Care First are currently looking for a Service Director to join the team on a permanent, full time basis. Due to the nature of this role there will be travel required to various meetings. As a Service Director, you will have accountability for the operational, financial and quality performance of Care First.

This will include:

• The management of quality, safety and risk; cost control, delivery of financial targets and budgeting; employee engagement; securing growth and developing new service offerings; maintaining and retaining key customer accounts (the businesses we support); ensuring high customer service standards and an effective EAP service to our clients (the people using our services).
• Providing leadership to the Care first business, ensuring the service operates in line with Priory’s values and that colleagues are engaged, supported and developed to deliver high standards of support to clients.
• Ensuring that a clinically appropriate counselling service is provided to clients, as part of Priory’s step-care model, underpinned by effective clinical governance and risk management, and delivered by appropriately trained and accredited counsellors.
• Working closely with the wider Priory Wellbeing Services Senior Leadership Team, to ensure the success of the business, and will have accountability for the delivery of all financial, commercial, quality and performance targets for Care first.
• Being a positive role model for the Care first team, ensuring all actions are in line with Priory’s purpose and behaviours, and ensuring a high quality of service is provided to our clients and customer organisations

To Apply for this role please follow the link below.

Apply for Service Director Role

As the Clinical Director at Care first, you will play a pivotal role in the delivery of our counselling and specialist services to customer organisations and clients. Reporting to the Care first Operations Director, you are a key member of service’s Senior Leadership Team, collaborating with the Operations Director and wider team to deliver clinically appropriate services, developing and enhancing the services we offer to those we support. This role will be Office based with 1 day working from home. 

Responsibilties:

• Supports and manages direct reports: Counselling Centre Manager, Clinical Lead, Clinical Referral Manager, Clinical Administration Team Leader, Remote Counsellor Team Lead, Critical Incidents Coordinator, to allow them to operate effectively
• Oversees the delivery of Care first counselling services
• Oversees the training and support of the clinical team to ensure optimum delivery of services
• Leads the Clinical Management Team
• Works in liaison with the Call Forecaster and Real Time Manager to ensure effective staffing
• Liaises with Care first customers to provide consultation and appropriate service responses to meet the customers’ needs
• Ensures measures and processes are in place to check quality standards in service provision
• Oversees Critical Incident responses and management
• Ensures that clinical complaints are suitably investigated and responded to in a professional and timely manner
• Ensures that appropriate professionals are allocated to and support in the delivery of Care first Bespoke Support services in line with customer expectations
• Ensures through robust and effective case management and consultation services, that ethical issues are dealt with according to the BACP Ethical Framework
• Assists in supplying materials to promote Care first business and services during tender processes
• Ensures the highest standards of EAP delivery working in association with the Operations Director.
• Oversee the delivery of service, ensuring adherence to EAPA Standards and that the clinical team follow the appropriate stepped care model, including referrals to Priory for clients requiring CBT or EMDR
• Ensure regular clinical governance takes place with the relevant team members and is documented appropriately.
• Ensue that clear risk management protocols are in place and part of all new clinical staff induction training.

Apply for Clinical Director Role

The Clinical Lead role will be a hybrid role and is focused on ensuring that clinical services provided across the range of Care first contracts are of the highest quality and efficiency within a robust clinical governance framework. The Clinical Lead supports the Clinical Director and the EAP Centre Manager in the smooth running of a large operational team, to ensure their effective clinical support and in turn that users of the services are supported in professional and appropriate ways that match our customers’ expectations. The role has a strong leadership element, and requires direct client contact from counselling, support and customer service perspectives. The role plays a key part in ensuring the delivery of counselling services which meet expected clinical and contractual standards and performance targets.

Responsibilities:

• Work with the Clinical Director and EAP Centre Manager to provide a supportive framework for Centre staff and be an active member of the Clinical Management Team providing clinical leadership to our counsellors.
• Contribute to the performance of the business, including the achievement of service response rates, referral rates, efficient case management processes and the overarching requirement to meet contractual quality and service delivery standards.
• Support the implementation and maintenance of appropriate and timely clinical policies and procedures to achieve compliance with EAPA Standards and Priory clinical governance requirements.
• To work in accordance with the provisions of the BACP’s Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions.
• Participate in the recruitment and induction of new Telephone Counsellors and Telephone Information Specialists to meet the contractual call demand levels.
• Liaise with the EAP Centre Manager / Clinical Director to identify Counsellors’ and Information Specialists’ ongoing training and development needs, and develop and deliver training programmes to support those needs.
• Provide ad-hoc clinical supervision and guidance to the Telephone Counsellor and Associate Counsellor teams, and support as required to the Information Specialist team.
• Be responsible for managing the team’s Clinical mailbox, and ensure that all enquiries from customers, clients, Service Managers and team members are addressed.
• Be involved in scoping and coordinating the delivery of our response to Critical Incidents, Workplace Mediation and Professional Support services.
• Supervise and oversees case management of Associate Counsellors and Specialist Practitioners.
• Conduct audits of Case Notes and clinical outcome measures to ensure that they are being completed appropriately.
• Participate in case consultation and the management of complex client work, as agreed with Clinical Director and the EAP Centre Manager.
• Investigate and respond to complaints of a clinical nature in liaison with the EAP Centre Manager / Clinical Director / Service Managers, ensuring that quality standards are maintained.
• Provide emergency, holiday and sickness cover as required.
• Participate in training events and ongoing continual professional development.
• Deputise for the EAP Centre Manager / Clinical Director in their absence

To Apply for this role please follow the link below.

Apply for Clinical Lead Role

Care first is able to offer a regular income on a self-employed basis along with a unique working experience to supplement any other work that you may have.

Helpline work for Care first offers an exciting way of working and you will learn new ways of supporting our clients - 

• Primarily we ask you to use your skills and experience to support clients in the moment.
• At times you may assess a client for a referral for contracted counselling sessions.
• Sometimes you may be asked to call a client to provide support.  
• You may speak with someone for just a few minutes or for a full counselling session. 
• This type of work can be undertaken in blocks with a minimum of one hour a day or longer depending upon your availability.

We require all Counsellors to be qualified in a Diploma in Counselling. The hourly rate for this work is £15.00p/h with a minimum requirement of 12 hours per week.

If you would like to know more information please submit your CV to recruitment@care-first.co.uk