Head Of Care

Head of Care - Education Division based across England and Wales

The Head of Care is a senior leadership role responsible for the strategic and operational management of care services, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, safe, and person-centred care. The post holder will provide direction, leadership, and oversight to care teams, driving continuous improvement and ensuring services meet regulatory standards, organisational values, and the needs of service users.

Working across a group of six specialist college sites. Lancaster, Blackpool, South Lake, Carlisle , Billingshurst and Cardiff. The position requires regular travel across these education services

Working closely with senior stakeholders, the Head of Care will lead on service development, quality assurance, workforce planning, and performance management. The role requires a strong focus on governance, compliance, and innovation to enhance outcomes and maintain excellence across all areas of care provision.

Key priorities include fostering a positive, inclusive culture; ensuring effective safeguarding practices; managing resources efficiently; and delivering sustainable, high-performing services aligned with organisational objectives.

Job Responsibilities for Head of Care

1. Strategic Leadership & Service Development

Develop and implement a care strategy aligned with organisational and educational priorities.

Lead the integration of care and education to ensure cohesive learner pathways, reflecting the model of close liaison between education and residential services.

Promote innovation in care delivery, including person-centred approaches and assistive technologies.

Contribute to executive decision-making and long-term organisational planning.

Extensive travel nationally supporting both pre-school primary, secondary and P19 provisions within the division.

2. Quality, Compliance & Clinical Governance

Ensure all services meet CQC, Ofsted, and safeguarding standards, always maintaining inspection readiness

Establish robust quality assurance frameworks, including audits, service reviews, and continuous improvement cycles.

Oversee the development and audit of person-centred care plans and clinical protocols, ensuring consistency and quality across services.

Lead systems that ensure safe practice in areas such as medication, infection control, and delegated healthcare tasks.

Provide senior oversight of systems supporting learners with complex health needs, including enteral feeding, epilepsy care, respiratory support, moving and handling, intimate care, continence support, dysphagia management, medication administration and delegated clinical tasks, ensuring that staff are appropriately trained, assessed as competent and regularly reviewed.

Work with nursing, therapy and external health professionals to ensure that clinical delegation, competency sign-off, escalation pathways and emergency protocols are robust, current and consistently implemented.

Lead implementation and optimisation of digital care systems, reporting platforms, and data dashboards.

Ensure data integrity and real-time oversight of service performance.

3. Safeguarding & Risk Management

Provide executive oversight of safeguarding across the organisation, building on the expectation that care leaders hold DSL/DDSL responsibilities.

Ensure robust systems for risk assessment, behaviour support, and safe care practices are implemented and monitored.

Promote a strong safeguarding culture aligned with statutory guidance and best practice

4. Operational Leadership

Provide oversight and direction to service leads across the portfolio.

Ensure effective delivery of care services that meet individual learner needs, health requirements, and personal outcomes.

Lead on admissions, transition, and compatibility decisions, ensuring accurate assessment of needs and provision capacity.

Act as the senior escalation point for complex care issues, families, and external stakeholders.

5. Workforce Leadership & Culture

Lead the recruitment, development, and retention of a skilled multidisciplinary workforce, including nurses, care staff, and support workers.

Ensure effective supervision, appraisal, and competency…