Welcome

Dear candidate,

Many thanks for your interest in the opportunity to play a significant part in Sunderland’s continued transformation.

Through the delivery of our city plan, partners in Sunderland are making excellent progress towards realising our shared vision to create a connected, international city with opportunities for all.

We are ambitious for Sunderland and its residents, and we want it to be a great place to achieve, live, work and play, and where people are proud to belong.

Our children and young people are the city’s future, and we are looking to appoint an inspirational children’s services leader with the passion and vision to help ensure current and future generations fulfil their huge potential.

Since April 2017, Together for Children, the company responsible for delivering children’s services on behalf of the city council has been on a remarkable journey to outstanding, significantly improving services for children and families in Sunderland.

Taking over from the current Chief Executive of Together for Children & Director of Children’s Services, this role offers an exciting opportunity to continue driving positive change through focused and innovative leadership, and a genuine desire to enhance the lives of our young people.

If this sounds like you, I’d encourage you to explore this site to discover more about our transformation journey, and how you could make an invaluable contribution.

Best wishes,

Patrick Melia OBE
Chief Executive
Sunderland City Council

Dear candidate,

Together for Children has been on an extraordinary journey; the first Children’s Services provider in the Country to make the leap from Ofsted Inadequate to Outstanding. We are so proud of our amazing workforce who work tirelessly to deliver the best possible outcomes for children, young people, and their families in Sunderland, with services transformed since the organisation’s inception. 

Our Senior Leadership Team and Independent Board are aspirational in our plans to ensure that the quality of services for cared-for children and experienced young people are of consistently high quality with the child’s voice front and centre. With strong and effective partnerships in place, innovative practice development programmes, and experienced and caring senior leaders we have all the ingredients to continue our incredible journey. 

With our established and respected CEO and DCS choosing this time to depart the organisation, we are looking for an equally exceptional leader to continue and build upon their legacy. Our workforce describes our culture as supportive, inclusive and kind, so our new CEO must also evidence these characteristics alongside the wisdom, creativity, tenacity and ambition to lead the continued transformation of services.  You will be joining us at a critical time, with a new Government and political landscape in place, and must be able to quickly establish trust and confidence in your ability to lead from day one. 

As Chair of the Independent TfC Board focused on driving strategy, modelling culture and seeking quality assurance standards, you will share my ambition not just in the development of excellent children’s services, but in securing Sunderland as a national leader in integrating the interests of children and young people into the heart of every sector in the city.

Best wishes,

Tammy Banks
Chair of Independent Board
Together for Children

 Contact us

For a confidential discussion about the role, please contact our recruitment partners at Tile Hill.