Job title: Clinical and Managerial Lead

Salary: Dir 52.5 £70,210 - £77,020

Hours: 37 hours

Contract: Permanent

Location: Leeds 

As a Clinical and Managerial Lead, you’ll thrive on leading innovative therapeutic services that make a real difference to children and families across Leeds.

It’s not about just managing teams – it’s about shaping services that prevent children from entering care and support them to thrive in safe, stable environments.

Leeds City Council is one of the largest employers in the region with over 14,000 employees. We seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our council values and ambitions.

About you

As a Clinical and Managerial Lead, you will bring to the role:

• Proven leadership experience in Therapeutic Social Work or MST.
• Clinical expertise in therapeutic approaches such as DDP, Family Therapy or Play Therapy.
• Strong strategic and operational management skills.
• A commitment to safeguarding and improving outcomes for children.
• Excellent partnership working and stakeholder engagement abilities.

About the role

As our Clinical and Managerial Lead, you’ll lead the delivery of Therapeutic Social Work and MST services across Leeds, ensuring children and young people are at the heart of everything we do.

The role is integral to our Corporate Parenting team, supporting children in care and on the edge of care through evidence-based therapeutic interventions. You’ll provide clinical oversight, drive service improvement, and work collaboratively with partners to deliver better outcomes for vulnerable children and families.

What we offer you

We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:

• the opportunity to work in our Ofsted Outstanding Children’s services
• a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays
• membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
• flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements
• a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities
• a range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further

How to apply

Please complete the online application form.

Read our guidance for further advice on completing your application.

If you have any queries or would like an informal chat about the role please contact Emily Spink, Head of Service for Corporate Parenting Emily.spink@leeds.gov.uk 0113 3784008

A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check against the Children’s or Adults’ barred list as applicable will be carried out on preferred candidates. Read our recruitment of ex-offenders policy.

We welcome applications from everyone and actively seek a diverse range of applicants from all backgrounds and cultures. We particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to, women, carers, veterans as well as LGBT+, ethnically diverse, disabled and care experienced people.

This role is based in the UK. Home Office guidance states that candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK prior to commencing employment, either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa.

If you do not have the right to work in the UK, you must consider your own eligibility for sponsorship for a particular role through the Skilled Worker visaroute before applying. To be eligible for sponsorship you'll usually need to be paid the standard salary rate of at least £41,700 per year or meet one of the other eligibility criteria. Please ensure you are eligible before applying.

Job Description

Job purpose Lead and manage clinically, organisationally and professionally, the delivery of all Therapeutic Social Work and Multi-Systemic Therapy Services ensuring that statutory duties and responsibilities of the Local Authority are being met.

Champion Leeds aspiration and ambition to become a child friendly city.  Support the active involvement of children and young people and families in how MST and Therapeutic Social Work Services are delivered and how they contribute to the ambitions of the Council, ensuring that children and young people have a voice, and their views are heard. 

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership across Corporate Parenting to enhance the stability of children’s care arrangements through the use and application of therapeutic approaches including Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy, Family Therapy and Play therapy and other approaches as appropriate. 
• Provide leadership for Leeds Multi-Systemic Therapy services, acting as Programme Manager, and ensure children are prevented from entering care or supported to return home.
• Lead and drive on area based service improvement ensuring the service works effectively, innovatively and collaboratively across the wider service and its partners.
• Lead on the strategic and operational management of multi–agency approach centred around the needs of children and young people throughout the city especially those who are most vulnerable. effectively leading and directing teams within prescribed political and governance processes.
• Lead day to day service delivery and oversee the continuous development and improvement of services in accordance with agreed targets and objectives included in service plans.
• Lead on Safeguarding including Safer recruitment, the requirements of Children Act 1989 & 2004, Working Together 2010.
• Support delivery of programmes of strategic significance to the Council to deliver services in line with Council priorities.
• Be responsible for the development and delivery of the service plan and drive continuous improvement initiatives through leading and contributing to cross Council projects.
• Provide key local leadership role for discrete teams of Multi-Systemic Therapy staff and Therapeutic Social Work staff within a designated area to ensure the effective delivery of a high standard of therapeutic social work centred around the needs of children and young people and multi-systemic therapy supporting the needs of families.
• Provide clinical oversight to the team and undertake supervision for the staff and managers in the service.
• Ensure effective management and implementation of robust performance management processes to ensure the delivery of outcomes within an evidence based model.
• Ensure management and implementation of regular formal quality assurance, audit, performance management and reporting through use of management information systems, ensuring this meets statutory requirements.
• Ensure all aspects of people management, create an organisational climate of high performance, shared accountabilities, learning and continuous improvement which meets the needs of, and engages with, children, families, communities and staff.
• Deliver core statutory responsibilities, work with and support colleagues in delivering our collective responsibilities of keeping all children safe.
• Represent the service when required to provide briefings to local ward Members and MP’s and represent on all matters relating to leadership, management and development of the service at a local and city wide level. Represent the Service with national and international partners.
• Make a significant contribution in the directorates goal to deliver ‘good’ or equivalent outcomes from external inspections, reviews and assessments
• Positively and effectively, lead ,shape and influence the team to deliver the vision and goals of the Children’s and Young Peoples Plan
• Build strong and dynamic local relationships, networks and build trust with individuals and partner agencies to deliver better outcomes for all children and young people particularly those who are vulnerable and have the most complex needs.
• Build relationships with local, regional and national funders to support the delivery of innovative services in Leeds and with regional and national research bodies to evaluate and demonstrate the effectiveness of programmes run in Leeds.
• Develop and promote services and practice improvements which are designed to mitigate risk and provide qualitative improvement to the outcomes for children
• In line with the Budget Management Accountability Framework to be responsible and accountable for all financial resources within the service area ensuring value for money and working within financial regulations
• Review and monitor the performance of services, systems, budget, teams and individuals against standards and agreed outcomes in a cost effective and flexible way that is responsive to a dynamic local, political and national context

