Head of Service: Service Improvement
Job Description
Title
Head of Service: Service Improvement
Reporting to
Head of Programme for Clinical Services:
Employer
The Anna Freud Centre
Salary
£60,000- £68,000 per annum FTE, according to experience
Location
The Anna Freud Centre, 12 Maresfield Gardens, London NW3 5SU and
and 4-8 Rodney Street, London N1 9JH plus outreach locations
Working hours
Term of contract
35 hours per week, 21 - 28 hours per week may be considered. The
responsibilities of the post will require some evening and weekend work
as well as national and occasional international travel.
Permanent
The Anna Freud Centre (AFC)
The Anna Freud Centre is a charity with over 60 years’ experience of supporting children and
families experiencing mental health problems. Our vision is a world in which children, you ng
peopl e and their families are effectively supported to build on their own strengths to achieve
their goals in life. Children, Young People and Families are at the heart of everything we do; we
are committed to discovering and understanding the best way to help children, parents and
professionals; our impact comes from partnership and collaboration. The Centre works in close
partnership with the Tavistock Clinic, UCL and Yale but also has a wide range of partnerships
with service providers, voluntary sector and academic bodies.
AFC has supported the establishment of The Family School – an innovative provision providing
excellent education and mental health support for children and parents together, for children aged 514 years excluded from mainstream education. Although a separate legal entity the School has a
close relationship to the Centre. AFC is developing and expanding its Campus: by 2017 to AFC, 4- 8
Rodney Street, Kings Cross, London. The Family School will be located alongside Centre activities
at Rodney Street.
We care for young minds in five main ways:
1. Researching the underlying causes of childhood emotional distress using the latest
neuroscience techniques.
2. Developing, piloting and evaluating new, cost-effective interventions and treatments
for children and families facing mental health difficulties.
3. Supporting mental health and education services to improve their practice, through the
collection and evaluation of outcomes data and shared decision making.
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4. Offering teaching and training courses and building a global network of researchers,
clinicians and mental health, social care and education professionals to ensure that new
knowledge and ideas are shared as widely as possible
5. Providing advice and leadership to national policy initiatives focused on improving
children and young people’s mental health
Background to the Post
A major step-change is underway at AFC to develop and expand the reach of its activities. The
attached chart shows the organizational structure: there are four main Programmes of activity:
Services for Schools, Clinical Services, Service Improvement & Evaluation and Postgraduate
Studies. The post of Head of Service: Service Improvement is one of four new Head of Service posts
currently being recruited for, the others are: Head of Service: Helping Whole Families, Head of
Service: Trauma & Maltreatment and Head of Service: Services for Schools.
The posts have been created to support:
1. A single Programme stream for all Service Improvement activities
2. Greater Cross Programme collaboration
3. Integrated service delivery of our direct work with Children, Young People and Families
AFC has supported the establishment of The Family School – an innovative provision providing
excellent education and mental health support for children and parents together, for children aged 514 years excluded from mainstream education. Although a separate legal entity the School has a
close relationship to the Centre. AFC is developing and expanding its Campus: by 2017 AFC, 4 – 8
Rodney Street, Kings Cross, London. The Family School will be located alongside Centre activities
at Rodney Street.
This and other new posts are going to be central to the long term development of the Centre. There
will be investment in the post-holder to support skills development across the range of tasks for the
post and to develop a new generation of clinical and service leaders for the Centre.
Purpose of the Post
 The post-holder will lead and manage the work of the Service Improvement & Evaluation in line
with the Centre’s strategic priorities and take responsibility for developing the longer term and
specific priorities of the service and overseeing all aspects of the Service’s activities.
 The post-holder will be expected to bring significant expertise to the core objectives of the service
and to recognize the need to develop imaginative and creative ways of sustaining the service over
the medium to long term. Such leadership will involve establishing close working relationships with
both parents and young people in collaboration with the Participation Lead at the Centre.
