About GreenLeaf Homes
GreenLeaf Homes & Services Ltd provides Ofsted-registered supported accommodation for young people aged 16–17. Our homes provide young people with a safe and structured environment in which they can develop the confidence, stability and practical skills required for increasing independence.
We recognise that some young people transitioning towards independence may also experience additional challenges including trauma, neurodevelopmental needs, placement instability, missing episodes, exploitation vulnerability, substance misuse, emotional dysregulation and difficulties maintaining boundaries. We are strengthening our workforce by developing a flexible pool of experienced practitioners who can work alongside our existing team when a young person’s needs require an enhanced level of experience and support.
The Role
The Enhanced Support Practitioner is an experienced frontline practitioner. You will be deployed where your additional experience can strengthen the support available to a young person or staff team. This may include:
- New placement transitions
- Periods of increased risk
- Enhanced staffing arrangements
- Waking-night support
- Placement stabilisation
- Challenging incidents
- Young people with neurodevelopmental or complex presentations
You will work directly with young people and alongside GreenLeaf Support Workers. This is not a clinical role and does not replace the responsibilities of the Registered Service Manager. However, you will be expected to demonstrate a higher level of professional judgement, safeguarding awareness and confidence during challenging situations.
Key Responsibilities
Supporting Young People
- Build safe, consistent and professional relationships with young people.
- Support young people to develop independence and practical living skills.
- Help young people establish routines around education, employment, appointments, health, budgeting, cooking and maintaining their environment.
- Support young people who may initially disengage from or reject support.
- Maintain clear and consistent professional boundaries.
- Promote choice and independence while recognising safeguarding responsibilities.
- Adapt communication and support according to the young person’s individual needs.
Enhanced & Complex Support
Provide confident support to young people who may experience:
- Emotional or behavioural dysregulation
- ADHD, ASD, FASD or other neurodevelopmental needs
- Missing or unauthorised absence
- Exploitation vulnerability
- Substance misuse
- Challenging or threatening behaviour
- Moderate aggression
- Placement instability
- Education disengagement
- Offending or risk-taking behaviour
- Self-harm or suicidal thoughts where these can appropriately be managed within supported accommodation
You will be expected to understand your professional limitations and recognise when a young person’s presentation requires management, safeguarding, emergency or clinical escalation.
Safeguarding & Risk
- Recognise emerging and changing safeguarding risks.
- Undertake dynamic risk assessment during shifts.
- Follow individual risk assessments, support plans and safeguarding plans.
- Respond appropriately to missing and unauthorised absence.
- Recognise indicators of exploitation, grooming and county lines.
- Respond appropriately to suspected substance use or intoxication.
- Recognise and escalate self-harm or suicide concerns.
- Respond safely to aggression, threats and emotional escalation.
- Escalate safeguarding concerns promptly.
- Contact emergency or out-of-hours services in accordance with GreenLeaf procedures where necessary.
- Maintain professional curiosity and respectfully challenge where you believe a young person may be unsafe.
Positive Behaviour & De-escalation
- Recognise early signs of escalation.
- Use trauma-informed and positive behaviour approaches.
- Use appropriate verbal and environmental de-escalation strategies.
- Avoid unnecessary confrontation and power struggles.
- Maintain personal and team safety during incidents.
- Support young people to regulate and recover following incidents.
- Participate in post-incident debriefing and reflection.
- Identify patterns, triggers and strategies that may reduce future incidents.
Supporting the Wider Staff Team
Enhanced Support Practitioners are expected to model strong practice, including:
- Remaining calm and organised during challenging situations.
- Supporting less-experienced colleagues during incidents.
- Modelling appropriate boundaries and communication.
- Sharing practical knowledge and experience.
- Constructively challenging unsafe or inappropriate practice.
- Escalating concerns about staff practice where necessary.
- Contributing positively to reflective practice and team learning.
(This role does not automatically carry line-management responsibility.)
Recording & Professional Communication
- Maintain clear, factual and timely records.
- Produce high-quality incident reports.
- Distinguish clearly between observation, disclosure and professional interpretation.
- Contribute to risk assessments and support plans.
- Identify patterns and changes in presentation.
- Communicate professionally with managers, social workers, police, health professionals, education providers and other agencies where required.
- Provide clear handovers between shifts.
- Maintain confidentiality and appropriate information-sharing practices.
Who We Are Looking For
This role is specifically intended for experienced practitioners. We particularly welcome applicants currently working, or with substantial previous experience, in:
- Children’s residential care
- Specialist supported accommodation
- Secure children’s services
- Youth justice
- CAMHS/mental-health-related services
- Complex-needs services
- Exploitation/missing services
- Neurodevelopmental services
- Positive Behaviour Support environments
Applicants must be able to demonstrate practical experience of supporting young people through challenging situations.
Essential Requirements
- Significant relevant experience supporting children or young people.
- Strong safeguarding knowledge.
- Experience managing challenging behaviour or complex presentations.
- Confidence in de-escalation and dynamic risk assessment.
- Ability to maintain professional boundaries.
- Strong written recording skills.
- Ability to remain calm during incidents.
- Ability to work effectively as part of a team.
- Ability to recognise when additional or emergency support is required.
- Willingness to work flexibly according to placement needs.
Desirable Criteria
Experience or training relating to:
- Trauma-informed practice / Positive Behaviour Support
- ADHD / Autism / FASD
- Missing children / Child criminal or sexual exploitation / County lines
- Substance misuse / Self-harm and suicide prevention
- Mental health / Youth offending
- A relevant Level 3 or above qualification in Children & Young People’s Workforce, Residential Childcare, Health & Social Care or equivalent is desirable.
Personal Attributes
We are looking for practitioners who are:
- Calm under pressure and emotionally resilient
- Warm but appropriately boundaried
- Observant and professionally curious
- Reflective and reliable
- Confident without being confrontational
- Comfortable making decisions within their competence and able to recognise their own limitations
- Comfortable challenging poor practice
- Able to communicate confidently with professionals
What We Offer
- Flexible bank work
- Opportunities to work across GreenLeaf services
- Enhanced and varied support experience
- Training and reflective practice
- Opportunity to contribute to the development of a growing service
- Potential progression opportunities as the organisation and occupancy develop
Our Practice Standard
At GreenLeaf, enhanced support means being able to provide: Safety without unnecessary restriction. Boundaries without confrontation. Support without creating dependency. Independence without losing sight of safeguarding.
Safer Recruitment
GreenLeaf Homes & Services Ltd is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. Appointment is subject to our safer recruitment process, including:
- Enhanced DBS checks
- Identity and right-to-work verification
- Employment history checks
- Satisfactory professional references
- Qualification verification where applicable
- Exploration of employment gaps
- Safeguarding and suitability assessment
Successful appointment to our bank does not guarantee a minimum number of hours. Shifts will be offered according to the needs of the service and individual placements.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Statement We value a diverse workforce and are dedicated to creating an inclusive environment where every individual, staff and resident alike is treated with fairness, respect, and dignity.
Job Type: Fixed term contract
Pay: £14.00-£14.71 per hour
Ability to commute/relocate:
- Dartford DA1: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (preferred)
Application question(s):
- Are you able to provide recent and verifiable references (from a manager, HR representative, or supervisor on an official/business email address) for ALL the roles you’ve held in the last five years, especially positions involving children or vulnerable adults?
Licence/Certification:
- Enhanced Dbs Certificate (preferred)
Work Location: In person
