We are seeking an experienced and confident Interim Manager to provide leadership and management support within an Ofsted-regulated children’s residential home.
This position would suit an established Registered Manager, Interim Registered Manager or highly experienced Deputy Manager who has a strong understanding of children’s residential care, safeguarding, regulatory compliance and the Children’s Homes Regulations.
The successful candidate will be expected to provide visible leadership, stabilise the service where required, strengthen practice and ensure that children receive safe, consistent and high-quality care.
THE ROLE
The Interim Manager will take responsibility for the day-to-day operational management of the home and work closely with the Responsible Individual, directors, staff team, placing authorities and other professionals.
Key responsibilities will include:
- Providing strong, visible and consistent leadership within the home.
- Ensuring children receive safe, nurturing and child-centred care.
- Ensuring the home operates in accordance with the Children’s Homes Regulations and Quality Standards.
- Maintaining high safeguarding standards and responding appropriately to safeguarding concerns.
- Reviewing incidents, accidents, missing-from-care episodes, restraints and significant events.
- Ensuring appropriate management oversight and evaluation is recorded following incidents.
- Ensuring staff and children receive appropriate post-incident debriefs.
- Reviewing and strengthening risk assessments, behaviour support plans and placement plans.
- Monitoring Regulation 40 notifications and ensuring significant events are appropriately reported.
- Working with the Responsible Individual in responding to Regulation 44 reports and completing required actions.
- Supporting Regulation 45 quality-of-care reviews and wider quality-assurance processes.
- Ensuring safeguarding notifications and referrals are completed appropriately and within required timescales.
- Maintaining effective relationships with Ofsted, social workers, local authorities, safeguarding professionals and other external agencies.
- Chairing or contributing to safeguarding, placement and professional meetings.
- Reviewing children’s wishes and feelings and ensuring their views influence the operation of the home.
- Monitoring education, health, safeguarding and placement outcomes for children.
- Ensuring care plans and placement documentation are accurate and current.
- Reviewing staffing levels and ensuring rotas reflect children’s assessed needs.
- Monitoring staff performance, supervision and development.
- Ensuring staff receive regular and meaningful supervision.
- Supporting recruitment and safer recruitment processes.
- Reviewing staff files and ensuring compliance documentation is maintained.
- Monitoring DBS checks, references, right-to-work documentation and employment records.
- Reviewing the staff training matrix and identifying outstanding or refresher training.
- Ensuring staff competencies are appropriately assessed.
- Developing staff confidence and practice through coaching, mentoring and reflective supervision.
- Managing performance concerns appropriately.
- Ensuring agency and temporary staff receive appropriate induction and oversight.
- Reviewing policies, procedures and operational systems.
- Ensuring records are accurate, professional and able to withstand regulatory scrutiny.
- Supporting preparation for Ofsted inspections and monitoring visits.
- Developing and monitoring service improvement and action plans.
- Ensuring actions arising from inspections, Regulation 44 visits, audits and safeguarding reviews are completed.
- Providing regular management reports to the Responsible Individual and directors.
- Supporting the service to achieve sustainable improvement and positive outcomes for children.
SERVICE IMPROVEMENT
Where required, the Interim Manager will be expected to assess the current position of the home and implement an immediate improvement programme.
This may include reviewing:
- Safeguarding practice
- Significant incidents
- Regulation 40 notifications
- Missing-from-care procedures
- Physical intervention and restraint records
- Staff and child debriefs
- Children’s risk assessments
- Behaviour support plans
- Placement plans
- Children’s wishes and feelings
- Staff supervision
- Staff competency
- Training compliance
- Staffing structures
- Rotas
- Safer recruitment
- Staff files
- DBS documentation
- Medication systems
- Health and safety
- Fire safety
- Regulation 44 reports
- Regulation 45 reports
- Complaints
- Allegations
- Local authority communication
- Social worker feedback
- Ofsted correspondence
- Policies and procedures
- Management oversight and governance
The Interim Manager will be expected to identify areas requiring immediate action and provide clear evidence of improvement.
ESSENTIAL EXPERIENCE
Applicants should have substantial experience within children’s residential care and demonstrate:
- Previous management experience within a children’s residential home.
- Strong knowledge of safeguarding children.
- Strong understanding of the regulatory framework governing children’s homes.
- Experience preparing services for Ofsted inspection.
- Experience managing or supporting homes requiring improvement.
- Strong understanding of incident management and management oversight.
- Experience working with children presenting complex behaviours and safeguarding risks.
- Experience managing multidisciplinary and residential care teams.
- Experience completing or overseeing staff supervision.
- Experience managing performance and practice concerns.
- Experience working alongside Responsible Individuals, directors and external professionals.
- Confidence communicating with Ofsted, local authorities and social workers.
- Excellent written documentation and report-writing skills.
- Ability to make defensible and child-centred management decisions.
- Ability to remain organised and effective in high-pressure environments.
WHAT WE NEED FROM THE INTERIM MANAGER
This is a hands-on management role.
We require someone who can enter the service, quickly understand its strengths and risks, establish clear expectations and provide the leadership necessary to maintain a safe and effective home.
You must be comfortable being visible within the home and working directly alongside the staff team rather than managing solely from an office.
You will be expected to provide clear accountability, challenge where standards are not being met and support staff to develop consistently high-quality practice.
Immediate availability is highly desirable.
All appointments will be subject to appropriate safer recruitment checks, references, right-to-work verification and enhanced DBS requirements.
Experienced Interim and Registered Managers available for immediate deployment are encouraged to apply.
Work Location: In person
