Care Practice Lead – Mental Health Residential Care
Location: Balmain Care Home, 1-4 Keppel St, Plymouth, PL2 1BT
Salary: £15.50p/hour
Contract: Full-time / Permanent
Hours: 36-40hours per week, including evenings, weekends and occasional nights as required
Make a real difference every day
We are looking for an experienced and motivated Care Practice Lead to join our mental health residential care team.
This is an exciting opportunity for someone who has strong experience supporting people with mental health needs, complex needs and behaviours that may challenge, and who is ready to take the next step in their career.
The Care Practice Lead will provide day-to-day leadership of the care team and the running of the floor/shift, working closely with the Deputy Manager and Registered Manager to ensure our residents receive safe, compassionate, person-centred care.
This is a hands-on role for someone who can lead by example, maintain high standards, support staff effectively and confidently take responsibility for the smooth running of a shift.
About the role
As Care Practice Lead, you will play a key role in ensuring the home operates safely and effectively on a day-to-day basis.
You will be responsible for allocating staff and tasks, monitoring standards of care, supporting staff performance and ensuring that everything required during the shift is completed to the appropriate standard.
You will also build positive relationships with residents, their families and external professionals, ensuring that communication is effective and that residents' needs remain at the centre of everything we do.
Key responsibilities
- Take responsibility for the day-to-day leadership and coordination of the floor/shift.
- Allocate staff to duties and ensure appropriate staffing and deployment throughout the shift.
- Delegate tasks clearly and monitor that they are completed safely and to the required standard.
- Provide direction, guidance and support to Support Workers and Senior Support Workers.
- Lead by example and promote a positive, professional and supportive team culture.
- Monitor staff practice and address poor practice, performance or conduct appropriately, escalating concerns to the Deputy Manager or Registered Manager where necessary.
- Provide staff supervision, coaching and ongoing support.
- Ensure residents receive high-quality, person-centred support that promotes dignity, independence and choice.
- Support residents with personal care, medication, daily living skills and meaningful activities where required.
- Work confidently with individuals who have complex mental health needs and behaviours that may challenge.
- Respond appropriately to incidents, changes in presentation, challenging situations and safeguarding concerns.
- Ensure all relevant records, daily notes, care documentation and incident reports are completed accurately and to a high standard.
- Liaise effectively with families, social workers, mental health professionals, GPs, community teams and other external professionals.
- Attend and contribute to meetings and reviews where required.
- Ensure care plans, risk assessments and agreed support strategies are followed consistently by the team.
- Support medication administration and ensure medication procedures are followed in line with company policy.
- Monitor the environment and ensure health and safety standards are maintained.
- Support audits, quality checks and continuous improvement within the service.
- Identify concerns promptly and ensure they are escalated to the appropriate member of the management team.
- Work closely with the Deputy Manager and Registered Manager to maintain high standards across the service.
- Take an active role in maintaining a safe, respectful and positive environment for both residents and staff.
About you
We are looking for someone who is confident, compassionate and able to take responsibility.
You will ideally have experience working in a mental health residential care environment and be ready to progress beyond a Senior Support Worker position into a role with greater responsibility for staff leadership, standards and shift coordination.
You will be someone who can remain calm under pressure, make sound decisions and confidently address issues when standards are not being met.
You will also understand that effective leadership is about supporting your colleagues as well as holding them accountable.
Essential experience and qualities
- Previous experience working in mental health residential care or a similar setting.
- Experience supporting individuals with complex mental health needs and/or behaviours that may challenge.
- Demonstrable experience of leading or coordinating a team on shift.
- Strong understanding of person-centred care and safeguarding.
- Good understanding of professional boundaries and confidentiality.
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
- Confidence in delegating tasks and providing direction to staff.
- Ability to challenge poor practice appropriately and professionally.
- Ability to remain calm, resilient and professional in challenging situations.
- Experience working with external professionals and families.
- Good written and verbal communication skills.
- Reliable, organised and able to work on your own initiative.
- A genuine passion for improving the lives of people living with mental health conditions.
Qualifications
- NVQ/QCF Level 3 in Health and Social Care or equivalent is essential.
- Relevant mental health qualifications or training would be advantageous.
- Medication administration training is desirable.
- Training in safeguarding, challenging behaviour, de-escalation and other relevant areas would be advantageous.
What we can offer you
We recognise that our staff are our greatest asset, and we are committed to supporting your development and progression.
As part of our team, you can expect:
- A rewarding role where you can genuinely make a difference to people's lives.
- A supportive and inclusive working environment.
- Opportunities for training and professional development.
- Career progression opportunities.
- Regular supervision and ongoing support.
- The opportunity to develop your leadership and management skills.
Ready to take the next step?
If you are an experienced mental health support worker or Senior Support Worker who is ready to take on greater responsibility and become a key part of the leadership team, we would love to hear from you.
Join us as a Lead Support Worker and help us provide the highest possible standard of care, while supporting and developing the team around you.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our residents. All appointments will be subject to appropriate pre-employment checks, including an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references.
Pay: £15.50 per hour
Expected hours: 36.0 – 40.0 per week
Work Location: In person
