The Chief Officer Appointments Committee of Durham County Council met on Friday 22 May 2026 to approve the creation of three senior roles to support the expansion of the North East Regional Fostering Hub. The committee agreed to the creation of these posts and delegated authority for the final confirmation of salaries.

Creation of Regional Fostering Hub Senior Posts

The committee approved the creation of three new senior roles: RCC Chief Executive, RCC Delivery Director, and Regional Director for Family Based Care. These positions are being established to support the expansion of the North East Regional Fostering Hub and the development of a Regional Care Cooperative (RCC), following a decision by Cabinet on 6 May 2026 to join the expanded hub. Durham County Council will act as the host authority and the accountable body for Department for Education (DfE) funding for the region.

The report presented to the committee outlined that these roles are necessary due to national policy and guidance, which identifies regional working as key to addressing challenges in children's social care, particularly concerning the sufficiency of foster care placements. The expansion aims to integrate the existing Foster with North East (FwNE) initiative into a wider RCC framework.

The committee agreed that the three posts would initially be employed by Durham County Council as the host employer until the RCC is formally established. Funding for these roles will be a combination of national fostering grant, local authority contributions, and RCC funding, with the outcome of the RCC bid expected by 31 July 2026. The report also noted the intention to engage PENNA, an external recruitment consultancy, to manage the recruitment process.

A key decision made was to delegate authority to the Corporate Director of Children and Young People's Services and the Corporate Director of Resources, in consultation with the relevant Portfolio Holders, to confirm the final salaries for these senior roles. The committee also noted that the appointment to the RCC Chief Executive role would not involve the Chief Officer Appointments Committee directly, as it is a regional post hosted by Durham in the interim. The proposed salaries for the roles were agreed regionally and are comparable to Corporate Director and Assistant Director/Head of Service levels in other regions. The RCC Chief Executive role is proposed at £158,084 per annum, with the RCC Delivery Director and Regional Director Family Based Care roles each proposed at £119,532 per annum.

The report highlighted that the creation of these posts supports the council's ambition to reform services and care for its people. The recruitment process will be conducted in accordance with the council's recruitment policy and procedures, with job advertisements making it clear that any appointments are subject to the outcome of the RCC bid. The committee's decision to approve the creation of these roles was formally recorded in the minutes of the meeting¹.