Senior Residential Childcare Workers

Hertfordshire Local Area Partnership; England; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

A local authority partnership in England is seeking a Senior Residential Childcare Worker to oversee shifts and support young people in care. This role requires a Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare and experience in a similar setting. Responsibilities include managing staff, planning activities, and ensuring the home meets regulatory standards. The position offers a starting salary of £38,220, progressing to £41,771 per annum, with additional sleep-in allowances.

Benefits

6% market enhancement

Sleep in allowances

Opportunities for additional hours

Qualifications

• Minimum 9-12 months of experience in a residential children's home.
• Full driving license and business insurance.
• Willingness to undertake shift work.

Responsibilities

• Lead shifts and manage residential childcare workers.
• Plan weekly activities for young residents.
• Ensure compliance with regulations.

Skills

Residential childcare experience

Leadership skills

Effective communication

Flexibility in working hours

Education

Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare or equivalent

Job description

Job Title

Senior Residential Childcare Worker

Salary and Hours

Starting Salary: £38,220 progressing to £41,771 per annum + 6% market enhancement*

Hours: 37 hours per week

Contract Type

Permanent

Sleep In Allowances

Sleep In allowances are paid at £40 per night. There are opportunities to work additional hours and overtime across the Service.

About the Team

Hertfordshire County Council has its own residential service for children, consisting of 7 homes, including 2 very specialist homes, 1 disability home and the rest mainstream multi‑bedded homes.

All homes are currently sitting on Ofsted ratings of good or outstanding.

Each home is made up of Registered Manager, Deputy, Senior Residential Childcare Workers, Residential Childcare Workers, cleaners and home administrators.

As a Senior within the residential service there will be times you are asked to support other homes.

About the Role

Below are some of the things you could say about your role on a day‑to‑day basis working in our Residential Care homes:

• “It’s the best job in the World”
• “The work life balance is brilliant”
• “I am at home more than I am at work – both families benefit”
• “Thanks for running me a bath” – is what made me smile today – win/win.

If you really want to make a difference to a young person’s life then read on…

It is hard to put a job title on a role where you are mentor, teacher, coach, deliverer of parental guidance, role model, therapist, counsellor, and family liaison, often all in the same day.

Daily you will be liaising with a host of individuals and services, from our young person’s family to schools and education authorities, social workers, police and a whole range of other internal and external contacts.

The essence of the role is to support, almost as an extension of the family, one young person to help them develop into adulthood as effectively as possible, establishing routine, boundaries and consistency in a calm, non‑judgemental manner. You will work with children and young people who display challenging behaviour due to early life trauma.

No two days are the same in our Residential Service – on your working days you could be taking your young person horse‑riding, painting, for a drive, for a walk, out shopping, or attending virtual schools. You will support children to achieve and grow through positive experiences.

Our commitment to young people in our care is to be there around the clock for them. As part of your role you will complete relevant paperwork and work within relevant legislation.

You will be part of a team working on a shift/rota basis; you will work together with the rest of the team, and your senior, to organise this in advance. Due to the nature of our care, there may be occasions where you need to swap shifts and working together with your team we can achieve this flexibility.

Responsibilities

• Shift work including evening weekends, bank holiday and sleep in duties.
• Lead and manage shifts.
• Plan weekly activities for the young people.
• Ensure the home is working to the regulations.
• Line manage and supervise Residential Childcare Workers (RCWs).
• Train and develop RCWs.
• Report writing.
• Undertake specialist training for the role.
• Oversee the children’s files, ensuring all documentation is up to date and relevant.
• Manage incidents.
• Maintain the safety of the young people, staff and home.
• Manage and report safeguarding concerns in line with policy and procedure.

About You

Essential

• Minimum 9‑12 month experience of working in a residential children’s home.
• Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare or equivalent.
• Hold a full driving licence and business insurance.
• Lead and manage shifts.
• Willingness to undertake shift work.

Desirable

• Staff supervision experience.
• Attending/leading meetings with key stakeholders.
• Working with families.

Legal and Equality Statements

We welcome applications from candidates who currently reside in the UK with established proof of right to work documentation. We are not able to offer sponsorship at this time for this role.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

This role has been identified as requiring a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check.

You’ll need to have the ability to drive and/or travel around Hertfordshire, either using your own mode of transport or a company car to travel to other locations.

The ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post. (For those whose language is a signed language the provision of a sign language interpreter who speaks English to the necessary standard of fluency will be required). Further information about the legal requirement can be found here.

Contact

If you would like to hear more about this opportunity please contact Sabika Sabeen ([e-mail]) or call 07515 663033 for an informal discussion about the role.

How to Apply

As part of your application, please upload your most recent CV. Ensure your CV is up to date with your employment history (including any employment gaps), and including any training/qualifications. We encourage you to include examples of where you have demonstrated the requirements/criteria in the advert / job profile to allow the panel to fully recognise your skills and abilities. You will have the opportunity to include a short covering paragraph within your application to give us a little more information about your skills, knowledge and experiences.