Head of Specialist Adolescent Service

This job is brought to you by Jobs/Redefined, the UK's leading over-50s age inclusive jobs board.

About the role

You will manage a range of statutory and intervention teams who work in the field of adolescents. You will have a strong understanding of Child First practice and experience of overseeing statutory decision making.

You will hold the strategic lead for Criminal Exploitation, Knife crime and Serious Youth Violence prevention and operational lead for Contextual Safeguarding, including oversight of relevant grant funded projects, for example from the YJB, MOPAC, VRU and/or BCU, and the staff employed to deliver those projects.

The role is responsible for overseeing the performance and quality assurance of the statutory practice and prevention interventions, ensuring there is robust oversight of the most vulnerable children requiring safety and protection.

The role leads on the annual Strategic Youth Justice Plan, reporting to the Youth Justice Board. The post holder will ensure the service delivers effective health (including substance misuse) provision leading on multi agency interventions, partnership working, commissioning of services whilst supporting the managers to develop local intervention programmes.

The role will lead the preparations for HMIP inspection and contribute to Ofsted inspection preparation.

For more information about the role please email roberta.evans@achievingforchildren.org.uk

About you

Your skills, experience and knowledge would include:

• Educated to a degree level with a relevant professional social work qualification and Social Work registration
• Experience of providing strategic management of highly effective statutory adolescent services
• Excellent knowledge and understanding of relevant inspection frameworks and experience of preparing services for inspection and ongoing improvement
• Significant experience and understanding of challenges within delivery of services that support young people with high risk behaviour and vulnerable complex needs, with a track record of leading creative and innovative approaches to interventions
• Experience of building strong partnerships, maintaining relationships and co-producing solutions

About our benefits

We are focused on creating a positive supportive environment, where you will have access to a really wide range of resources, as well as a competitive salary and all the perks to enable hybrid working. In AfC you will also have access to:

• 29 days annual leave, increasing to 33 days after 2 years and 35 days after 4 years with an additional day off in your birthday month (Or for term-time workers, your leave entitlement consists of the non-working periods in your contract)
• Tailored induction sessions commencing on the date you start working for AfC
• Local Government salary and pension scheme (LGPS or Teachers Pension)
• Flexible working options - helping to keep a good work life balance
• A comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme
• A range of staff benefits and discounts
• An excellent learning and development offer to support your career pathway

To find out about all of the breadth of benefits of working for Achieving for Children click here . For our social work offer click here . For our Recruitment Journey, click here.

Important Information

Start dates: Achieving for Children have set start dates meaning successful candidates join on a set date in each month. Candidates are advised to prepare for this should a job offer be accepted to ensure eligible continuous service is not affected.

Right to work: The UK has introduced a new points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance.

Equality: We particularly welcome applications from sections of the community who are currently underrepresented within our teams. Achieving for Children are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions and can improve the way we deliver services. We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer.

Safeguarding: We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

For more information about AfC: Drop in and meet Regina on the first Wednesday of every month at Civic Centre, Twickenham.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you complete and return your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.