Our values Our city

Child painting with handprints on a family hub poster

Welcome to Stoke-on-Trent City Council


Stoke-on-Trent is a fantastic place to live, work and visit, and is on a positive journey with a rapidly growing economy, creating new jobs and delivering regeneration. It is a city of kindness, where care for one another runs deep, with a strong sense of civic pride and absolute commitment to delivering the best outcomes for our children and young people.

We want you to consider joining Team Stoke!


Introduction to Stoke-on-Trent City Council, from City Director Jon Rouse


 
Jon Rouse

 

This is an exciting time to join us, as we recruit for a unique and experienced individual with the skills to help drive forward our ambition as the Corporate Director of Children and Family Services.

We are a city of strengths, with a proud heritage and bright future. In the last five years, we have grown economically, with the creation of many new jobs and businesses, and we are ahead of the game in the provision of digital infrastructure. We are determined that all of our residents and communities should share in the benefits of our city’s continuing economic expansion, and we are creating diverse and exciting pathways to enable our children and young people to access those opportunities too.

However, Stoke-on-Trent’s economy and social infrastructure has been hit hard by austerity and its aftermath. Families are stretched, and we are now the Council with the highest proportional number of children in care in England. We are determined to change this! We are building capacity within our children and family services team, taking a new direction in how we deliver services, focusing on prevention, reducing the number of those that come into contact with statutory services, and achieving permanency and stability for those that need our support.

And for those children in care, we have a pressing moral responsibility to give them the chance of a better life. That is why this role is so critical, as we need a different culture, not only for ourselves but also for the partnerships our families depend on.

This vital role will lead the future for our city’s children, delivering services that achieve our vision and priorities, upholding the values of the organisation and our communities. As the statutory DCS, you will work collegiately across all directorates, with our partners and communities, reporting directly to the council’s Chief Executive.

We want all young people in Stoke-on-Trent to have the best possible start in life, the best education and the best life chances. They should be safe, healthy, nurtured and loved. Children and young people are our number one priority and we need every adult in Stoke-on-Trent to care passionately and express that through relationships, community and business life.

 


Who are we looking for?


We have an excellent senior leadership team, with senior Members and officers working tirelessly on behalf of our residents. We need a strong leader who is not afraid of a serious challenge and who has the drive, innovation, creativity and passion to see it through. We need someone who can support the transformation and delivery of improvements to our city. Someone who can motivate our teams, giving them clarity of direction and purpose, and the tools to do their job.

As a team player you will join our supportive senior leadership team, where close working with Members and colleagues is essential. We are looking for a ‘One Team’ approach in the design and delivery of services that are well governed, efficient and fit for purpose, whilst fulfilling the requirements to support and implement the council’s budget strategy.

Stoke-on-Trent has been hard hit by austerity and its aftermath – in our communities, family resilience and the quality of public services. We need to work creatively to make sure those who need the most help are best served by the services we have.

We are committed to making Stoke-on-Trent a place that all residents can feel safe, supported and proud of, and we want you to be part of this journey! So, do you want to make a difference and work for an ambitious local authority that puts children and young people at the heart of everything it does? If so, then we want to hear from you.


Our City, Our Wellbeing Strategic Plan 2024-2028


In our new Our City, Our Wellbeing Strategic Plan 2024-2028, we set out our strategic vision and priorities for Stoke-on-Trent City Council and the wider city. It is as much a corporate plan for the council’s directorates and teams as it is a strategic blueprint for improving Stoke-on-Trent as a city through creating shared wealth and reducing inequality.

 

Our priorities 

To achieve our vision, the strategy proposes to organise our plans against seven themes, each of which will contribute to improved community wellbeing; 

 

1. Healthier - Creating a healthier standard of living for all our citizens 

2. Wealthier - Reducing hardship and enabling greater shared prosperity 

3. Safer - Building empowered communities, safe from the threat of harm 

4. Greener - Conserving our environment and living more sustainably 

5. Cleaner - Working together to clean up our city and our communities 

6. Fairer- Tackling inequality and improving life chances for everyone 

7. Skilled – Providing opportunities for people to improve their skills and education 

 

 

You can find a full copy of the strategy here.