Residential Support Worker

The Cumbria County Council; Penrith; On-site; GBP 34,000 - GBP 36,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government council in Penrith is seeking a passionate support worker to provide high-quality care to children and young people with disabilities. Your role will involve implementing care plans, arranging lively activities, and ensuring the well-being of the young individuals in a nurturing environment. You will ideally have experience in a residential setting and be committed to making a positive impact on their lives, ensuring they are supported and engaged in meaningful activities.

Benefits

Competitive pension scheme

Enhanced annual leave allowance

Discount schemes

Qualifications

• Experience working in a residential setting with children and young people.
• Willingness to work towards a Level 3 qualification.
• Good understanding of managing challenging behaviors.

Responsibilities

• Provide high-quality support to children and young people with SEND.
• Implement individual care plans and provide supervision.
• Plan and arrange exciting activities for children.

Skills

Experience with children and young people with disabilities

Exceptional communication skills

Ability to manage challenging behaviors

Education

Level 3 in Residential Childcare

Job description

Overview

Job reference REQ00000019526 Date posted 05/02/2026 Application closing date 05/03/2026 Location Penrith Salary £34,434 - £35,412

About this opportunity

21 Huntley Avenue is a short breaks service based in Penrith, Cumbria. We offer residential short breaks to children and young people with learning and physical disabilities, autism, and complex needs, including behaviours that challenge. We encourage inclusion, ensuring that the children and young people are part of the wider community, through outings and activities we aim to provide a fun and stimulating environments for all our young people.

Working in our Children’s Homes means being a part of a young person’s day to day life. This means being there for the highest highs and lowest lows. There will be challenges along the way but there will also be the smallest moments which feel like a huge, small victory! Our aim is to create the best possible outcome for the young people in our care. Our support workers are fulfilled by the idea of affecting even the smallest positive changes in our young people, so we celebrate the little things.

You will provide a high-quality service to children and young people with SEND. In this role you will work as part of a team to assess each child and young person’s needs implementing individual care plans/programmes and providing a level of supervision and support.

It’s about tapping into each young person’s needs, personality and potential and guiding them toward a positive future. You will arrange and plan exciting activities for the children, go-karting, theme parks, adventure days, evenings and weekends are for fun!

This is a highly rewarding role that can be challenging at times you will need to be confident self-motivated and really want to make a difference. You will get the chance to build close relationships with families and the young people in our short breaks home supporting them to have their voice heard in all aspects of their care planning and experience of staying at the home.

We are also proud to announce that 21 Huntley Avenue was rated Outstanding by OFSTED, which is a testament of our commitment to the young people we serve. By joining our team, you will be contributing to the caring and nurturing environment we aim to provide.

Who we are looking for

We are looking for someone with experience working with children and young people with disabilities, ideally within a residential setting. We would love for you to hold a Level 3 in Residential Childcare, however, we welcome applications from those who are passionate about making a difference in the lives of children and young people and willing to work towards achieving the qualification. A good knowledge and understanding around managing behaviours that challenge would also be key to this role as well as being an exceptional communicator able to build key relationships with both the children and young people and their families.

What can we offer you

Working at Westmorland and Furness Council you will receive a variety of benefits, including a competitive pension scheme, enhanced annual leave allowance and other various perks and discounts schemes. For more information about life at Westmorland and Furness Council and what we can offer you, please visit our Careers site. Our benefits | Careers (westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk)

Would you like to find out more?

For further information about this role, such as responsibilities and essential criteria please view the below attachments:

• Post Specification
• Role Profile

For more information about the roles available please contact Scott Henry, Registered Manager on 07880082249 or at [e-mail]

Application and Interview information

This is a rolling advert meaning applications will be considered as and when we receive them. If you are successfully shortlisted we will contact you directly to arrange an interview date and time.

We are currently operating both in-person and virtual interviews. Options will be discussed with candidates once they have been invited to the interview stage of the process for this specific position, and if you have any concerns or adjustments are needed, we are happy to discuss this with you.

Safer Recruitment & DBS

At Westmorland and Furness Council we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the safety and welfare of children, young people and adults at risk and we expect all workers, employees and volunteers to share our commitment.

This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974 and requires an enhanced DBS check with a Children’s Barred List check.

Please note this role involves working in regulated activity with Children. It is an offence for people who are barred from working in regulated activity to apply for roles that require them to work unsupervised with Children.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

Westmorland and Furness Council is committed to improving the diversity of its workforce to better reflect the communities we serve. We welcome applications from everyone and work to promote an inclusive, supportive culture that values and celebrates our differences.

As a Disability Confident Leader, disabled applicants, who meet the essential criteria of this job, are guaranteed an interview.

We also offer guaranteed interviews to Armed Forces personnel and veterans and those in care or care experienced and under 24 years old (someone who has been looked after by a local authority at any point, for any length of time, e.g. foster care, residential care, or under the guardianship of a local authority) that meet the essential criteria for the role.