Clinical Lead - Community Counselling in Birmingham

Women's Consortium provides counseling, Neuro‑Linguistic Programming (NLP), personal development courses, mediation, and health and well‑being workshops. Dedicated to promoting social inclusion and addressing challenges faced by women, the organization helps build confidence, self‑esteem, and greater community participation. Women's Consortium works to combat issues such as language barriers, cultural challenges, discrimination, and limited communication skills through tailored programs and services. By collaborating with various groups, they provide emotional support and access to resources that empower women to actively engage in education, employment, and social activities.

Women’s Consortium is recruiting a Clinical Lead – Community Counselling to support the delivery, quality and safety of our Community Counselling Service across Birmingham and Solihull. This is a hands‑on clinical leadership role focused on supervising counsellors, overseeing safeguarding, auditing clinical practice, supporting outcome monitoring and helping maintain high standards across the service. The postholder will provide individual and group clinical supervision to Women’s Consortium counsellors and student placements, lead reflective practice sessions, and act as the Safeguarding Lead for the counselling service. This role sits within Women’s Consortium and may also contribute to other clinical programmes as directed.

Location: Birmingham and Solihull, community based with hybrid working

Contract: Fixed term, 2 years, subject to ongoing funding

Hours: Full‑time

Salary: Competitive, in line with the VCSE sector

Reports to: Director

Direct reports: Clinical supervision of all counsellors, including WC employed counsellors and student placements

Key responsibilities

• Clinical supervision
  • Provide monthly individual clinical supervision for all Women’s Consortium employed counsellors, with a minimum of 1.5 hours per counsellor per month.
  • Provide fortnightly group supervision for student placement counsellors, with a maximum 1:4 ratio.
  • Maintain supervision records and ensure all counsellors meet BACP or UKCP supervision requirements.
  • Provide ad hoc clinical guidance and case consultation for complex or high‑risk clients.
  • Offer oversight, not direct supervision, of Kapella and Cruse counsellors to support consistent standards across the partnership.
• Safeguarding
  • Act as the named Safeguarding Lead for the Community Counselling Service.
  • Review all safeguarding concerns and ensure appropriate action is taken within 24 hours.
  • Liaise with Birmingham and Solihull Safeguarding Adults and Children Partnerships as required.
  • Report safeguarding incidents to the Director and commissioner within required timescales.
  • Deliver safeguarding training and refreshers to all clinical staff.
  • Maintain the safeguarding log and ensure compliance with organisational policy.
• Quality assurance and outcomes
  • Audit clinical records, session notes and risk assessments on a quarterly basis.
  • Ensure consistent and accurate use of validated outcome tools, including WEMWBS, PHQ‑9, CORE, DIALOG+, GBO and ReQoL.
  • Monitor paired outcome data to identify trends in client improvement.
  • Review DNA rates, therapy completion rates and client feedback across all providers.
  • Contribute to quarterly performance reports for commissioner review meetings.
  • Lead quarterly reflective practice forums for the clinical team across the partnership.
• Training and development
  • Identify training needs through supervision and audit findings.
  • Plan and deliver CPD sessions for counsellors on areas such as trauma‑informed practice, cultural competence, safeguarding and clinical ethics.
  • Support the induction of new counsellors and student placements.
  • Liaise with university placement coordinators, including Aston University and Birmingham City University, to ensure placement standards are met.
  • Carry a small clinical caseload where capacity allows, approximately 3 to 5 clients.
  • Model good clinical practice in trauma‑informed and culturally sensitive counselling.

Qualifications and Experience

• BACP or UKCP‑accredited/registered counsellor or psychotherapist.
• Clinical supervision qualification recognised by BACP or UKCP.
• Minimum 3 years’ post‑qualification clinical experience.
• Minimum 1 year of experience providing clinical supervision.
• Thorough understanding of safeguarding adults and children procedures.
• Experience using validated outcome measures in therapeutic practice.
• Strong understanding of culturally competent and trauma‑informed practice.
• Excellent written communication and report writing skills.
• Enhanced DBS clearance, or willingness to undertake one.
• Experience as a named safeguarding lead.
• Experience supervising student or trainee counsellors on placement.
• Experience working in VCSE, community or NHS‑commissioned settings.
• Experience working with Global Majority communities.
• Familiarity with MHSDS and DIALOG+.
• Multilingual ability relevant to Birmingham communities.
• Training qualification or experience delivering CPD workshops.

Values and Behaviour

• Commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
• Culturally competent and trauma‑informed approach.
• Compassionate, person‑centred practice.
• Collaborative partnership working across sectors.
• Commitment to continuous learning and reflective practice.
• Professional integrity and ethical standards.

Additional Requirements

• Enhanced DBS check.
• BACP or UKCP registration and supervision accreditation must be maintained throughout employment.
• Willingness to work flexibly across community locations.
• Occasional evening work for supervision or reflective practice sessions.
• This role is contingent on ongoing funding. Continuation beyond the initial contract period is subject to the availability of programme funding.

Women’s Consortium is an equal opportunities employer. We particularly welcome applications from candidates who reflect the diverse communities we serve, including people from Global Majority backgrounds, multilingual speakers, and those with lived experience of mental health challenges.