Registered Manager – Therapeutic Residential Children’s Home
Location: Jarrow, South Tyneside
Salary: £50,000 – £60,000 per annum, depending on experience and qualifications
Hours: Full-time, 40 hours per week, with flexibility to meet the needs of the home
About the Home
We are opening a brand-new therapeutic residential children's home in Jarrow, providing care and accommodation for children and young people who require a safe, stable and nurturing environment.
The home is designed to support children who may have experienced trauma, loss, neglect, abuse, family breakdown, disrupted attachments, placement instability or other adverse childhood experiences that have impacted their emotional wellbeing and development.
Our approach is child-centred, trauma-informed and therapeutic, recognising that every child has their own experiences, strengths, needs and aspirations.
We want the home to feel like a genuine home — a place where children feel safe, listened to, respected and valued, while being supported to develop positive relationships, build confidence and achieve their potential.
As this is a brand-new home, the Registered Manager will have a unique opportunity to help shape the service from the very beginning and establish a strong culture of safeguarding, therapeutic care, stability and positive outcomes.
Therapeutic Approach
A key strength of our service is the therapeutic support provided to our residential teams.
All staff receive training in trauma-informed and attachment-focused practice and benefit from regular consultation, support and guidance from our in-house Psychology Team.
Through ongoing training, reflective practice and therapeutic consultation, staff are supported to develop:
- Psychological mindedness.
- Strong therapeutic parenting skills.
- Emotionally attuned responses to children.
- An understanding of trauma and attachment.
- Confidence in responding to behaviour through a therapeutic and relationship-based lens.
- Consistent approaches to supporting emotional regulation and positive relationships.
Our approach is underpinned by Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) and PACE – Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy principles.
This enables staff to provide consistent, relationship-based care that promotes emotional wellbeing, secure relationships and recovery from trauma.
The Registered Manager will play a crucial role in embedding this approach into the everyday culture of the home, ensuring that therapeutic principles are translated into consistent practice across the staff team.
Benefits
Staff Wellness Programme
What we offer: A comprehensive staff wellbeing programme designed to support the health, happiness and overall wellbeing of our team. This includes access to a dedicated reflective relaxation room and an in-house gym, providing staff with opportunities to relax, recharge and stay active during their working day.
The Role
We are seeking an experienced, passionate and ambitious Registered Manager to lead our new therapeutic children's home in Jarrow. We would also welcome applications from experienced Deputy Managers looking to take the next step into a Registered Manager role, with the right leadership experience, knowledge of residential childcare and passion for achieving positive outcomes for children and young people.
You will have overall responsibility for the management and operation of the home, ensuring that it provides high-quality care that meets the individual needs of each child.
You will lead a team of residential childcare professionals and work closely with our in-house Psychology Team to ensure that therapeutic approaches are embedded throughout the home.
The successful candidate will understand the impact that trauma and adverse childhood experiences can have on children's behaviour, emotional wellbeing, development and relationships.
You will be able to lead a team in responding to children's needs with empathy, consistency and appropriate professional boundaries, while maintaining clear safeguarding and regulatory standards.
Key Responsibilities
- Take overall responsibility for the day-to-day management and operation of the children's home.
- Ensure the home operates in accordance with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015, Quality Standards and relevant legislation.
- Maintain safeguarding and the welfare of children as the highest priority.
- Establish and maintain a warm, safe, therapeutic and child-centred environment.
- Embed trauma-informed and attachment-focused practice throughout the home.
- Lead, motivate and develop a high-performing residential childcare team.
- Promote psychologically informed practice across the staff team.
- Work collaboratively with the in-house Psychology Team.
- Ensure staff engage positively with therapeutic consultation, reflective practice and ongoing training.
- Develop staff understanding of DDP and PACE principles and their application within everyday care.
- Support staff to develop strong therapeutic parenting skills and emotionally attuned responses.
- Ensure that children's behaviour is understood within the context of their experiences, relationships and emotional needs.
- Ensure each child's individual needs, wishes, feelings and identity are reflected within their care planning.
- Oversee care plans, risk assessments, behaviour support plans and placement plans.
- Ensure appropriate responses are provided to incidents, safeguarding concerns and episodes of challenging behaviour.
- Promote positive relationships and secure attachments between children and trusted adults.
- Support children to develop emotional regulation, resilience, independence and life skills.
- Ensure children are supported to access education, healthcare, activities and positive experiences.
- Promote children's participation in decisions about their lives and care.
- Work effectively with social workers, placing authorities, families and other professionals.
