Head of Services CYP MH
The closing date is 11 June 2026
We are seeking an experienced and dynamic leader to oversee our Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services, including community, crisis, enhanced and specialist pathways. This senior role will lead the development of clinical strategy and business planning, ensuring high‑quality, safe and effective services that deliver excellent outcomes for children, young people and families.
You will drive performance, service development and financial sustainability while building strong partnerships across health, social care and education systems. The successful candidate will bring exceptional leadership skills, strategic vision and a passion for improving CYP mental health services in an innovative and collaborative environment.
Main duties of the job
* Lead and oversee the development and implementation of the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services strategy and annual business plan.
* Lead and oversee transformation plans and programmes across CYP mental health services, ensuring alignment with Trust priorities and system requirements.
* Conduct horizon scanning for future business development opportunities.
* Ensure alignment of the Divisional strategy, Trust annual plan and Trust’s overarching strategic direction.
* Lead on relationship management with key stakeholders, including commissioners and other statutory partners.
* Ensure patient safety, safeguarding and service quality excellence across CYP mental health services.
* Monitor and evaluate performance against agreed KPI’s and objectives, implementing corrective measures as necessary.
* Work in a multi-disciplinary way with professional leads and colleagues across health, social care and education to lead and manage clinically safe and effective CYP mental health services.
* Oversee and sponsor initiatives for continuous improvement and benchmarking against best practices.
* Work closely with corporate colleagues to ensure management information requirements.
About us
Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of ‘Outstanding’ from the Care Quality Commission.
Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) is an outstanding organisation with ambitions to match. We are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of ‘Outstanding’ from the Care Quality Commission, and our aim is to be the leading provider of mental health and specialist learning disability services in the country.
Our family of over 4000 members of staff provide health and social care for over 400,000 people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. We also deliver a range of nationally commissioned specialist services including Tier 4 services for children and young people, perinatal services, plus medium and low secure learning disabilities services.
The care we provide makes a fantastic difference to the lives of our service users, their families and carers – everything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout:
Our Trust values are:
Welcoming. Kind. Positive. Respectful. Professional.
Job responsibilities
* To manage the service line for Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services, including community, crisis, enhanced and specialist pathways.
* Lead the development of the CYP mental health clinical and service strategy and the annual business plan for the service line.
* Ensure service user safety, service quality and effective safeguarding arrangements across CYP mental health services.
* Deliver agreed performance, access and quality targets within the service line.
* Support the Trusts strategy to continuously develop service line management teams capability and leadership capacity.
* Work with corporate colleagues to secure the management information requirements necessary for the effective management of the service line.
* Manage both direct and indirect costs and overheads relating to the service line.
* Understand the local and wider health, social care and education system in which the service line operates.
* Identify and exploit new business and service development opportunities in relation to CYP mental health services, including crisis, neurodevelopmental and partnership pathways.
* Maximise income streams and manage service line costs in relation to levels of available income.
* Achieve service line objectives in accordance with the Trusts service line management arrangements by demonstrating sustained leadership capability and excellent levels of performance.
Person Specification
QUALIFICATIONS/EDUCATION/TRAINING
* Professional qualification or first degree in a relevant health, social care, psychology, therapy, nursing, allied health profession or equivalent field
* Master’s degree or equivalent senior leadership experience
* Registration with a relevant professional body where applicable.
* Management or leadership qualification or equivalent experience.
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE
* Significant health and/or social care experience at senior management level in a relevant discipline.
* Significant experience of clinical governance, quality assurance and safeguarding processes.
* Demonstrable experience of risk management, clinical audit, clinical effectiveness and information governance processes
* Experience of project planning, service transformation and service development.
* Experience of partnership working across agencies and stakeholders.
* Experience of research governance processes.
SKILLS/KNOWLEDGE/ABILITY
* Understanding of current government and health, social care and education policy relevant to children and young people’s mental health services, integrated governance and quality standards.
* Specialist knowledge of mental health quality, safety, safeguarding and clinical governance processes.
* Strong interpersonal, influencing and partnership-working skills.
* Understanding of service modernisation, change management and continuous improvement.
* Accomplished report writing and business case development skills
* Ability to think strategically, use initiative and lead complex services through change.
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.
Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
£81,774 to £93,879 a yearper annum pro rata (includes 5% HCAS)
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