Head of Therapeutic Services – Specialist Schools

Head of Therapeutic Services – Specialist Schools  

North West
£65,000 – £80,000 DOE

*Must be an HCPC registered Psychologist, OT, SALT or Psychotherapist*

Compass Associates are proud to be partnering with an ambitious and expanding specialist education provider to recruit a Head of Therapeutic Services, overseeing three specialist day schools across the North West. The schools support children aged 7–18 with a range of needs and backgrounds, including autism, ADHD, SEMH, additional learning needs, trauma, and Emotional Based School Avoidance (EBSA).

This is a newly created and exciting opportunity for an experienced Psychologist, Occupational Therapist, Speech & Language Therapist or Psychotherapist with a strong clinical background supporting children within specialist education, alongside proven experience of providing strategic leadership.

As the organisation's therapy lead, you will work closely with the CEO and wider executive team to shape and deliver the therapeutic strategy across a growing portfolio of specialist schools. You will provide strategic and clinical leadership across therapy services, ensuring high-quality, evidence-based practice while driving innovation to continually improve outcomes for children and young people. A key focus of the role will be the development and implementation of robust assessment frameworks, outcome measures and therapeutic toolkits, enabling the organisation to evidence impact, enhance service quality and support the continued evolution of its therapeutic model.

Responsibilities will include:

• Providing strategic leadership across all therapy services.
• Leading, developing and embedding an evidence-based therapeutic model.
• Ensuring therapy provision consistently meets EHCP outcomes and regulatory standards.
• Providing clinical governance, quality assurance and risk oversight.
• Developing outcome measures to evidence therapeutic impact.
• Leading, mentoring and developing multidisciplinary therapy teams.
• Supporting recruitment, workforce planning and clinician development.
• Working collaboratively with Headteachers to ensure therapy is fully integrated within education.
• Developing new therapeutic initiatives and service innovations.
• Managing budgets, analysing performance data and driving operational efficiencies.
• Building relationships with external stakeholders including local authorities and sector partners.
• Acting as a senior ambassador for the organisation within the specialist education sector.

Location

You will oversee the therapy provisions across three North West based schools. Candidates can be based anywhere in the northwest region including Manchester, Blackpool, Cheshire, Liverpool, Bolton, Oldham, Warrington, Preston, Blackburn, Ormskirk, Chorley, Knutsford, Wilmslow, Cheadle and surrounding towns.

Essential criteria

• Must be an HCPC registered Psychologist, Occupational Therapist, Speech & Language Therapist or Psychotherapist
• Strong clinical background working with children and young people who have SEMH needs, autism, learning disabilities and backgrounds of trauma
• Previous experience overseeing a multidisciplinary therapy team which support children
• Strong strategic leadership skills including creating new therapeutic strategies, setting up new schools and using outcome measures
• UK driving licence and own car
• Willingness to travel across the North West

Interviews

This will involve an initial call with the CEO followed by two formal interviews (one of which will include a visit to one of the schools.)

Contact Details

If you would like to be considered for this exciting opportunity, please contact Lynette Robb directly on 0161 509 0419 or email your updated CV to [email protected].

Recommendations

Compass Associates Ltd is acting as a Recruitment Consultancy for this permanent vacancy; we offer a £500 voucher for each successful recommendation.        

Compass Associates, established in 2009, is an award-winning, UK specialist Health and Social Care Recruitment Consultancy providing tailored, high quality recruitment solutions for all permanent assignments.