Deputy Service Manager

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Deputy Service Manager

Department: Operations

Employment Type: Part Time

Location: Lewisham Wellbeing Hub

Reporting To: Alexandra Del Toro Sanchez

Compensation: GBP 28,706 - GBP 32,336 / year

Description

Job Purpose

To support the Service Manager with the management of the service and the building, providing guidance, supervision and support to staff to ensure provision of a recovery-focused service, working with people with very complex and challenging recovery needs who may be hard to reach. Utilising elements of personalisation in order to improve engagement and promote reliable, timely and positive outcomes. Deputise for the Service Manager in their absence.

The Lewisham Outreach Service is a newly opened community service that will provide timely, targeted 1-2-1 support of up to 12 weeks and a variety of group workshops to help people across the diverse communities in Lewisham to manage their mental health, and have the tools, resources and links to local services to improve their wellbeing and resilience in the long term.

The service aims to manage the wider determinants of health by engaging with people who are reluctant to engage, or who are disengaged from mental health services. Through proactive and person-centred engagement, we will support access to prevention and early intervention initiatives, prepare people for engagement with therapeutic interventions, access meaningful interventions including culturally appropriate and faith relevant support, and reduce levels of isolation.

Ensuring support is available outside of normal working hours, the service will focus on assertive outreach delivery from Monday to Friday from 12-8pm and Saturdays from 12-4pm with some mornings for Sunday delivery to meet service user needs.

The role of the Deputy Service Manager plays a key role within a new and innovative community outreach service based in Lewisham. Line managing a team of Wellbeing Outreach Advisors and supporting the Service Manager in the set-up and management of the new Lewisham Outreach Service in accordance with relevant policies and procedures, ensuring that the project and its staff reflect Together's culture and ethos and that service user needs are met.

Our approach to service design, delivery and development is based on our core values of collaboration, choice, integrity, resilience and continuous improvement. These values form the core of everything we do and will ensure the service is delivered in line with the specification, meeting the needs of Lewisham residents.

We support people to navigate local options of support and to be linked with specialist services which can meet their needs. Our aims are to support people to make informed decisions; to improve the wellbeing of everyone in Lewisham; and to support those with mental health needs to manage their wellbeing.

This key role within a new and innovative assertive outreach service in Lewisham involves autonomous and mobile working whilst meeting service users in community premises and libraries across the Lewisham borough. Our already existing service, the Lewisham Community Wellbeing Hub, is based inside The Albany, Deptford, and is already being delivered in community settings across the borough working in partnership with the community.

The knowledge and understanding of Lewisham, together with existing relationships, will be used to inform our effective new assertive outreach service to ensure that we engage with those who are ambivalent, reluctant or disengaged from services.

Workers will be required to coordinate and maintain their own caseload, reporting on their activity as required. Most of the Wellbeing Outreach Advisor's time will be spent delivering bespoke one-to-one and group support to individuals experiencing or recovering from mental health problems both inside the hub and in the community across the Lewisham borough. Support will be provided both face to face and online.

Key Responsibilities

Functional Responsibilities

• Take a lead role and provide support and advice to staff in creating and reviewing robust risk management plans, identifying goals and outcomes, as well as structured way to ending support within the timeframe expected of 12 weeks.
• Take a lead role and provide support and advice to staff in assessing new service users and providing personalised support.
• Support individuals to achieve their goals and aspirations through individual key work, targeted recovery outcomes-focused interventions and person-centred planning, utilising a flexible approach.
• Organise and lead weekly allocation and case discussion meetings with the Wellbeing Outreach Advisors to discuss support, risks and any concerns. These sessions will focus on mental health insight, awareness and resilience, including coping strategies and self-management techniques as well as any issues with groups/workshops and new ways of engaging Lewisham residents.
• Plan and organise a timetable and lead a range of appropriate groups, e.g. managing mental health, living skills, nutrition, assertiveness skills, confidence building, mindfulness, stress management, relapse prevention, etc alongside the Wellbeing Outreach Advisors to provide useful learning and psychoeducational information to service users accessing the service.
• Organise a rota of activities and events for service users as per above including contributions from all team members and ensuring all team have an active role in the running of these activities, groups or events.
• Ensure KPI data is produced in a timely manner and reported on monthly basis including all service specification requirements. Discussing this with the team on quarterly basis.

• Deputising for the Service Manager when required.
• Line managing and role modelling a team of 3 Wellbeing Outreach Advisors and volunteers.
• Covering for the Wellbeing Outreach Advisors when they are off.
• Maintaining a small caseload of service users as and when service needs.
• Ensure that the service is delivered in accordance with relevant legislation and policies.
• Managing the staff rota.
• Leading on acknowledgement of referrals and input on the system, assessment and allocation to Wellbeing Outreach Advisors.
• Act as a local point of reference and information on issues regarding values and vision; ensure that your team understands and supports our aims.
• Be responsible for keeping staff, volunteers and service users up to date on Together's updates.
• Producing and developing the KPI monitoring data reports monthly, for commissioning purposes showcasing the relevant information of the service provided.
• Champion the need for service user choice, involvement and leadership; ensure that your team works with service users to elicit their views and needs to enhance service delivery and further Together's aims.
• Provide guidance and support to staff to help them to carry out their roles effectively and ensure they understand what is required of them and provide cover for operational roles when/where required.
• Provide regular staff supervision and weekly group case discussions, as well as supporting volunteers.
• Ensure the service takes advantage of all relevant networking opportunities and is involved in local and national initiatives that will enhance the service.
• Be responsible for recruitment within the project together with the Service Manager, ensuring that the service is staffed fully with competent staff and that rotas are completed in the most cost-effective manner.
• Work with individuals, ensure that new starters are inducted fully and that appropriate training and development, supervisions and appraisals take place within appropriate timescales.
• Ensure that new service users are welcomed into the service and that they receive the appropriate support and assistance in assimilating into the project.
• Overall responsibility for the Wellbeing Groups and Workshop Programmes for all areas of the service including range of activities available, quality of delivery and resourcing.
• Ensure that the project is run in the most economical manner, paying due care and attention to income and expenditure.
• Ensure that you and the team understand the importance and sensitivity of staff, service user and financial records. Ensure that they are treated correctly and destroyed in accordance with procedures.
• Manage and monitor the work within the service, ensuring that specific targets / KPIs are met and line management is kept informed where appropriate.
• Be prepared to challenge practices and attitudes within your service that do not meet Together's expectations and requirements.

• Information relating to users must be treated in the strictest confidence and discussed only within the project with the appropriate members of staff or with named assessor/care co-ordinator.
• Information relating to staff and volunteers must be treated in the strictest confidence and discussed only with other senior staff or line manager.

This list is not exhaustive, and amendments and additions may be required in line with future policy changes.

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise

We acknowledge the unique contribution that all Together employees and service users can bring to the work of the projects and the organisation in terms of their culture, race, gender, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital status, nationality, age, religion or belief and any physical disability or history of mental health or additional problems.

All appointments and promotions are based on merit, and no job applicant or employee will be treated unfairly or discriminated against. All staff have equal access to staff development. Full details may be found in the Human Resources Policy and Procedure Manual. Any member of staff who breaches this policy may be subject of grievance and/or disciplinary procedures.

Job Benefits

The benefits of working for Together

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Benefits of Working for Together