About the Role
Do you have previous operational management experience in a mental health setting?
Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust are seeking a full time strategic Social Work leader to head the Oxfordshire and BSW Mental Health Directorate Social Work and social care services.
This role offers the chance to lead transformational change in a Trust known for innovation, collaboration, and compassionate care.
The Heads of Social Work / Social Care will contribute to shaping the future of mental health services by leading change, empowering teams, influencing strategy, and driving service development aligned with local and national Social Work / Social Care priorities. You will work across the Directorate’s pathways (all age, community and inpatient), uphold Trust values, and manage governance across quality, safety, finance, HR, and performance. Collaboration with other service and professional leads and support teams is essential to meet strategic goals.
You will be an experienced operational leader, with previous substantial experience in mental health, seeking growth. Key qualities include adaptability, strong partnership skills, and a commitment to improving mental health outcomes across health, social care, and VCSE sectors. You will be an expert Social Worker with enhanced levels of applied knowledge and legal literacy, able to work with highly complex individual and system level scenarios.
The key responsibilities of the role can be summarised as strategy, policy, and delivery in the following domains:
Quality
Workforce
Finance
Performance
Strategic change
Stakeholder engagement/partnership
The Head of Service will own these domains within reporting service(s) as well as being expected to contribute significantly to the Directorate-wide approach across them.
The Head of Service will use all reasonable endeavours to ensure that reporting service(s) comply with the five CQC domains:
Safe: people are protected from abuse and avoidable harm
Effective: people’s care, treatment and support achieve good outcomes, promotes a good quality of life, and is based on the best available evidence Caring: the service(s) involves and treats people with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect Responsive: service(s) meet people’s needs
Well led: leadership, management and governance assure the delivery of high-quality and person-centred care, supports learning and innovation, and promotes an open and fair culture.
Full details can be found at the CQC website by clicking on the link below:
Key lines of enquiry for healthcare services - Care Quality Commission
Please refer to the job description attached for a comprehensive list of duties
Oxford Health is a great place to work. To be able to showcase yourself when making an application you are encouraged to read the “candidate guide to making an application” which is attached to all roles.
Please include details of qualifications (including years these were gained particularly if we need to assess for clinical roles that these are still valid) and tailor your supporting statement to the role you are applying for, addressing the essential criteria found in the JD.
As a Trust we provide physical, mental health and social care for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and North East Somerset. Our services are delivered at community bases, hospitals, clinics and people’s homes, delivering care as close to home as possible. Our vision is that no matter who or where you are, you will receive: “Outstanding care delivered by an outstanding team”
Our values are: “Caring, safe and excellent”
We offer a wide range of benefits designed to support your career and wellbeing:
Excellent opportunities for career progression
Individual and Trust wide learning and development
27 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days with continuous service
NHS Discount
Pension scheme
Lease car scheme
Employee Assistance Programme
Mental Health First Aiders
Staff accommodation (waiting lists may apply)
Staff networking and support groups
We hope that the advert has given you a clear understanding of the skills we are seeking and the opportunity at hand. You will need to use the “supporting statement” element of your application form to demonstrate your suitability for this role and you should refer to the job description, person specification and the guidance notes attached to this role to help you tailor your application.
The essential and desirable criteria will be used to shortlist for interview, and you should ensure that you refer to these within your application to increase your chances of being selected for interview.