Overview
At Salutem
Care and Education, our aim is to empower people to live a life they choose,
regardless of the care or support they need.
We are proud to provide a range of care and support
across our schools, day centres, and residential homes for
children and adults. Just like any strong community, we want the very best for
the individuals we support.
We’re proud to be recognised by the Top Employers Institute as a Top Employer United Kingdom, reflecting our exceptional
culture, care, and commitment to our people.
In addition, we’re honoured to be named among the
2025 Top 100 Global Inspiring Workplaces, and to have
achieved Top 10 in the 2026 UK & Ireland Inspiring
Workplaces Awards.
We’re passionate about developing and supporting
colleagues for the future. Through a culture of continuous
learning and reflective practice, we create opportunities for
personal and professional growth — helping our people build meaningful and
rewarding careers in care.
The Head of Care is a senior leadership role
responsible for the strategic and operational management of care services,
ensuring the delivery of high-quality, safe, and person-centred care. The post
holder will provide direction, leadership, and oversight to care teams, driving
continuous improvement and ensuring services meet regulatory standards,
organisational values, and the needs of service users.
Working closely with senior stakeholders, the Head of Care will lead on service development, quality assurance, workforce
planning, and performance management. The role requires a strong focus on
governance, compliance, and innovation to enhance outcomes and maintain
excellence across all areas of care provision.
Key priorities include fostering a positive,
inclusive culture; ensuring effective safeguarding practices; managing
resources efficiently; and delivering sustainable, high-performing services
aligned with organisational objectives.
Job Responsibilities:
1. Strategic Leadership & Service Development
- Develop and implement a care strategy aligned with
organisational and educational priorities. - Lead the integration of care and education to ensure cohesive
learner pathways, reflecting the model of close liaison between education
and residential services. - Promote innovation in care delivery, including person-centred
approaches and assistive technologies. - Contribute to executive decision-making and long-term
organisational planning. - Extensive travel nationally supporting both pre-school primary,
secondary and P19 provisions within the division.
2. Quality, Compliance & Clinical
Governance
- Ensure all services meet CQC, Ofsted, and safeguarding
standards, always maintaining inspection readiness - Establish robust quality assurance frameworks, including
audits, service reviews, and continuous improvement cycles. - Oversee the development and audit of person-centred care plans
and clinical protocols, ensuring consistency and quality across services. - Lead systems that ensure safe practice in areas such as medication,
infection control, and delegated healthcare tasks. - Provide senior oversight of systems supporting learners with
complex health needs, including enteral feeding, epilepsy care,
respiratory support, moving and handling, intimate care, continence
support, dysphagia management, medication administration and delegated clinical tasks, ensuring that staff are
appropriately trained, assessed as competent and regularly reviewed. - Work with nursing, therapy and external health professionals to
ensure that clinical delegation, competency sign-off, escalation pathways
and emergency protocols are robust, current and consistently implemented. - Lead implementation and optimisation of
digital care systems, reporting platforms, and data dashboards. - Ensure data integrity and real-time oversight
of service performance.
3. Safeguarding & Risk Management
- Provide executive oversight of safeguarding across the
organisation, building on the expectation that care leaders hold DSL/DDSL
responsibilities. - Ensure robust systems for risk assessment, behaviour support,
and safe care practices are implemented and monitored. - Promote a strong safeguarding culture aligned with statutory
guidance and best practice
4. Operational Leadership
- Provide oversight and direction to service leads
across the portfolio. - Ensure effective delivery of care services that
meet individual learner needs, health requirements, and personal
outcomes. - Lead on admissions, transition, and compatibility decisions,
ensuring accurate assessment of needs and provision capacity. - Act as the senior escalation point for complex care issues,
families, and external stakeholders.
5. Workforce Leadership & Culture
- Lead the recruitment, development, and retention of a skilled
multidisciplinary workforce, including nurses, care staff, and support
workers. - Ensure effective supervision, appraisal, and competency
frameworks, reflecting expectations for ongoing training and practice
checks. - Drive a culture of accountability, excellence, and continuous
professional development. - Address underperformance and support staff progression through
structured HR processes. - Provide oversight of safe staffing models across complex care
provision, ensuring that staffing levels, skill mix, training, supervision
and deployment are matched to learner need and risk.
6. Integration with Education
- Ensure care provision actively supports learning,
communication, and Preparing for Adulthood outcomes. - Promote approaches that enable student voice, independence, and
participation in their own care. - Work collaboratively with education leaders to align care
strategies with EHCP outcomes and curriculum delivery.
7. Multi-Disciplinary & Stakeholder Engagement
- Lead effective collaboration with therapy teams, healthcare
professionals, commissioners, and families. - Represent the organisation in external forums, inspections, and
partnership meetings. - Ensure strong communication systems that enable consistent,
high-quality service delivery.
8. Performance, Reporting & Governance
- Monitor and report on service performance, quality metrics,
and learner outcomes. - Ensure high-quality documentation and reporting for regulators,
commissioners, and senior leaders. - Use insight and data to drive service improvement and
innovation.
This job description should not be seen as all
encompassing, and the post holder will be expected to undertake any other
responsibilities appropriate to the post as identified by the company.
Knowledge, skills and competency
Experience
- Senior leadership experience in education, residential care,
or integrated services - Proven ability to deliver high-quality, compliant services in
complex care environments - Experience leading multidisciplinary teams and large-scale
service delivery
Knowledge & Expertise
- Strong understanding of CQC and Ofsted frameworks,
safeguarding, and health & social care regulation - Expertise in person-centred care planning, clinical
governance, and quality assurance - Knowledge of Preparing for Adulthood and specialist education
settings
Leadership Capabilities
- Strategic thinking and system leadership
- Strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills
- Ability to drive cultural change and continuous improvement
Role Impact
This role extends by:
- Providing portfolio-wide leadership and strategic direction
- Ensuring consistent standards across multiple services
- Embedding integration between care, health, and education
- Holding accountability for quality, compliance, safeguarding,
and outcomes at scale
Our Core
Values:
➡️Supportive:
Helping everyone reach their full potential.
➡️Ambitious:
Striving for the best outcomes.
➡️Loyal:
Prioritising our staff and the people we support.
➡️Unique:
Innovating without compromising quality.
➡️Transparent:
Fostering openness and mutual respect.
➡️Engaging:
Partnering with everyone involved.
➡️Meaningful:
Offering fulfilling opportunities.
Why Choose
Us?
✅Emotional
Support: 24/7 Employee Assistance, mental health resources, meditation apps,
and bereavement support.
✅
Medical Support: Free Online GP access, Health Cash Plan, Cancer Cover, and
Menopause support.
✅
Financial Support: Flexible pay with Wagestream, utility bill savings, Money
Helper, and Life Assurance.
✅
Physical Support: Online workouts, Cycle to Work scheme, gym discounts, and
National Trust activities.
Still not
convinced?
Recognised as a Top Employer United Kingdom 2026 by the Top Employers
Institute.
Named among the Top 100 Global Inspiring Workplaces by Inspiring Workplaces.
♿
Proud to be a Disability Confident Committed employer.
Salutem Care
and Education is dedicated to protecting and promoting the well-being of
children, young adults, and vulnerable individuals. As part of our safer
recruitment process, the successful candidate will be required to complete
thorough pre-employment checks, including an enhanced DBS and, where
applicable, overseas criminal record checks.
IMPORTANT: Before applying for this role, please make sure you have the right to work in the country where the role is based. Unless it clearly stipulates within in the job advert above that the hiring company is looking to or able to sponsor applicants it is deemed that the hiring employer will only consider applications from those able to comply with and work in the country where the role is based.
