Reports to: Head of Therapy/Therapy Director
Terms of Employment: Permanent
Base: Cuckoo Wharf, Birmingham
Hours/week: Full time ideally
*Must hold experience working in children's residential settings/working with complex young people in complex settings and have experience delivering supervision/line management to clinical staff*
About Meadows Care:
Meadows Care is a specialist therapeutic children's residential care provider dedicated to transforming the lives of children and young people who have experienced significant trauma, adversity and disrupted relationships. We believe that healing happens through relationships, and our homes are built on the principles of safety, belonging, compassion and high aspiration. Our therapeutic model is fully integrated into everyday residential care, ensuring that every interaction provides an opportunity to support recovery, resilience and growth. Through close collaboration between residential staff, therapists, education and the wider professional network, we create nurturing environments where children can develop secure relationships, build emotional resilience and achieve positive long-term outcomes. We are committed to continually developing innovative, evidence-informed services that place children at the centre of everything we do.
JOB PURPOSE
The Clinical Lead is a senior leadership role within Meadows Care, providing strategic, professional and clinical leadership across all therapeutic services.
Working closely with the Director of Therapy Services, Registered Managers, Responsible Individuals and the wider senior leadership team, the post holder will ensure that psychological thinking is embedded throughout the organisation, creating safe, nurturing and trauma-informed environments where children and young people can recover, develop and thrive.
The Clinical Lead will lead the development of high-quality therapeutic practice across Meadows Care, ensuring that therapeutic approaches such as PACE, attachment-informed practice and trauma-responsive care are consistently translated into everyday residential care. The post holder will promote a culture where relationships are recognised as the primary vehicle for change and where every member of staff understands their role in supporting children's recovery.
The role provides professional leadership to therapists, Clinical Associate Psychologists, Assistant Psychologists and Senior Assistant Psychologists, supporting workforce development, clinical governance, quality assurance and service innovation.
Alongside maintaining a small clinical caseload and providing consultation for the most complex children and young people, the Clinical Lead will work collaboratively with operational leaders to ensure therapy and care operate as one integrated system around every child.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Strategic Leadership
- Provide senior clinical leadership across Meadows Care.
- Contribute to the strategic development and long-term vision of therapy services.
- Lead the continued development of trauma-informed, psychologically safe and therapeutically led residential environments.
- Work collaboratively with the Senior Leadership Team to ensure psychological thinking informs organisational decision-making.
- Support organisational growth, innovation and service development.
Clinical Leadership
- Lead and promote excellence in therapeutic practice across all Meadows Care homes.
- Ensure therapeutic models including PACE, attachment-informed practice, developmental trauma frameworks and ARC are consistently embedded into everyday care.
· Provide clinical oversight, supervision and governance of psychological assessment, including the WISC, ABAS-3, AFA and CANS, ensuring assessments are completed, interpreted and integrated into formulation and care planning to a high clinical standard.
- Hold a small caseload of highly complex clinical work.
- Provide specialist consultation, formulation and clinical advice across the organisation.
- Support complex risk formulation and intervention planning.
- Attend professionals' meetings where senior clinical leadership is required.
Leadership of the Therapy Service
- Provide professional leadership for therapists, Clinical Associate Psychologists, Assistant Psychologists and Senior Assistant Psychologists.
· Lead the Residential Assistant Psychologist (RAP) Programme, providing strategic oversight of recruitment, training, monthly supervision and development groups, competency development and quality assurance.
- Develop clear clinical standards and expectations across the therapy service.
- Lead the continued development of therapeutic pathways and models of intervention.
- Support recruitment, induction, probation and retention of therapy staff.
- Develop future clinical leaders and support succession planning within the service.
Clinical Governance and Quality Assurance
- Lead clinical governance processes across Meadows Care.
- Ensure the delivery of safe, effective and evidence-informed psychological practice.
- Oversee quality assurance, clinical audits and service evaluation.
- Monitor therapeutic outcomes and support continuous quality improvement.
- Ensure practice complies with HCPC standards, professional guidance and organisational governance frameworks.
- Contribute to Ofsted inspections and support homes to evidence outstanding therapeutic practice within the Children's Homes Quality Standards.
Embedding Therapeutic Culture
- Promote psychologically informed practice throughout Meadows Care.
- Support homes to develop environments where children experience safety, belonging, emotional regulation and secure relationships.
- Champion relational approaches that prioritise connection before correction.
- Ensure therapeutic thinking informs residential routines, behaviour support, education, safeguarding and transition planning.
- Promote reflective practice across all staff groups.
Partnership Working
- Develop strong working relationships with Registered Managers, Responsible Individuals and operational leaders.
- Ensure therapy and operations work collaboratively as one integrated system around each child.
- Build effective relationships with commissioners, placing authorities and external professionals.
- Represent Meadows Care at external meetings where senior clinical input is required.
- Strengthen collaborative working with Meadows Psychology Service.
Workforce Development
- Provide clinical supervision to senior therapists.
- Support supervision and development structures across the therapy team.
- Lead the development pathway for Clinical Associate Psychologists and Assistant Psychologists.
- Deliver psychologically informed training across the organisation.
- Promote staff wellbeing through consultation, reflective practice and psychologically safe leadership.
Voice of the Child
- Champion the voice of children and young people throughout the therapy service.
- Ensure children's views, experiences and aspirations inform therapeutic planning, service development and evaluation.
- Promote approaches that recognise each child's strengths, identity and individual journey.
Research, Innovation and Service Development
- Lead service evaluation and quality improvement initiatives.
- Support research, innovation and the implementation of evidence-informed practice.
- Identify opportunities to further strengthen therapeutic provision across Meadows Care.
- Contribute to the development of new services and therapeutic models.
GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES
- Maintain HCPC registration and professional standards.
- Participate in continuing professional development.
- Receive appropriate clinical supervision.
- Promote equality, diversity, inclusion and belonging throughout the organisation.
- Uphold the values and reputation of Meadows Care.
- Undertake any other duties commensurate with the seniority of the role.
Additional Information
This job description is not exhaustive and may be amended in discussion with the post holder to reflect the evolving needs of Meadows Psychology Service.
Please contact Jessica Pyke, People and Partnerships Manager on [email protected] for more information
Pay: £60,000.00-£75,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- On-site parking
Work Location: In person
