Jobs
We're investing heavily in our BI service to support our Children’s Services. We're at the forefront of using cutting edge tools to provide first class BI for the council and our partners.
We have a large and growing BI data warehouse and a range of innovative outputs. This includes a national award winning Power BI Vulnerability Index. But we want to do more, as we know the benefits of using data to give insight to our services.
We’d like you to be part of our success and help us take change further. You'd join an award winning BI team at an exciting time on our journey to a brighter future.
Supporting our council priorities
Our Children's Services directorate includes:
- Education, Early Start and Prevention service
- Children’s Social Care and Safeguarding service
Read about the key areas where the directorate supports our council and Barnsley 2030 priorities.
Healthy Barnsley
Keeping children safe from harm
At our last children’s social care inspection from Ofsted we were rated as Good, and services have only improved since then. We have strong safeguarding arrangements through the Barnsley Safeguarding Children Partnership. This is made up of the local authority, police, health and other key stakeholders.
We also provide a supportive culture to our social workers. We’re seen as an employer of choice and we’re proud to not have had to use any agency workers for over four years.
Fostering and adoption
We work hard to encourage Barnsley residents to foster and adopt Barnsley children. We know how important it is for children to stay in the places they know, with their friends, family and school.
We provide excellent support and training to our carers, so they can provide excellent care to children and young people.
Supporting our care leavers
We provide great support for our care leavers through the Barnsley Virtual School and our local offer to care leavers. By getting them ready for adulthood, we give them the best chance to live a life in good mental and physical health.
Learning Barnsley
Raising educational outcomes
We have a great relationship with local schools through the Barnsley Schools Alliance. Working with schools, we were able to keep all our vulnerable children safe during the COVID-19 pandemic and make sure they were able to learn online.
Before the pandemic we got attainment levels above the national average. But we know that children and young people from the most vulnerable families have suffered most during the pandemic. There's more work to do to drive forward our School Improvement Strategy so that all young people realise their potential.
Early help and early years
Early help and prevention is at the heart of all we do, making sure families are resilient and can thrive in Barnsley.
We work hard to embed early help across all council services. Families can access lots of early support through our family centres and the Barnsley Virtual Family Hub.
Children and young people with SEND and their families
Our SEND inspection showed that after a slow start we made major improvements to our SEND services. The voice of children and young people is very strong, and we do have more to do. We want to make sure that young people thrive in mainstream as well as special settings, and that parents co-produce services with us.
Youth voice network
In Barnsley we have a Youth Council, SEND Youth Forum and Care4Us Council. These give young people a real voice, helping us to share services and influence change.
Our youth councillors have represented Barnsley on a national and international stage. They also drive forward projects that make a real difference to where they live in.
Growing Barnsley
New schools
As part of our Local Plan we’re securing better jobs, quality housing and better transport links. Part of this work means forecasting population levels and making sure we have enough schools in the right places for our children.
New primary schools will be developed in Royston and Barugh Green. And a new secondary school, Trinity St Edwards, opened in September 2021.
New Youth Zone
A multimillion-pound OnSide Youth Zone will be built in our town centre. This will give thousands of young people the opportunity to discover their talents and develop their skills. It will be open seven days a week, with more than 20 activities on offer. The sessions will be for young people aged eight to 19, or up to 25 for those with additional needs.
The Youth Zone will create up to 70 full and part-time jobs and up to 100 volunteer opportunities.
Hear from our team
Hear what some of our colleagues have to say about working in BI at Barnsley Council.
Jamie - BI Innovation Lead
"I really like working for BI because of the sheer variety. Using BI can benefit and solve problems for essentially every department - from finance to HR and social care. It’s also an area where there is plenty of scope to improve both your technical and softer skills.
Using new technology, being creative and developing new ways of working is encouraged. This improves the efficiency of the council."
Matt - Senior Performance and Intelligence Officer
"From the first day of working here it was evident that you are surrounded by highly specialised, dedicated people. I could instantly see that this is a team that would really expand my knowledge and skill set.
It's great having the opportunity to lead on a wide range of projects. I'm given the freedom to shape and influence the outcome of these. There's a wide range of resources and opportunities to get exposure to all aspects of BI, along with learning from the knowledge of your peers.
I really enjoy being given freedom to make the role my own and the flexibility of working in a way that gets the best out of me. I feel valued and supported to make a positive difference to the team and the wider authority."