Most Registered Manager roles ask you to run a home. This one asks you to create one. We're looking for an experienced leader ready to shape culture, design spaces, build a team, and pioneer trauma-informed care for children with complex learning and physical disabilities from day one. If you've ever felt constrained by someone else's vision, this is your chance to lead by your own
You're walking into a blank canvas. A new 2-bed home, waiting for your fingerprints. You'll work alongside your Deputy Manager to establish everything: the daily rhythms, the physical spaces, the way your team talks about the children, how safeguarding lives in every decision. This isn't maintaining someone else's creation. This is building something that reflects your values and expertise
The children coming to the home have complex needs - learning disabilities, physical disabilities, often trauma histories that demand a thoughtful, therapeutic approach. You'll champion PACE principles and trauma-informed care across every interaction. Your leadership sets the tone: kind, smart, brave, safe. The relationships your team builds will matter more than any inspection report, though the inspection reports will sing
You'll lead quality assurance that actually means something. Regulation 44 reviews, manager audits, safeguarding culture, Statement of Purpose compliance - these aren't boxes to tick. They're evidence that you're delivering exceptional experiences and real outcomes for the children in your care. You'll supervise your team, conduct appraisals, and champion continuous professional development because growth matters: theirs and yours
This role comes with genuine support for your own development. The provider backs the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management if that's your next step, and the culture is built on learning, innovation, and adaptation. You're joining a small organisation where your impact is visible, your voice is heard, and your leadership directly shapes what happens in the home every single day
What you will be doing
- Lead quality assurance and ensure the home meets the home Regulations 2015, Statement of Purpose standards, and SCCIF expectations at all times, implementing effective plans for continuous improvement
- Manage the full placement referral process: review information, arrange visits to children's homes and schools (with travel and overnight stays as needed), and ensure careful matching and transitions
- Establish and sustain a strong safeguarding culture, creating a home that is genuinely safe to live and work in, with trauma-informed, PACE-based practice woven through all care
- Lead supervisions, appraisals, team meetings, and professional development, building a team that grows together and reflects the organisation's values
- Conduct Regulation 44 quality of care reviews and manager audits, champion the voice of the child in all quality assurance, and manage budgets to ensure financial sustainability without compromising care standards
- Participate in senior out-of-hours on-call rota and regular on-call cover as required
Why you will love working here
- Build a home from scratch - shape the culture, design the spaces, recruit your team, and establish the ethos that will define this place for years to come
- Leadership that matters in a small organisation where your decisions have visible, direct impact on the lives of the children and the working lives of your team
- Genuine investment in your professional development, including support towards your Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management, plus sector-specific training and continuous learning
- A workplace built on kind and smart values: a supportive, empowering environment where your growth is the priority, not an afterthought
Is this you?
- You hold a Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for the provider, or you're genuinely willing and eager to work towards it
- You have at least 2 years' experience in a management or senior role within a children's residential home, and you understand what good looks like
- You've worked with children and young people with complex physical, emotional and learning needs, and you see their complexity as richness, not burden
- You're a strong analytical thinker with genuine problem-solving capability - the kind of manager who spots patterns, asks the right questions, and finds workable solutions
- Your writing and IT skills are solid, your communication with external agencies is professional and clear, and you can document care planning and outcomes with real quality and rigour
Applications close on 12 October 2026. Great roles like this are filled quickly, so the sooner you apply the better.
Safeguarding: We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. All roles are subject to an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references.