Head of clinical service, children and families

Head of Clinical Service, Children and Families

Join a forward-thinking, values‑led organisation where you can make a tangible difference to the lives of children, young people and families across our communities.

As a Head of Service, you will play a key role in shaping and delivering high‑quality, integrated services within a dynamic and evolving healthcare landscape. You will reflect our commitment to delivering strong, age‑appropriate pathways across the Best Start offer.

This role offers the opportunity to influence strategic direction, lead through transformation, and work collaboratively with a wide range of partners to improve outcomes and reduce inequalities.

With CityCare entering a significant tender process to secure its position as the provider of choice for the Best Start offer from April 2027, you will contribute positively to this critical phase bringing resilience, focus and leadership to support teams through uncertainty and change.

We are looking for someone who is passionate about delivering person‑centred care, committed to partnership working, and motivated to drive continuous improvement.

You will bring strong leadership, adaptability and the ability to inspire multidisciplinary teams, while maintaining a clear focus on quality, safety and innovation. In return, you will be part of a supportive, inclusive organisation that values its people, invests in their development, and is dedicated to making a lasting impact in local communities.

This is a Fixed‑Term role until 31st March 2027.

Main duties of the job

You will lead and shape the delivery of integrated children’s services, working at pace across organisational boundaries to improve outcomes for children, young people and families.

The role involves providing visible, values‑based leadership, setting direction, building strong partnerships and creating a culture of high performance, learning and continuous improvement.

A key focus will be driving service transformation, supporting teams through change with clarity, resilience and compassion, and ensuring services remain responsive to local need and national priorities.

You will influence system‑wide working, collaborate with senior stakeholders, and contribute to strategic developments, including the ongoing Best Start tender process.

You will use strong analytical and problem‑solving skills to understand performance, identify risks and opportunities, and implement improvement initiatives.

Your ability to communicate effectively, engage teams and stakeholders, and maintain a focus on quality, safety and equity will be essential. Candidates must be able to evidence significant, senior‑level experience in operational service delivery, demonstrating credibility in managing complex services and delivering tangible improvements.

This role requires a confident, adaptable leader who can balance strategic thinking with operational delivery, championing innovation while ensuring teams feel supported, motivated and empowered to deliver excellent care.

About us

CityCare values the benefits of a diverse and inclusive workforce and encourages applications from candidates who identify as disabled, LGBT+, or from a Black, Asian, or minority ethnic (BAME) background, as they are currently under‑represented within our organisation.

CityCare is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to supporting veterans, service leavers, reservists, and military spouses/partners. CityCare is committed to the protection of vulnerable adults and children.

Job responsibilities

Job Purpose

• The post-holder is vital for ensuring the local delivery of integrated children’s clinical services and is pivotal in driving change and supporting teams through continued transformation.
• To be responsible for the delivery of community health services by involving children, young people and families, integrated health, and social care model.
• To provide children, young people, and a family‑centred service through partnership with professional leads and managers and through effective liaison with Local Authority Commissioners, ICB, Local Authorities and other statutory and voluntary sector services.
• To strategically lead on service development to meet the needs of the local populations through the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment and Service Specifications (SLA) and key national policies.
• The post holder will also be responsible for implementing robust systems to ensure continuous improvements in performance and quality. This will include sound financial management including value for money, governance and workforce management based on best available evidence.
• The post holder will be expected to perform any duties required by CityCare commensurate with grade of post and deputising for the Assistant Directors as necessary.

Dimensions

• Staff: A range of staff and professional groups, both registered and non‑registered.
• Area: Citywide.

