Job title - Deputy Care Manager — Supported Living
Reports to - Care Manager / Registered Manager
Direct reports - Team Managers and any other staff specifically allocated by the Care Manager
Operational oversight - Seniors and Support Workers across the supported living services
Location - Primarily across supported living properties in Morecambe and Heysham, with attendance at other Specialist Care Team locations where reasonably required
Hours - 40 hours per week, normally over five days in seven, flexibly arranged across service needs; includes some evenings and weekends plus management on-call
Pay - £16.00 per hour / £33,280 per annum based on 40 hours per week; on-call paid separately in line with company arrangements
Great supported living is shaped in everyday moments: how a team listens, responds when plans change, keeps people safe and helps each person build the life they want. We are looking for a Deputy Care Manager who wants to lead where support happens – alongside people and staff in our supported living services.
You will be the visible link between our Senior Management Team, Team Managers and frontline teams. You will coach good practice, build an engaged and positive culture, act promptly when standards fall short and make sure quality improvements are sustained. Planned management time will allow you to complete audits, supervisions, investigations, reports and improvement work without losing touch with day-to-day practice.
Essential experience - To be shortlisted, you must be able to demonstrate meaningful experience supporting adults across all three areas: mental health needs, learning disabilities and autism. You will also need relevant supervisory or management experience.
About Specialist Care Team
Specialist Care Team is a family-run care provider established in 2010. We support adults across a range of supported living settings, from individual tenancies to shared homes and larger flat schemes. Our values – Ambitious, Compassionate, Innovative, Reliable and Inclusive – guide how we support people and how we work with one another.
What you will do
- Lead visibly: spend most of your working time across supported living properties, listening to people, observing practice and coaching teams in real time.
- Develop accountable managers: line-manage and support Team Managers, who lead Seniors and Support Workers in each property.
- Build the right culture: help staff feel listened to, valued and clear about expectations; recognise excellent work and address poor practice promptly and fairly.
- Keep support person-centred: oversee assessments, support plans, risk management, reviews and meaningful outcomes with adults, families, advocates and professionals.
- Protect quality and safety: oversee safeguarding, medicines, mental capacity, least-restrictive practice, health and safety, incidents, complaints and staff competence.
- Turn audits into improvement: complete and review audits, analyse themes, assign actions and check that changes have made a difference.
- Maintain safe staffing: oversee property rotas, skill mix, leave, sickness and continuity, using established standby and escalation arrangements.
- Share management cover: take part in first- and/or second-line on-call and provide reasonable reciprocal cover with other deputies.
- Remain care-competent: this is not a routine shift-cover role, but you may occasionally need to deliver direct support where it is safe, within your competence and necessary for continuity or wellbeing.
What you will bring
- Substantial adult social care experience, including direct experience of mental health, learning disability and autism support.
- Experience in supported living or a closely comparable community-based service.
- A strong track record of supervising or managing staff, improving practice and maintaining standards.
- Confidence with support planning, risk assessment, medicines, safeguarding, the Mental Capacity Act, positive behaviour support and least-restrictive practice.
- Experience of audits, incident or complaint follow-up, staff supervisions and safe rota planning.
- Calm judgement, professional curiosity and the confidence to challenge unsafe or poor practice.
- Clear written, verbal and digital communication skills.
- A Level 3 adult care / health and social care qualification, or a commitment to achieve it within an agreed period; Level 5 leadership and management is desirable.
- The ability to travel reliably between services and work flexibly across days, evenings, weekends and on-call.
How our shared on-call works
Our managers support one another across the organisation so responsibility is shared and colleagues can maintain a healthier work-life balance. The on-call rota includes management queries from supported living and our homecare division. We provide cross-service induction so you can give safe advice, coordinate the appropriate response and escalate when needed. This does not ordinarily mean completing rostered homecare visits; established staffing and standby arrangements are used first. As with any hands-on management role, exceptional circumstances may still require direct support within your training and competence.
What we offer
- A values-led organisation with visible support from the Care Manager and senior leadership team.
- A clear management structure: Deputy Care Manager, Team Managers, Seniors and Support Workers.
- Real scope to shape culture, improve quality and see the impact of your leadership.
- Company phone and laptop, contracted hours from day one, free DBS and access to Same Day Pay.
- Additional payment for on-call duties in line with company arrangements.
Apply
Apply through Indeed with your CV and a short supporting statement. Please explain your management or supervisory experience and give brief examples of your work with adults with mental health needs, learning disabilities and autism.
Specialist Care Team is committed to safeguarding adults. Appointment is subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks, including an Enhanced DBS check with the Adults’ Barred List where applicable, references, right-to-work checks and verification of relevant qualifications. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and will make reasonable adjustments throughout recruitment and employment.
Pay: £16.00 per hour
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Health & wellbeing programme
Licence/Certification:
- Driving Licence (required)
Work Location: In person