 There is no separate participation task as it is expected that this will be intrinsic to the whole
approach to leading the service.
Duties and responsibilities
Strategy, leadership and management
 Lead, develop and manage the Service in line with Programme and Centre-wide strategic
priorities.
 Lead on any adjustments in Service structure due to the recent reorganization to ensure
integrated and effective working.
 Line manage all Activity Leads within the Service.
 Ensure and develop creative and effective cross- Programme collaboration by working in
partnership with other Heads of Service.
 To be a member of the Programme’s leadership group (membership to be agreed with the Head
of Programme).
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To prepare, monitor and deliver an annual Service operational plan
At the request of the Head of Programme, contribute to new Strategic initiatives such as the
Media Lab and Enterprise Unit.
All Heads of Service will contribute to a range of Centre-wide operational activities, including, but not
limited to:
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On occasion contributing to recruitment panels outside the individual Head of Services’ specific
activities.
Contributing to the on-going Centre-wide Risk Assessment Procedure and monitoring
processes.
Supporting Fundraising and Communications activities.
To take overall responsibility for the clinical, information and service risks of the service.
Income generation and financial management
 Lead on the income generation strategy for the Service. To include new commissions for
services and consultancy, generating new grants and donations and training activities.
 In consultation with the Head of Programme, to take a lead in securing new commissions,
grants and donations.
 Ensure that all contracts and grants and donations held within the Service have appropriate
objectives and that these are regularly monitored and delivered effectively.
 Plan the Service annual Budget in consultation with the Head of Programme and ensure the
Service meets its financial objectives.
 Ensure effective monitoring of budgets and projected forecasting, including review and input to
the monthly financial management accounts.
 Ensure all Service activities are adequately financed and that any contractual arrangements are
soundly based and carefully monitored.
Record keeping, Activity evaluation and Impact monitoring
In consultation with relevant Heads of Programme and other Heads of Service to be responsible for
appropriate management of data and information including ensuring there are effective audit and
evaluation procedures in place (for Clinical minimum this includes CORC measures) including all
relevant data for the production of the Centre’s quarterly Impact Dashboard.
Training activity
Support the training initiatives of the Service in line with the Centre’s strategy.
Partnerships, External Relationships, Promotion and Influence
 To support existing partnerships and collaborations with key organizations, developing further
links as appropriate.
 Support and develop collaboration across the AFC – Yale Bridge Programme.
Internal co-ordination and Cross Programme collaboration
To support integration across Services and Programmes.
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Human Resource Management
 Provide inspiring leadership to all staff within the Service.
 Foster good communication and consultation processes to ensure full participation and
contributions from the Service staff group.
 With support from the HR Manager, ensure that the recruitment, management, training and
development of all staff within the Service is directed to achieving the objectives of the Centre.
 Ensure that all members of the Service receive a full induction within the Service including
completing mandatory training.
 Undertake annual Review and Development meetings with staff accountable to the post-holder.
 Contribute to a climate which attracts, retains and motivates excellent quality staff.
 Ensure the development and maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice,
by ensuring staff participate in internal and external CPD training and development
programmes.
Other
 To actively follow and promote AFC policies, including Equal Opportunities.
 To maintain an awareness and observation of fire, health and safety regulations.
 The welfare of the children, young people and vulnerable adults who come into contact with our
services either directly or indirectly is paramount and all staff have a responsibility to ensure that
best practice is followed, including compliance with statutory requirements.
To attend
 Relevant external meetings and conferences as agreed with the Head of Programme
 Termly Centre staff meetings
 The Annual AFC Forum
To be noted
This is not an exhaustive list of tasks. The post-holder will be asked to undertake any other ad hoc
tasks commensurate with the scope and purpose of this post.
This Job Description reflects the present requirements of the post, and as duties and responsibilities
change/develop, the Job Description will be reviewed and be subject to amendment in consultation
with the post-holder.
The post-holder will be required to have an enhanced DBS disclosure which the Centre will apply for.
March 2015