Head of Service – EK

Wirral MBC; Wirral; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Cheshire & Merseyside Regional Care Cooperative in Cheshire, England, seeks an experienced Head of Service – Home Again to lead a regional programme across Cheshire and Merseyside. The role requires strategic direction and operational delivery for children’s complex care, safeguarding, governance and partnership work.

You will steer multi-agency collaboration, drive service improvement, manage budgets and lead multidisciplinary teams to ensure positive outcomes for vulnerable children and young

Qualifications

• Significant senior management or leadership experience within children's services, NHS, or related public-sector fields.
• Experience with children and young people with complex needs, including challenging behaviour and mental health considerations.
• Strong safeguarding knowledge, governance, and quality assurance understanding.
• Experience leading large-scale service mobilisation, transformation, or improvement programmes.
• Excellent partnership-working abilities to influence Directors and commissioners across organisations.
• Experience managing teams, budgets, and operational performance.
• Ability to develop innovative, sustainable services improving outcomes for vulnerable children.

Responsibilities

• Lead mobilisation, development and delivery of the Home Again Programme across Cheshire and Merseyside.
• Develop service models, referral pathways and assessment processes for complex needs.
• Build relationships with local authorities, NHS, education, youth justice and external partners.
• Oversee service quality, safeguarding, governance and regulatory compliance.
• Lead multidisciplinary teams and ensure appropriate skills and expertise.
• Manage budgets, resources, risks and operational performance.
• Drive improvement to ensure support achieves positive outcomes for children and young people.
• Collaborate with senior stakeholders and commissioners to develop sustainable services.

Skills

Senior leadership

Children's services

Partnership working

Governance & QA

Programme leadership

Budget management

Job description

Head of Service – Home Again

Location: Cheshire & Merseyside
Salary: Head of Service Scale EPO25 / NHS Band 8d–9
Organisation: Cheshire & Merseyside Regional Care Cooperative

About the Role

We are currently recruiting an experienced Head of Service – Home Again to provide strategic and operational leadership for an important regional programme across Cheshire and Merseyside.

Home Again aims to improve outcomes for children and young people with complex needs who may be at risk of unsuitable placements, placement breakdown or restrictive care arrangements. The programme will bring together health, education, children’s social care, youth justice and other partners to develop better, more joined-up support, helping children and young people access the right care in the right environment.

This is a senior leadership opportunity for someone with a strong background in children’s services, complex care, service transformation and partnership working.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the mobilisation, development and delivery of the Home Again Programme across Cheshire and Merseyside.
• Develop effective service models, referral pathways and assessment processes for children and young people with complex needs.
• Build strong working relationships with local authorities, NHS organisations, education providers, youth justice services and external partners.
• Oversee service quality, performance, safeguarding, governance and regulatory compliance.
• Lead and develop multidisciplinary teams, ensuring the right skills and expertise are in place to deliver the programme.
• Manage budgets, resources, risks and operational performance.
• Drive service improvement and ensure support is focused on achieving positive outcomes for children and young people.
• Work with senior stakeholders and commissioners to develop sustainable services and reduce reliance on unsuitable or restrictive placements.

About You

You will be an experienced senior leader with a strong track record of managing and transforming complex services, ideally within children’s social care, health or integrated care environments.

You will have:

• Significant senior management or leadership experience within children’s services, children’s social care, NHS or related public-sector services.
• Experience working with children and young people with complex needs, including challenging behaviour, mental health needs, learning disabilities, autism or specialist care requirements.
• A strong understanding of safeguarding, statutory responsibilities, governance and quality assurance.
• Experience leading service mobilisation, transformation or large-scale improvement programmes.
• Excellent partnership-working skills, with the ability to influence Directors, commissioners and senior professionals across different organisations.
• Experience managing teams, budgets, operational delivery and service performance.
• The ability to develop innovative, sustainable services that improve outcomes for vulnerable children and young people.

Desirable Experience

• Experience with children subject to Deprivation of Liberty (DoL) orders or restrictive care arrangements.
• Knowledge of residential children’s services, specialist placements and placement stability.
• Experience of integrated health and social care services.
• Experience working with CAMHS, learning disabilities, SEND or complex care services.
• Experience of regional or multi-agency programme leadership.

Why Apply?

This is an opportunity to take on a high-profile leadership position and help shape an important regional programme. You will play a key role in improving the lives of vulnerable children and young people, strengthening partnership working and developing more effective alternatives to unsuitable or restrictive care arrangements.

If you have senior leadership experience across children’s services, complex care or integrated health and social care, we would like to hear from you.