Children’s Home Deputy Manager
Home Location: Rushden (NN10)
Salary: £38,000 – £45,000 per annum (DOE)
Bonus: Up to 10% annual performance bonus
Closing Date: On or before Friday 5th June, depending on the volume received.
Interview Date: 25th and 26th June (in-person)
This is an opportunity to help build a home from day one and shape the culture, standards and future of a growing organisation. We are intentionally investing in incredible individuals from the outset to ensure our homes are not just compliant, but consistently high-quality, stable and sustainable as we grow.
About Us
Sapling & Stone Care is a children’s residential care provider built on strong values, experienced leadership and a clear vision for what excellent care should look like.
We are creating homes where children feel safe, understood and able to thrive, and our team feel supported, developed and proud of their work.
Leadership Team
You will be working closely with:
- Jilly (Operations Director & Responsible Individual) – extensive experience as both Registered Manager and Responsible Individual, including successfully setting up and registering services and achieving strong inspection outcomes early on. Jilly is hands-on, values-led and focused on building sustainable, high-quality services.
- Joey (Registering Manager) – a calm, consistent and relational leader who brings warmth, structure and clarity to practice, with a strong focus on building a stable and supportive environment for both children and staff.
How We Work
Our Values – The STONE Framework
Everything we do is grounded in our STONE values:
- S – Safety & Relationships
We prioritise emotional and physical safety, building strong, trusting relationships through consistency, empathy and attunement.
- T – Transparency & Integrity
We are open, honest and accountable with each other. We do the right thing, even when it’s difficult.
- O – Opportunity & Aspiration
We believe in every person’s potential and create opportunities for growth and independence.
We respond to each other with care and kindness, while maintaining clear and consistent boundaries.
- E – Equality, Inclusion & Celebration of Difference
We value individuality and create an environment where every child and member of the team feels respected and included.
We are looking to build a team who genuinely live and breathe these values, with the Deputy Manager playing a key role in shaping culture and bringing them to life every day.
About the Role – Deputy Manager
This is a Deputy Manager role supporting the Registered Manager to establish and run a high-quality children’s home.
This is a hands-on leadership role; you will be visible in practice and lead by example.
Key Responsibilities
- Support the day-to-day running of the home
- Build and stabilise a cohesive, values-led team
- Model high-quality, trauma-responsive practice
- Support safeguarding, incident management and decision-making
- Contribute to supervision, appraisal and staff development
- Maintain high standards of care planning, recording and compliance
- Support Ofsted readiness and regulatory requirements
- Promote positive outcomes for children
- Maintain consistent routines, boundaries and expectations
- Embedding strong practice standards, systems and culture from day one
- Leading training needs analysis and identifying skills gaps
- Supporting staff development, training and reflective practice
- Maintaining training matrices and compliance
- Contributing to quality assurance, audits and regulatory readiness
- Supporting the Registered Manager to strengthen practice and consistency
- Monitoring trends (safeguarding, incidents, behaviour) to inform improvement
Working Pattern & On-Call Responsibilities
This role is predominantly Monday to Friday.
However, flexibility is required and may include:
- Adjusted hours (e.g. 11:00am – 7:00pm)
- Occasional shifts to maintain visibility in practice
- Participation in the on-call rota
On-call is paid at £15 per night for one home and is primarily telephone-based support.
Person Specification
Essential
- Working towards or hold Level 5 Diploma in Leadership & Management
- Experience at Deputy Manager level (or equivalent)
- Strong safeguarding knowledge and decision-making ability
- Experience supporting Ofsted inspections / Regulation 44 visits
- Experience developing and supervising staff teams
- Ability to model high-quality, trauma-responsive practice
- Strong communication, organisation and leadership skills
- Values-led, emotionally intelligent and able to build strong relationships
- Confident, consistent and able to lead by example
- Calm, organised and resilient under pressure
- Committed to continuous improvement and high-quality care
Desirable
- Teaching or training qualification
- Experience supporting service set-up or improvement
- Experience delivering training or workforce development
- Experience contributing to audits, QA or compliance
- Experience mentoring or developing others
Next Steps
Please note: Shortlisted applicants will be required to complete a full application form as part of our safer recruitment process prior to interview.
Stage 1 – Initial Conversation:
Informal Indeed or Teams call
Stage 2 – Interview:
25th and 26th June (in-person, Raunds NN9)
Start Date:
August (flexible depending on registration and readiness)
Have a question or want to find out more?
Feel free to contact Joey Shearman (Registering Manager) at: [email protected] or take a look at www.saplingstonecare.com
Safeguarding & Equality Commitment
Safeguarding is at the heart of everything we do. Sapling & Stone Care is committed to protecting and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and we expect all staff to share this commitment. All roles are subject to rigorous safer recruitment checks, including enhanced DBS and detailed referencing.
Sapling and Stone Care is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team that reflects the communities we are a part of. We warmly encourage applications from individuals from marginalised backgrounds, as well as those with lived experience of being in care, whose perspectives are highly valued within our homes. We believe that a wide range of experiences strengthens our ability to provide compassionate, understanding, and effective support to children and young people.
Pay: £38,000.00-£45,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Additional leave
- Casual dress
- Company pension
- Discounted or free food
- Employee discount
- Free parking
- On-site parking
- Store discount
Work Location: In person
