SERVICE DESCRIPTION
Young UK Today operates two children’s homes in South Croydon, providing therapeutic, relational, and child-centered care for children with complex needs.
Willow House provides structured and nurturing care for children with learning disabilities, neurodevelopmental needs, and complex presentations. The home operates within a calm and predictable environment, with a focus on communication-led practice, sensory-informed approaches, and Positive Behaviour Support.
Olive House is a specialist home supporting children subject to Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). The home provides therapeutic and structured care within a framework of safeguarding, risk management, and least restrictive practice.
Both homes operate under a shared ethos while maintaining distinct approaches aligned to the individual needs, risks, and presentations of the children placed.
The service is supported by a multi-disciplinary clinical team, whose input informs care planning, behaviour support strategies, and individual interventions.
JOB PURPOSE
To deliver safe, nurturing, therapeutic and relationship-based care that enables every child to feel safe, valued, respected, listened to and supported to achieve their full potential.
The Senior Residential Support Worker is responsible for building positive, trusting and consistent relationships with children, delivering high-quality care that reflects each child's individual needs, strengths, identity, culture, wishes, aspirations and agreed outcomes. The post holder will ensure children's care plans, risk assessments, behaviour support plans and other agreed interventions are consistently translated into everyday practice.
The Senior Residential Support Worker will create a warm, welcoming and supportive home environment where children experience stability, belonging, positive routines and meaningful relationships whilst promoting independence, resilience and emotional wellbeing.
The post holder will actively promote safeguarding, equality, diversity, inclusion and anti-discriminatory practice, ensuring children's voices are heard, respected and reflected in the care they receive. They will contribute positively to a culture of openness, professional curiosity, reflective practice and continuous improvement.
The Senior Residential Support Worker will be responsible for maintaining high standards of care, recording, communication and professional practice throughout each shift, working collaboratively with colleagues and partner agencies to achieve the best possible outcomes for children.
The Senior Residential Support Worker will additionally provide day-to-day guidance to colleagues, model excellent practice and undertake delegated Team Leader responsibilities in the absence of the Team Leader.
The Senior Residential Support Worker will carry out their responsibilities in accordance with:
· The Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015
· The Guide to the Quality Standards
· The Social Care Common Inspection Framework (SCCIF)
· Working Together to Safeguard Children
· Young UK Today's policies, procedures and values
GENERAL DUTIES
The Senior Residential Support Worker will:
Model exemplary residential childcare practice and provide day-to-day coaching, guidance and practical support to colleagues, supporting the induction and development of new employees, students, agency workers and less experienced staff through positive role modelling and constructive feedback.
Lead the shift and undertake delegated Team Leader responsibilities in the absence of the Team Leader, ensuring continuity of care, effective communication and the safe day-to-day operation of the home, escalating matters requiring management oversight appropriately.
- Deliver safe, nurturing, therapeutic and relationship-based care that places each child at the center of all decision-making and day-to-day practice.
- Build positive, trusting and consistent relationships with children, providing warmth, stability, encouragement and appropriate boundaries that promote emotional wellbeing, resilience and positive outcomes.
- Create and maintain a welcoming, homely environment where children feel safe, respected, valued, listened to and have a genuine sense of belonging.
- Contribute to creating a home where children experience warmth, consistency, security and positive relationships, ensuring the home reflects family life rather than an institutional environment.
- Encourage children to participate in everyday family life, including shared meals, celebrations, hobbies, household responsibilities, community activities and other meaningful experiences that promote independence, confidence and positive memories.
- Prepare, cook and share nutritious meals with children, encouraging participation wherever appropriate to promote healthy lifestyles, independence, social interaction and the routines of family life.
- Support children with all aspects of daily living, including shopping, budgeting, laundry, maintaining bedrooms and communal areas, personal care (where required), travel, appointments and developing practical life skills appropriate to their age, abilities and individual needs.
- Actively participate in activities with children within the home and wider community, encouraging positive experiences, social inclusion, confidence, independence and positive childhood memories.
- Support children to access education, employment, appointments, family time, faith groups, places of worship, cultural activities and community opportunities, including accompanying them on foot, by public transport or organisational vehicle where appropriate and in accordance with their care plans and assessed risks.
- Support children to personalise, take pride in and care for their living environment, encouraging responsibility, ownership and respect for their home.
- Create enjoyable, meaningful and age-appropriate opportunities for children to have fun, develop new interests, celebrate achievements and build positive childhood experiences.
- Recognise that every interaction matters and use everyday moments as opportunities to build relationships, promote learning, develop independence and create positive memories.
