Most care jobs feel like you're doing the same shifts as everyone else, fighting fatigue and watching the same four walls. This role is different: you could compress your whole working week into just 2-3 days with sleep-in shifts, giving you real freedom while you change children's lives. Sound impossible? It's not
Picture this. You arrive at the home on a Tuesday afternoon. One of the children has had a rough week at school, but over a baking session in the kitchen, you watch them slowly relax. By evening, they're laughing. That night, as the house settles, your presence alone gives them the security they need to sleep soundly. Small moments, massive impact
These children have faced trauma, ADHD, autism, complex emotional needs. They don't need perfection; they need someone steady, patient, and genuinely present. You'll be the person who helps them build confidence, who drives them to Saunton Sands or out exploring the community, who notices when they're struggling and knows how to listen. Over time, you watch them flourish
The team here invests in you from day one. If you don't have a childcare qualification yet, they'll fund it within your first two years. You'll get comprehensive training, access to therapies support and reflective practice sessions to process the hard days, and genuine wellbeing provision including a monthly confidential check-in clinic. This is a provider that knows caring is a craft worth developing
What you will be doing
- Create a warm, home-like environment: help with morning routines, prepare meals, keep the home welcoming and safe for children facing social and emotional challenges including trauma and neurodivergence
- Be present and dependable during waking hours and overnight shifts: support children through their day, offer encouragement during homework, join in with activities from games to baking to days out, and provide the stability they need when things are tough
- Take the children out into the community: with a valid driving licence and the provider's vehicles, you'll transport them to local attractions, parks, the beach - wherever they need to go
- Monitor development and keep records: update systems, maintain plans, document progress - all the paperwork that keeps care safe and accountable. Training is provided
- Work flexibly across 2-3 day blocks with sleep-in shifts: you'll be part of the 24-hour rota, sleeping at the home when needed, which means you can compress your full week and keep the rest of your life yours
Why you will love working here
- 28 days annual leave plus an extra day off for your birthday after your first year - plus the freedom to compress your working week into 2-3 days, so you genuinely get your life back
- Real additional income: up to £6,183 per year in sleep-in allowance on top of your £27,248 - £28,288 salary (based on 10 sleep-ins per month), plus a pension scheme where the provider adds 3% on top of your 5%
- Comprehensive development: funded qualification training, group reflective practice sessions, monthly confidential wellbeing clinics with the therapies team, and access to mental health and wellbeing support because this work is demanding and they know it
- Practical perks: Blue Light Card discounts, Cycle2Work scheme, enhanced DBS paid for by the provider, and after 12 months, Medicash health cover (including immediate GP access) plus life assurance at 2x your salary
- A team that genuinely cares: you'll work in a 'village-like' community of people who are passionate about making a difference, not just filling shifts
Is this you?
- Are you patient, compassionate and genuinely resilient? You understand that children who've experienced trauma may have big feelings or challenging behaviour - and you don't take it personally
- Do you communicate well, both speaking and writing? You'll be talking to different people constantly and need to keep plans and records clear and up to date
- Do you hold a valid UK driving licence? You'll need to drive the children to school, activities, appointments and adventures. No licence yet? The provider has transport covered
- Are you flexible about your rota and willing to sleep at the home during shifts? This is how you can work your full week in just 2-3 days instead of spread across five
- Do you not yet have a childcare or residential childcare qualification? That's fine - the provider will fund it for you, and you'll have two years to complete it with their full support
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.