We are hiring Residential Support Worker and Senior Residential Support Workers
Location: Slough
Job type: Full-time, permanent
Salary: £26,000 - £28,000 for Support Workers and £29,000 - £31,000 for Senior Support Workers
Help us create a safe, stable and positive home for young people
Victory Children Services is recruiting compassionate, resilient and committed Residential Support Workers and Senior Residential Support Workers to join our children’s home in Slough.
This is not simply a care role. It is an opportunity to become a consistent and trusted adult in a young person’s life, helping them feel safe, understood and capable of achieving more than they may currently believe is possible.
The home currently supports a young person with a learning disability who can present with complex needs and behaviours that challenge. He requires staff who are patient, emotionally intelligent, observant and able to remain calm and consistent during difficult situations. The home may also support young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties, depending on future referrals and the assessed compatibility of the group.
We are therefore looking for people who understand that behaviour is often a form of communication. You must be able to look beyond the immediate behaviour, consider what the young person may be feeling or trying to express, and respond with curiosity, empathy and appropriate boundaries.
You will be joining a service that is committed to providing individualised, relationship-based care in which young people are listened to, respected and supported to develop confidence, independence and healthier ways of managing their emotions.
About the roles
Both Support Workers and Senior Support Workers will work directly with young people, helping to create a structured, nurturing and homely environment.
You will support young people through their daily routines, education, appointments, activities, family contact and personal development. At times, the role may involve responding to heightened emotions, aggression, refusal, absconding risks or other behaviours that challenge.
This requires staff who can remain composed, follow agreed plans and avoid becoming reactive or entering into power struggles. You must be able to balance warmth and compassion with clear, consistent and professionally appropriate boundaries.
Residential Support Worker responsibilities
As a Residential Support Worker, you will:
- Build safe, trusting and professional relationships with young people.
- Provide individualised support in line with each young person’s placement plan, care plan, behaviour support plan and risk assessments.
- Support young people with daily routines, personal care where required, healthy eating, education, appointments and recreational activities.
- Encourage young people to develop independence, confidence, communication skills and practical life skills.
- Complete meaningful key-working sessions and direct-work activities.
- Support young people to understand and manage their emotions in safer and more constructive ways.
- Recognise possible triggers, early warning signs and changes in presentation.
- Use appropriate de-escalation techniques and follow agreed behaviour support strategies.
- Respond safely and professionally during incidents, including following approved physical intervention procedures where this is necessary, lawful and proportionate.
- Support young people following incidents through reassurance, reflection, repair and restorative conversations.
- Maintain accurate, timely and professional records, including daily logs, key-work records, incident reports, safeguarding records and handovers.
- Administer or support with medication in accordance with training, procedures and individual plans.
- Support young people to attend school, college, health appointments, activities and community-based opportunities.
- Work positively with families, social workers, education professionals, health professionals and other members of the wider care team.
- Help maintain a clean, safe and welcoming home environment, including supporting with cooking, cleaning, laundry and household routines.
- Follow all safeguarding, health and safety, confidentiality, equality and organisational policies.
- Report concerns immediately and contribute to a culture in which safeguarding and professional accountability are taken seriously.
Senior Residential Support Worker responsibilities
Senior Residential Support Workers will complete the responsibilities above while also providing leadership and oversight during shifts.
Your additional responsibilities will include:
- Leading shifts and ensuring that young people receive safe, consistent and well-coordinated care.
- Allocating responsibilities and ensuring that staff understand the young person’s plans, risks, routines and current presentation.
- Providing clear direction during incidents and periods of heightened risk.
- Supporting staff to use agreed de-escalation and behaviour support strategies consistently.
- Conducting effective shift handovers and ensuring that important information is communicated promptly.
- Reviewing records for accuracy, quality and completeness.
- Supporting the development and review of placement plans, risk assessments, behaviour support plans and individual care strategies.
- Mentoring, coaching and supporting less experienced staff.
- Modelling high standards of professional practice, safeguarding and communication.