Key Responsibilities

Management Responsibilities

• To operationally manage multi‑disciplinary teams within Children’s Services, to include universal and specialist health services and recruitment, appraisals, management supervision, managing sickness absence, personal and professional development.
• To manage and support staff through transformation using established change management processes/techniques.
• To be responsible for the delivery of seamless, specialist and integrated health and social care services for children, young people, and families.
• To be responsible for service development and the development of an integrated approach to care with primary, secondary, and social care, third and private sector agencies.
• To be responsible for the management of team budgets, for both pay and non‑pay.
• To take the lead role in complaints, disciplinary and grievance issues including undertaking the role of investigating officer and panel member.
• To contribute to the delivery of the strategic and operational Business Plans, to ensure delivery of key targets in relation to service performance, integrated governance, workforce planning, partnership development and financial sustainability.
• To establish and manage effective systems, processes, and reporting mechanisms to enable devolution of control and accountability including budgets, performance information, benchmarking and local service delivery targets.
• The post holder with the Assistant Directors will work to achieve the outcomes stipulated in Service Level Agreements (SLA) and report regularly on performance to the Assistant Directors and Deputy Directors, feeding into the executive team via the Accountability Performance Framework.
• To lead and manage the development of bids in response to tender opportunities in conjunction with the business unit.
• To always represent CityCare professionally and positively, with staff, local partners, service users and carers, using diplomacy and tact when issues are contentious.
• To lead, maintain effective professional high‑level communication with colleagues, Unions, citizens and carers, using diplomacy and tact when issues are contentious.
• To ensure full engagement of stakeholders in planning and delivering services.
• Responsible for ensuring Quality and Equality Impact Assessments are undertaken as part of service re‑design or change process.
• To undertake population‑centric workforce planning based on the needs of the service and to manage the allocation of the workforce regarding operational, financial and clinical management.
• To regularly chair meetings with multi‑professionals and representatives of other organisations.

Leadership and staff and service development

• To deputise for Assistant Directors or represent other colleagues as required.
• To be highly visible to all staff, service users, and carers to be able to respond to requests for specialist assistance, advice, and support, particularly concerning provision of care.
• To ensure that all staff have an annual appraisal with a competency framework and a personal development plan, and continuous professional development.
• To manage the development of services to meet the needs of children, young people, and families.
• To develop an integrated health and social care approach to care through the development of multi‑disciplinary working supported by professional leadership.
• To work in partnership with stakeholders to develop integrated approaches to care.
• To lead service area redesign promoting the development of practice in line with national policies, evidence base and best practice.
• To lead and manage identified projects within a service area.
• To facilitate staff involvement ensuring commitment and ownership are maximised and staff have the opportunity, where possible, to influence service provision.

Clinical Governance and Risk Management

• To contribute to the governance structure and objectives and to establish clear and effective mechanisms to ensure ownership of governance at all levels throughout the service area.
• To investigate and resolve complaints within current policy and procedure.
• To ensure full compliance of all staff with the service with key mechanisms to support the clinical delivery and safety of services including Health Needs Assessment, Common Assessment Framework, Safeguarding, Records Management, Health and Social Care data entry, incident reporting, Serious Incident Review, the implementation of PSIRF and complaint management.
• To be responsible for the delivery of Health and Safety responsibilities as required by statute, regulation, legal obligation, and Trust policies within the service area.
• To ensure staff compliance with legal and statutory duties related to the Children’s Act, the Care Act, Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act, Police and Criminal Evidence Act.
• To ensure the services within the locality comply with Emergency Planning and Business Continuity.
• Comply with and implement standards of infection control and precautions at all times, to minimise the spread of micro‑organisms and communicable diseases to citizens, staff and surrounding communities.
• To ensure that services are delivered to the highest standard within the Standards for Better Health framework.

Person Specification

Knowledge and skills

• Good awareness and understanding of 0 to 19s services and the public health agenda.
• Knowledge and experience of transformational change management.
• Experience and demonstrable skills in advanced negotiation, motivational, explanation and reassurance skills across a range of management issues.
• Evidence of audit evaluation/research.

Experience

• Knowledge and experience of managing operations at a senior level in Health and Community Services/secondary care.
• Knowledge and experience of communicating, developing and maintaining partnerships with external agencies, professional leads and staff.
• Ability to manage individuals and services in a complex and changing environment.
• Control and management of budgets.
• Knowledge and experience of high level analytical and innovative problem‑solving skills.
• Knowledge and experience of managing Children’s/Public Health Services in Health and Community Services/Primary Care.
• Evidence of working with diverse or disadvantaged groups.
• Evidence of working with Safeguarding children and at‑risk adults.

Qualifications

• Health/social care/leadership qualification or equivalent work experience to Masters level within a health or social care field.
• Registered Nurse/Midwife and registered with the NMC or Registered Allied Health Professional/Social Worker with demonstrated post registration professional development and relevant experience.
• Post‑graduate qualification relevant to Children’s Services e.g. SCPHN.
• Post‑graduate qualification relevant to Health and Social Care/leadership.

Special Requirements

• Ability to be flexible over hours worked within contracted hours to meet the needs of the service.
• Ability to work out of hours.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.