INDEPENDENT CHILDREN'S HOMES ASSOCIATION - APPOINTMENT OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE APPOINTMENT BRIEF September 2018 - Saxton Bampfylde

INDEPENDENT CHILDREN’S
HOMES ASSOCIATION
APPOINTMENT OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE

APPOINTMENT BRIEF
September 2018

01 AN INTRODUCTION
  The Independent Children’s Homes Association (ICHA) is the voice of
  independent providers of residential children’s homes in England & Wales

  It is the largest representative body of children’s homes providers in England,
  with over180 member organisations, running over 1,100 homes and providing
  more than 5,700 beds for children and young people.

  A not-for-profit membership body, ICHA performs a critical role in the lives of
  looked-after children; its mission is to represent the independent residential
  child care sector and promote quality child care nationally.

ICHA membership is over 80% of the private and voluntary sector and over half of all homes no matter the
ownership. Around 45% of members run just one home, whilst others operate networks of homes spread across
the country.

The ICHA is a member-led organisation and a high degree of engagement and communication is a feature of ICHA’s
approach.

CORE ACTIVITIES
ICHA supports its members through a range of activities and services. This includes;

       providing advice and guidance to members;
       influencing policy makers and ensuring that the voice of the sector is heard;
       representing the sector on various national and regional bodies;
       distributing essential information concerning residential child care to members, for example via a
        weekly bulletin;
       publishing the ICHA Commissioners Handbook, a key resource for local authorities seeking
        placements;
       convening members for example through a programme of quarterly General Meetings and providing
        updates on the policy landscape and professional development;
       undertaking research, publishing learning sets and good practice documents; and
       supporting our members with materials that enable them to meet Quality Standards.

VALUES
As an organisation, ICHA believes that we make a difference to Residential Child Care (RCC) and our values are to be
expressed in the work that we do:

       Passionate
       Leading
       Catalyst for change
       Transparent
       Collaborative

VISION
Our vision is to lead, promote, sustain and grow ICHA as an important and influential body for the independent
Residential Child Care sector through acting in a leadership role as spokesperson, representative and advocate
serving its members and representing their interests and voice.

STRUCTURE
ICHA is member led and governed by a committee of 19, nominated by members. Each committee member takes a
lead on certain operational and strategic issues – such as the annual conference, membership, children’s rights,
political activity, press and publicity. It has Sub-Committees focusing on Research & Development, Contracts and
Commissioning and Finance.

The organisation is run by an executive team led by the Chief Executive, who is supported by a Deputy CEO and a
Finance & Administrative Coordinator.

There is an office base in Birmingham but the executives mostly work remotely.

02 THE ROLE
PURPOSE OF POST
       Set the agenda for positive change and provide leadership for the organisation ensuring that it
        acts as, and is acknowledged as, the voice Residential Child Care in England and Wales

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Strategic management and leadership Inspire, motivate and develop the membership and workforce in
an inclusive way so that there is a sense of ownership of the mission and objectives, and a commitment to
the continual improvement in the quality of service delivery.

       Ensure that the ICHA can respond flexibly and positively to identify new opportunities, and that
        the organisation is financially sustainable through the development of a range funding streams in
        addition to income generation activities in line with the fundraising strategy.

       Ensure that ICHA is efficient and effective and works within policies agreed by the committee, and
        is a model of good practice in organisational management

       Identify, advise and act upon major external changes that affect the work of ICHA.

Managing the Organisation

       Ensure that ICHA has in place the necessary infrastructure to achieve its strategic objectives.

       Ensure that the organisation has inspired and properly trained staff who are well-led, commercial,
        informed and stimulated to undertake their roles with enthusiasm.

       Ensure that ICHAs commitment to equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory practice are
        upheld both as an employer and provider of services.

       Work closely regarding the culture, ethos and working practices leading the process of change
        and promoting best practise in organisational development

       Ensure that the organisation meets all legislative and regulatory requirements and that staff are
        advised of their responsibilities in this regard.

       Manage and control the financial health and expenditure of ICHA in line with the annual budget
        as approved by the committee.

Advocacy and Partnerships

       Represent and advocate on behalf of the organisation as appropriate to governments,
        stakeholders and members, building partnerships and working relationships that assist the
        organisation to achieve its strategic objectives, and acting as the chief spokesperson on all
        matters relating to RCC

       Ensure that the organisation develops relationships with governments, partners key stakeholders
        and the voluntary sector that assist in achieving the strategic objectives and to encourage
        partnership working.

       Ensuring the iterative collective ICHA consultation processes and leading on the preparation of
        the ICHA responses to Government’s consultation papers, sometimes jointly with other similar

organisations , especially The National Association of Independent Schools & Non-Maintained
          Special Schools (NASS) and the Nationwide Association of Fostering Providers (NAFP).

Marketing & Communications

         Effectively promote and raise the profile of residential child care to members, stakeholders, the
          general public and government agencies;

         Ensure that there is a clear, managed policy on relations with the media and that ICHA is
          represented in a professional manner that gives a positive corporate image to the public.

         Plan and delivery the weekly e-bulletin, Annual Commissioners Handbook, website content and other
          materials

Membership

         Develop a membership strategy and provide support and oversight to the administrator in the
          recruitment of members

         Ensure that the organisation understands, and is responsive to, the needs and views of all its
          members.

         Direct advice and support to members facing regulatory, financial, operational and other issues

Working with the Committee

         Work closely with the Chair to ensure that the committee sets the vision for the organisation, and
          to ensure that the committee is deeply engaged in setting and achieving an agreed strategy for
          the organisation.

