Clinical Team Lead – Children and Families Service

Hackney is seeking an experienced and dynamic Clinical Lead to head our newly redesigned, in-house Mental Health Service within Children and Family Services. In this pivotal role, you will hold overall strategic, operational, and clinical governance accountability for a specialist team of therapists dedicated to supporting looked-after children, care leavers, and young people within the Youth Justice Service.

Our service includes an established Family Therapy clinic and delivers flexible, trauma-informed care to some of our most vulnerable children and families. Beyond direct clinical delivery, you will act as the principal clinical authority across the directorate driving systemic innovation, establishing robust clinical governance, providing expert consultation, and shaping workforce development across the Children and Education Directorate.

Our Practice Framework: The STAR Model

Hackney is on an ambitious journey to embed a Systemic, Trauma-informed, and Anti-Racist (STAR) practice model. We are deeply committed to anti-oppressive practice, actively centering the lived experiences of families and clinicians with marginalised identities. Our STAR framework ensures a sharp focus on ethnicity and race, while deeply attending to the intersections of sexuality, faith, neurodiversity, and other protected characteristics. We want our leadership to reflect and champion these values.

Key Responsibilities

Clinical Governance & Quality Assurance: Establish and oversee directorate-wide clinical governance frameworks, quality assurance standards, and clinical risk protocols to ensure safe, high-quality, and evidence-based practice.

Operational Leadership: Provide vision, high-level clinical governance, budget oversight, and strategic direction to a multidisciplinary team consisting of two Highly Specialist Therapists, 6.6 FTE Specialist Therapists, and one Assistant Psychologist.

Direct & Indirect Clinical Delivery: Oversee and deliver complex, evidence-based psychological assessments and interventions across Corporate Parenting (foster care, residential, special guardianship, care leavers, unaccompanied asylum-seeking children) and Youth Justice Services.

Workforce Development & Consultation: Lead the design and delivery of clinical training and reflective spaces for social work and frontline staff, embedding systemic thinking across the wider directorate.

Strategic Partnerships: Represent Hackney on borough-wide, regional (ICB), and NHS boards to lead joint care pathways, influence health strategy, and integrate multi-agency mental health provision 

About You

We are looking for an ambitious senior registered clinician (e.g., HCPC, UKCP, BACP, or equivalent) with substantial post-qualification experience and a proven track record in senior clinical leadership, management, and service development. You will bring:

• Significant experience (6+ years post-qualification) in delivering specialist therapeutic interventions to highly vulnerable children, young people, and families in complex statutory environments.
• Proven expertise in clinical governance, risk management, and service transformation, alongside experience managing operational budgets.
• Deep knowledge of complex trauma, systemic practice, safeguarding, and multi-agency legal frameworks.
• A profound, demonstrable commitment to anti-racist and anti-oppressive practice.

An Enhanced DBS check is required for this role

What We Offer

In return for your expertise and dedication, Hackney offers a supportive, collaborative environment committed to your professional growth. We provide robust systemic support, including external clinical supervision for different therapeutic modalities as required, alongside excellent local authority benefits.

As a Council, our most outstanding asset is our staff, who are highly dedicated to serving our residents and committed to our goals as an organisation. 

If you want to work in a place where you can represent our values so we achieve the best for our residents, please click on the apply button below.

We operate a fair and open anonymous selection process. Therefore, we do not accept supporting statements or CV’s.

To proceed with your application, you will need to create an account and submit your application.

As part of the application process, you will need to complete a number of competency based questions. These questions allow you to demonstrate your suitability for the role and provide examples of your skills, knowledge and experience outlined in the job description. 

We understand the benefits of using AI in the workplace. However, if you are thinking of using this tool to submit your application, we ask you to think about what value it will add. AI tools tend to lack the personal touch and authenticity we value in candidates. We encourage you to showcase your unique knowledge and skills using your own voice.

This application process replaces a supporting statement.

Prior to applying for a vacancy for a secondment opportunity, please liaise with your line manager and inform them of your interest in applying for the role.

Closing date for applications: 01 November 2026 (22:59)

Interview date: W/c 16 November 2026

We are also working towards our vision, which is to be a place for everyone; where residents and staff can be proud. In order to achieve this, we are seeking individuals who embody our “PROUD” values: Purpose and Respect, where we foster belonging through active inclusion, kindness, and open dialogue; Ownership, where we champion proactive collaboration and accountability for our shared success; and Unity and Diversity, where we work as one Council to break down silos and champion anti-racist behavior. 

Hackney Council works to eradicate discrimination on the basis of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. We also recognise that people can be disadvantaged by their social and economic circumstances, so we will also work to eliminate discrimination and disadvantage caused by social class. We also welcome those interested in flexible working. We particularly welcome applications from disabled people, as this group is currently under represented in our workforce.

The Council has a dedicated employment support service (Hackney Works), which offers Hackney residents guidance in relation to applying for jobs. If you are thinking about applying for a job, please contact the Hackney Works team to find out what support is available: hackneyworks@hackney.gov.uk