Forensic Manager

Diverse Services Limited; Greater London; Remote; GBP 40,000 - 45,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

On-call allowance

28 days annual leave

Funding for Level 5 Diploma

Direct relationship with Director

Forensic training

Employee Assistance Programme

Job summary

Diverse Services Ltd is seeking an experienced service leader to run Fitzneal House, a forensic supported accommodation in London. You will ensure safety, staffing and high-quality care for men transitioning from secure settings.

In this role you will manage rosters, budgets and risk management plans, develop staff, and build strong partnerships with commissioners and community teams. You will shape forensic practice and lead the growth of new services with confidence.

Qualifications

• At least 2 years managing forensic/complex mental health services.
• Experience opening or growing a service.
• Level 3 Diploma in Adult Care or equivalent.
• Level 5 Diploma in Leadership & Management for Adult Care (or willing to work towards).

Responsibilities

• Lead Fitzneal House to ensure safety, staffing, and organisation.
• Manage rota, budget, and referrals with internal teams.
• Ensure up-to-date support and risk management plans.
• Recruit, supervise and develop staff with regular appraisals.
• Maintain safeguarding, audits, and regulatory compliance.

Skills

Risk plans

Budgeting

IT systems

Calm under pressure

Education

Level 3 Diploma in Adult Care

Level 5 Diploma in Leadership & Management for Adult Care

Tools

Digital records system

Job description

Pay range £40,000 to £45,000 a year, depending on experience Borough Fitzneal House, Hammersmith & Fulham, with travel to future forensic services as they open Hours / shift pattern 40 hours a week, Monday to Friday, plus a share of the management on-call rota Contract type Permanent, full time, with a 5-month probation period Closing date 31 October 2026

About us and Fitzneal House

Diverse Services Ltd provides supported living for adults in London. We support people with learning disabilities, serious mental illness and forensic histories. Our services include CQC-registered support, step-down pathways from hospital and, now, forensic supported accommodation.

Fitzneal House is our first dedicated forensic service: a 24-hour staffed home for up to five men. It supports men moving on from secure hospitals, prison or forensic pathways to live safely and with growing independence in the community. Good forensic support protects the public and changes lives. We want Fitzneal House to be the service commissioners and forensic teams trust first.

• You’re not a number. You will work directly with the Director. Your ideas are heard, funded and credited.
• Meaningful, specialist work. Forensic support is complex, skilled work. You will shape how we do it from the start.
• A growing company. We are opening new services and registrations. Joining now means rising with us.

Purpose of the role

You will run Fitzneal House so that every man we support is supported safely, risk is managed well and the public is protected. You will help each person make steady progress towards independent, offence-free lives.

In the longer term, you will be Diverse Services’ lead for forensic practice. You will set the standards, systems and partnerships that let us open more forensic services with confidence.

Key responsibilities

1. Leading the service

• Run Fitzneal House day to day so it is safe, well staffed and well organised.
• Manage the rota, staffing levels and service budget. Cover gaps with our own staff and bank, not agency.
• Keep occupancy high. Work with our Referrals team to assess new referrals quickly and plan safe move-ins.
• Make sure every man we support has an up-to-date support plan and risk management plan that he has helped to write.

2. Forensic risk and practice

• Lead risk management planning for every man we support, using structured approaches such as HCR-20 and relapse prevention plans.
• Spot early warning signs and act on them. Escalate concerns to the right professionals without delay.
• Make sure the service meets all licence, conditional discharge and MAPPA requirements that apply to the men we support.
• Support each man with recovery, medication, education, work and rebuilding relationships, so he can move on safely.
• Lead debriefs and reflective practice after incidents, and make sure lessons are learned.
• Recruit, induct and develop a skilled staff team, using safer and values-based recruitment.
• Give every team member monthly recorded supervision and an annual appraisal that includes a progression conversation.
• Make sure all staff complete mandatory training plus forensic awareness, de-escalation and trauma-informed practice.
• Spot and grow future seniors and managers in your team.

4. Quality, safety and compliance

• Lead on safeguarding for the service and make referrals and notifications on time.
• Keep records accurate and current in our digital records system.
• Run regular audits of support plans, risk plans, medication support, incidents and the building.
• Prepare the service for the new supported housing licensing standards, due from 2027.
• Keep the service ready for commissioner reviews and local authority checks at all times.

5. Working with partners

• Build strong working relationships with forensic community teams, responsible clinicians, probation, police, local authorities and ICB commissioners.
• Attend and contribute to CPA, MAPPA, Section 117 and review meetings.
• Report on outcomes and quality to commissioners, and help with tender and referral evidence.

6. Growing our forensic services

• Help design new forensic services, including staffing plans, policies and pathways.
• Write and maintain the forensic practice standards that every Diverse forensic service will follow.
• Lead the opening of new forensic services as they are confirmed.
• Share market knowledge and referral trends with the Director to shape our growth.

Pay and benefits

Salary: £40,000 to £45,000 a year, depending on your experience.

What we offer

• Support to complete the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Adult Care if you do not already hold it. Funding may be available, depending on the role.
• Specialist forensic training, such as HCR-20 risk formulation and risk management planning.
• A direct working relationship with the Director and a real say in how we grow.
• An on-call allowance for your share of the management on-call rota.
• An Employee Assistance Programme for confidential support.
• 28 days’ annual leave, including bank holidays.

Person specification

Area

Area

Experience

Experience At least 2 years managing or deputy-managing a forensic, secure or complex mental health service (community, supported accommodation, hospital or prison) Experience of opening or growing a new service

Forensic knowledge

Forensic knowledge Working knowledge of risk management planning, MAPPA, CPA, and the Mental Health Act 1983 (including Section 37/41 conditional discharge and Section 117) Trained in HCR-20 or a similar structured risk tool

Leadership

Leadership Has led a team through monthly supervision, rotas, performance management and recruitment Has developed staff into senior or management roles

Quality and safeguarding

Quality and safeguarding Strong knowledge of adult safeguarding, incident management and accurate record keeping Experience of commissioner contract monitoring or supported housing standards

Partnership working Confident working with forensic teams, probation, police and local authorities Existing links with London forensic services or commissions

Qualifications

Qualifications Level 3 Diploma in Adult Care or a relevant professional qualification (for example social work, mental health nursing or occupational therapy) Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Adult Care, or willing to work towards it

Skills

Skills Clear writer of risk plans and reports; good with budgets and IT systems; calm under pressure Data skills to report on outcomes

Values

Values Believes in recovery and second chances; holds firm boundaries; open, honest and reliable Lived experience of the justice or mental health system that informs practice

Other

Other Able to join the management on-call rota Experience of on-call leadership in a 24-hour service

Safer recruitment and conditions of appointment

Any offer depends on:

• a satisfactory enhanced DBS check, including the adult barred list;
• two satisfactory references, including your most recent employer;
• proof of your right to work in the UK;
• a full employment history with any gaps explained;
• proof of the qualifications you list.

Diverse Services is an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from everyone, including people with lived experience of mental health or the justice system. Having a criminal record will not automatically rule you out. We will judge each case fairly against the needs of the role.