Most residential placements feel transactional: children arrive, staff manage behaviours, paperwork gets done. But what if your role was to be part of something radically different - a home where deeply traumatised young people don't just settle, they transform? This is a chance to do social work that actually changes childhoods
Picture this: a child who has experienced the worst life can throw at them walks through the door. Within weeks, they're calling the place home, choosing how to decorate their room, and for the first time ever, feeling safe enough to talk about their trauma. That's what happens here. The home operates with a therapeutic re-parenting approach so consistent and empathetic that young people heal in ways previous placements never managed. You'll be part of a team that doesn't see challenging behaviour as a problem to contain, but as communication to understand and work with at the child's pace
This isn't about ticking boxes on a referral form. Staff here travel out of county to meet children before placement, producing beautiful information booklets, learning their interests, their worries, their dreams. They call Skylark their 'other home' - and that's the culture you'll be joining. Young people in your care don't just survive; they gain confidence, explore their identity with full support, and experience the kind of consistent, genuine attention that rewires their sense of belonging
You'll work alongside a team that genuinely respects the complexity of attachment and developmental trauma. When a young person decides to change how they're known, when they want to talk about sexuality or abuse, when they need a specific staff member to read them a bedtime story - that's normal, expected, and fully supported here. The home keeps young people occupied, builds their relationships with peers, and maintains transparent, regular contact with their social workers and families. This is residential care done with heart
What you will be doing
- Build genuine relationships with young people in care, understanding their individual histories of complex trauma and working at their pace to support exploration of difficult topics and identity
- Maintain regular, proactive contact with families and referring social workers, sharing updates, direct work progress, and celebrating the small and significant wins
- Contribute to the home's therapeutic re-parenting approach, modelling consistency, empathy and unconditional positive regard in everyday interactions
- Support placement stability by being present at key moments - settling in, building trust, and helping young people feel genuinely valued and understood within the home
Why you will love working here
- Join a home with a genuine family feel, where staff value their work so highly they call it their 'other home' - culture like that is rare and it matters
- Work in a beautiful, CQC-registered setting designed to help young people feel safe and to thrive, with consistent staffing and low turnover
- Be part of a team absolutely committed to positive outcomes and actively seeking feedback to get it right for each young person
- Make visible, meaningful impact - you'll see young people gain confidence, feel settled, and open up in ways previous placements never enabled
Is this you?
- You believe that behaviour is communication, not defiance, and you're drawn to understanding the 'why' beneath surface challenges
- You're experienced in working with young people who've experienced trauma, abuse, or multiple placement breakdowns - you know attachment wounds run deep and healing takes time
- You're genuinely curious about young people as individuals: their interests, their identity, their hopes - not just their case history
- You can work flexibly and collaboratively, comfortable being part of a team that puts relationship-building and emotional attunement above rigid procedures
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.