Job Title: Shared Lives Manager - Learning Disabilities
Location: Essex (flexibility required to work across services as needed)
Salary: £45,000 per annum or Temp to Perm
Hours: Full-time, 37.5 hours per week
Contract Type: Permanent (Temp-to-Perm considered)
Reporting to: Director of Operations
About the Role
We are seeking an experienced and passionate professional to lead a high-quality Shared Lives service supporting adults with learning disabilities. This is an exciting opportunity to oversee a unique, family-based care model that helps individuals live independently and achieve meaningful outcomes within their communities.
Key Responsibilities
Oversee the day-to-day operations of the Shared Lives scheme, ensuring performance, quality, and compliance standards are consistently met.
Lead and support a team of Shared Lives social workers and carers, ensuring clarity in roles and safe, effective service delivery aligned with policy and regulatory requirements.
Monitor service quality in accordance with CQC regulations, internal audits, and sector best practices.
Collaborate with stakeholders, including local authorities and commissioning leads, to drive ongoing service improvement and development.
Develop and deliver an annual business plan aligned with service goals and commissioning priorities.
Oversee the recruitment, approval, and supervision of Shared Lives carers.
Ensure robust risk assessments, care planning, and person-centred placements.
Promote safeguarding and uphold the rights, dignity, and wellbeing of people using the service.
Manage budgets in collaboration with the finance team and ensure financial compliance.
Lead engagement initiatives with carers and service users to support co-production and continuous improvement.
Person Specification
Qualifications & Training
Qualified Social Worker or equivalent (Desirable)
Management qualification suitable for CQC Registered Manager status (Essential) - NVQ lvl 5
Experience & Knowledge
Proven leadership experience in adult social care, ideally within a Shared Lives setting (Essential)
Strong understanding of relevant legislation including the Care Act, Mental Capacity Act, DoLS, and safeguarding procedures (Essential)
Experience in budget management and strategic planning (Essential)
Familiarity with care recording systems such as Liquid Logic (Desirable)
Skills & Attributes
Excellent interpersonal, leadership, and organisational skills
Ability to manage complex issues and find creative, person-centred solutions
Strong analytical, report-writing, and communication skills
Full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle (Essential)
Values & Culture
We are looking for someone who embodies our values:
Caring - Delivering the kind of care you'd want for your own family.
Passionate - Committed to delivering excellent outcomes.
Diverse - Celebrating individual differences and promoting inclusion.
Empowering - Enabling staff and service users to reach their full potential.
Innovative - Seeking smart, sustainable solutions with a person-first mindset.
Additional Information
The post requires flexibility, including occasional weekend or out-of-hours work.
An Enhanced DBS check will be required.
You must maintain confidentiality and adhere to GDPR and safeguarding protocols.
The position is based at a central office in Essex but travel across the region may be required.
Eden Brown Synergy is an equal opportunities employer.
Eden Brown Limited is a limited company registered in England and Wales with registered number (phone number removed). Our registered address is 5th floor 4 Coleman Street, London, EC2R 5AR, part of nGAGE Specialist Recruitment Limited T/A nGAGE Talent. Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail. This message is intended solely for the addressee and may contain confidential information. If you have received this message in error, please send it back to us, and immediately and permanently delete it. Do not use, copy or disclose the information contained in this message or in any attachment. We take reasonable precautions to ensure no viruses are present in this email but cannot accept responsibility for any loss or damage sustained as a result of computer viruses and the recipient must ensure that the email (and attachments) are virus free