What’s your role and what do you find exciting and interesting about it?

I’m the lead member for children’s services and for children’s social care. This is a really big opportunity for Stoke-on-Trent to really prioritise children. The city’s narrative and where we’re going is being shaped by children. We are making them our first priority and building Stoke-on-Trent for children. It is very exciting to be part of that and help to look at where we can push children forward and make a massive difference to the lives of the children.

You work with teams in children’s services – what are your thoughts of the teams there?

We have incredibly dedicated staff in Stoke-on-Trent who want to put children first and completely at the centre of what they do. They support each other and they are one big team. And there is always humour and bucket loads of good and commitment along the way.

Through your role you meet with huge numbers of children and young people across the city – what do you want to change for them?

We want children to get the best opportunities possible in Stoke-on-Trent. We want them to be front and centre in all that we do as a council and as a city. We would like them to be able to fulfil their potential. Right now, childrens’ life chances are determined by where they live. We need to get to a position whereby children’s life chances are determined by the child themselves – not their postcode. We also want to make sure that children’s voices are heard on decisions taken about them as well as in decisions taken about where the city is going with its support for children and young people.

Why should people come and work in Stoke-on-Trent?

Social workers do what they do because they care about children. There is no organisation more dedicated to children than Stoke-on-Trent City Council. There is I think nowhere else that you’ll be supported more from a professional, political and a city point of view. If you want to make a massive difference to children, then Stoke-on-Trent is the place for you to come. You’ll have an opportunity to really shape the future for a generation of children and that’s exactly what dedicated workers want to do.

Getting around could not be easier. With excellent road and rail links, Stoke-on-Trent is easily accessible from major cities across the country - Manchester, Liverpool, Chester, Birmingham, Sheffield, Derby, Wolverhampton, Nottingham and Leicester, are all within an hour.. The city has an excellent road network and for cyclists there is a vast network of cycle routes, with some of the country's best picturesque views to accompany you.

Use the links below to see how easy it is to travel to and around our great city:

By car

By train

By bicycle

The following financial assistance can be sought, if you meet the criteria, to help towards the cost of either moving home or travelling to work from your present home.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council's Relocation & Commuter Scheme offers upto:

Relocation - upto £8,000

Commuter Travel Allowance - up to 2 years or up to £5,000, whichever applies first

We are revolutionising city centre living. Creating apartments to rent for the like-minded, and the curious, creating a living experience unlike any other at the heart of the city’s most exciting district, Smithfield.

Each apartment has beautifully designed interiors to create your idyllic home, offering contemporary living that exceeds expectations. Click here to find out more about these exciting city centre apartments.

TOWNS: Stoke-on-Trent is made up of 6 towns;Burslem, City Centre (Hanley),Fenton,Longton, Stoke and Tunstall.

AREA: 36 square miles (93km²).

POPULATION: 261,000 people call Stoke home and many more commute to work here.

Stoke-on-Trent is one of the fastest growing economies in England, ranking first for job growth - UK Powerhouse 2020 report.

Other key results include:

Over 1,000 new homes were built in 2019/20, 97% on brownfield land, with a further c. 7,000 dwellings with planning permission.

The Ceramic Valley Enterprise Zone launched in 2016, is one of the most successful EZ in the UK.

8,000 jobs have been created in the last five years with job density increasing above the national average.

GVA per Capita in the city saw more positive growth of 7.1 % in in period 2015-2018.

The city has 5.1m visitors a year to local attractions and museums.

The city was ranked as the 11th best cultural destination in the UK (Times) and the 18th best city to raise a family by Money Supermarket.

Stoke-on-Trent is a city built on a history of industrial greatness and creative flair. And we’re now a city that’s enjoying a bright future – using the area’s artistic knowhow, ambition, business skills and many other incredible talents to take us on that journey.

We are committed to providing employees with a great work/life balance and flexible working is just one part of that. We recognise the many benefits that flexible working arrangements can bring, such as increased job satisfaction, an increase in morale and motivation We empower employees, where jobs allow, to carry out their duties whilst providing flexibility for personal commitments, locations and great work-life balance.

We offer an excellent annual leave package - you will be entitled to 27 days annual leave rising to 32 days after five years continuous service and 8 public / bank holidays. This entitlement will be calculated pro rata depending upon hours of work.

Compassionate & Special Leave

We know that there may be people outside of work who depend on you. Perhaps you have caring responsibilities and there will be times when these commitments need to take priority. We offer limited paid leave in order to give you time to fulfil your short term caring responsibilities.

Pension Scheme

As a member of our staff you will have access to the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). Please visit www.staffspf.org.uk for further information regarding the LGPS Staffordshire pension fund.

KAARP Discount Website

Fancy saving some money on days out during the summer holidays? There are great discounts available to City Council staff through a website aimed at public sector employees. Colleagues can use www.kaarp.co.uk to get money off a range of activities across the country. The website also has deals on entertainment, health, finance, motoring, shopping and travel products and services.

Cycle To Work Scheme

We offer attractive employee benefits for any employee that wants to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle, whilst making substantial savings on the cost of a bike and safety equipment. Through a salary sacrifice/hire agreement you can select any make/model of bike up to the value of £1000 through local, independent, 'partner' bike shops - so you will be supporting local businesses too.

Health and Wellbeing

We care about your wellbeing, both at work and at home and offer a range of benefits and support to enable you to balance the demands of life and work. We have a range of wellbeing initiatives taking place throughout the year and these include free flu jabs for staff who are in regular contact with vulnerable members of the public, health check-ups, exercise classes and themed events to support national events such as 'no smoking week'.