We are looking for a passionate, experienced and highly motivated Registered Service Manager to lead our Ofsted-regulated supported accommodation service for young people aged 16 and 17.
This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced manager who is ambitious for young people and committed to providing safe, high-quality accommodation and support that enables young people to develop their independence and prepare successfully for adulthood.
The successful candidate will take responsibility for the day-to-day leadership and management of the service and will be expected to register with Ofsted as the Registered Service Manager.
You will lead and develop a skilled staff team, maintain high safeguarding standards and ensure that the service consistently meets the requirements of the Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023, the Supported Accommodation Quality Standards, our Statement of Purpose and Ofsted's expectations.
We are looking for a manager who can combine strong safeguarding practice with a genuine commitment to empowering young people. You will understand that supported accommodation is different from a children's home and will be able to maintain appropriate professional boundaries between providing support and providing care.
- Register with Ofsted and act as the Registered Service Manager for the supported accommodation service.
- Take responsibility for the effective day-to-day management, leadership and development of the service.
- Ensure the service operates in accordance with the Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023, Quality Standards, Statement of Purpose and organisational policies and procedures.
- Provide strong, visible and supportive leadership to staff.
- Ensure young people receive high-quality, individualised support that promotes their safety, wellbeing, independence and preparation for adulthood.
- Maintain robust safeguarding arrangements and ensure concerns are identified, reported, escalated and managed appropriately.
- Recruit, develop, supervise and manage a competent and motivated staff team.
- Maintain appropriate staffing arrangements based on the needs and risks of the young people accommodated.
- Develop positive professional relationships with young people, families, social workers, placing authorities, commissioners and other professionals.
- Maintain effective systems for quality assurance, auditing, monitoring and continuous improvement.
- Manage resources and delegated budgets effectively.
- Ensure accurate records are maintained and regulatory notifications and reports are completed within required timescales.
- Maintain continuous readiness for Ofsted inspection and respond effectively to any areas identified for improvement.
- Provide effective leadership and direction to the supported accommodation team.
- Create a positive culture where young people are respected, listened to and encouraged to develop their independence.
- Set clear expectations for staff practice, professional conduct and accountability.
- Ensure staff receive regular supervision, performance management, training and professional development.
- Identify poor or inconsistent practice quickly and take appropriate action to improve standards.
- Promote reflective practice and ensure learning from incidents, complaints, safeguarding concerns and feedback is embedded across the service.
- Work closely with the Nominated Individual and senior leadership team, providing accurate information about service performance, risks and areas requiring improvement.
- Ensure safeguarding is at the centre of service delivery and decision-making.
- Maintain effective oversight of safeguarding concerns, allegations, missing episodes, exploitation, criminal exploitation, sexual exploitation, substance misuse, self-harm and other risks affecting young people.
- Ensure safeguarding concerns are appropriately reported and escalated to relevant agencies and senior leaders.
- Ensure staff understand contextual safeguarding and the risks young people may experience within their communities and relationships.
- Ensure risk assessments and support plans are current, meaningful and reflected in day-to-day practice.
- Work effectively with social workers, police, safeguarding partners and other agencies where concerns arise.
- Ensure lessons from safeguarding incidents are identified and translated into improvements in practice.
- Ensure every young person receives individualised support based upon their assessed needs, risks, strengths, wishes and goals.
- Ensure young people are actively involved in decisions about the support they receive.
- Promote young people's independence rather than creating unnecessary dependence on staff.
- Support young people to develop practical skills including budgeting, cooking, maintaining their accommodation, attending appointments, travelling independently and managing daily responsibilities.
- Support young people to access and sustain education, employment and training opportunities.
- Promote positive physical and emotional wellbeing and support young people to access appropriate services.
- Help young people develop positive relationships, confidence, resilience and decision-making skills.
- Support young people to understand their rights, responsibilities and tenancy or occupancy arrangements.
- Ensure young people are appropriately supported to prepare for adulthood and transition into greater independence.
- Participate in referral and placement-matching decisions and ensure sufficient information is obtained before placements are accepted.
- Assess whether the service can safely and appropriately meet the needs of a young person before admission.
- Consider the potential impact of new placements on young people already living within the service.
- Ensure placement decisions are based on safeguarding and suitability rather than occupancy or commercial pressures.
- Continually review whether supported accommodation remains appropriate for each young person.
- Escalate concerns where a young person's needs or risks indicate that they may require a different level or type of provision.
- Ensure risks associated with the accommodation, location, community and other residents are appropriately considered and managed.
- Maintain a strong working knowledge of the regulatory framework for supported accommodation.
