Most care jobs leave you feeling like you're managing problems. This one? You'll be building lives. We're recruiting for a residential children's home where your day-to-day work means genuine safety, real progress and kids who know they matter. If you're the kind of person who sees potential in young people everyone else has given up on, this is for you
You'll be part of a small team running a children's home where every young person has a proper plan, proper oversight, and a member of staff (often you) who knows them inside out as their key worker. This isn't chaos management. It's structured, purposeful care. You'll help shape their days - supporting their education, celebrating their wins, helping them learn to manage their emotions and behaviour in ways that actually stick. You'll cook with them, take them out, sit with them when things get hard
The home operates within the home Regulations and National Minimum Standards. Your work gets monitored through proper inspections and regular reviews. That means the systems are there, the accountability is there, and you're never left guessing whether you're doing it right. You're part of a professional operation that takes child safeguarding seriously and backs its staff with training, supervision and clear guidance
You'll grow here too. There's a real performance management and learning development programme. You'll get supervision monthly, access to professional training, and a team leader and home manager who actually want to see you develop. You're not just working shifts; you're building a skillset and a reputation in a role that matters
What you will be doing
- Provide daily care, accommodation and support that meets each young person's physical, emotional, intellectual, social and cultural needs, working within their individual care and placement plans
- Act as key worker or co-worker for young people, updating care plans as their needs change, maintaining all records in full and passing written reports to the Registered Manager
- Establish warm, positive relationships with young people, helping them feel safe and secure; support them in managing their behaviour and emotions, and model pro-social conduct
- Handle the practical running of the home: cooking, cleaning, general maintenance and managing the home's vehicle safely and according to policy
- Contribute to safeguarding by following risk assessments, keeping them updated, reporting daily events confidentially and ensuring the home is prepared for Ofsted and other inspections
- Provide 1:1 emotional support, assist with education and extracurricular activities, and help young people work through past and present difficulties with positive guidance and advice
Why you will love working here
- Competitive salary on our pay scales, plus the knowledge that your work directly changes young people's lives
- Monthly supervision with a line manager who wants to develop you, plus a comprehensive learning and development programme and professional training
- A properly structured role with clear policies, procedures and safeguarding frameworks - you'll never be left guessing what's expected
- Key worker responsibility for young people, meaning real relationships, real impact and the chance to see your influence shape their progress
- Work within an organisation that takes Enhanced DBS disclosure seriously and operates to Ofsted and National Minimum Standards standards, so you know you're part of something credible and regulated
Is this you?
- Are you someone who can build genuine relationships with young people and show them unconditional positive regard, even when their previous placements haven't worked out?
- Do you understand the principles of the Children Act 1989 and National Minimum Standards, and are you comfortable working within formal regulations and care planning frameworks?
- Can you manage your own emotions and stay calm when behaviour is challenging, while consistently rewarding pro-social conduct and helping young people develop self-control?
- Are you organised enough to maintain accurate records, complete care plans, write reports and keep data secure, and willing to use both paper and electronic systems properly?
- Do you have the physical stamina and practical skills to handle cooking, cleaning and general home maintenance alongside the emotional labour of residential care work?
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.