Head of Children's Services

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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To lead the management and integration of all services within the community forchildren 0-19 in Outer London borough of Harrow where we procure services (both universal and for children with disability or complex families), ensuring effective joined up pathways with key partners including Local Authorities, NHSE and NWL.
• To be accountable for the delivery of CNWL Universal Health Services including Health Visiting, School Nursing, Looked after Children and Immunisation in Outer London Boroughs.
• To be accountable for the delivery of CNWL Targeted Health Services including Child Development Centre, Paediatric Speech and Language Therapy, Paediatric Occupational Therapy and Paediatric Physiotherapy and Community Children's
  nursing services in our Outer London Borough of Harrow.
• To ensure efficient and response administrative services are in place across them borough to support front-line delivery and respond to 0-19 service working closely with the administration manager to support the child administration hub.
• To assume overall oversight of the delivery of services across organisational boundaries, where relevant, and disciplines, both clinical and non-clinical, ensuring that individual staff performance, appraisal and development is robustly undertaken to optimise both individual and organisational performance and that all staff have
  access to continuing professional education and development to maximise performance through both dotted and solid line reporting structures
• To develop a range of mechanisms to grow talent
  and develop individuals throughout the Children's service.

Person specification

Qualifications & Training

Essential criteria

• University degree or equivalent professional qualification
• Hold a professional clinical qualification in a relevant children's discipline
• Demonstrable capability and capacity for clinical service management at a senior level in a large, complex healthcare environment, including staff management, financial management and change management

Desirable criteria

• MSc/MA relevant to post

Knowledge & Experience

Essential criteria

• Significant senior managerial experience in a large and complex organisation preferably within the NHS
• Significant experience working in a senior management role within Children's Services (community, acute provider, local authority, CCG or LA commissioning) and an appropriate professional qualification in the speciality
• Demonstrable success in delivering change and performance with and through your management and clinical teams
• Ability to analyse complex problems and to develop practical and workable solutions to address them
• Ability to think and plan strategically, tactically and creatively, and to prioritise work programmes in the face of competing demands
• Ability to manage and deliver to deadlines and within resources
• A strong sense of personal and team accountability coupled to a clear understanding of the boundaries around delegated authority
• Ability to collaborate constructively with internal and external partners to create the conditions for successful partnership working
• A good understanding of the changing NHS environment; particularly in relation to community services
• A detailed understanding of the national children's agenda - both legislative and direction of travel
• Track record of undertaking and completing significant projects
• Ability to relate to people of all disciplines and at all levels within the organisation
• Prioritising and managing workload within a busy operational role
• Self-motivated and autonomous

Desirable criteria

• Previous experience of managing community services
• Breadth of management experience in different environments/across different areas (NHS or non NHS).

Specific Skills

Essential criteria

• Excellent inter-personal and communications skills, with a track record in writing complex business cases and policies
• Advanced keyboard skills and knowledge of a full range of IT software including databases.
• Flexible and adaptable to meet deadlines, commitments and priorities
• Highly developed leadership and influencing skills with the ability to enthuse, motivate and involve others
• Ability to be intellectually flexible and to look beyond existing structures, ways of working, boundaries and organisations to produce more effective and innovative service delivery and partnerships
• Sound political judgement and astuteness in understanding and working with complex policy, and diverse interest groups, and common sense in knowing when to brief "up the line";
• Make things happen by working in partnership with others and using the highest level influencing and negotiating skills
• High level of work organisation, self-motivation, drive for performance and improvement, and flexibility in approach and attitude

CNWL (Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust) has almost 8,000 staff providing integrated healthcare to a third of London's population, Milton Keynes and areas beyond. We involve service users, carers, the public, staff and partner organisations in the way that we are run.

Our catchment area spans diverse communities, with over 100 first languages spoken. It contains areas of great affluence as well as areas of much deprivation. We are committed to providing services that meet the needs of the people who use them, and we actively encourage involvement from local people who can help make a difference. We're proud of our diversity and we continue to undertake new initiatives to advance equality for LGBT+, BME and people with disabilities to promote good relations and understanding between our staff.

We are recognised locally, nationally and internationally for providing high quality, innovative healthcare. We aim to employ only the best people, and our experts are frequently called upon to contribute to national health strategy and policy, and many models of our care have been adapted for use in other countries.

We offer a generous relocation package (subject to eligibility assessment) and flexible working options, including bank assignments for most roles. See attached Staff Reward and Wellbeing Handbook detailing our benefits, discounts and wellbeing initiatives for staff.

Become part of our team. We care for you as much as you care for others.

CNWL NHS Foundation Trust are committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We follow safe recruitment practices to protect children and vulnerable adults.

Due to the high response levels we receive for some vacancies, we may expire any of them prior to the advertised closing date and advise you to submit your application as soon as possible.

Our Agenda for Change employment contracts are subject to a contractual 13 week probationary period.

If you are offered a job, information will be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

• Job Description & Person Specification (PDF, 480.4KB)
• CNWL Staff Networks (PDF, 320.0KB)
• CNWL Values (PDF, 182.9KB)
• CNWL Reward and Wellbeing Handbook 2020 (PDF, 1.1MB)