Senior Service Manager - Residential Childcare in Edinburgh

We are looking for an experienced and dynamic Senior Service Manager to provide strong operational leadership across our residential children’s homes. This is a key role supporting our House Managers to deliver consistent, high-quality care and ensure the best possible outcomes for the children and young people we support.

Role

The Senior Service Manager (SSM) provides strategic leadership, operational management, Service Development, Supervision and Support and Referrals management across Horizons’ seven residential children’s care homes in Edinburgh and the Lothians. They ensure all homes deliver safe, nurturing, trauma-informed, and child-centred care consistent with the Health and Social Care Standards (2018), the Children’s Homes (Scotland) Regulations 2013, The Promise (Scotland), and the GIRFEC framework. The SSM will report directly to the Head of Care.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic & Operational Leadership
  • Provide professional leadership and management oversight to all Registered Managers and Assistant Managers.
  • Ensure consistent delivery of Horizons’ vision, values, and care ethos across all homes.
  • Lead service development ensures homes are trauma-informed and attachment-aware.
  • Represent Horizons at inspection feedback meetings and external partnership events.
• Regulatory Compliance & Quality Assurance
  • Ensure compliance with Care Inspectorate regulations and National Care Standards.
  • Oversee completion of Self-Evaluation Frameworks and Improvement Plans.
  • Conduct monthly internal audits of Care Plans, RAMPs and implement service improvement actions.
• Safeguarding & Child Protection
  • Lead safeguarding culture across all homes in line with Scottish Child Protection Procedures.
  • Oversee child protection concerns, significant incidents, and notifications to the Care Inspectorate.
  • Act as a Designated Child Protection Lead when required.
• Workforce Leadership
  • Conduct monthly supervision of Managers and Assistant Managers.
  • In collaboration with the Head of Care, conduct probation reviews and Annual Appraisals of ASM and HM.
  • Undertake regular training in area of expertise.
  • Ensure safe staffing levels and adherence to safer recruitment guidance.
  • Oversee learning and development plans and training compliance.
  • Induction of HM and ASM and overseeing their ongoing learning and development.
• Placement & Referrals Management
  • Monitor Referrals email daily, scrutinise and conduct matching exercise in line with Horizons/CI Guidelines.
  • In collaboration with the Head of Care, liaise with LA for Placements ensuring proper matching documentation and offer of placement.
  • Ensure high level of occupancy across all Horizons Homes.
  • Attend Multi-Agency Meetings.
• Stakeholder & Partnership Engagement
  • Maintain effective relationships with Local Authorities, Health Boards, Police, Local Community and the Care Inspectorate.
  • Lead on service reviews, contract compliance, and placement negotiations.
  • Develop extensive Links with Service Users, monitor PCS, Scotland Excel and other frameworks.
• Incident, crisis & risk management
  • Together with the Senior Service Manager, act as senior point for serious incidents, major safeguarding issues and critical incidents; coordinate response and follow-up actions.
  • Ensure robust recording, incident investigation, learning logs and changes to practice where required.
  • Maintain and review organisational risk register and ensure mitigation plans are in place.
• Administration, record keeping & reporting
  • Ensure high quality record keeping and case files in line with data protection standards and Regulatory Bodies’ expectations.
  • Produce regular reports for Directors covering performance, incidents, safeguarding, staffing and finances.
  • Ensure statutory notifications and incident reports are submitted to appropriate bodies promptly.
• External relations & partnership working
  • Maintain constructive relationships with local authorities, social work teams, health services, education, courts, regulatory bodies and other statutory partners.
  • Represent Horizons at multi-agency forums, case conferences and strategic meetings.
  • Engage with parents/kinship networks and promote contact and family-focused practice where appropriate.
• Rights, participation & outcomes for Young people
  • Promote rights-based, person-centred practice: ensure young people’s views inform service design and day-to-day running.
  • Oversee participation structures (young person forums, feedback mechanisms) and ensure complaints are handled fairly and lessons learned are applied.
  • Drive outcome-focused practice (education attendance, health, behaviour, transition to adulthood) and collect evidence of progress.

Duties and Key Tasks

• Review On Call Reports Daily to ensure appropriate actions have been taken.
• Manage Daily Referrals Requests and Follow up Placement Offers made.
• Attend Weekly Senior Management Meeting.
• Oversee House Rotas to ensure safe cover, efficient use of staff and redeployment as required.
• Conduct regular visits to each home (Once a week each home on average).
• Chair monthly House Manager operations meetings.
• Chair Weekly On-call Meeting.
• Chair Weekly Referrals Meeting.
• Review and approve significant incident reports and Care Inspectorate notifications.
• Monitor performance through internal dashboards and quality indicators.
• Liaise with HR and Lead investigations into complaints and practice concerns.
• Provide input into policies, care model design, and business planning.

Job Specification

Desirable Qualities

The ideal candidate will have extensive work experience in Residential Childcare preferably in Scotland; and have managed several children residential care homes. A sound knowledge and practical understanding of trauma-informed practice, together with Child Protection and Safeguarding will be a pre-requisite. Candidates must also have good interpersonal, leadership and management skills to provide guidance and support to House Managers and Assistant Managers.

The Senior Service Manager ensures that Horizons Residential Care continues to provide high-quality, child-centred, relationship-based care in line with Scotland’s national agenda for children in care. Through strong leadership and a culture of compassion and learning, the SSM contributes to improved life outcomes for every young person in line with the principles of SHANNARI, GIRFEC and the Promise.

Qualifications

Essential qualifications include SVQ Level 4 Children and Young People and SCQF Level 10 Leadership and Management qualification (CSLM) and/or degree in Social Work, with at least 5 years in residential childcare, CSLM and a minimum 5 years experience at management level. And a full UK driving License.

Pay package

Basic Pay in the range of £50,000–£55,000 including PRP Bonus up to £5,000.

Other Benefits:

• Mileage allowance for inter-site travel.
• Employer pension contribution.
• Professional CPD Training.
• Enhanced Sick Pay after completion of probation.
• Performance-related annual bonus.
• Enhanced Annual Leave after completion of probation.

Reporting and Governance

Report to The Head of Care and Horizons Board of Directors. Line Management of 6 Registered Managers. Compliance to Care Inspectorate Regulatory Framework, Local Authority Commissioners & Multi-Agency partners.

Horizons Core Values

• Respect: Valuing each young person’s voice, culture, dignity and rights.
• Integrity: Transparent and accountable leadership.
• Compassion: Trauma-informed, relationship-based care.
• Growth: Enabling development for young people and staff.
• Excellence: Commitment to continuous improvement and best practice.