- Ensure the service consistently operates in accordance with its Statement of Purpose.
- Maintain accurate, complete and accessible records that demonstrate the quality and effectiveness of the service.
- Ensure required notifications are made to Ofsted and other relevant agencies accurately and within required timescales.
- Ensure policies and procedures are understood and implemented by staff in practice.
- Maintain continuous inspection readiness rather than preparing only when an inspection is announced.
- Engage professionally and openly with Ofsted inspectors.
- Develop and implement improvement plans following inspections, audits or other quality-assurance activity.
- Ensure evidence is available to demonstrate how the service is improving outcomes and experiences for young people.
- Implement effective systems for monitoring the quality and safety of the service.
- Regularly audit support plans, risk assessments, safeguarding records, incidents, complaints, staff files, supervision, training and other key areas.
- Use management information and performance data to identify patterns, emerging risks and areas requiring improvement.
- Seek and respond to feedback from young people, staff, placing authorities and other stakeholders.
- Develop clear improvement actions with identified owners, deadlines and measurable outcomes.
- Ensure actions are followed through and improvements are sustained rather than simply recorded as completed.
- Provide regular reports to the Nominated Individual and senior leadership team regarding service performance, safeguarding, staffing, risks and outcomes.
- Lead safer recruitment and ensure appropriate recruitment and vetting procedures are followed.
- Ensure new staff receive a comprehensive induction and are competent before working independently.
- Maintain oversight of mandatory and role-specific training.
- Conduct regular and meaningful supervision and performance reviews.
- Develop staff understanding of safeguarding, professional boundaries, trauma-informed practice, exploitation, adolescent development and independence-focused support.
- Ensure staff understand the important distinction between supporting young people and providing regulated care.
- Maintain a culture where staff feel able to raise concerns and challenge unsafe or inappropriate practice.
- Develop effective relationships with placing authorities, social workers, personal advisers, commissioners and other professionals.
- Attend and contribute effectively to multi-agency meetings.
- Ensure professionals receive appropriate information regarding young people's progress, risks and significant events.
- Work collaboratively with education, health, police, housing and safeguarding services.
- Represent the organisation professionally and promote confidence in the quality of the service.
The successful candidate will ideally have:
-
Significant experience working with young people within supported accommodation, leaving-care services, children's social care, residential childcare or a similar setting.
- Previous management or senior leadership experience within services for children or young people.
- Experience managing an Ofsted-regulated supported accommodation service would be highly desirable.
- The ability to meet Ofsted's requirements for registration as a Registered Service Manager.
- A relevant Level 5 leadership and management qualification, or willingness to undertake an appropriate qualification where required.
- Strong knowledge and understanding of the Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023 and associated Quality Standards.
- A strong understanding of Ofsted's expectations for supported accommodation.
- Excellent knowledge of safeguarding children and young people.
- Knowledge of contextual safeguarding, exploitation, missing-from-home risks and the vulnerabilities commonly experienced by young people approaching adulthood.
- A clear understanding of the regulatory distinction between supported accommodation and children's homes.
- Experience of managing, supervising and developing staff teams.
- Experience of quality assurance, auditing and service improvement.
- Strong organisational and record-keeping skills.
- The ability to analyse information, identify risk and take decisive action.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Confidence working with social workers, local authorities, commissioners, Ofsted and other professionals.
- A positive, approachable and accountable leadership style.
- The ability to challenge poor practice while supporting staff to develop and improve.
- A genuine commitment to achieving positive outcomes for young people.
We are looking for more than someone who can keep a service compliant.
We want a Registered Service Manager who knows their service, understands the young people living within it and can demonstrate that systems, policies and procedures are working in practice.
You will be visible, approachable and accountable. You will know the strengths of your staff team, where development is required and what the key safeguarding and operational risks within your service are.
You will be confident making difficult decisions, including challenging inappropriate referrals or escalating concerns where supported accommodation is no longer suitable for a young person's needs.
You will understand that successful supported accommodation should not simply provide a young person with somewhere to live. It should help them develop the skills, confidence, resilience and support networks they need to move successfully into adulthood and greater independence.
Most importantly, you will be ambitious for the young people we support and committed to creating a service where they are safe, respected, listened to and given genuine opportunities to succeed.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.
Successful applicants will be required to undergo appropriate safer recruitment checks, including an enhanced DBS disclosure, satisfactory professional references, verification of employment history and appropriate checks of qualifications and suitability.
The successful candidate will also be required to demonstrate their suitability to register with Ofsted as the Registered Service Manager for the service.
Please visit our company website for more information
