The Deputy Head of care will work closely with Registered Managers and central support teams, you will play a key role in strengthening practice, supporting consistent leadership and ensuring childrens lived experiences remain at the heart of everything we do. This role is ideal for someone ready to take the next step towards Responsible Individual leadership, while maintaining clear and appropriate accountability boundaries.
We are offering our Deputy Head of Care £75,000 to £80,000 Per Annum depending on experience.
About the Deputy Head of Care Role
As Deputy Head of Care, you will support the Head of Care in delivering safe, compliant and high-quality residential care by:
Providing visible, child-centred leadership across homes
Supporting Registered Managers through coaching, guidance and constructive challenge
Monitoring quality, safeguarding and operational performance through visits, audits and data review
Identifying risks early and ensuring timely escalation and follow-up
Supporting inspection readiness, improvement planning and learning from incidents
Contributing to placement matching, commissioning relationships and service reputation
Providing progression opportunities, to development into a Responsible Individual role in the future
This is a hands-on, operational leadership role, requiring regular presence in homes and close collaboration with managers and teams.
Deputy Head of Care Key Responsibilities Include
* Supporting compliance with the Childrens Homes Regulations, Quality Standards and Ofsted expectations
* Completing delegated audits, observations and quality assurance activity
* Supporting safeguarding oversight, risk management and escalation processes
* Monitoring workforce stability, rota arrangements and training compliance
* Supporting recruitment, induction, supervision and leadership development
* Contributing to referrals, matching and placement decision-making under delegation
* Supporting continuous improvement, service development and consistency across homes
* Preparing reports and summaries to support governance and senior oversight
About You
You will be an experienced residential childcare professional with:
Essential
* A Level 5 qualification in Residential Childcare, Social Care, Education or a related field (or equivalent experience)
* Strong working knowledge of the Childrens Homes Regulations, Quality Standards and Ofsted expectations
* Experience supporting or contributing to quality assurance, audits or inspection preparation
* Experience coaching, supporting or leading staff within residential services
* Sound safeguarding knowledge and confidence in escalation and risk management
* Strong organisational, communication and reporting skills
Desirable
* Level 7 qualification or social work qualification
* Experience supporting Registered Managers or working in a senior oversight role
* Additional training in safeguarding, quality assurance, leadership or coaching
You will bring a calm, professional and supportive leadership style, with the confidence to challenge constructively and the judgement to know when to escalate.
What We Offer
* A senior development role with clear exposure to Responsible Individual functions
* Supportive leadership and a strong values-led culture
* Opportunities for professional development and progression
* The chance to make a meaningful impact on childrens safety, stability and outcomes