Children’s Homes Administrator – Recruitment, HR & Compliance
Nest Children’s Homes
Location: Head Office, Wiltshire, with occasional travel to our children’s homes
Salary: £22,620–£23,400 per year (£14.50–£15.00 per hour), depending on experience
Hours: 30 paid hours per week, Monday to Friday, normally 9:00am–3:00pm
Contract: Permanent, part-time
Nest Children’s Homes is looking for a highly organised and dependable administrator to support recruitment, HR administration, compliance and the mobilisation of our growing residential children’s home services. This growth creates an exciting opportunity for someone who enjoys bringing structure to a busy organisation and understands that accurate records, safer recruitment and effective administration all contribute directly to better outcomes for children.
The role
Reporting to the Responsible Individual, you will provide central administrative support across Nest Children’s Homes. You will work closely with our Regional Manager, Registered Managers and Directors.
You will be responsible for coordinating recruitment and onboarding activity, maintaining workforce records and compliance trackers, supporting audits and inspections, and helping new services mobilise effectively.
This is an administrative coordination role and does not include direct care duties. You will ensure that information is complete, organised and escalated appropriately, while safeguarding, suitability, selection and complex HR decisions remain with the relevant managers.
Key responsibilities
- Publish approved vacancy adverts and manage candidate correspondence.
- Issue application forms and monitor their completion.
- Coordinate interviews and prepare interview documentation.
- Track identity, right-to-work evidence, employment history, references, qualifications, appropriate DBS checks and overseas checks where applicable.
- Identify missing information, discrepancies and unexplained employment gaps for management review.
- Maintain accurate recruitment and pre-employment check trackers.
- Prepare approved offer and starter documentation.
- Coordinate induction arrangements and new-starter information.
- Maintain clear evidence of each stage of the safer recruitment process.
- Support recruitment campaigns required for new-home mobilisation.
HR and workforce administration
- Create and maintain accurate electronic and paper personnel files.
- Keep probation, supervision, appraisal, training and qualification trackers up to date.
- Support the administration of sickness, absence, annual leave, starters and leavers.
- Prepare routine letters, meeting notes and action trackers.
- Provide approved starter and leaver information for payroll processing.
- Monitor renewal and expiry dates and alert managers when action is required.
- Handle confidential and sensitive information securely.
Compliance and quality support
- Maintain compliance calendars, workforce dashboards and evidence registers.
- Complete regular administrative checks of personnel and recruitment files.
- Support Registered Managers with evidence required for internal audits, Regulation 44 visits, Regulation 45 reviews and Ofsted inspections.
- Monitor outstanding compliance actions and follow up with the responsible person.
- Organise policies, certificates, training records and other operational evidence.
- Escalate gaps, concerns or overdue actions promptly.
Operational and mobilisation support
- Provide administrative support for the mobilisation of new children’s homes.
- Coordinate meetings, training sessions, calendars and action plans.
- Support the ordering and tracking of approved equipment and supplies.
- Maintain mobilisation checklists and help ensure key deadlines are visible.
- Provide general administrative support to the central leadership team.
About you
You will be comfortable working independently, managing several priorities and following tasks through to completion. You will have excellent attention to detail and the confidence to raise concerns when records are incomplete or deadlines are at risk.
Essential
- Previous experience in an administrative, recruitment, HR or compliance-support role.
- Experience coordinating processes involving several stages, documents or deadlines.
- Strong organisational and time-management skills.
- A high level of accuracy and attention to detail.
- Confident use of Microsoft Office, email, spreadsheets and electronic record systems.
- Clear and professional written and verbal communication.
- The ability to handle confidential information appropriately.
- The confidence to follow up outstanding actions and escalate concerns.
- A dependable, accountable and child-centred approach.
- The ability to work from our head office during the stated hours and travel occasionally to services.
Desirable
- Experience within children’s residential care, social care, education, healthcare or another regulated service.
- Knowledge of safer recruitment and pre-employment checking requirements.
- Experience maintaining personnel, training or compliance records.
- Familiarity with Ofsted-regulated services or Schedule 2 recruitment evidence.
- Experience supporting the opening or mobilisation of a new service.
- A relevant qualification in business administration or HR.
- Safer recruitment or CIPD training.
What we offer
- A consistent Monday-to-Friday daytime working pattern.
- A meaningful role supporting services for children and young people.
- The opportunity to help shape administrative systems as the organisation grows.
- Close working relationships with the senior leadership team.
- A structured induction and relevant ongoing training.
- Workplace pension and annual leave in accordance with your contract and company policy.
The normal working pattern is 9:00am–3:00pm, Monday to Friday. Limited flexibility outside these hours may occasionally be requested, by prior agreement, to support interviews, onboarding or new-home mobilisation.
How to apply
Please apply through Indeed with your CV.
As part of our safer recruitment process, applicants progressing to formal shortlisting or interview must also complete a Nest Children’s Homes application form. A CV may support your application but will not replace the completed application form.
To request the application form or discuss reasonable adjustments, please contact:
Andrew Tucker
[email protected]
Closing date: Sunday 6 September 2026 at 11:59pm
Interviews: Week commencing 7 September 2026
Proposed start: As soon as possible, subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks
We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if we receive sufficient suitable applications.
Safeguarding and equal opportunities
Nest Children’s Homes is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. The successful applicant will be subject to robust pre-employment checks, including verification of identity, right to work, full employment history, references, qualifications and the appropriate level of DBS and overseas checks where applicable.
We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and welcome applications from suitably qualified candidates from all backgrounds. Reasonable adjustments are available throughout the recruitment process.
Pay: £14.50-£15.00 per hour
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- Company events
- Company pension
- Free parking
- On-site parking
Work Location: In person