- Promote a calm, welcoming and emotionally safe environment where children feel comfortable, valued and able to be themselves, recognising the significant impact that the atmosphere of the home has on children's wellbeing and development.
- Promote high aspirations for every child by recognising and building upon their individual strengths, interests, talents and potential, encouraging them to achieve the best possible outcomes.
- Support children to develop independence, confidence, resilience, life skills and positive relationships through meaningful daily interactions and planned opportunities.
- Promote equality, diversity, inclusion and anti-discriminatory practice, ensuring every child is treated with dignity, fairness and respect, and that their identity, culture, religion, beliefs, sexuality, gender, disability and lived experience are recognised, respected and celebrated.
- Actively listen to and promote the voice of the child, ensuring their views, wishes and feelings are sought, respected and reflected in day-to-day care and decision-making, using creative and individualised communication methods where appropriate.
- Carry out any other duties commensurate with the role, as reasonably requested by the Team Leader, Deputy Manager or Registered Manager.
- Contribute to a positive team culture by working collaboratively, communicating openly and treating children, colleagues, families and partner professionals with professionalism and respect.
- Demonstrate professional curiosity, recognising that behaviour is communication and remaining responsive to children's changing needs, experiences and presentation.
- Maintain high standards of professional conduct, confidentiality, integrity and accountability, acting as a positive role model for children and colleagues at all times.
- Take responsibility for maintaining professional knowledge and skills by actively participating in supervision, team meetings, training, reflective practice and continuous professional development.
- Demonstrate flexibility by undertaking all reasonable duties necessary to meet children's assessed needs and support the safe and effective operation of the home, provided they are within the post holder's competence, training and delegated authority.
CARE PLANNING & DAILY PRACTICE
The Senior Residential Support Worker will:
· Support the Team Leader in ensuring care plans, risk assessments and agreed interventions are implemented consistently, providing guidance to colleagues and acting as Shift Lead where delegated in the absence of the Team Leader.
- Deliver care in accordance with each child's care plan, placement plan, risk assessments, behaviour support plan, health plan, education plan and all other agreed support plans, ensuring they are consistently reflected in day-to-day practice.
- Take personal responsibility for understanding each child's individual needs, strengths, identity, culture, wishes, aspirations, communication needs, assessed risks and agreed outcomes, ensuring care is delivered safely, consistently and compassionately.
- Support children to participate in all aspects of daily living identified within their care plans, including meal preparation, cooking, shopping, budgeting, laundry, personal care (where required), household responsibilities and developing practical life skills appropriate to their age, abilities and assessed needs.
- Support children to attend education, training, employment, health appointments, therapeutic interventions, family time, religious observance, cultural activities, recreational opportunities and community activities, including travelling with children on foot, by public transport or organisational vehicle where appropriate.
- Build positive and meaningful relationships that support children to feel safe, secure, respected and understood, recognising the importance of consistency in achieving positive outcomes.
- Work collaboratively with colleagues to ensure continuity of care, maintaining effective communication throughout each shift to support consistent, child-centred practice
- Deliver planned interventions and support strategies that promote children's emotional wellbeing, independence, resilience, confidence and personal development.
- Support children with homework, revision, reading and other educational activities appropriate to their age, needs and abilities, promoting high aspirations and positive educational outcomes.
- Recognise changes in children's presentation, behaviour, emotional wellbeing or identified risks, responding appropriately and promptly reporting concerns to the Team Leader.
- Contribute to the ongoing review of children's care by sharing observations, professional opinions and relevant information that may inform the development of care plans, risk assessments and support strategies.
- Act as the allocated Key Worker for identified children, developing positive relationships, completing planned key work sessions, monitoring progress against agreed outcomes and contributing to the ongoing review of care plans and support arrangements.
- Support children to develop practical life skills including cooking, budgeting, shopping, travel, personal care, household responsibilities and preparing for adulthood, in line with their individual needs and developmental stage.
- Complete high-quality weekly progress reports for allocated children, ensuring they accurately reflect the child's presentation, progress, achievements, challenges and progress towards agreed outcomes, submitting them within agreed timescales for review by the Team Leader or Deputy Manager.
- Encourage children to make choices, express their views and participate in decisions affecting their lives, ensuring their wishes and feelings are respected wherever possible.
- Promote professional curiosity by seeking to understand the reasons behind children's behaviour and presentation, recognising that behaviour is communication and responding in a therapeutic and trauma-informed manner.
- Deliver care that is purposeful, recognising that every interaction provides an opportunity to build relationships, promote learning, strengthen resilience and improve outcomes for children.
