Head of Care

Job Title: Head of Care

Salary: up to £50,000 (plus relocation if necessary)

Location: Based across 3 sites – Meadowcroft School, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF1 4AD

Hours: Full-Time 

If you really want to make your mark in a rapidly growing business that is committed to improving the lives of children and young people, we have the role for you!

We’re looking for a Head of Care to join The Meadowcroft Team. Someone with who can deliver a holistic and integrated approach to care, education and clinical services would be perfect for this role. 

About the School

Meadowcroft is an independent specialist day school for boys and girls aged from 5 to 19, catering for children with a wide range of needs in 3 sites across Wakefield. Our dedicated team work together to ensure successful outcomes for pupils who often arrive at the school with a troubled view of education and life.

We pride ourselves in steering children in the right direction, nurturing aspiration to progress them both academically and socially to encourage them to take pride in their achievements. Socially, we build confidence in our students so they are able to have a greater understanding of the wider community in which they live.

We have a team of fantastic multi-disciplinary specialists who work closely together to find creative tailored solutions to support the emotional development to make a positive life changing difference to our students. 

About the Group

We are part of the Acorn Care and Education and can promise you plenty of challenges, and a rich variety of opportunities to develop your career.

Acorn Care and Education provide education and care across 20 schools and 19 residential care homes nationally. Our vision is to build incredible futures by empowering vulnerable young people in the UK to be happy and make their way in the world. Every day we improve the lives of thousands of young people, their families and communities through relentless focus on caring and learning. 

About the Role

The Head of Care role is a senior operational management role responsible for the management of the care services offered by all of locations at Meadowcroft. The role is responsible for the direct line management of the registered managers at Meadowcroft and indirectly assistant managers. The Head of Care is also responsible for the operations, quality of care, safety and financial performance of those services in line with the NFS/Acorn Care & Education’s vision, mission and values. 

Who we are looking for

We are looking for someone who has had extensive and successful experience as a senior leader within a children or young person’s care environment. You should have a positive work ethic and be able to work effectively to produce an effective leadership team.

You will be working with a bubbly team of registered managers who have a lot of experience working with children and adults with complex needs. As part of this role you will be required to develop the registered manager’s performance and abilities, so good communication skills and the ability to lead and manage strategically are vital.

You should have an extensive knowledge surrounding safeguarding of children and young people, as a main responsibility of the Head of Care will be ensuring that safeguarding procedures are implemented correctly.  We want someone who places a focus on the positive outcomes of our children and adults and takes responsibility for helping improve the lives of our young people.

While experience of working with children and young people with special educational needs is desirable, excellent leadership skills, the right motivation and personal qualities are just as important. 

Essential Criteria

• Must have experience as a senior leader within children or young person’s care environment.
• Experience liaising with local authorities.
• Experience of independent visits and QA processes
• Experience of leading CPD in care and safeguarding
• Must have developed effective leadership teams in previous work 

Why work for us

• Social activities
• "Your Wellbeing Matters"
• Employee Rewards Hub
• Free School meals on site
• No two days are ever the same
• Be part of a fantastic team who work hard together and support each other
• Opportunity to enrich the lives of young people and make a positive difference
• Continuous professional development and training for a clear career path

 

Acorn care and Education are committed to the safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. All successful applicants will be subject to fully Enhanced DBS. We expect all our employees and volunteers to share this commitment and strive to achieve the best outcome possible for everybody in our care. A full application form must be completed with all employment dates accurate and gaps in employment accounted for.