Positive Impact Care Group
Location: Tranmere, Wirral
Pay: £14.65 per hour
Working Pattern: 3 days on / 3 days off
Job Type: Full-time
Essential: Full driving licence and ability to drive
About the Role
Positive Impact Care Group is looking for a confident, organised and motivated Service Lead to join the leadership team within our Specialist Supported Living Service in Tranmere.
This is a hands-on leadership and operational role with responsibility for supporting the safe, effective and consistent day-to-day running of the service.
You will work as part of an established leadership structure alongside two other Service Leads and a Service Manager. Together, you will provide consistent management oversight, share responsibility for the effective operation of the service and ensure strong communication and continuity across the leadership team.
Although you will work collaboratively with the other Service Leads and Service Manager, you will also be expected to take individual ownership and accountability for decisions, actions and responsibilities allocated to you.
Our Specialist Supported Living Service provides person-centred support to individuals who may have complex and bespoke support needs. The successful candidate will play an important role in ensuring support is delivered safely, consistently and in accordance with each person's individual needs, risks, preferences and desired outcomes.
An Opportunity to Develop Your Leadership Skills
This role offers an excellent opportunity for an experienced social care professional who is ready to take the next step in their career and develop their leadership and management skills.
You do not necessarily need to have extensive management experience. We are interested in people who have strong values, good experience in social care, the confidence to take greater responsibility and a genuine willingness to learn and develop.
Working alongside two other Service Leads and a Service Manager means you will be part of an established leadership structure, with opportunities to develop your experience across areas such as staff supervision, performance management, quality assurance, risk management, incident reviews, MDT working and operational decision-making.
The role provides a flexible balance between hands-on support and management responsibilities. Approximately one-third of your working time will be spent providing direct support or working alongside the staff team, with the remainder focused primarily on leadership, management and service oversight.
This allows you to develop your management skills while remaining connected to the people we support and understanding how support is being delivered in practice.
We are looking for someone with the potential and motivation to develop as a leader, as well as someone who may already have leadership or management experience.
You will be supported to develop, but you will also be expected to take increasing ownership, make decisions within your role, communicate effectively and follow agreed actions through to completion.
Working Pattern – 3 On / 3 Off
This position operates on a 3 days on / 3 days off working pattern.
You will work as part of an established leadership team alongside two other Service Leads and a Service Manager, providing consistent leadership and management oversight across the service.
Approximately One-Third Direct Support
As a general guide, we expect Service Leads to spend approximately one-third of their working time providing direct support or working alongside the staff team, with the remaining time focused on leadership, management and service oversight.
This is an approximate working model rather than a fixed daily or weekly split. The actual balance will depend on the needs of the people we support, staffing levels, incidents, appointments, meetings and other operational priorities.
Working directly within the service is an important part of the role. It enables our Service Leads to:
- Know the people we support and understand their individual needs.
- Observe how support is being delivered in practice.
- Understand the strengths and development needs of the staff team.
- Identify emerging risks or concerns.
- Monitor whether support plans, risk assessments and agreed strategies are being followed.
- Coach and support staff through direct observation and feedback.
- Lead by example and demonstrate the standards expected within the service.
The remainder of your working time will be used for your leadership and management responsibilities, including staff supervision, audits, documentation reviews, risk management, incident reviews, MDT involvement, quality assurance, professional liaison and ensuring management actions are followed through.
The balance between direct support and management responsibilities requires good organisation and professional judgement.
Being on support should not mean losing management oversight of the service, and management responsibilities should not result in becoming disconnected from the people we support or the staff team.
Clear communication between the three Service Leads and Service Manager will be essential to ensure continuity, effective handovers and clear ownership of outstanding actions.
Ultimately, the needs and safety of the people we support will always determine operational priorities.
Management Responsibilities
Your leadership and management responsibilities will include:
- Staff supervisions and performance discussions.
- Staff support, development and competency oversight.
- Reviewing care and support documentation.
- Reviewing risk assessments and ensuring identified control measures remain appropriate.
- Reviewing incidents, accidents and safeguarding concerns.
- Quality assurance and service audits.
- Completing and monitoring management actions and action plans.
