Strategic Lead - Children with Complex Lives

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Focusing on a cohort of children with the most complex needs, you will:

• Provide leadership for the joint commissioning of complex packages of care for non-universal NHS and local authority services. This will include liaison with care co-ordinators/case managers, brokerage, young people and their families, clinicians, GPs, care providers, social care, education and other commissioning colleagues. Other key stakeholders may include voluntary sector, adult commissioners, advocacy, Mental Capacity Act/Deprivation of Liberties teams.
• Ensure that the child or young person’s voice is heard and that their views are central to the development of care plans and the commissioning of provision.
• Work with stakeholders to ensure that packages of care are identified, costed, managed and accessed within reasonable timescales for the benefit of the individual and their family.
• Provide a comprehensive level of leadership and governance for those arranging, monitoring and reviewing packages of care for children and young people, to ensure they meet individual personalised health needs, are clinically appropriate, provide best value and continuity of care.
• Work with partners to continue to develop a shared definition of the cohort of children and an understanding of the joint services required to meet their needs.
• Share a comprehensive understanding of the needs of this cohort of children with the market and work with providers to develop a suite of innovate solutions which will deliver improved outcomes.
• Autonomously support and drive, where necessary, the case management of individuals with complex health, education and social care needs, providing clinical guidance to stakeholders.
• Undertake research and audit activity that supports the continuous improvement of policy and practice to benefit children, young people, families and other agencies.
• Provide leadership to and coordination between NHS commissioners, providers, education, social care and other relevant partners in relation to children’s needs.
• Be a source of expert knowledge and support for all professionals and agencies on the placement and support of children with complex needs.
• Provide advice in the monitoring of contracts, service level agreements and commissioned services to ensure the quality of provision.
• Work closely with mental health transition lead (adults) and the learning disability and/or autism programme team to ensure that transition pathways are developed and purposeful, ensuring that YP moving through to adulthood are well known to the adult teams in order that transition is well planned and personalised outcomes are achieved.
• Support the provision, where appropriate, of information to the child, relatives/representatives. This may involve relaying difficult decisions regarding care provision and managing service user and family expectations.
• Provide integrated leadership for the delivery and transformation of LDA commissioning in the Hampshire Place. This will work closely with the central Programme Delivery team.
• Attend, on behalf of the ICB, meetings related to the child which may impact on the care provision and costs to meet identified needs.
• Work closely with the Safeguarding and Quality Teams.
• In consultation with other agencies, young people and carers, lead the development of policies and procedures in relation to the placement of children with complex needs.
• Lead the review and development of policy and protocol that support the commissioning of complex non-universal provision for this cohort of children.
• Ensure comprehensive preparation of disputes and appeals cases, within the defined policy, to include the provision of up-to-date clinical information and liaison with families in complex situations where there is potential for hostility. Support the resolution of disputes between commissioning organisations who contribute financially to the package of care
• Utilise ‘Duty of Care’ responsibilities and advocate for children as appropriate, where they are placed within a residential facility such as school or residential unit.
• Ensure adherence to appropriate governance, in line with the policies of HCC, ICB and compliance with OFSTED and the Care Quality Commission requirements.
• Ensure commissioned services are meeting statutory and regulatory standards, using established commissioning framework where available.
• Undertake and comply with all mandatory training.