Commissioning, Resource and Performance

What our services do

Commissioning​

  • Ensure that the right services are in place, at the right time, and at the right quality and cost, so that children, young people, and families achieve better outcomes.​
  • Provides quality assurance and contract management of all commissioned services in Children’s Services.​
  • A dedicated Home Finding Team for Children We Care For.​

Resource​

  • To provide effective business support to statutory services across children’s services.​

Performance​

  • Ensure that leaders, practitioners, and partners have reliable insight into how well services are working for children and families, and to use that insight to drive improvement, accountability, and better outcomes.​

Job types in this service

Commissioning
  • Home Finding Team – A team of child focused Officers that work to ensure children we care for are living in Stable Loving Homes
  • Commissioing Officers – Working across all DOCs contracts to ensure that commissioned services are of high quality and offer value for money to the public purse whilst giving effective contract monitoring to ensure best outcomes for our children and families.
  • Quality Assurance Officers – Officers that ensure that quality service are delivered by commissioned services across SEND and Social Care, as well as collaborating with providers to drive improvements where needed, ensuring the best possible outcomes for children and families.
  • School Meals Team – The aim of the School Meals Service is to ensure Reading pupils receive a healthy, nutritious school meal in a pleasant dining environment and to encourage the uptake of school meals, especially those entitled to Universal Infant and Free School Meals. This is done through management of the contract on behalf of Schools, alongside the management of kitchen repairs and projects.
Resource
A range of BSO’s across service areas and grades, including progression routes to Senior and Team Leader roles
Performance
A range of Performance Analysts across grades providing essential data across Children’s Services. Roles include Team and Service Managers, creating a progressing route within the team.

What our team has to say

Commissioning

Working in this service area is incredibly rewarding, offering the opportunity to make a real difference to pupils’ wellbeing and their experience at school every day. It’s a supportive and collaborative environment where people care about what they do, and teamwork and high-quality service are at the heart of everything we deliver. The work is varied and provides challenges to tackle, along with the opportunity to develop great working relationships with a wide range of people. It’s a privilege to be in a position where we can improve a child’s school experience through nutritious food that fuels their busy days!
School Meals Operations Manager

Commissioning

This is a rewarding role where you can do meaningful, behind the scenes work to improve children’s we care for experiences. The role is fast paced, no day is the same and it is a great opportunity to work with different people both internally and externally, working towards the same goal. I enjoy coming into work each time and working within a supportive and flexible environment with a great team. There are great development opportunities within the service, and it is a great way to develop skill sets.
Home Finding Team

Last updated on 28/10/2026