We are looking for an experienced, knowledgeable and highly motivated Nominated Individual to provide senior leadership, governance and regulatory oversight for our Ofsted-regulated supported accommodation services for young people.
This is a senior leadership position with responsibility for ensuring that the organisation provides safe, effective and high-quality supported accommodation that enables young people to develop their independence, achieve positive outcomes and prepare successfully for adulthood.
The successful candidate will work closely with the Registered Service Manager and senior leadership team, providing appropriate support and professional challenge while ensuring that the service operates in accordance with its Statement of Purpose, relevant legislation, Ofsted requirements and organisational policies and procedures.
We are looking for someone who understands the distinct purpose of supported accommodation and can ensure that our services maintain the right balance between safeguarding young people, promoting independence and providing high-quality support.
- Act as the organisation’s Nominated Individual for designated Ofsted-regulated supported accommodation services.
- Represent the provider in relation to the regulated service and maintain appropriate engagement with Ofsted.
- Provide effective oversight, support and professional challenge to the Registered Service Manager.
- Ensure the service operates in accordance with the Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023, associated Quality Standards and relevant statutory guidance.
- Maintain oversight of safeguarding arrangements and ensure young people are appropriately protected from abuse, exploitation, neglect and other forms of harm.
- Ensure the organisation maintains effective governance, monitoring and quality-assurance arrangements.
- Monitor the performance of the service and ensure areas requiring improvement are identified, acted upon and reviewed.
- Ensure the Registered Service Manager has the leadership, resources, supervision and organisational support necessary to operate an effective service.
- Maintain oversight of serious incidents, safeguarding concerns, complaints, missing episodes, allegations and regulatory notifications.
- Ensure appropriate systems are in place for identifying, escalating and managing organisational and service-level risks.
- Promote a culture of continuous improvement, professional curiosity and high expectations for young people.
- Maintain effective professional relationships with Ofsted, local authorities, commissioners, social workers, safeguarding partners and other external stakeholders.
- Escalate significant safeguarding, regulatory, operational or organisational concerns appropriately within the organisation.
- Provide strategic and regulatory oversight of the supported accommodation service while maintaining clear accountability between the provider and Registered Service Manager.
- Ensure that the service operates consistently with its Statement of Purpose and the needs of the young people it is intended to support.
- Ensure that young people receive high-quality, individualised support that promotes independence, resilience, wellbeing and preparation for adulthood.
- Provide leadership, professional challenge and support to the Registered Service Manager without undermining their responsibility for the day-to-day management of the service.
- Maintain oversight of the suitability and quality of accommodation provided to young people.
- Ensure safeguarding systems are effective and that concerns relating to exploitation, missing episodes, criminal exploitation, sexual exploitation, substance misuse, self-harm, community risks and other vulnerabilities are appropriately identified and managed.
- Ensure young people's individual needs and risks are properly assessed before and throughout their placement.
- Ensure the organisation considers whether supported accommodation remains appropriate for each young person and escalates concerns where a young person's needs may require a different level of care or support.
- Monitor service performance through audits, management information, safeguarding data, incidents, complaints, feedback, placement stability and outcomes for young people.
- Ensure identified shortfalls result in clear improvement actions with appropriate ownership, timescales and evidence of completion.
- Ensure regulatory notifications and other required information are submitted accurately and within required timescales.
- Maintain oversight of safer recruitment, staffing arrangements, workforce competence, supervision, training and professional development.
- Ensure staff understand the distinction between providing support and providing care, and that practice remains consistent with the regulatory model for supported accommodation.
- Ensure young people are consulted about the support they receive and that their wishes, feelings and experiences contribute to service improvement.
- Ensure young people are supported to develop practical independence skills including budgeting, maintaining accommodation, accessing education and employment, managing appointments, building positive relationships and preparing for adulthood.
- Monitor the effectiveness of support planning, risk assessments, safeguarding arrangements and pathway planning.
- Ensure complaints and concerns raised by young people are taken seriously, responded to appropriately and used as opportunities for organisational learning.
- Review Ofsted inspection findings, quality-monitoring information and other regulatory feedback and ensure resulting actions are completed and embedded.
- Ensure the organisation maintains continuous readiness for Ofsted inspection.
- Contribute to the development and review of organisational policies, procedures and quality standards.
- Identify themes and trends across the service and ensure learning is translated into measurable improvements.
- Support the development and registration of additional supported accommodation services where appropriate.
- Ensure organisational policies and procedures are not simply documented but are understood, implemented and evidenced in day-to-day practice.
- Significant management or senior leadership experience within services supporting children and young people.
- Strong experience within supported accommodation, leaving-care services, children's social care or a closely related regulated environment.
- Previous experience as a Nominated Individual, Registered Service Manager, Registered Manager, senior operational leader or equivalent would be advantageous.
- A relevant leadership and management qualification, or equivalent professional experience appropriate to the role.
- Strong knowledge and practical understanding of the Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023 and associated Quality Standards.
- Good knowledge and understanding of Ofsted's regulatory and inspection expectations for supported accommodation.
- Excellent understanding of safeguarding children and young people, including contextual safeguarding and risks associated with exploitation and missing episodes.
- Clear understanding of the distinction between supported accommodation and children's homes, including the boundaries between support and care.
- Experience of quality assurance, auditing, governance and service improvement.
- Experience of supporting, supervising and professionally challenging senior managers.
- Ability to analyse performance information, safeguarding information and service data to identify risks, trends and areas requiring improvement.
- Strong leadership, communication and decision-making skills.
- Ability to develop effective professional relationships with Ofsted, commissioners, local authorities and other external agencies.
- Confidence to challenge poor practice and hold managers accountable while maintaining a constructive and supportive leadership approach.
- A strong commitment to improving outcomes and opportunities for young people.
- Ability to meet Ofsted's requirements applicable to the Nominated Individual role.
We are looking for a Nominated Individual who provides more than regulatory oversight.
You will be expected to understand what is happening within the service, ask the right questions and ensure that senior managers can demonstrate the quality and impact of the support being provided.
You will be comfortable recognising and celebrating good practice while also identifying areas where standards need to improve and ensuring that agreed actions are followed through.
You will understand that supported accommodation should enable young people to develop independence while maintaining robust safeguarding arrangements appropriate to their individual needs and vulnerabilities.
You will also recognise when a service is not appropriate for a young person's needs and ensure that commercial pressures never override safeguarding, suitability or the best interests of the young person.
Above all, you will share our ambition to provide supported accommodation where young people are safe, respected, listened to and supported to develop the skills and confidence they need for adulthood.
Successful applicants will be required to undergo appropriate safer recruitment checks, including an enhanced DBS disclosure, satisfactory references and verification of employment and management history.
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