Head of Practice, Quality & Development

One Small Thing; Winchester; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A community-based organization in Winchester seeks a Head of Quality, Practice and Development to lead services for justice-involved women and their children. The role involves strategic planning, quality assurance, and providing trauma-informed leadership. Ideal candidates will have extensive safeguarding expertise and experience in community services. This position is restricted to women due to the nature of the role.

Benefits

28 days holiday plus Bank Holidays

An additional day off on your Birthday

Long Service Award

Counselling service through Employment Assistance Programme

Enhanced sick pay

Pension contribution

Learning & Development opportunities

Blue Light Discount Scheme

Qualifications

• Extensive safeguarding expertise and leadership experience in services for justice-involved individuals or women-only spaces.
• Experience in leadership roles within community-based residential services or similar settings.
• A driving licence, access to your own vehicle and business car insurance.

Responsibilities

• Support strategic planning, service development and quality assurance processes.
• Provide reflective leadership and foster a team culture.
• Implement a responsive referral strategy with strategic oversight.

Skills

Extensive safeguarding expertise

Leadership in justice services

Experience in community-based settings

Job description

Overview

The Head of Quality, Practice and Development will play a key leadership role at Hope Street, supporting the growth, quality and effectiveness of our trauma informed residential community for justice-involved women and their children. Working closely with the Community Director, you will contribute to the ongoing development and delivery of services across both the Hope Street Hub and wider housing portfolio. You will support strategic planning, service development and quality assurance processes, ensuring that our operational model remains responsive to the needs of the women and children we support. You will provide reflective leadership to key members of the team, modelling trauma informed and responsive practice. In doing so, you will foster a team culture rooted in relational practice, curiosity and accountability and help ensure that day to day delivery is consistent with our values and overall aims. A core focus of the role will be to support the strategic oversight of referral pathways. Working alongside the Community Director and the Referral and Engagement Coordinators, you will help shape and implement a responsive referral strategy designed to increase visibility, maintain a steady flow of appropriate referrals, and strengthen relationships with external agencies, with a focus on fundraising and commissioning opportunities. Given Hope Street's distinctive role as a community-based residential service and alternative to custody, we are seeking someone with extensive safeguarding expertise and experience of leadership in services for justice involved individuals or women-only spaces. This insight will enable you to support staff navigating complex systems, contribute to casework with confidence, and help ensure that Hope Street continues to challenge traditional responses to justice-involved women through a trauma-informed, community-led model. Your professional credibility and operational expertise will support meaningful change and reinforce strong partnerships across the wider justice landscape. This post is restricted to women due to the nature of the role. The Occupational Requirement under Schedule 9 (part 1) of the Equality Act 2010 applies. A requirement of this role will be to have a driving licence, access to your own vehicle and hold business car insurance.

One Small Thing was founded in 2014 by prison philanthropist Lady Edwina Grosvenor, in response to the unacceptable levels of suicide, self-harm and violence within women\'s prisons in England, with the aim of achieving wholesale system change across the justice system, one small thing at a time. Our name reflects the value of those small things - empathy, compassion, respect - and their combined power to make a big difference to the individual - and to society as a whole. Hope Street is an exciting, brand-new, purpose-built residential community-based service, designed in collaboration with women, for justice-involved women and their children in Hampshire. Trauma-informed by design, it offers a safe and supportive environment where women and their children can access education, practical and therapeutic support and activities that build confidence, self-esteem and skills, and provide the opportunity to build a fulfilling and happy life and play a meaningful role within society.

Responsibilities

• Support strategic planning, service development and quality assurance processes across Hope Street Hub and wider housing portfolio.
• Provide reflective leadership to key team members, modelling trauma-informed and responsive practice.
• Foster a team culture rooted in relational practice, curiosity and accountability to ensure day-to-day delivery aligns with organisational values and aims.
• Support the strategic oversight of referral pathways; shape and implement a responsive referral strategy with Community Director and Referral and Engagement Coordinators.
• Strengthen relationships with external agencies, focusing on fundraising and commissioning opportunities.
• Lead safeguarding practice and contribute to casework with confidence, supporting staff navigating complex systems.
• Support staff in challenging traditional responses to justice-involved women through a trauma-informed, community-led model.
• Collaborate to ensure Hope Street remains an effective, justice-oriented service.

Qualifications and Requirements

• Extensive safeguarding expertise and leadership experience in services for justice-involved individuals or women-only spaces.
• Experience in leadership roles within community-based residential services or similar settings.
• A driving licence, access to your own vehicle and business car insurance.
• This post is restricted to women due to the nature of the role. The Occupational Requirement under Schedule 9 (part 1) of the Equality Act 2010 applies.

Benefits

• 28 days holiday plus Bank Holidays - pro rata
• An additional day off on your Birthday
• Long Service Award - extra holiday for 3+ years\' service
• A comprehensive induction and training programme
• An unlimited counselling service through our Employment Assistance Programme "OpenUp", which you can also extend to 3 members of your family.
• Enhanced sick pay
• Team member of the month awards
• Refer a Friend Recruitment Bonus
• Employer contribution to your Pension
• Learning & Development opportunities relevant to each role
• Blue Light Discount Scheme
• Team building activities
• Regular collaborative team days