- Staff and service meetings.
- Attending and contributing to multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings.
- Liaising with families, social workers, commissioners, health professionals and other agencies.
- Monitoring the quality and consistency of individual support.
- Operational planning and problem-solving.
- Maintaining clear management records and audit trails.
- Supporting effective communication and handovers.
- Working collaboratively with the other Service Leads and Service Manager.
- Ensuring agreed actions are allocated, monitored and completed within appropriate timescales.
About Our Specialist Supported Living Service
Our Specialist Supported Living Service in Tranmere provides support that is tailored around the individual needs, choices, risks and desired outcomes of the people we support.
Our approach is centred around providing safe, consistent and person-centred support while promoting dignity, choice, independence and quality of life.
The Service Lead must maintain a strong understanding of what is happening within the service and ensure staff are working in accordance with individual support plans, risk assessments, agreed strategies, organisational procedures and professional guidance.
You will need to be comfortable responding to changing circumstances, making appropriate decisions and ensuring concerns are acted upon rather than simply recorded or passed on.
You will work closely with the two other Service Leads, Service Manager and wider management team, as well as external professionals, to ensure the service remains responsive to the needs of the people we support.
Key Responsibilities
As Service Lead, you will:
- Provide day-to-day leadership and operational oversight of the service.
- Work collaboratively with the other two Service Leads and Service Manager.
- Maintain effective communication across the leadership team.
- Provide clear management handovers to ensure continuity across the 3-on / 3-off working pattern.
- Take ownership of allocated management responsibilities and follow actions through to completion.
- Maintain a visible and accountable leadership presence within the service.
- Ensure people receive safe, consistent and person-centred support.
- Ensure individual support plans and agreed strategies are implemented consistently.
- Maintain oversight of staffing, deployment and the operational requirements of the service.
- Provide regular supervision to staff, setting clear expectations and addressing areas requiring development.
- Support staff with their professional development and competency.
- Spend approximately one-third of working time providing direct support or working alongside staff, subject to operational requirements.
- Work directly with the people we support and maintain a good understanding of their individual needs.
- Monitor staff practice through observations, audits, record reviews and direct engagement.
- Provide coaching, feedback and direction to staff based on observed practice.
- Identify areas of good practice and areas requiring improvement.
- Ensure identified risks are understood by staff and appropriately managed.
- Promote positive risk-taking while ensuring appropriate safeguards and control measures are maintained.
- Review incidents, accidents, safeguarding concerns and other significant events.
- Ensure safeguarding and significant concerns are reported, escalated and followed through appropriately.
- Identify patterns, emerging risks and recurring concerns.
- Challenge poor practice and address concerns relating to staff performance, conduct or competency.
- Ensure records are factual, timely, professional and sufficiently detailed.
- Maintain effective communication and handovers between shifts and members of the wider team.
- Ensure management actions are clearly allocated, monitored and completed.
- Attend and actively contribute to MDT and professional meetings where required.
- Build effective professional relationships with families, social workers, commissioners, health professionals and other agencies.
- Escalate significant concerns appropriately to the Service Manager and senior management.
- Support investigations, reviews and improvement plans where required.
- Contribute to the continuous development and improvement of the service.
What We're Looking For
We need someone who is approachable and supportive but also confident enough to lead.
You may already have leadership experience, or you may be an experienced Support Worker or Senior Support Worker who is ready to take the next step.
What matters is that you have a good foundation in social care, the right values and the willingness to develop.
You should be comfortable taking responsibility, making decisions within your role, setting expectations and having difficult conversations when required. You should also be able to challenge practice professionally when standards are not being met.
You will need to be a strong team player. Working alongside two other Service Leads means good communication, professional respect and consistency are essential. The leadership team must work together rather than operating as separate individuals.
At the same time, you must be confident taking responsibility for your own decisions and actions.
Shared leadership does not remove individual accountability. When an action is yours, we expect you to own it and follow it through.
You will need to build positive relationships with the people we support while maintaining appropriate professional boundaries and providing clear leadership to the staff team.
We are particularly interested in candidates who understand that good leadership in social care means being visible, accountable and consistent.