         Ensure that the committee receive timely reports and advice fit for purpose to enable it to
          regularly review the ICHAs mission, strategic objectives, and to monitor annual work plans, key
          performance indicators and the financials.

         Advise committee on matters where ICHA should have a policy.

         Prepare plans and ensure budgets obtain the agreement of the committee.

         To ensure the trustee board receives timely and appropriate advice on matters relevant to the
          discharge of their responsibilities.

General

         Undertake such other responsibilities as requested by the committee.

         Work professionally, cooperatively and innovatively to lead ICHA.

03 PERSON SPECIFICATION
The CEO should be an experienced leader, who has a genuine commitment to ICHA’s objectives, code of
practice and mission statement, maintaining its ethos and providing vision, and have the following skills
and attributes:

       Demonstrate leadership, management and organisational skills, including fairness, impartiality
        and openness to new ideas and information.
       The ability to think and operate strategically.
       The ability to work closely with the Executive Committee and members, building positive working
        relationships in a constructive and consultative environment, looking for and acknowledging the
        contribution of others.
       The ability to influence people positively, in order to achieve results that are in the best interest of
        ICHA.

Candidates for this role should meet all or most of the following criteria’

Knowledge and experience

   Demonstrable leadership and senior management experience including a track record in successfully handling
    sensitive managerial issues
   Strong evidence of formulating, leading and implementing strategies and managing change
   Knowledge of Residential Child Care (RCC) theory and practice, and of the policy areas and context in which
    ICHA operates
   A strong successful track record of building and maintaining partnerships within and across organisations,
    sectors and countries and of promoting an organisation through high profile, external networks; prior
    knowledge and experience of working with Whitehall would be highly desirable
   Proven experience of communicating complex ideas to a wide variety of stakeholders at different levels
   Demonstrable track record as an organisational spokesperson including experience and confidence in public
    speaking, report-writing and dealing with press and media
   Experience of fundraising and/or business development
   Experience of developing new approaches, business opportunities and/or services
   Experience of budgets and financial planning and a high level of financial management competence

Skills and abilities

   Visionary leader who is passionate about raising the profile of improving the lives of children and young people
    in RCC, and Children in Care generally
   Talented strategist with the ability to lead, motivate, innovate and manage change
   Ability to represent the organisation externally at all levels, inspiring credibility and confidence
   Excellent effective communication and presentation skills including the ability to communicate well with a
    variety of audiences, requiring a variety of styles and settings, both public and private
   Ability to build strong relationships, network at all levels of society and government and to understand the
    political and professional agenda
   Ability to develop and maintain good working relationships with stakeholders and other organisations on a local
    and national level
   A high level of motivation as well as enthusiasm and the ability to inspire and motivate others
   Ability to problem solve using sound judgement and to gain support for conclusions

   Ability to make effective use of supervision
   Ability to work quickly with complex information across a wide range of areas
   Capability to operate independently
   Ability to prioritise and manage a varied and demanding workload, and to meet deadlines
   Ability to innovate and bring new creative ideas to the organisation
   Computer literacy skills including a good knowledge of Word, Power Point and Excel

Qualifications

   Initial or higher degree or relevant higher qualification
   Professional development undertaken to maintain up to date knowledge in selected field

Personal attributes

   Commitment to the ICHA’s mission statement, code of practice and values
   Excellent interpersonal skills: a sense of humour and warmth of personality
   A strong communicator, with an ability to communicate effectively in different contexts and to different
    audiences
   Creativity, resilience and optimism
   Resilience – ability to maintain commitment in the face of discouragement and apparent lack of progress
   Honesty, integrity, loyalty
   Strong and evidenced commitment to diversity and equality of opportunities
   Willingness to be flexible in response to the needs of the organisation and to take on appropriate new
    responsibilities, work flexible hours and to travel as required including overnight
   Commitment to support, learning, feedback and development for staff and to own personal development
   Evidence of higher qualification in subject area related to professional role and/or other management
    qualification

04 TERMS OF APPOINTMENT
   The CEO will have use of ICHA’s small office space in Birmingham but the role will be primarily involve
    home based working.

   The post holder will need to be willing and able to work flexible hours and to travel regularly, mainly in
    the UK, with occasional overnight stays

   The successful candidate will be subject to the appropriate DBS checks.

   The post is offered on the basis of a full-time, permanent contract.

   The salary will be negotiated with the preferred candidate.

   30 days annual leave

It is the nature of the ICHA that tasks and responsibilities are in many circumstances unpredictable and
varied. ICHA is a small staff team and everyone is expected to work together as a team, contributing to
shared tasks, as well as taking personal responsibility for their own area of work. All employees are
therefore expected to work in a flexible way when the occasion arises and undertake tasks that are not
specifically covered in their job description. The completion of the tasks to meet current demands is the
understanding of this role.

Probationary Period

6 months – during the probationary period the employment can be terminated with one months’ notice from either
party. Beyond this period, 3 months’ notice is required.

Review

This job description will be reviewed at least once per year and may be subject to amendment or modification at any
time after consultation. It is not a comprehensive statement of procedures and tasks but sets out the main
expectations of ICHA in relation to the post holder’s professional responsibilities and duties.

HOW TO APPLY
Saxton Bampfylde Ltd is acting as an employment agency advisor to ICHA on this appointment.

Candidates should apply for this role through our website at www.saxbam.com/jobs using code JABATA.

Click on the ‘apply’ button and follow the instructions to upload a CV and cover letter, and complete the
application and equal opportunities monitoring* form.

The closing date for applications is noon on Thursday 11th October 2018.

* The equal opportunities monitoring online form will not be shared with anyone involved in assessing your
application. Please complete as part of the application process.