Children’s Support Worker – 12-Year-Old Male
Location: Oxford
Pay: £16.00–£18.00 per hour
Job Type: Full-time / Part-time / Bank
Employer: CureVita Care
About the Role
CureVita Care is looking for compassionate, resilient and experienced Children’s Support Workers to join a specialist care package supporting a 12-year-old male in Oxford.
This is a rewarding role for someone who is confident supporting children with ADHD, emotional regulation difficulties, complex behaviours and trauma-related needs, and who can build a trusting relationship through consistency, patience and a calm approach.
The child has a confirmed diagnosis of ADHD, with autism and broader neurodevelopmental differences currently being explored. He can experience significant anxiety, difficulties with transitions and changes to routine, emotional dysregulation and behaviours that can present a risk to himself or others.
What You'll Be Supporting With
The successful candidate will support the child to:
- Develop trusting and positive relationships with consistent adults.
- Manage emotions, anxiety and periods of dysregulation.
- Develop safer ways of communicating distress and asking for help.
- Follow predictable routines and manage changes or transitions.
- Access education and engage positively with learning.
- Enjoy meaningful activities and community experiences.
- Develop age-appropriate independence and daily living skills.
- Maintain positive family relationships in line with the agreed care plan.
- Develop confidence and safely increase independence within the community.
Understanding Behaviour
This is not a traditional support role. The successful candidate will need to understand that behaviour can be a form of communication.
The child may display aggression, property damage, self-harming behaviours, attempts to leave the placement or other high-risk behaviours when overwhelmed.
Potential triggers include:
- Feeling misunderstood, rejected or not believed.
- Feeling watched or scrutinised.
- Unfamiliar people or changes in staffing.
- Unexpected changes to routines or timings.
- Separation or concerns around family relationships.
- Emotional overwhelm.
- Hunger.
- Environmental or sensory sensitivities.
Staff will be expected to use positive behaviour support, co-regulation and de-escalation techniques, rather than punitive or confrontational approaches.
Safety & Staffing
The placement currently operates under placement-specific DOLS requirements, which allow for 2:1 staffing, increasing to 4:1 when required, depending on the assessed level of risk.
There are known risks relating to self-harm, aggression, road safety, missing/absconding and property damage. Staff will receive and work in accordance with the child's individual risk assessments, care plans and PBS plan.
Restrictive intervention must only be used where necessary, proportionate and in accordance with the relevant legal framework and staff training.
The Right Person
We are looking for people who are:
- Experienced working with children or young people with complex needs.
- Calm, patient and emotionally resilient.
- Confident managing challenging or high-risk behaviours.
- Able to recognise early signs of dysregulation and respond proactively.
- Comfortable following detailed care plans and risk assessments.
- Able to maintain professional boundaries while developing genuine relationships.
- Consistent and reliable.
- Confident working as part of a small, consistent staff team.
- Able to communicate clearly and professionally with families and other professionals.
- Committed to promoting the child's independence rather than unnecessarily doing things for them.
Experience of working with ADHD, autism, trauma, emotional regulation difficulties, challenging behaviour, self-harm, missing/absconding risk or looked-after children would be highly desirable.
What We Can Offer
- £16.00–£18.00 per hour, depending on experience and qualifications.
- Specialist experience within complex children’s care.
- Full induction and ongoing training.
- Support from an experienced management team.
- The opportunity to make a genuine difference to a young person's life.
- A consistent care environment where relationship-building is prioritised.
- Opportunities for additional hours where available.
Important
This role requires someone who can remain calm and professional during periods of significant emotional or behavioural distress.
The successful applicant must be able to follow safeguarding procedures, individual risk assessments, DOLS requirements and positive behaviour support plans.
If you are passionate about helping children develop confidence, emotional regulation, independence and a better quality of life, we'd love to hear from you.
Apply today to join CureVita Care.
Pay: £16.00-£18.00 per hour
Application question(s):
- Do you require sponsorship to work in the UK?
- How many years of experience do you have working with children or young people with complex needs?
- Do you have experience supporting children or young people with behaviours that challenge?
- Do you have experience supporting children or young people with ADHD, autism or other neurodevelopmental needs?
- Do you have experience using positive behaviour support and de-escalation techniques?
- Are you comfortable supporting a child who may display physical aggression, property damage or other behaviours that present a risk to themselves or others?
- Are you comfortable working within a care plan that may require 2:1 staffing and, when necessary, increased staffing levels?
- Do you hold a Level 2 or Level 3 qualification in Children & Young People, Health & Social Care, or a related field?
Work Location: In person
