Chief Executive Officer

ST DAVID’S VALUES
St David’s Children Society is a registered charity and approved not for profit Voluntary Adoption and Fostering Agency covering the geographical region of Wales. The person who holds this position is expected to have regard to the Vision, Mission and Values Statement of St. David’s Children Society and be prepared to operate within the ethos of the charity.

CORE STATEMENT OF POST
The post holder will fulfil those objectives of St. David’s Children Society which relate to the provision of permanency for children enshrined in the right of the child to family life. The post holder will provide high level strategic leadership for the management of St. David’s Children Society including its adoption, fostering (including Welsh Early Permanence) and AFKA Cymru Services. The post holder will also be the designated Registered Individual of the Agency and Agency Decision Maker.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
The post holder will be an experienced strategic thinker and leader able to motivate, lead and encourage teams, optimising individual skills and experience to deliver the Agency strategic plan. It is important that the post holder possesses such personal qualities and attributes that they can influence key external stakeholders in promoting the work of the Agency whilst ensuring that core responsibilities to its service users are met.

The post holder will be expected to demonstrate his or her suitability for the post.
See Person Specification for full details.


LEADERSHIP BEHAVIOURS

Being Strategic
• Ensure that the Agency is strategically positioned internally and externally to deliver on its vision.
• Promote and guide internal change as necessary to deliver the Agency strategic plan.
• Create opportunities and empower others to develop innovative ideas that are solution focused.
• Capable of taking action to mitigate business risk.

Internal and External Engagement
● Seek and develop collaborative opportunities and partnerships to optimise success as partner of choice.
● Provide opportunities to celebrate individual and team success.
● Recognise difficulties preventing the team from achieving the Charities aims and seek to remove or reduce these challenges.
● Using knowledge of strategic plan and intent of the Organisation, identify skills, knowledge and resources needed within the team. Map this knowledge to existing staff skill set alongside training and development opportunities.
● Be consistently visible and accessible to staff using clear communication. .
● Be accessible to those who use the services of the Organisation and listen to and proactively act on consultation with and feedback from them.
● Promote digital ways of working and actively participate.

Being Effective
● Linking to the strategic plan, provide clear outcome focused objectives and plans for teams and staff.
● Role model the delivery of outputs and results to staff and teams, motivating across the organisation.
● Engage with a diverse range of stakeholders to identify opportunities, mitigate risk, offer quality improvements, and implement enhanced ways of working.
● Model solution focused approaches and encourage others to implement this approach
● Have a clear and consistent approach to priorities, holding self and others to account.
● Hold difficult conversations when appropriate.

THE ROLE

The principal responsibilities of the person performing this job are:

Working with the Board of Trustees
● To provide strategic leadership of the Agency and act in accordance with the Articles of Association and said Governance Arrangements.
● To be accountable to the Board of Trustees and develop and keep under review the Strategic Plan of the Agency for approval by the Board of Trustees.
● To ensure appropriate presentation and reporting to the Board of Trustees on the progress of the Agency and on all matters relevant to the discharge of its responsibilities.
● To implement the Service objectives for Board decisions in alignment with the Strategic Plan and core values of the Agency.
● To be responsible to the Board of Trustees for the overall financial sustainability of the Agency.
● To ensure that the Agency discharges its constitutional and legal obligations.
● To advise as appropriate on the composition and skill set of the Board of Trustees to ensure the objectives of the Agency are met.

