A safe life. A happy family life. A healthy life. Achieving in life
Welcome, and thank you for your interest in learning more about North Yorkshire Council and this exciting new role of Corporate Director Children and Young People’s Service.
North Yorkshire is England's largest county and a beautiful, vibrant place to live and work.
We have a reputation for delivering high quality services. Our children’s services are nationally recognised for their excellence, taking a national lead to share best practice. We are immensely proud of our track record and are committed to ongoing continuous improvement to ensure that our services are of high quality and have impact in the communities that we serve whilst providing efficient use of public money. For many of our residents, the quality of life is high but the needs of communities across our localities are diverse with some areas experiencing significant deprivation, alongside the rural nature of the county which impacts on accessibility.
It is an exciting time for us as we have celebrated our two-year anniversary following local government reform and the merging of the eight district, borough and county councils to form North Yorkshire Council in April 2023.
As the county council was the continuing authority, children’s services were unchanged by this structural transformation. However, unification brings the opportunity to improve localised services in this great county and secure greater investment through our devolution deal for North Yorkshire. The devolution deal for York and North Yorkshire could potentially unlock around £2.4 billion of investment over 30 years, with a focus on improving the economic prosperity and future long-term opportunities for all residents.
This provides a great foundation for a new Corporate Director of Children and Young People’s Services to further shape exciting, innovative approaches, making your mark in this role and on a national stage. Ideal for an aspirational Chief Executive, or children’s service leader wanting to step up to the leadership challenge with, in our opinion, the best children’s service in the country.
The Ofsted review gave further recognition to the vision and ambition throughout the organisation:
"Children and their families in North Yorkshire benefit from an outstanding children’s service. Leaders have built on their well-established culture and service initiatives to further develop and improve services for children since the previous outstanding judgement. Children and families have access to high-quality services when they need them. All services share high aspiration and ambition for children, which enhances their lives and opportunities. There is a strong and clear council vision for children’s and SEND services and outcomes, shared across Members and Officers. The vision is clear and simple and is underpinned with a strong sense of what is right for children. Members described officers as committed and having pride in their work and the working relationship between officers and members is good."
We are strongly committed to ensuring children and young people are safe, happy, healthy and receive the best education within inclusive and high-quality settings, that value diversity and individualism. High quality education brings alive aspirations for adulthood, ambition and liberates talent and ingenuity. We understand children and young people thrive within family environments and prioritise support to ensure this continues for the majority of children.
We take great pride in the successful track record we have here at North Yorkshire Council. We consistently perform well in inspections and are amongst the best performing when compared to other comparable councils. We also have a good story to tell when it comes to value for money, service delivery and impact in the communities of North Yorkshire we serve. Whilst what we do, we do well, we are not complacent and with true Yorkshire resilience we constantly strive for further improvement, to meet growing complexity of need and significant shifts in demand for our critical services. We have a great deal more to do for our children and families.
There are significant challenges facing the service and the organisation as a whole. We are currently in the process of delivering a transformation programme which is an ambitious programme to realign the council in the face of reduced funding levels, increasing complexity and demand for services and harness the opportunities that emerging technologies bring. The only way to address the magnitude of the challenge is by an equally ambitious programme of change. It is more important than ever that we work in genuine partnership, are crystal clear about our priorities, and are resolutely focussed on improving outcomes.
We are well placed and experienced in meeting such challenges working with our key partners to identify opportunities for transformation; involving external scrutiny and review to provide independence to our thinking and inform our decision making. We have positive and highly valued partnerships with professional associations, elected members, health, schools and settings and voluntary organisations at county and locality level to transform services to improve outcomes for children and young people and their families.
You will be welcomed by Management Board colleagues and a corporate suite of support services, that will provide support and critical challenge as we are united as one council: jointly ambitious for children and families across our region.
We are now looking for a professional, influential Corporate Director to drive change, help define our future direction, influence key stakeholders and support service improvement in the Children’s and Young People’s Services directorate and across the breadth of the authority.
Want to learn more? View this video of the current post holder, Stuart Carlton, and our Chief Executive, Richard Flinton outlining the key aspects of the role, our current position and the key priorities for the incumbent post holder.
If you are interested in meeting the challenge and making your mark in North Yorkshire, then we look forward to your application.
Richard Flinton
Chief Executive, North Yorkshire Council
About Children and Young People’s Service
Our vision is that all children and young people are safe, happy, healthy and able to achieve in North Yorkshire.
This vision is shaped by feedback from children and young people living in North Yorkshire who, when asked what they wanted for their futures it could be summed up in one word ‘Opportunity’. To enable this, we need to develop plans to ensure that life chances are not adversely affected by a child/young person’s circumstances or where they live. We see opportunity as children and young people being encouraged to have aspirations and that the environment in which they live encourages them to thrive, enabling them to achieve the best possible outcomes they can.
