relationships through reunification, kinship care, long-term fostering, Special Guardianship, or adoption where appropriate.

As a senior leader within Corporate Parenting, you will champion the voice and lived experience of children and young people, ensuring their views shape service delivery and future developments. You will work in partnership with elected members, partner agencies, carers, families and care experienced young people to deliver Rochdale's Corporate Parenting responsibilities and aspirations.

This is an exciting opportunity to build upon Rochdale's strong practice foundations and contribute to our ongoing journey of improvement and innovation. As a member of the Children's Services Senior Management Team, you will influence strategic direction, lead transformational change, and ensure services continue to deliver outstanding support, excellent safeguarding practice and meaningful outcomes for our children and young people.

Key Responsibilities

• System Leadership
  Drive strategic alignment with national policy and local priorities, ensuring services reflect the Council’s vision.
• Permanence and Corporate Parenting Leadership
  Provide strategic leadership for permanence planning and Corporate Parenting responsibilities, ensuring children experience stable and enduring relationships, high-quality care planning, minimal drift and delay, and achieve the best possible outcomes throughout their childhood and into adulthood.
• Quality of Practice
  Embed evidence-based, trauma-informed, and relational practice across all services, fostering a culture of high performance and innovation.
• Communication & Engagement
  Provide visible, motivational leadership that inspires teams and promotes continuous improvement and customer satisfaction.
• Managing Resources
  Build a confident, capable, and resilient workforce through ethical leadership, reflective supervision, and professional development.
• Quality Assurance & Performance Management
  Contribute to strategic planning and delivery of key service plans, including the Children’s Services Plan
• Organisational Development
  Champion equality, diversity, and inclusion across all services, ensuring timely completion of Equality Impact Assessments and action plans.

About You

You will be a qualified social worker registered with Social Work England, with a strong track record in senior leadership and management. You will bring:

• In-depth knowledge of childcare legislation, national strategies, and emerging policy developments.
• Proven ability to lead in complex, high-pressure environments.
• Commitment to continuous professional development and service excellence.

Assessment & Interview

Candidates will be required to complete a short prepared presentation on the day of the interview and present to the panel.

A young person’s panel will also form part of the selection process.

Why Rochdale?

We are proud of our values:

• Proud of the difference we make
• Passionate about the diversity of our Borough
• Pioneering and open in our approach

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults.

Rochdale Borough Council is part of the Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment, recognising continuous service across GM local authorities and partner organisations.

We reward you with great benefits:

• Highly competitive salary with an opportunity to earn up to £1,000 extra, every year (£500 retention payment every six months)
• Green fleet car scheme with NHS Fleet solutions
• Hybrid and flexible working
• Staff recognition awards and celebration events
• Mileage payment and town centre parking scheme
• Up to 34 days annual leave with an option to buy more
• Paid for Social Work England professional fees
• Staff discount at popular retail and leisure sites

Other benefits

• Work in a modern, award-winning building
• Be conveniently located next to the Metrolink, bus exchange and a short walk from Rochdale train station
• You’re also a 10-minute drive from the M62 corridor

Appointment to this post is subject to Enhanced Child workforce DBS and background checks.

Please note: We are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.

If you have completed the GM Elevate (Leadership Development) Programme, please indicate this in your application.

Interested?

To discuss the roles further, please contact:
Emma Collingwood Strategic Head of Service for Corporate parenting – [e-mail]