The duties outlined are not meant as an exhaustive list and will also comprise any other duties within the spirit of the post commensurate to the grade.

Qualifications

Appropriate professional qualification in Social Work, psychology, or a clinical discipline in a relevant practice area along with substantial knowledge gained through significant managerial experience across the service area is essential or post-graduate qualification in a relevant subject (CBT plus eligibility for BABCP accreditation, Family Therapy, Systemic Therapy)

And evidence of appropriate and ongoing professional registration as relevant (e.g. Social Work England, Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC), United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) or British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP)

Working Context - Post holders will work flexibly both at home and at various locations across the City and region. All colleagues should work in line with our hybrid working principles and spend regular time in the workplace to support service delivery, meeting the needs of the team and the requirements of their individual role.  The hours are worked mainly Monday to Friday. However, the post holder will be expected to work outside normal working hours, including attendance at evening/weekend meetings or events if required to meet the needs of the service.

Essential Candidates will only be shortlisted if they can demonstrate that they meet all the essential requirements.

• Able to demonstrate examples of managing services, finding and implementing creative and innovative solutions to complex problems and achieving quality transformational outcomes, that focus on achieving results in terms of outcomes for children and young people.
• Able to manage competing priorities, ensuring delivery on a range of programmes and adapting to changing circumstances.
• Demonstrate ability to make difficult decisions, be held accountable and be comfortable managing targets and outputs.
• Able to influence, negotiate and establish credibility for the team, enhance its reputation, and form positive relationships.
• Knowledge of applicable, legislation, regulations, policies, inspections, performance information and practice models relevant to this role
• Detailed knowledge and understanding of economic strategy and policy, understanding of local government political systems and experience of working on politically sensitive issues.
• Knowledge of local issues impacting upon the service and demonstrate associated linkages with the needs of children and young people in the locality.
• Demonstrate understanding of Child Friendly City concept and the voice and influence of children and young people to underpin this.
• Demonstrate understanding of relevant inspection regimes and evaluation frameworks,
• Knowledge of restorative practice approaches within the context of services to children, young people and families.
• Knowledge and understanding of using results based accountability methodology to drive service improvement.
• Experience of senior leadership and management relevant to area of service delivery
• Experience of strategic and operational resource management including the evaluation of competing priorities and managing accountabilities
• Significant experience and commitment in relation to engagement in decision making processes and leading change programmes, driving up standards and performance
• Significant experience of developing productive working relationships with Council Members, trade unions and Corporate Leadership Team
• Substantial experience of delivering a multi-disciplinary service at a senior level that is driven by service user requirements based on delivering customer focused outcomes and excellent customer satisfaction results.
• Experience of working within a multi-agency environment and forging and driving successful partnerships and delivering successful outcomes.
• Experience of leading, managing professional social work teams leading to successful outcomes for children.
• Experience of successful strategic and operational resource management including the evaluation of competing priorities and managing accountabilities

Behavioural & other Characteristics required.

• Understand and embrace Leeds City Council Values and Behaviours and codes of conduct.
• Committed to continuous improvement in all areas and work towards delivering the Leeds Ambitions of health and wellbeing, inclusive growth, thriving strong communities and a resilient sustainable city
• Be aware of promote and comply with Leeds City Council policies and procedures e.g., health, safety and security, confidentiality, and data protection.
• Be aware of and support difference ensuring equality for all working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding, and promoting the behaviours, values and standards of Leeds City Council.
• Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse, ensuring compliance with relevant policies and procedures.
• Understand and observe Leeds City Council approach to equality, diversity and inclusion.
• Carry out all duties having regard to an employee’s responsibility under Health and Safety Policies.

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