- Contribute to the safe admission, transition and move-on of children by helping them settle into the home, understand routines, build relationships and feel a sense of safety and belonging from the earliest opportunity.
SAFEGUARDING
The Senior Residential Support Worker will:
Safeguard and promote the welfare of children at all times, ensuring their safety, wellbeing and best interests remain central to all aspects of practice.
Remain vigilant to signs of abuse, neglect, exploitation, self-harm, radicalisation, criminal or sexual exploitation, missing episodes and any other safeguarding concerns, taking immediate action in accordance with organisational procedures.
Respond appropriately to safeguarding concerns, disclosures, allegations and complaints, ensuring they are listened to, recorded accurately, reported promptly and escalated without delay.
Build trusting relationships that enable children to feel safe to express their views, worries and experiences, ensuring they know they will be listened to, respected and supported.
Promote a culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility by maintaining professional curiosity, recognising that behaviour is communication and remaining alert to changes in children's presentation, behaviour or emotional wellbeing.
Work in accordance with children's individual safeguarding plans, risk assessments, missing-from-care protocols, observation levels and agreed protective strategies.
Share safeguarding information appropriately, maintaining confidentiality whilst recognising the duty to share information where necessary to protect children from harm.
Contribute to the safe management of safeguarding incidents by following direction from the Team Leader and senior managers, ensuring children remain safe and supported throughout.
Maintain clear professional boundaries at all times and act as a positive role model for children and colleagues.
Challenge unsafe, discriminatory or poor practice appropriately and report concerns relating to the conduct or practice of colleagues, professionals or others in accordance with organisational policies, including whistleblowing procedures.
Ensure all safeguarding concerns, incidents and actions taken are recorded accurately, factually and within required timescales using the organisation's recording systems.
Participate in safeguarding debriefs, reflective discussions and learning following incidents, contributing to the continuous improvement of safeguarding practice across the home.
RECORDING & COMPLIANCE
The Senior Residential Support Worker will:
Work alongside the Team Leader to ensure children’s care records remain accurate, current and reflective of their needs, presentation, progress and agreed outcomes. This includes supporting the timely completion and updating of key work records, weekly progress reports, care-plan actions, risk-related information and other child-specific documentation, escalating any omissions, inconsistencies or changes requiring management review.
Model high standards of recording and provide day-to-day guidance to colleagues using ClearCare or other organisational systems, while recognising that formal quality assurance and management oversight remain with the Team Leader, Deputy Manager and Registered Manager.
Complete all required recording accurately, promptly and professionally, ensuring records provide a clear, factual and child-centred account of the care delivered and the child's lived experience.
Maintain high standards of recording within ClearCare (or any successor electronic recording system), ensuring all entries are completed within required timescales and in accordance with organisational policies and procedures.
Complete all required recording, including daily logs, observations, key work records, weekly progress reports, incidents, body maps, medication records, handovers and any other documentation relevant to the role.
Complete weekly progress reports, key work records and all other allocated documentation to the required standard, ensuring records are completed within agreed timescales and accurately reflect the child's lived experience.
Ensure recording reflects children's presentation, behaviour, progress, achievements, identified risks, interventions provided and any significant events during the shift.
Immediately report and accurately record safeguarding concerns, missing-from-care episodes, complaints, allegations, accidents, medication errors and other significant incidents in accordance with organisational procedures.
Administer and record medication safely and accurately in accordance with organisational policy, training and regulatory requirements, immediately reporting any discrepancies or concerns to the Team Leader.
Read, understand and work in accordance with children's care plans, risk assessments, behaviour support plans and other key documentation, ensuring any changes in children's needs or presentation are promptly communicated to the Team Leader.
Complete delegated actions and responsibilities within agreed timescales, ensuring outstanding tasks are communicated effectively during shift handovers.
Maintain accurate records relating to the home's environment, health and safety checks and other operational responsibilities delegated during the shift.
Participate fully in shift handovers, ensuring information shared is accurate, relevant, timely and contributes to the continuity and safety of children's care.
Comply with Young UK Today's policies, procedures, regulatory requirements and professional standards at all times, seeking guidance where clarification is required.
Recognise that accurate recording forms an essential part of safeguarding, accountability and high-quality care, maintaining professional standards in all written and electronic documentation.
Pay: £15.00-£15.50 per hour
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- Company pension
- Free parking
- On-site parking
Experience:
- Supervising: 2 years (preferred)
- Direct children's homes : 2 years (required)
Licence/Certification:
- NVQ Level 3 Residential Childcare or equivalent (required)
Work Location: In person
