Job Description:

Join this small, family run, therapeutic residential childcare provider with the mission to support younger children into their forever foster families!

• Job Title: Senior Children’s Residential Support Worker
• Therapeutic Farmhouse: 3 Bedded EBD home rated “Good in all areas”
• Niche: YPs aged 5-12 on admission & preparation for long term foster care
• Location: Great Haywood, Staffordshire (ST18)
• Overall package: £32,774 - £35,524 p/a (based on 7-8 sleep-ins per month)
• Fully funded Level 4 in Residential Childcare & Level 5 in Leadership & Management
• Rota: Flexible 4 Week Rota, 8am – 10pm / sleep + finish at 10am (9:30am start on weekends)

Who will you be working for?

Owned and directed by an experienced Residential Childcare professional with over 20 years working within residential children’s settings, this organisation is well established and has now been operational for over 11 years. They are a purposely small, family run company with a truly therapeutic approach and an inspiring mission to support younger children on a medium-term basis (oftentimes siblings) aged 5-12 on admission to find their forever foster families. Their overall aims are always to prevent placement breakdowns and nurture these children to successfully transition out of residential care and into a more sustainable and nourishing adolescence.

The home itself is a large and gorgeous farmhouse property, registered as a 3 Bedded EBD home and rated “Good in all areas”. The Registered Manager is incredibly experienced and has progressed from Support Worker through to their current role in the 8 years they’ve spent with the company. They are currently looking for resilient and nurturing residential childcare practitioners that feel they can make a real difference to the trajectory of a young person’s journey in care.

The Package & Benefits:

• Basic pay: £26,750 - £29,500 per annum, depending on experience and qualifications, plus £62.75 per sleep-in on top
• Overall package: Earn up to £35,524 per annum, based on 8 sleep-ins per month
• Team Culture: the team are happy to “scratch each other’s backs” with shift swaps and coverage
• Training & Qualifications: Opportunity to complete a fully funded & accredited Level 4 in Residential Childcare, followed by a Level 5 in Leadership and Management qualification, therapeutic parenting training, and more!
• Rota: Completed and given a month in advance, and shifts operate 8am-10pm, plus sleep-ins and finish after the school run and handover at 10am (so you know that there are never any issues with this when you arrive!)
• Weekend lie-ins: Shifts start at 9:30am on a weekend!
• Truly therapeutic approach: Monthly clinical supervisions with a clinical psychologist and training and organisation often employ packages based on the needs of young people, e.g. play therapy
• Progression Opportunities: Real opportunities for progression as the company expands with a second home
• Holiday: 5.6 weeks (28 days) of paid annual leave, including bank holidays
• Additional Benefits: earn up to £500 per referral with the Refer-a-Friend bonus scheme, access to Blue Light Card, and more!

What Will The Role Entail?

As a Senior Children’s Residential Support Worker, you will be the backbone of the staff team whilst on shift. You will pull from your experience working in children’s homes to manage and lead your passionate team to ensure smooth operation of the home and second-to-none delivery of care for young people.

The Successful Senior Children’s Residential Support Worker Candidate Will Excel At:

• Communicating effectively with young people, your colleagues, families, and external professionals. Shift-leading, problem-solving, and being calm under pressure is vital for a Senior.
• Key-working with young people, considering their thoughts, wishes, and feelings, promoting life skills and independence, encouraging them to engage in education, activities, and hobbies. Most importantly, readying them for adult life when they leave care.
• Developing and reviewing Ofsted required paperwork such as care plans, behaviour support plans, and risk assessments, to name a few.
• Following Ofsted’s regulations related to Quality Standards and understanding safeguarding policies and procedures.
• Understanding the operations of the home regarding Health and Safety, medication administration, cleanliness and finances.

Requirements for the Senior Children’s Residential Support Worker role:

• 1+ year experience working specifically within a children’s home environment
• Level 3 or 4 Diploma in Residential Childcare (or working towards)
• Full UK Manual Driving Licence and access to a vehicle
• Flexibility to carry out the shift pattern described at the top of the advert, including sleep-ins
• A genuine passion for supporting the well-being and healthy development of young people

If you are keen to discuss the Senior Children’s Residential Support Worker vacancy further, have more questions, or this one isn’t quite the right fit, please don’t hesitate to reach out!

Any successful candidates will, as per Safer Recruitment guidelines, undergo an enhanced DBS check, references, and an employment history verification.