Head of Service - Permanance

The Opportunity

As Head of Permanence, you will provide leadership across a range of statutory childrens social care services, ensuring high-quality practice and positive outcomes for children and young people. You will oversee Dorsets Permanence Service, including direct line management of the Service Manager and three Permanence Teams, while influencing practice across wider Children in Care services. Working alongside senior leaders and multi-agency partners, you will play a key role in ensuring every child experiences effective care planning, permanence planning, and enduring relationships that support them throughout their lives.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Lead the development and delivery of Dorsets Permanence Strategy.
• Drive innovation in permanence planning, reunification, lifelong links, life story work, and preparation for adulthood.
• Contribute to corporate and departmental strategy, policy development, and service transformation.
• Lead service improvement programmes and ensure delivery against key performance indicators.
• Provide expert professional advice on statutory social work practice and legislation.

Operational Leadership

• Lead and manage Permanence Services and associated operational teams.
• Provide clear oversight and governance for complex and high-risk cases.
• Ensure services operate in accordance with statutory requirements, regulations, and best practice.
• Monitor and improve service performance, quality assurance, and outcomes.
• Deliver effective services within agreed budgets and resources.

Partnership Working

• Work collaboratively with:
• Childrens Health Teams
• Independent Reviewing Officers (IROs)
• Virtual School Teams
• Fostering Services
• Residential Services
• Safeguarding Partnerships
• Local Authority and Community Partners
• Represent Dorset at strategic meetings, partnerships, and safeguarding forums.
• Promote early help and prevention approaches across the childrens system.

Leadership & Management

• Provide direct line management to operational managers and senior leaders.
• Develop a positive, high-performing culture that promotes continuous improvement.
• Support workforce development, supervision, and best practice.
• Lead budget management and resource planning within allocated services.
• Deputise for Directors and Assistant Directors when required.

Eden Brown Synergy is an equal opportunities employer.

Eden Brown Limited is a limited company registered in England and Wales with registered number 3643845. Our registered address is 5th floor 4 Coleman Street, London, EC2R 5AR, part of nGAGE Specialist Recruitment Limited T/A nGAGE Talent. Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail. This message is intended solely for the addressee and may contain confidential information. If you have received this message in error, please send it back to us, and immediately and permanently delete it. Do not use, copy or disclose the information contained in this message or in any attachment. We take reasonable precautions to ensure no viruses are present in this email but cannot accept responsibility for any loss or damage sustained as a result of computer viruses and the recipient must ensure that the email (and attachments) are virus free.