Most residential care roles trap you in the same shift pattern, year after year, with no real pathway up. This one is different: you'll step into a senior position where you're not just delivering care, you're leading a team, shaping practice, and building towards a Registered Manager role if that's where your ambition takes you. If you have solid RCW experience in SEMH and challenging behaviour settings, and you're ready to make a bigger impact, this is the opportunity that actually rewards that
Picture yourself walking into a home where every young person knows they matter. You're not just responding to crisis or ticking boxes; you're part of a team that actively builds safety, trust, and genuine belonging. Your experience with SEMH and challenging behaviours means you see what others miss: the kid who's testing boundaries is asking for structure, not punishment. You help the team shift from sanction-led thinking to therapeutic approaches that actually change lives. That's the work you'll be doing here every single day
Here's what makes this role different from the usual senior RCW post: you're supporting the manager in all aspects of running the home, and when they're away, you're stepping into their shoes. You'll manage staff teams, oversee budgets, ensure quality standards meet Ofsted expectations, handle wage submissions, liaise with social workers and health professionals, and attend case conferences and statutory reviews. This isn't shadowing; this is real leadership experience. If you're thinking about Registered Manager training down the line, this role is your launchpad
The home believes in building its people. You'll get a proper induction, continuous professional development opportunities, regular supervision, and a team that knows SEMH inside out. You're working alongside experienced staff and a senior management team who understand that supporting young people with complex needs requires therapists, not just carers. The rota is honest: 48 hours over six days on a rolling pattern including weekends and sleep-ins, so you know exactly what you're signing up for. The trade-off is a role with genuine scope to lead, develop others, and step into strategic responsibility
What you will be doing
- Support the manager in day-to-day operations, managing staff teams, budgets, and quality standards; cover the manager's role in their absence
- Directly support children and young people in care, promoting their physical, emotional, social, and mental health through a stable, therapeutic, non-sanction-led environment
- Lead safeguarding practice, establishing professional relationships with social workers, health professionals, education providers, and local authorities; attend meetings, case conferences, and statutory reviews
- Contribute to care planning, behaviour support, and positive boundary-setting; be a consistent role model for staff and young people
- Complete reporting, care documentation, and (when needed) wage submissions; bring concerns to the manager or senior team immediately
- Support young people to overcome barriers to education and social inclusion, and help them through transitions and towards vocational goals
Why you will love working here
- A genuine senior role with real leadership responsibility: you're not just delivering care, you're managing teams and learning manager-level skills every shift
- A clear pathway towards Registered Manager training if that's your ambition; this provider invests in developing their staff
- Comprehensive induction, ongoing CPD opportunities, and regular supervision to develop your practice in SEMH and therapeutic care
- Work in a home that values a non-sanction-led, therapeutic ethos where young people are at the centre and staff are treated as professionals
Is this you?
- You have solid senior RCW experience in a residential children's setting, ideally working with SEMH and young people with challenging behaviours
- You're comfortable with responsibility: managing staff, contributing to budgets, and stepping into a manager's shoes when required, with an eye on Registered Manager development
- You're a natural safeguarder and relationship-builder; you know how to liaise with social workers, health professionals, and placing authorities, and you can hold young people and staff with care and firmness
- You're familiar with Home Regulations (2018), Ofsted inspection frameworks, and The Children's Act 2004; you work within policy and regulation without losing sight of the child at the centre
- You can work 48 hours over six days including weekends and sleep-ins on a rotating rota, and you're ready for the physical and emotional demands of residential life
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.