Senior Deputy Head of Care for Youth Supported Living

The Orpheus Centre is a vibrant, creative organisation dedicated to empowering young adults through the arts. We are joyful, bold, inclusive, resilient and determined - and we're looking for someone who shares our values.

We provide high quality supported living and care for students and tenants with diverse needs. Safeguarding, dignity, independence and person centred practice are at the heart of everything we do.

Location

Orpheus Centre

Salary

£35,000 per annum

Hours

35 hours per week, 52 weeks per year

Contract

Permanent

About the role

We're seeking an experienced and compassionate Deputy Head of Care to support the Registered Manager (Head of Care) in delivering exceptional care standards across our supported living provision and college community. This key leadership position is responsible for quality assurance, staff supervision, effective student support, and ensuring compliance with safeguarding and regulatory frameworks. You will deputise for the Head of Care, act as an escalation point for serious incidents (including participation in the on call rota), and play a central role in the continuous improvement of our care service.

Key responsibilities

• Lead, motivate and supervise a small team of Support Leads and Learning Support Care Assistants.
• Oversee audits, ensure accurate record keeping and support quality cycle processes.
• Support creation and review of Support Plans, Health Action Plans and assessments.
• Coordinate care and support reviews using person centred approaches.
• Work closely with internal teams on student transitions, housing assessments and multi disciplinary planning.
• Contribute to recruitment assessments and prepare costings for local authorities.
• Ensure safeguarding, health & safety and compliance measures are robust and consistently applied.
• Lead team meetings, key working practices and communication channels.

About you

You will be someone who is passionate about supporting young adults with disabilities, committed to care excellence, and confident in leading and developing others.

Essential Experience & Skills

• Significant experience in care, education, or supported living settings.
• Experience supporting young adults with disabilities or complex needs.
• Experience supervising staff or leading small teams.
• Strong understanding of safeguarding and person centred practice.
• Excellent communication and organisational skills.

Qualifications

• Level 3 Health & Social Care (or willingness to work towards).
• Evidence of ongoing professional development.
• Level 4/5 in Health & Social Care or Leadership & Management or Health & Social Care.
• Driving licence and willingness to drive company vehicles.
• A supportive and creative working environment.
• Opportunities for training, development and further qualifications.
• The chance to make a meaningful difference every day.
• Work within a values led organisation committed to equality, diversity and inclusion.

Orpheus is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people. All posts are subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and satisfactory references. This post is classed as having a high degree of contact with vulnerable adults and is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. It is an offence to apply for this role if you are barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to children.

As part of our safer recruitment process and in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education 2025, online searches may be undertaken as part of due diligence.

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all sections of the community.

In order to be considered you must be eligible to work in the UK.

The Orpheus Centre is proud to be a disability confident employer. We have made a positive commitment to employing disabled people. Reasonable adjustments will be made to the recruitment procedure as required in consultation with the applicant to ensure no one is disadvantaged because of their disability. If a disabled person is selected for a position, reasonable adjustments will be made to the workplace, including premises and equipment, work duties and practices or policies, as appropriate. All disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the role as set out in the role profile and person specification will be considered for interview.

As a Disability Confident Employer

• Challenging attitudes towards disability
• Increasing understanding of disability
• Removing barriers to disabled people and those with long term health conditions
• Ensuring that disabled people have the opportunities to fulfil their potential and realise their aspiration

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