Dear Applicant,

Thank you for your interest in joining Sefton Council as Assistant Director for Adult Social Care and Health.

Sefton is a great place to live, work and visit, and this is an exciting time to be joining our Senior Leadership Team. The borough stretches across 22 miles of coastline, from Bootle to Southport, and offers vibrant communities, excellent schools, and strong transport links to Liverpool, Manchester and beyond.

Our adult social care services were rated Good by the Care Quality Commission in June 2025. The assessment highlighted strengths in safeguarding, leadership, workforce culture, and partnership working. Staff were described as resilient, empowered, and focused on person-centred practice — reflecting the values we hold across the Council: ambition, collaboration, and a strong connection to our communities. We are proud of this outcome, and our focus remains firmly on continued improvement.

We are delivering a major transformation programme — Better at Home — focused on prevention, early help, and co‑production with people who draw on care and support. This work is reshaping how Adult Social Care operates in Sefton, with a strong emphasis on supporting independence, reducing avoidable escalation, and delivering outcomes that matter to residents.

Integrated working is central to our approach. We have well‑established partnerships across health, housing, Public Health and the voluntary and community sector, enabling joined‑up, place‑based support. Our work through Sefton Place is a key strength, supporting close collaboration with NHS colleagues and wider system partners to deliver coordinated, effective care.

Sefton is proud to be a national Neighbourhood Health Pioneer, recognised for its ambition and leadership in developing neighbourhood‑based models of care that shift focus from acute response to prevention and early intervention. This provides a unique opportunity for the Assistant Director to play a leading role in shaping and embedding integrated neighbourhood teams, aligned governance, and population‑based approaches at scale.

Alongside our local delivery, we play an active role in Liverpool City Region networks, contributing to regional collaboration, shared learning and the development of best practice across boundaries. This is a pivotal leadership role for someone who is passionate about system working, improvement and innovation, and who wants to make a tangible difference to the lives of people and communities in Sefton.

We are looking for a leader who brings strategic insight, operational experience, and a clear commitment to improvement, integration, and innovation. If you share our ambition and values, I encourage you to explore the information provided and consider applying.

Best regards,

Sarah Alldis

Executive Director of Adult Social Care, Health and Wellbeing

Lead with Purpose. Shape Services. Change Lives.

This is a defining moment for Sefton as we recruit an inspirational leader to help us move from a strong foundation towards outstanding services. Following a recent ‘Good’ rating from the Care Quality Commission, Sefton is recognised as one of the top-performing Adult Social Care services in the Northwest. Inspectors praised our compassionate staff, strong values, and innovative practice model. But we’re ambitious to do more - especially around co-production, prevention, improving access at the front door, and reducing inequalities.

We’re now seeking an Assistant Director to lead our adult social care function - driving integration, innovation, and improvement across a vibrant and complex borough. This is a high-impact leadership role, overseeing the engine room of our operational delivery. You’ll lead all frontline adult social care services, our client and business support function, and manage a broad portfolio including early intervention, safeguarding and learning disabilities. You’ll also have the opportunity to shape and develop the leadership team beneath you, helping to build a strong and resilient service for the future.

A qualified social worker with senior leadership experience, you’ll have a deep understanding of adult social care systems. You’ll be comfortable operating across organisational boundaries, from integrated health partnerships to regional networks. You’ll work closely with partners across the Cheshire and Merseyside system, maintaining strong local relationships while navigating change within the wider ICB landscape, and benefiting from an active voluntary and community sector.

Like other local authorities across the country, we’re experiencing an increase in demand and complexity. We need someone who can lead with both resilience and creativity - holding up our high standards while empowering people to do their best work. Key priorities include improving outcomes through our redesigned front door and contributing to the review of intermediate care alongside colleagues in commissioning and health.

Sefton is a vibrant, diverse borough with a strong sense of community and a unique socio-economic geography. Our culture is positive and inclusive, with a working environment that supports people to achieve. This role offers real breadth of experience and the opportunity to develop yourself as a leader. You’ll join a stable and ambitious leadership team, with strong political backing and a genuine appetite for transformation.

If you want to shape the future of health and social care in a place where your impact will be visible and valued, this is your moment.

To apply or find out more, contact our retained consultants at Tile Hill: Chris Barrow on 07437 839048 or Anita Denton on 07725 554802.

Closing Date: midnight on Wednesday 13th May 2026
Longlist Meeting (no candidate involvement): Monday 18th May
Shortlist Meeting (no candidate involvement): Wednesday 27th May
Preliminary Interviews (virtual): Friday 29th May
Assessment Centre (in Sefton): Wednesday 3rd June
Final Member Interviews (in Sefton): Friday 5th June