We seek to achieve this through the delivery of four key themes to ensure that all children in North Yorkshire are safe, happy, healthy and able to achieve. These priorities are a continuum with eight areas of focus:
A safe life: Children are protected from harm, live in safe communities and are supported by Family networks
Priorities
- child exploitation and contextual safeguarding
- protect children at risk of harm
A happy family life: Families are empowered to be resilient; school years are happy, and community support networks help families thrive
Priorities
- children’s mental health and emotional wellbeing
- right support at the right time: Our early help system
A healthy life: We promote health and wellbeing through positive choices, improve social, emotional and mental health and reduce health inequalities
Priorities
- children start well and live well
- reduce health inequalities
Achieving in life: We ensure children are ‘school ready’, raise achievement levels for all and create environments where children have aspirations for their future
Priorities
- education and inclusion
- transitions
We work collaboratively with partners to ensure children and young people are protected from harm whilst growing up in an environment in which they are happy and that encourages them to have aspirations for their future.
Our children and young people are our future, we want them to thrive in North Yorkshire and achieve the best possible outcomes they can. It is vital that children are given a ‘voice’ and that we listen to their views and use this feedback to shape our delivery models and inform practice.
Professionals in North Yorkshire serve a diverse and dispersed population of an estimated 615,400 people, 151,000 of those are children, across a geographical area of over 8,000 square kilometres or 3,090 square miles. Our children live in towns and villages, we have one city, we have an extensive coastline and a large number of farming communities. Our relationship-based, “Strength in Relationships” practice model is embedded across our workforce, and we recognise the need to provide the right support at the right time for children and families. We know that successful outcomes for children depend on strong partnership working with children, their parents and carers, practitioners and senior leaders.
We have a large and diverse workforce who display great dedication and professionalism in the work they do every day. We will support our workforce to do the job that they love through valuing, respecting and investing in them so that they are confident, competent and have the skills, abilities, knowledge and motivation to provide the very best outcomes. We recognise that one of the most effective ways to safeguard children is to ensure frontline practitioners are effectively supported in their roles.
Whilst we experience the national workforce challenges of professional scarcity, we have robust workforce plans, and we support our staff through every stage of their career. This enables us to attract and retain staff, have a resolute commitment to developing our staff through our practice and leadership academies and avoid the use of agency workers. Staff are well supported with transparent, effective and supportive leadership, are developed to be the professional they trained to be, and workload is continually assessed, and capacity adjusted to changes in demand. We have a tracked record of producing a high number of future leaders and staff are recognised nationally for their excellence.
Some of the areas that are going well include:
- 89% of our children go to good or outstanding schools, being supported well by across our 386 schools
- the proportion of children and family assessments completed by social workers within the 45 working day deadline in consistently sector leading at 97.7%
- similarly, the early help service is delivering outstanding performance in respect of the timeliness of assessments, with 97.2% of initial assessments completed on time and 98.1% of assessment reviews completed on time.
However the complexity and volume of need is increasing; 5,745 children were referred to children’s social care, 4,512 families were supported by our targeted early help service, 523 children were subject to a Child Protection Plan (28 children per 10,000 are subject to a child protection plan compared to national average of 43.7) and 500 children were looked after by the local authority 53 of these were unaccompanied asylum seekers.
There is much to do. In the words of our children and young people this is a great ‘opportunity’ to join us and lead us into our future.
About the role
Title: Corporate Director Children and Young People’s Service
Salary: £136,853 to £159,178 plus relocation support
Location: Northallerton / hybrid
Contract: Permanent / full time
We are passionate in our commitment and ambition for children and young people in North Yorkshire. We strive to ensure all children and young people enjoy a happy family life and receive an education that is good or outstanding. We are committed to working with all schools and academies in North Yorkshire to ensure they are good or outstanding. We want North Yorkshire to be a place where every young person has fun, thrives, succeeds and is able to live safely and healthily within their own families and communities.
As Corporate Director Children and Young People's Service you will be responsible for delivering that ambition and therefore take responsibility and accountability for the services and functions allocated to Children and Young People’s Services, acting within our Officers’ Delegation Scheme. You will ensure we meet our statutory responsibilities in respect of the education and wellbeing of children and young people across North Yorkshire, ensuring the safeguarding of vulnerable children and young people.
As a member of Management Board, along with colleagues and the Chief Executive Officer, you will ensure that all local government services meet the diverse needs of our residents, communities, economy and visitors.
As a Corporate Director, you will provide outstanding strategic and organisational leadership to create, embed and sustain the council. With colleagues you have collective responsibility for delivery of our operating model and embedding the values and behaviours throughout the council. You will promote diversity and inclusion throughout the council and through partnership and relationship with other stakeholders.
