WELCOME

Thank you for your interest in joining us in Swindon.

I joined as Director of Children’s Services in late 2025, and what struck me immediately was the commitment, energy and determination across our workforce and partners to improve outcomes for children and families. This is a council that is honest about its challenges, but equally clear about its ambition and is already making meaningful progress.

Since our Ofsted judgement in July 2023, we’ve been on a focused and determined improvement journey. We’ve had a series of positive monitoring visits, and while we’re proud of the progress made, we’re ambitious for more. For me, this is about delivering sustainable improvement, ensuring that the changes we make now are embedded, consistent and truly felt by children and families over time.

That’s why this role is so important.

As Director of Children’s Social Care (Family Help and Safeguarding), you’ll play a central role in shaping the next phase of our journey. You’ll lead services that sit at the heart of how we support families, driving practice quality, strengthening our Family Help approach, and delivering the Families First reforms in a way that makes a real difference on the ground.

You’ll be joining at a point where the foundations are in place. We’ve invested significantly in early help and prevention, expanded our workforce, and strengthened our partnership arrangements. But we know that sustainable improvement now depends on consistency, confidence and strong leadership at every level.

Personally, I’m committed to creating an environment where you can succeed. My role is to provide clarity and support, working closely with you and the wider team to drive improvement in practice and outcomes. You’ll have the opportunity to shape your own leadership team, influence how services are designed, and play a key role in building a confident, high-performing service.

Just as importantly, you’ll be joining a team of people who care deeply about what they do. There is a real sense of purpose here, and a shared determination to get this right for our children and young people.

Swindon is a place where you can make a tangible difference, and see that difference quickly. If you’re looking for a role where you can lead with purpose, bring fresh energy, and help secure lasting change, I’d be delighted to hear from you.

Kind regards,

Brenda McInerney
Director of Children’s Services

Shape the future of children’s social care in Swindon.

Swindon Borough Council is forging an exciting future. We’re integrating services, connecting our workforce with a shared sense of purpose, strengthening partnerships, and using AI and data to drive a preventative, insight-led approach. Our Swindon 2028 programme sets out a bold ambition to transform how we deliver services and achieve better outcomes for our communities.

Improving outcomes for children and young people is our top priority. We’re on a significant improvement journey, with strong foundations and clear progress, recognised through monitoring visits. We’re now seeking a visionary, creative and driven Director of Children’s Social Care (Family Help and Safeguarding) to sustain momentum, embed lasting change and ensure consistently strong practice for children and families.

This is a pivotal role at a critical point in our journey. With responsibility for targeted Early Help, Family Help and Safeguarding, and Youth Justice, you’ll lead the next phase of improvement. You’ll drive delivery of Families First reforms, strengthen practice quality, and ensure services work together to reduce demand through earlier, more effective support.

You’ll join a supportive and ambitious leadership environment, with strong corporate and political backing and sustained investment in early help and prevention. With a clear remit, you’ll have the space, support and autonomy to lead with clarity and impact and shape your team.

This is a role where you can see impact quickly. With strong foundations in place, the focus is on raising standards, embedding practice and delivering sustainable change. You’ll work with experienced colleagues, committed partners and a workforce passionate about making a difference.

As a qualified social worker, you’ll bring deep expertise and the ability to lead within a complex system. You’ll be confident working in an improving authority, able to translate vision into practice and drive shared accountability with partners. Experience of delivering sustained improvement will be key.

Just as importantly, you’ll be a visible and values-led leader. You’ll invest in your workforce, create the conditions for them to thrive, and champion high-quality practice, ensuring the voices of children, young people and families are central to everything we do.

Swindon is a place where you can make a real difference. With strong foundations, a committed workforce and improving partnerships, this is an opportunity to take services to the next level.

If you’re ready to lead with purpose, pace and impact, we’d love to hear from you.

Closing date: midnight on Sunday 24th May 2026

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