Main Responsibilities
● Registered Individual of the Agency
● Agency Decision Maker
● Maintain the contribution and reputation of St. David’s as a voluntary adoption and fostering agency in Wales.
● Effective strategic leadership to ensure that the purposes, objectives and values of the Agency are met, and that the long-term sustainability of the Agency is maintained
● Lead responsibility for the management team of the Agency
● Lead responsibility for the marketing and fundraising functions of the Agency
● Ensure the Agency has sufficient management, human and financial resources to operate effectively and deliver the objectives as set out in the Agency strategic plan (2023-2026)
● Ensure that all aspects of the work of the Agency are kept under review through systematic monitoring and evaluation of key areas of service performance.
● Promote the work of St. David’s through the development and maintenance of robust partnership relationships with key stakeholders, including Welsh Government and all statutory and voluntary members of the National Adoption Service, Foster Wales and other membership organisations such as CVAA, Fostering Network.
● Strategic responsibility for ensuring all objectives of external contracts are met and submitted within contractual timescales, including mid and end of year reporting
● Ensure that the Agency adheres to the statutory responsibilities as set out in the legislation and guidance for a voluntary adoption and fostering agency, including submission of the Annual Report for its adoption and fostering services to the regulatory body of CiW.
● Ensure that the Agency adheres at all times to the HR policies and procedures as set out in St. David’s Employee handbook and maintain its reputation as a fair and effective employer.
● Ensure that the Agency operates within health and safety legislation and undertakes as a minimum an annual review of its health and safety policy.
● Ensure that the Agency adheres to the highest professional standards through its practice and respond to any complaints that are investigated in accordance with the Agency complaints procedure.
● Undertake other duties and responsibilities of an equivalent nature as may be determined by the Trustees in consultation with the post holder.

KEY TASKS
Overall leadership to fulfil the statutory, strategic, and operational responsibilities of a voluntary adoption and fostering agency, ensuring that the Agency remains a viable and going concern both financially and reputationally.
● Meeting all the requirements under RISCA regulations as the Responsible Individual for the Agency
● Direct line management responsibility for Deputy Director, Agency Resource and Finance manager, Business Development Manager, AFKA Cymru and Adoption Service Managers
● Written and verbal presentations to Board of Trustees meetings, including quarterly and annual reporting.
● Review management accounts on a monthly basis and work alongside Agency Resource and Finance Manager on reserves and cash flow position for sensitivity analysis and Board reporting
● Monitor data and sector trends - UK wide, Wales only and internal to optimise service implementation and mitigate risk to the Agency.
● Lead on delivery of the Agency Strategic three-year plan and review annual workplans.
● Oversight of St. David’s fundraising strategy
● Monitor Agency Risk assessment and management plan and present to Board on an annual basis.
● Meet monthly with Director of National Adoption Service to discuss sector trends and promote opportunities to serve the interests of the Agency.
● Attend commissioner meetings with National Adoption Service and Welsh Government on a six monthly and annual basis.
● Member of and contribution to National Adoption Service Government Board including presentations to said Board.
● Member of and contribution to Regional Adoption Management Board quarterly meetings
● Member of and contribution to CVAA Celtic Nations Group, CEO group and Buckfast Group.
● Member of and contribution to the Strategic Voluntary Adoption Partnership quarterly meetings, including chairing meetings on a rotational basis
● Chair monthly management meetings
● Attend monthly team meetings (Adoption/ fostering and AFKA Cymru services)
● Review and renewal of Agency insurance policy on an annual basis.
● Prepare report for external auditors and oversee presentation of annual audited accounts to Board. Advise on reappointment of auditors to Board.
● Oversight of HR policies and consult with external HR providers Croner on employment matters as necessary.
● Quality assurance, ensuring that the Agency adheres to the highest professional standards.
● Agency Data controller

KEY EXPECTATIONS
● To work in a manner which is in keeping with the equal opportunities and anti-oppressive practice standards of St. David’s Children Society
● To adhere to Health and Safety regulations and maintain a safe working environment.
● To work accountably within all the Agency policies and procedures, including acceptable usage of IT, Confidentiality, Data Protection and Equal Opportunities.
● To abide by the Social Care Wales Code of Practice for Social Workers, including post registration training and learning.

CONFIDENTIALITY
It is expected that all staff employed by St David’s Children Society will understand that our work is confidential and that personal details must not be divulged to members of the public. This obligation will continue indefinitely even after termination of employment.