Job description
Children's Residential Support Worker – Northampton | Permanent | Immediate Start
About the Role
We are looking for caring, resilient and dedicated Children’s Residential Support Workers to join our team. You will provide high-quality care, support and guidance to children and young people living in a residential setting.
The role involves creating a safe, nurturing and positive environment where children and young people can develop emotionally, socially and practically. You will work as part of a team to support their individual needs, promote independence and help them achieve positive outcomes.
This is a shift-based role, and candidates must be able to work flexible hours, including evenings, weekends, bank holidays, school holidays and sleep-in duties. Sleep-in duties are an essential part of the role and candidates must be comfortable staying overnight at the residential home when required.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide day-to-day care, support and supervision to children and young people.
- Build positive, trusting and professional relationships with children and young people.
- Support young people with their emotional, social and behavioural needs.
- Promote independence, confidence and personal development.
- Follow individual care plans, risk assessments and safeguarding procedures.
- Support children with education, appointments, activities and community engagement.
- Encourage positive behaviour and use appropriate behaviour-management strategies.
- Respond appropriately to challenging or distressed behaviour.
- Maintain accurate and up-to-date records, including daily logs and incident reports.
- Work effectively with colleagues, social workers, families, schools and other professionals.
- Participate in team meetings, supervision and training.
- Support children and young people with routines such as meals, personal care, medication where trained and authorised, and household activities.
- Ensure the home remains safe, clean, welcoming and appropriately maintained.
- Follow Ofsted, safeguarding and organisational policies and procedures.
- Work flexible shifts according to the needs of the children and the residential home.
- Undertake sleep-in duties, including remaining at the home overnight when required.
- Work evenings, weekends, bank holidays and school holidays, including Christmas and other holiday periods where required.
- Provide consistent support throughout periods when children and young people are not attending school or other activities.
Essential Qualifications & Experience
- Level 3 qualification relevant to Children and Young People, such as:
- Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England)
- Level 3 Diploma for Children and Young People’s Workforce
- Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare
- Level 3 Children, Young People and Families Practitioner
- Another relevant Level 3 childcare, health and social care or youth work qualification, subject to suitability.
- Experience working with children or young people in a professional setting.
- Understanding of safeguarding and child protection.
- Knowledge of children’s emotional, social and developmental needs.
- Ability to maintain professional boundaries.
- Good written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to work effectively as part of a team.
- Willingness to complete mandatory and role-specific training.
- Willingness and ability to undertake sleep-in duties.
- Ability to work flexible hours, including evenings, weekends, bank holidays and school holidays.
Desirable Experience
- Previous experience within a children’s residential home.
- Experience supporting children or young people with challenging or complex behaviours.
- Experience working with children who have experienced trauma, neglect or adverse childhood experiences.
- Experience working within a regulated care environment.
- Experience with care plans, risk assessments and incident reporting.
- Knowledge of therapeutic or trauma-informed approaches.
- Experience working with looked-after children / children in care.
- Experience liaising with social workers, schools, health professionals and families.
Personal Qualities
The successful candidate will be:
- Caring and compassionate.
- Patient and emotionally resilient.
- Reliable and dependable.
- Calm under pressure.
- Consistent and able to maintain boundaries.
- Non-judgemental and respectful.
- A strong communicator.
- Proactive and solution focused.
- Comfortable working with challenging behaviour.
- Committed to safeguarding and improving outcomes for children and young people.
- Flexible and willing to work around the needs of the children and the residential home.
- Comfortable undertaking overnight sleep-in duties.
- Available to work weekends, bank holidays and school holidays when required.
Working Pattern & Flexibility
This position requires a high level of flexibility due to the nature of residential childcare.
Candidates must be able to:
- Work a variety of shifts, including early and late shifts.
- Undertake sleep-in duties as part of the normal working pattern.
- Work evenings and weekends.
- Work on bank holidays and public holidays.
- Work during school holidays, including Christmas and other holiday periods.
- Adapt their working hours to meet the needs of the children and young people.
- Provide consistent care and support when children are not attending school.
Please note: Sleep-in duties and flexible working are essential requirements of this position. Applicants must be able to commit to the required shift pattern.
Compliance & Safeguarding
The successful candidate will be required to undertake appropriate DBS and safeguarding checks, provide suitable references and meet the organisation's safer recruitment requirements.
All employees are expected to follow safeguarding procedures, organisational policies and relevant regulatory requirements to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the children and young people in our care.
What We Offer
- Permanent, full-time position.
- Immediate start available.
- Ongoing support from GSL Education throughout the recruitment process.
- Opportunity to build a rewarding career supporting children with complex needs.
- A supportive therapeutic environment with opportunities for professional development.
Apply Now
If you're ready to make a genuine difference in the lives of children and young people, we'd love to hear from you.