- Addressing poor or inconsistent practice appropriately and escalating concerns when required.
- Supporting staff debriefs, young person debriefs and reflective discussions following incidents.
- Liaising confidently with managers, on-call leaders, social workers, families and other professionals.
- Supporting audits, medication checks, health and safety checks and other quality assurance processes.
- Contributing to staff meetings, supervision, training and service development.
- Acting as a positive role model and helping to maintain a calm, accountable and solution-focused team culture.
The person we are looking for
The right person will understand that progress in residential childcare is not always immediate or straightforward. Some days may involve celebrating significant achievements; other days may require you to remain patient and consistent when a young person is struggling to engage.
You will need to be:
- Calm, reliable and emotionally resilient.
- Compassionate without losing professional boundaries.
- Confident in responding to behaviours that challenge.
- Able to remain respectful and measured when a young person is distressed, angry or rejecting support.
- Curious about the reasons behind behaviour rather than judgemental.
- Consistent in following care plans, risk assessments and agreed approaches.
- Able to communicate clearly with young people, colleagues and professionals.
- Willing to reflect on your own practice and receive constructive feedback.
- Able to write clear, factual and professional records.
- Comfortable using electronic recording and communication systems.
- Organised, responsible and able to manage competing priorities.
- Able to work both independently and as part of a wider team.
- Flexible and willing to work in accordance with the needs of the home.
Experience and qualifications
For Residential Support Workers
Previous experience in residential childcare, learning disability services, education, youth work, mental health, supported living or another relevant care setting is desirable.
Applicants without direct residential childcare experience may still be considered where they can demonstrate the right values, transferable skills, emotional maturity and willingness to learn.
A relevant Level 3 qualification is desirable. Where required, successful applicants must be willing to complete the appropriate qualification within the expected timeframe.
For Senior Residential Support Workers
Applicants should have:
- Relevant experience of supporting children or young people with complex needs.
- Experience of responding to behaviours that challenge.
- The ability to lead shifts, support colleagues and make safe, proportionate decisions.
- A relevant Level 3 qualification in residential childcare, children and young people’s services, or an equivalent recognised qualification.
- Strong written, organisational and communication skills.
- A good understanding of safeguarding and professional accountability.
Experience supporting young people with learning disabilities, autism, communication needs, emotional and behavioural difficulties, trauma or adverse childhood experiences would be particularly valuable.
A driving licence and access to a vehicle are desirable due to the need to support young people with appointments, education, activities and community access.
Working pattern
Residential childcare operates throughout the year. Applicants must be able to work flexibly as part of a rota, which may include:
- Day shifts.
- Night shifts.
- Evening shifts.
- Weekends.
- Bank holidays.
- Sleep-in duties, where required.
Specific shift patterns and contracted hours will be discussed during the recruitment process.
What Victory Children Services offers
- A structured induction into the home and the needs of the young people.
- Role-specific training and ongoing professional development.
- Regular supervision and management support.
- Opportunities to develop within residential childcare and move into management roles as the organisation expands.
- The chance to contribute to the development of a growing service.
- A role in which your consistency, care and professionalism can make a lasting difference to a young person’s life.
Safeguarding statement
Victory Children Services is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.
Successful applicants will be required to complete a robust safer recruitment process. This will include an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check, satisfactory references, identity and right-to-work checks, verification of employment history and any other checks required for the role.
Applicants must be open and honest throughout the recruitment process and committed to maintaining the highest standards of safeguarding, conduct and professional integrity.
Apply
We would like to hear from applicants who are motivated by more than simply completing a shift. We are looking for people who want to build relationships, provide stability and help young people move towards safer, healthier and more positive futures.
When applying, please explain:
- Which position you are applying for.
- Your relevant experience.
- Your experience of supporting young people with complex needs or behaviours that challenge.
- What you believe makes an excellent residential childcare worker.
- Your availability to work a residential rota.
- Tell us what motivates you to help others, this is what is most important to us!
Pay: £26,000.00-£31,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- Free parking
- On-site parking
- Paid training
Work Location: In person
