Head of Health - Fostering

Job Title – Head of Health

Pay - £50,250 per annum + £750 Homeworking Allowance per annum.

Hours - 35 Hours per Week

Contract - Permanent

Location – Homebased - working with our teams across England, Scotland and Wales.   Occasional travel may be required.

As a ‘not for profit’ organisation, TACT puts the needs of our children and carers first and look to appoint individuals who are as passionate about fostering as we are. TACT invests all surplus income into staff, carers, and child development. This means that we have been able to establish expert in-house support services such as our TACT Health and Education Services and create TACT Connect, our ground-breaking scheme for care experienced young people and adults.  New staff will join us as we  embark on a journey to become a wholly trauma-informed organisation with the aim of increasing our effectiveness and improving outcomes for the children and young people in our care.

We pride ourselves on our flexible working opportunities, an extensive wellbeing programme and our benefits package, all curated to support a healthy work-life balance for all our staff. We will also invest in your learning, supporting you to grow and develop during your employment with TACT.  You will be encouraged to attend personal and professional development opportunities and will have access to learning and resources to empower you to advance your knowledge and skills.

We are currently the 4th Best Charity to work for and the 16th Best Mid-Sized Company in the UK according to The Best Companies criteria and our survey results have evidenced “outstanding” levels of engagement amongst staff in recent years. You can view our Best Companies summary video here.

We are looking for a new Head of Health to develop and lead our health service to improve outcomes for the children we care for. The Head of Health will lead a service that provides expert advice and support on matters related to the mental health and emotional wellbeing of children we care for. The service works primarily with our foster carers and social work staff to give them the skills to access and provide appropriate support for our children and young people, develop good relationships with health professionals and to advocate directly with health services when necessary. There may also be a need to occasionally undertake individual children’s case work.

The post holder will also develop and manage a commissioning and quality assurance framework for external health services that are purchased by TACT. The role will contribute to workforce planning and the professional development of TACT staff and carers. The post holder will lead on the integration of the Health Support Service systems into those of the wider organisation where this is required. This is an opportunity to build and develop the service going forward, feeding into the aims and objectives of TACTS’s 5-year strategic plan. 

The successful candidate must have worked at a senior managerial level in a children’s mental health service and have a relevant degree and a post-graduate qualification in children and adolescent mental health. They will have experience of commissioning health services for children and young people and ensuring that those services meet the specifications and outcomes required.

TACT offer an excellent employee benefits package including:

  • 31 days paid holiday plus bank holidays (pro rata if part time).
  • Flexible working arrangements (including compressed hours, flexibility around core hours, and volunteer days policy).
  • Family-friendly policies.
  • Homeworking ‘bundle’ including annual allowance of £750, IT equipment and a loan for home office set up.
  • Stakeholder pension scheme (salary sacrifice) and life insurance from day one.
  • Employee Assistance Programme (including free CBT counselling, remote GP appointments, physiotherapy, mental health support and second opinions).
  • Fantastic professional learning and personal development opportunities.

An Enhanced DBS clearance is required for this role and will be processed by TACT on your behalf.

Please see the Job Information Pack, Job Description and TACT website at Tactcare.org.uk for more detailed information.

Closing Date: Midnight on Sunday 15th October 2023

Interview Date: Monday 30th October 2023  (via Microsoft Teams)

Safeguarding is everyone’s business and TACT believes that only the people with the right skills and values should work in social work.  As part of TACT’s commitment to safeguarding, we properly examine the skills, experience, qualifications, and values of potential staff in relation to our work with vulnerable young children.  We use rigorous and consistent recruitment approaches to help safeguard TACT’s young people.  All our staff are expected to work in line with TACT’s safeguarding policies.

TACT does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them.  TACT reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so we advise you to submit your application as early as possible to prevent disappointment.