Deputy Head of Care Services

The Deputy Head of Care Services is an operational leader who supports the Service Head of Care Services in the safe, effective and consistent delivery of Rossie’s Secure Care, Residential Care and Throughcare services. The postholder will translate organisational strategy, policy and regulatory expectations into high-quality day-to-day practice, providing visible leadership, professional challenge and assurance across care services.

The role has a particular focus on quality assurance, continuous improvement and the development of management capability. The postholder will lead and coordinate improvement activity, practice review, service development and inspection readiness, using evidence from outcomes, incidents, complaints, feedback and performance information to strengthen services and improve the experiences of young people.

Working within delegated authority from the Service Head of Care Services, the postholder will coach, mentor, supervise and develop Deputy Service Managers and other operational leaders, promoting confident leadership, reflective practice, clear accountability and consistent standards. The Deputy Head will deputise for the Service Head when required, while recognising that strategic, regulatory and Registered Manager accountability remains with the Service Head or other formally designated postholder.

MAIN TASKS

• Support the Service Head of Care Services in the leadership, delivery and continuous improvement of Secure Care, Residential Care and Throughcare services.

• Provide operational oversight and assurance that services are safe, rights-based, trauma-informed, well-led and consistently aligned with Rossie’s policies, values and strategic priorities.

• Support the leadership of the implementation and ongoing development of the care services quality assurance framework, including audits, practice observations, case-file reviews, performance monitoring and improvement plans.

• Coach, mentor, supervise and develop Deputy Service Managers, strengthening leadership confidence, professional judgement, accountability and succession planning.

• Analyse themes and learning from incidents, complaints, safeguarding matters, restraints, feedback, inspections and service reviews, ensuring actions are completed and learning is embedded.

• Support regulatory compliance and inspection readiness, providing the Service Head with clear evidence, exception reporting and assurance on standards, risks and improvement activity.

• Deputise for the Service Head of Care Services when requested and exercise only those responsibilities formally delegated to the postholder.

ACTIVITIES 

To Lead and Support to the Service Head delivery

• Work in close partnership with the Service Head of Care Services, providing timely, accurate and evidence-based assurance on operational performance, quality, risk and workforce matters.

• Translate the Service Head’s direction into clear operational priorities, implementation plans and measurable standards for care teams.

• Support the management of significant risks, safeguarding concerns, service pressures and areas of non-compliance promptly, together with recommended action.

• Contribute to care service planning, policy development, budget monitoring and workforce planning, while recognising that final strategic and organisational accountability rests with the Service Head and Executive Management Team.

• Represent the Service Head at agreed internal or external meetings and maintain constructive professional relationships with partners, placing authorities and regulators within delegated authority.

• Deputise for the Service Head as required, ensuring continuity of leadership and clear communication across services.

Quality Assurance and Continuous Improvement. 

• Lead a planned and proportionate programme of quality assurance across care services, including thematic audits, case-file sampling, care-plan reviews, environmental checks, practice observations and review of management oversight.
• Maintain a clear quality assurance schedule, ensuring findings, actions, owners and timescales are recorded, monitored and reported to the Service Head.
• Work with colleagues to triangulate quantitative and qualitative information, including outcomes for young people, incidents, complaints, compliments, advocacy feedback, restraint data, missing-from-care events, safeguarding concerns, staffing information and inspection findings.
• Identify patterns, variation and emerging risks, commissioning focused reviews and supporting managers to implement sustainable improvements.
• Test whether improvement actions have changed practice and outcomes, rather than relying solely on completion of actions.
• Promote learning from strong practice as well as from adverse events, ensuring effective approaches are shared consistently across services.
• Provide regular quality and performance reports to the Service Head, clearly distinguishing areas of assurance, partial assurance and concern.

1. Development of Deputy Service Managers and Leadership Capacity

• Provide high-quality line management, professional supervision, coaching and mentoring to Deputy Service Managers in accordance with the agreed management structure.
• Set clear objectives and expectations for each Deputy Service Manager, linking individual performance and development plans to service priorities, regulatory standards and outcomes for young people.
• Use reflective supervision, observation, feedback and professional challenge to strengthen decision-making, confidence, resilience and accountability.
• Support Deputy Service Managers to improve staff supervision, performance management, absence management, workforce deployment, communication and management of complex practice matters.
• Liaise with the Learning and Development team to create structured development opportunities, including training, mentoring, shadowing, action learning, leadership forums and responsibility for improvement projects.
• Identify leadership potential and capability gaps, contributing to succession planning and targeted development of emerging leaders.
• Address inconsistent or underperforming management practice promptly, fairly and in line with Rossie’s policies, with appropriate support and clear improvement expectations.
• Build a collaborative management culture in which challenge is welcomed, learning is shared and agreed standards are applied consistently.

Operational Oversight and Practice Standards 

• Maintain visible leadership across services, spending sufficient time in practice settings to understand the experience of young people and staff and to test the quality of care directly.
• Support managers to ensure safe staffing, effective deployment, robust shift leadership and high-quality handovers, with prompt escalation of capacity or capability concerns.
• Promote care that is relational, trauma-informed, rights-based and responsive to each young person’s assessed needs, plans, communication and identity.
• Ensure operational practice reflects relevant legislation, regulation, Secure Care Pathway and Standards Scotland, the Health and Social Care Standards, UNCRC principles and Rossie policies and procedures.
• Support oversight of safeguarding, child protection, risk management, care planning, reviews, admissions, transitions and throughcare activity, supporting consistent and defensible decision-making.
• Support the reduction of restrictive practice through strong leadership, prevention, reflective review and effective learning from incidents.
• Ensure management actions arising from daily operations, reviews and audits are completed to the required standard and within agreed timescales.

Regulation, Inspection and Assurance

• Support the Service Head and designated Registered Manager in maintaining compliance with registration conditions, statutory requirements and regulatory expectations.

• Support coordination of evidence and operational preparation for Care Inspectorate, Education Scotland/HMIE and other external scrutiny activity, ensuring managers and teams understand expectations.

• Support the development, delivery and evaluation of improvement plans arising from inspections, internal reviews, complaints, investigations or external recommendations.

• Maintain accurate and accessible assurance evidence and ensure required notifications, records and management reviews are completed by the responsible managers.

• Engage professionally with inspectors and external reviewers when delegated, providing clear evidence while referring matters of strategic or Registered Manager accountability to the Service Head.

Young People, Families and Partners

• Promote meaningful participation by young people in decisions about their care and in service evaluation and improvement.

• Ensure feedback, complaints and advocacy information are heard, responded to respectfully and used to improve practice.

• Support managers to maintain effective communication with families, carers, social workers, placing authorities and partner agencies, consistent with each young person’s plan and rights.

• Contribute to effective admissions, transitions and discharge planning under arrangements agreed by the Service Head, ensuring operational readiness and continuity of care.

Resources, Risk and Performance

• Support the Service Head to monitor service performance, occupancy, staffing, overtime, absence, training compliance and use of resources, taking corrective action within delegated authority.
• Promote efficient and responsible use of financial, physical and human resources and support managers to operate within agreed budgets and controls.
• Maintain an understanding of operational risk registers and ensure controls are understood, evidenced and reviewed in practice.
• Provide clear reports and recommendations to the Service Head, Senior Leadership and Management Team and Executive Management Team when requested.