Interim Principal Service Lead – Through Care

£525 per day via Umbrella | Inside IR35

3-month initial contract Hybrid working – 3 days per week onsite

We are currently seeking an experienced Principal Service Lead – Through Care to join a Children & Young People Leadership Team within a local authority.

This is a pivotal senior leadership opportunity for a Qualified Social Worker with significant experience across Children’s Social Care and a strong track record of delivering improvement within complex environments.

The Role As Principal Service Lead – Through Care, you will provide strategic leadership across a broad range of services, including:

• Children in Care and Care Leavers
• Fostering and residential care
• Placements and family time
• Services for children with disabilities
• Emotional wellbeing

You will work closely with senior colleagues across Children’s Services to ensure strong integration between services and deliver positive outcomes for children and young people.

Key Responsibilities Provide strategic leadership across Through Care services , ensuring high-quality support and positive outcomes for children and young people.

• Drive quality, performance and continuous improvement , with a strong focus on safeguarding, statutory compliance and inspection readiness.
• Lead and develop high-performing teams , creating a culture of accountability, collaboration and service excellence.
• Champion the voice of children and young people and embed strong corporate parenting principles.
• Build effective partnerships across health, education, police and wider system partners .
• Ensure services deliver strong outcomes while maintaining a focus on value for money and effective resource management .

About You We are looking for a visible, authentic and ambitious senior leader who can operate effectively within a complex Children’s Services environment.

You will need:

• To be a Qualified Social Worker .
• Significant senior leadership experience within Children’s Social Care .
• A proven track record of service improvement and delivering positive outcomes .
• Strong knowledge of safeguarding, statutory requirements and inspection frameworks.
• The ability to lead through complexity and build strong relationships across a range of partners.
• A genuine commitment to improving outcomes for children, young people and families .

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Children’s Social Care leader to take on a high-profile interim leadership position and make a tangible impact across a broad and strategically important service area.

To find out more or to be considered, please get in touch.