Essential
- Full driving licence and ability to drive.
- Experience working within health and social care.
- Experience supporting people with complex or bespoke support needs.
- Experience of taking additional responsibility within a care or support environment.
- Good understanding of safeguarding.
- Good understanding of risk assessment and positive risk-taking.
- Ability to support and provide direction to colleagues.
- Willingness to develop staff supervision and leadership skills.
- Ability to work effectively as part of a wider leadership team.
- Confidence communicating with multidisciplinary professionals.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Good organisational and time-management skills.
- Ability to prioritise competing operational demands.
- Confidence responding to incidents and changing circumstances.
- Ability to challenge poor practice professionally.
- Commitment to person-centred support, dignity, choice and independence.
- Ability to maintain appropriate professional boundaries.
- Flexibility to meet the operational requirements of the service.
- Willingness and ability to work directly alongside staff and the people we support.
- Ability to work effectively within a 3-on / 3-off leadership structure.
- A genuine willingness to learn and develop your leadership and management skills.
Desirable
- Previous experience as a Senior Support Worker, Team Leader, Service Lead or similar.
- Previous experience within specialist supported living.
- Experience participating in MDT meetings.
- Experience supporting people with bespoke or complex packages of support.
- Experience completing staff supervisions.
- Experience with audits, incident reviews or quality assurance.
- Level 3 qualification in Health & Social Care or equivalent.
- Leadership or management qualification, or willingness to undertake further development.
Previous formal management experience is desirable rather than essential. We are open to applications from experienced social care professionals who can demonstrate the potential, values and commitment required to progress into leadership.
Tools Provided
To support you in carrying out your management responsibilities effectively, you will be provided with:
- Your own work mobile phone.
- Your own work laptop.
These will enable you to maintain appropriate communication, access service information and complete your leadership and management responsibilities effectively.
The Person We're Looking For
We want a Service Lead who is visible, accountable, involved and willing to develop.
You should know your staff team, understand the people you are responsible for supporting and develop the confidence to recognise when something requires management intervention.
At any point, our Service Leads should have a good understanding of:
- What is happening within the service.
- How the people we support are progressing.
- Where the principal risks and concerns are.
- Whether staff are delivering support to the expected standard.
- Whether agreed support plans and strategies are being followed.
- Which staff require additional support, supervision or development.
- What actions are outstanding.
- Who is responsible for completing those actions.
- Whether those actions have been completed.
- What needs to be communicated to the other Service Leads and Service Manager.
- Where further management intervention is required.
We particularly value people who don't simply identify a problem and pass it on.
We want Service Leads who learn to take ownership, find solutions and follow actions through to completion, while recognising when they need advice, support or escalation from the Service Manager.
What We Offer
- £14.65 per hour.
- 3 days on / 3 days off working pattern.
- A working model where approximately one-third of your time is spent providing direct support or working alongside the staff team, subject to operational requirements.
- The remaining working time focused primarily on leadership, management and service oversight.
- The opportunity to work alongside two other Service Leads and a Service Manager.
- A supportive environment in which to develop your leadership and management skills.
- Your own work mobile phone.
- Your own work laptop.
- Hands-on leadership experience within Specialist Supported Living.
- Opportunity to develop experience in staff supervision, performance management, MDT working, quality assurance, risk management and operational leadership.
- Ongoing professional development.
- Support from the wider Positive Impact Care Group management team.
Benefits
- Discounted or free food.
- Employee discount.
- On-site parking.
- Referral programme.
Work Location: In person – Tranmere, Wirral
If you are an experienced social care professional who is ready to take the next step in your career, develop your leadership and management skills and play an important role in maintaining high standards within our Specialist Supported Living provision, we would like to hear from you.
Whether you already have leadership experience or you are ready for the opportunity to develop into a leadership role, we are interested in hearing what you can bring to the team.
Apply to join Positive Impact Care Group as a Service Lead – Specialist Supported Living in Tranmere.
Pay: £14.65 per hour
Benefits:
- Company events
- Company pension
- Discounted or free food
- Employee discount
- Free parking
- Health & wellbeing programme
- On-site parking
- Referral programme
- Store discount
Work Location: In person
