A Fairer, Better, Greener Swindon

Dear candidate

I am really pleased you are looking to join us here at Swindon Borough Council. We have been on an improvement Journey across Children Services for the last 18 months after our Ofsted ILACS graded Childrens Social Care inadequate In July 2023. Over this time, we have had three positive monitoring visits which have recognised the commitment and hard work of colleagues not only in Children services but across the council in ensuring we deliver high quality services for our young people. We will not stop moving forward to make things the best they can be.

This year we have embarked on an ambitious programme of integration here in Children Services, my vision is that children Social care, Early intervention Youth and Community services with our Education colleagues work seamlessly together so we can continue to provide child focused services for all children and young people in our early years settings, in our schools and where we identify need or harm we ensure that higher levels of support with SEND, Disability, Safeguarding needs are met. We have refreshed our Send improvement work and with additional funding we are truly committed to ensure we are as inclusive as we can be.

We are home to 37,270 children in the Borough with 91 schools. We have 12 academy trusts here and work is underway to build stronger alliances with their leadership and our maintained schools under the council missions we are committed to ensure children are ready for school are safe and reach their full potential in our schools and settings most importantly for me, we ensure together we support children into adulthood.

This role is pivotal in continuing to help the children’s leadership team build a strong alliance with our Multi academy trusts and our maintained schools so that we are reaching high levels of attainment and progress.  We have far too many children not in school or persistently absent and this must be addressed. For me, education is key for our children, a place to grow, to play, to feel safe, make lifelong friends and be supported into adulthood. I am looking for a very special person to lead this work, to work alongside my Senior team and the wider Service directorate continuing to ensure a whole service approach, where no child falls through services and no child here gets left behind.

There are challenges, we have financial issues as with many councils, we have limited resources and services, we also have to continue to improve in Education and social care at the pace our children deserve, but we have fantastic staff here, with strong executive and political support ,and a real shared commitment to get things back to good across the whole of the  children’s landscape and with our partners, our parents and our children most importantly working alongside us, this is truly achievable.

If you consider you have the skills, the knowledge and a flair for strategic thinking that’s a given, but I also need a strong commitment to delivering high standards, someone to bring compassion, patience and kindness to my colleagues and to my families and a true love for the work you are about to embark on.

If that resonates with you I look forward to meeting you,

Lisa

Lisa Arthey
Corporate Director of Children’s Services, Swindon Borough Council