The Officer Appointments Committee met to interview candidates for the role of Director – Families and Children. Following the interview process, the committee voted to appoint Nicole Mills as Director- Families and Children.

Appointment of Director – Families and Children

The main item on the agenda was the appointment of a Director – Families and Children for Wiltshire Council. The role profile for the position outlines the responsibilities, which include corporate management of major council services, strategic policy direction, operational management, and financial control. The Director also works with the Chief Executive, Corporate Director – Children and Education, and other directors to achieve the council’s priorities.

Key duties of the Director – Families and Children include:

• Developing relationships internally and externally to maximise collaboration.
• Ensuring service planning aligns with the council’s key strategic plans, such as the business plan, financial plan, people strategy, digital strategy, and local plan.
• Providing advice and recommendations to the corporate leadership team and elected members on significant policy decisions.
• Contributing to the corporate management of strategic risks facing the council.
• Representing the council at regional/national level.
• Promoting robust decision-making.
• Growing an outstanding workforce through clear career paths and development.
• Embedding a customer-first culture focused on good outcomes.
• Driving staff engagement.
• Ensuring a whole council approach to corporate parenting.

The service areas that the Director – Families and Children is responsible for include:

• Children in Care and Young People’s Service: Working with families and young people on the edge of care, in care, care leavers, children and young people with disabilities, and those involved in the youth justice system.
• Support and Safeguarding Service: Providing services and interventions for children and young people (0-18) who require an ‘early help’ service¹. Managing the council’s early help offer via the embedded support service within the safeguarding element of the team.
• Families and Children’s Transformation programme (FACT): A partnership of agencies working together to achieve whole-system change.

Following the interview process, the committee voted to appoint Nicole Mills to the role.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting

The committee approved and signed the minutes of the meeting held on 4 February 2025 as a true and correct record. At that meeting, the committee had appointed Nic Thomas as Director- Planning, Economy, and Regeneration.