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SalaryWe are delighted to be recruiting for a Director to lead Respond, in our final year in our current strategy. This is also a new role, developed within the context of change following an in-principle agreement that Respond will join the Bild Group of charities in 2024.
Respond is entering its thirty fourth year as a charity and has grown from a small London based charity to a medium sized national charity in recent years. Our mission is to reduce the impact of trauma in the lives of people with learning disabilities and autistic people, by developing trusting relationships, through psychotherapeutically informed services.
As Director you will be the clinical and safeguarding lead across Bild group and will lead Respond to fulfil its mission of reducing the impact of trauma in the lives of people with learning disabilities, autistic people and their families. You will champion our highly regarded trauma informed advocacy and psychotherapy services and ensure appropriate clinical governance processes are in place. You will also work in collaboration with Bild to continue to develop the Respond branded training and consultation service and develop key stakeholder relationships within the sector, enhancing Responds reputation, encouraging partnership working and supporting the diversification of income generation.
It is an exciting time to join Respond as we join Bild group of charities. We recognise that this is a specialist leadership role for someone who is passionate about reducing the impact of trauma in the lives of autistic people and people with learning disabilities and their families.
Therefore, this new role may attract candidates with a variety of skills and experiences, and we’re keen to encourage diversity, inclusion and authenticity across Respond in line with our ongoing work within our EDI action plan. So, you may be a specialist from the Violence Against Women and Girls sector (VAWG), a Psychotherapist, an Arts Therapist, a Healthcare professional or Social Worker for example within significant transferable leadership experience.
If you’re enthusiastic about this opportunity but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every requirement in the person specification, we encourage you to apply anyway and demonstrate how your experience is transferrable. You may be just the right candidate. We really look forward to hearing from you.
About the Bild Group
Bild is a national charity that, for over 50 years, has protected and supported the rights of people with learning disabilities to build a more fair and equal society where everyone has the same opportunities.
The Bild Group of charities includes Bild, the Restraint Reduction Network and Bild Association of Certified Training. Bild is delighted to be welcoming Respond to the Bild Group in 2024. Each is an independent charity with their own governance arrangements, who share a number of back-office functions including communications, admin, HR and IT.
Collectively, the Bild Group work with people with lived experience to promote best practice, improve lives, champion human rights and build a more inclusive society that empowers and enables people to thrive.
Further information about Respond
An important part of our work at Respond is working in a trauma-informed way. What this means for us is that we hold in mind the impact of trauma at all levels of the organisation, and all staff take part in reflective practice.
We provide a range of trauma-informed services for children, young people, adults and professionals. These include psychotherapy, advocacy, campaigning, training and other support services. The work we do is generally long term in recognition of research that clients with autism and learning disabilities who have experienced abuse and trauma take longer to process their trauma and to recover.
We are keen to encourage applications from a diverse range of candidates including people with lived experience, who are both interested in working in partnership to provide support, as well as supporting people with learning disabilities and autistic people who have experienced trauma.
We are committed to the furthering of human rights, equality, and positive social change through our therapeutic and advocacy work and are committed to anti-racism and other forms of anti-discriminatory practice. We recognise that we need to continually keep this as a focus in our work and as an integral part of our organisational strategy.
We celebrate diversity as an employer and as a provider of services to people who often experience multiple discriminations because of (but not limited to) being autistic or having a learning disability and experiences of trauma.
Respond Benefits package (all per financial year)
We offer a generous and comprehensive package of flexible benefits to all of our staff.
Hybrid working model, which means that if you’re full time you make a commitment to be working in the office at least two days a week, with the remainder working from home. Part time hours are altered accordingly.
Generous paid leave benefits including 28.5 days holiday (plus Bank Holidays), with some to be taken between Christmas and New year.
Up to 4 weeks paid sickness leave at full pay and a further 4 weeks at half pay,
Discretionary study leave to support training relevant to your role.
Paid leave to employees who may need to take one day off a year when a religious festival falls on a workday.
Up to 5 days paid time off for dependents per financial year.
Opportunity to apply for up to 2 days (14 hours) paid leave per year to participate in volunteering activities relevant to the role.
Access to a workplace pension scheme, administered by NEST, with a minimum 5% employee contribution and 3% employer contribution from commencement of employment.
Access to our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) which includes 24/7 telephone service and counselling.
Note all of the above days per annum stated are pro rata’d for part time employees.
If you’d like to find out more about this role, please read through the job description and our person specification. When you apply, please send a CV and address the points in the person specification in an accompanying supporting statement. Your statement should be no more than 2 sides of A4.
To find out more or for an informal conversation please contact Georgina Hoare the Interim CEO via ceo @ respond. org. uk
Deadline for applications – Thursday 11th July 9am
Interviews w/c 15th July 2024
Stage One - online
Stage Two - in person, in London 18th July
