Most care roles ask you to manage chaos on a shoestring. This one is different: you'll be helping to build something from the ground up, in a brand new 2-bed therapeutic home where your leadership will genuinely shape how things work. If you're an experienced care worker who's ready to step up and make real decisions about staffing, standards and the lives of young people aged 8-17, this is the role that will use everything you know
You'll be joining a home that's deliberately minimal restrictions and education-focused, which means you're not just managing crisis: you're enabling independence. The young people here are supported 24/7 by a properly trained team, and your job is to make sure that team is sharp, aligned and doing the best work of their careers. You'll deputise for the manager, chair young people's meetings, chair child protection when needed, and build the systems that let staff actually do their job well
This provider is growing deliberately: they're building towards a group of homes over the next 5-7 years, which means your experience and ideas about what works will be heard and acted on. You're not inheriting a broken culture; you're helping to create one from scratch. That's rare and it matters
The rota is 2 days on, 4 days off, rolling pattern with sleep-in shifts available, and the salary is £25k-£30k depending on your experience. You'll get 224 hours of annual leave, enhanced pay for overtime, access to training, your DBS paid for, and a Blue Light card that gives you genuine discounts on everything from holidays to cars. The pension and sick pay are in place too
What you will be doing
- Manage and support a team of senior residential social workers, residential care workers and admin staff, offering supervision and modelling what good practice looks like day to day
- Deputise for the manager when they're not there, making decisions about resource management, child protection concerns and complaints, and representing the home in meetings with parents, social workers and other professionals
- Undertake direct work with the young people as appropriate, chairing their meetings, making sure their voice shapes how the home works, and acting as an appropriate role model
- Ensure every young person has an allocated key worker and that every member of staff knows what's in each child's placement plan and how to deliver it
- Contribute to continuous improvement by devising and evaluating changes with your team, creating the systems and atmosphere where both staff and young people can actually grow
Why you will love working here
- Salary of £25k-£30k depending on experience, plus enhanced pay for any overtime you pick up
- A genuine work-life balance: 2 days on, 4 days off on a rolling rota, with 224 hours of annual leave and sleep-in shifts available if you want them
- Full investment in your development: access to relevant and up-to-date training, your DBS check and renewals all paid for, and a clear opportunity to grow as the provider expands
- Real perks that matter: Blue Light card discounts on high street shopping, days out, gifts, holidays and even cars, plus a staff referral bonus of £250 once someone completes probation
- The chance to help build something new: a home and eventually a group where your leadership and ideas actually shape how things work, not just how they're managed
Is this you?
- You have substantial experience as a residential care worker and you're ready to step into a leadership role: you've managed staff, supported colleagues through supervision, and you know what good practice looks like under pressure
- You understand child safeguarding and child protection procedures inside out, and you can manage concerns, complaints and PACE interviews with confidence and clarity
- You're driven by the idea of independence and growth for young people, not just crisis management, and you can build an open, supportive atmosphere where everyone does their best work
- You're comfortable with direct work alongside young people aged 8-17 and you can be the role model this team needs: someone who walks the talk and earns respect by showing up
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.