As a member of Management Board, you will support the journey of the council and the Chief Executive in the Devolution Deal for York and North Yorkshire and work closely with the Mayoral Combined Authority.
You will work effectively with elected Members to ensure the vision and strategic direction of the Directorate is delivered.
You will act as an advocate for the council at local, regional, and national level, enhancing our reputation and influence, building partnerships and enabling us to be a leader in the field.
You will be responsible for the effective delivery of the Children and Young People’s Services for North Yorkshire. Providing strategic leadership and direction, operational management and financial control for the directorate, ensuring delivery of high-quality strategic aims. You will also support the development of cross-council strategies across diverse services.
In return we offer you a strong platform from which to enhance your career in this stunning place.
This is a politically restricted post as defined by the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.
This post requires the post holder to subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service check.
Why work for us
We are a strong performing authority, with supportive political leadership and talented teams providing the platform to have a fulfilling, challenging and successful career in a truly stunning place.
A peer challenge found that the council is a good place to work, with strong leadership and a loyal and committed workforce who have access to well-regarded training and development.
We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice, offering a range of training and development opportunities and career progression allowing you to manage your own development journey and empowering you to control your career. Your career can change with your life here in North Yorkshire.
We positively encourage flexible working and we provide you with the technology you need to work from a wide variety of locations.
We believe in the importance of inclusion, which is why we are always working towards being a more diverse, equitable and inclusive employer. Find out more about our equality, diversity and inclusion work on our working for us page. You can bring your whole self to work, and we will support you to be the best that you can be.
Our values, behaviours and ambitions underpin everything we do.
In addition to your salary, we offer a range of great benefits to help you financially make life a bit easier. These include:
- a local government, career average employer contribution pension scheme
- family friendly leave
- salary sacrifice schemes
- modern flexible working practices
- learning and development packages
- career advancement opportunities
- employee discount benefits including shopping and gym discounts
- green car and cycle schemes
- travel loans
You can find more information on the range of benefits we offer on our total rewards page.
Watch this video to find out about our employee networks:
Our relocation package
If you are considering relocating to North Yorkshire we provide a comprehensive relocation benefits package.
This features up to £8,000 to cover reasonable costs such as:
- removal expenses
- storage costs
- legal and estate agent fees
- travelling expenses
Living and working in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a thriving county that adapts to a changing world and remains a special place to live and work.
North Yorkshire's natural beauty is captured in its three areas of outstanding natural parks, national nature reserves, stunning coastlines, scenic rural villages, vibrant cities and market towns. North Yorkshire really is a beautiful, thriving and special place to live and work, rich in heritage and culture.
North Yorkshire features significantly in the best places to live in the UK across all quality-of-life surveys.
Figures released by the Office for National Statistics bulletin positions North Yorkshire as the safest place in England with extremely low crime rates.
In addition, the county benefits from excellent road and rail links, with easy access via the east coast mainline, the A1(M) and A19. Leeds, York, Newcastle, Durham and Teesside are all easily commutable, and London and Edinburgh are just two hours away by train.
From its lively cities to pretty villages, rolling countryside and grand coastline, Yorkshire has so much to offer including great employment opportunities for your family members, along with a higher proportion of schools which are good or outstanding compared to national figures.
You can find out more about what North Yorkshire has to offer on the Visit North Yorkshire website.
Watch this video to see more of what North Yorkshire has to offer.
Key dates
- closing date is 4 June 2025
- shortlisting date is 18 June 2025
- interview dates are 30 June and 1 July 2025
Contact us
For an informal confidential discussion about this opportunity, please contact Penny Keatings on 07811 411462 or email Penny.Keatings@northyorks.gov.uk. Alternatively contact Sarah France-Gorton, Head of Resourcing Solutions on 01609 798106 / 07817 769261 or Sarah.France-Gorton@northyorks.gov.uk.
Apply
Please submit one Microsoft Word document that details a comprehensive CV and a supporting statement outlining your suitability for the role. Please do not submit PDFs. It is important that your written application fully addresses the experience criteria. Applications should be emailed to Executive.ResourcingSolutions@northyorks.gov.uk
Application tips
Find advice on making your application
It is important that your CV includes:
- your full contact details - telephone, email, address
- full employment history - name of employer, job titles, dates of employment and salary
- full education history - qualification, grade, dates and place of study
- explanation of any gaps in employment and the contact details of at least two referees including your current or most recent employer indicating whether you consent to us contacting each referee prior to interview. Please also provide details of your current salary and notice period
We believe in the importance of inclusion, which is why we are always working towards being a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive employer. You can find out more about our equality, diversity and inclusion work on our working for us page.
This is a politically restricted post and is subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service check.
We are committed to directly recruiting staff and will not accept applications nor services from agency suppliers in respect of our vacancies.