- Ensure accurate, comprehensive and confidential records are maintained.
- Monitor the quality of care through audits, reviews, supervision and management oversight.
- Manage staffing levels, rotas and resources effectively.
- Ensure the home remains safe, clean, welcoming and appropriately maintained.
- Manage complaints, allegations and safeguarding matters in accordance with policies and statutory requirements.
- Prepare for and participate in Ofsted inspections and monitoring visits.
- Respond effectively to recommendations and areas for improvement.
- Ensure the Statement of Purpose remains accurate and reflects the service being provided.
- Promote continuous improvement across all aspects of the home.
- Manage the home's budget and resources responsibly.
- Lead by example and ensure children remain at the heart of every decision.
The Children We Support
The children living at the home may have experienced significant disruption or adversity in their lives.
This may include experiences of:
- Trauma and loss.
- Neglect or abuse.
- Family breakdown.
- Disrupted or insecure attachments.
- Placement instability.
- Difficult or disrupted relationships.
- Adverse childhood experiences.
- Emotional and behavioural difficulties.
- Difficulties developing trust and maintaining relationships.
- Challenges associated with changes in family, school or placement circumstances.
The successful Registered Manager will recognise that behaviour is often a form of communication and will support the team to understand what may be underlying a child's presentation rather than simply responding to the behaviour itself.
You will promote an approach that provides children with safety, consistency, predictable boundaries, positive relationships and opportunities to succeed.
Leadership and Therapeutic Culture
As Registered Manager, you will be responsible for creating a culture in which staff feel supported to reflect on their practice and understand the emotional needs behind children's behaviour.
You will promote an environment where staff are encouraged to be curious rather than reactive, to understand the meaning behind behaviour and to consider how their own responses can influence a child's sense of safety and trust.
Working alongside the Psychology Team, you will ensure that therapeutic consultation and reflective practice become an integral part of the home's everyday practice rather than an additional activity.
You will model the principles of PACE — Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy — and encourage staff to use these principles consistently when building relationships with children.
You will also ensure that therapeutic approaches remain balanced with clear professional boundaries, safeguarding responsibilities and the regulatory requirements of a children's home.
About You
We are looking for a Registered Manager who is passionate about improving outcomes for children and young people and who understands the importance of providing stable, nurturing and therapeutic care.
You will be a confident leader with the ability to establish a strong team culture and maintain high standards of care.
You will have a strong understanding of trauma, attachment and the impact of adverse childhood experiences.
You will be emotionally resilient, reflective and able to remain calm and thoughtful during challenging situations.
You will be able to inspire staff and help them develop the confidence and skills required to provide therapeutic parenting and emotionally attuned care.
You will value professional curiosity and reflective practice and be committed to working collaboratively with psychologists and other professionals.
Most importantly, you will genuinely believe that children who have experienced adversity deserve the opportunity to build trusting relationships, experience stability and achieve positive outcomes.
Essential Requirements
- Previous experience managing or deputy managing a children's residential service.
- Strong knowledge of safeguarding and residential childcare.
- Good understanding of the Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and Quality Standards.
- Experience leading, supervising and developing staff teams.
- Understanding of trauma-informed and attachment-focused approaches.
- Understanding of the impact of adverse childhood experiences on children's emotional wellbeing and development.
- Experience with care planning, risk management and safeguarding procedures.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to work collaboratively with psychologists and other therapeutic professionals.
- Strong organisational and record-keeping skills.
- Ability to manage challenging situations calmly and professionally.
- Commitment to reflective practice and continuous professional development.
- Commitment to achieving positive outcomes for children.
- Relevant Level 5 qualification in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare, or willingness to work towards the qualification where appropriate.
- Ability to successfully complete an enhanced DBS check and all required safer recruitment checks.
Desirable Experience
Experience of:
- Opening and registering a new children's home.
- Managing a therapeutic or trauma-informed residential service.
- Working with children affected by trauma, neglect, abuse or placement instability.
- Applying attachment-focused approaches within residential care.
- Working alongside psychologists or multidisciplinary therapeutic teams.
- Understanding or applying DDP and PACE principles.
- Supporting staff through reflective practice and therapeutic consultation.
- Supporting children with complex emotional or behavioural needs.
- Developing and implementing therapeutic approaches within residential care.
- Managing Ofsted inspections.
- Developing a new staff team and establishing a positive workplace culture.
- Working with local authorities and placing authorities.
- Managing budgets and resources.
- Achieving good or outstanding inspection outcomes.
What We Offer
- The opportunity to lead a brand-new therapeutic children's home from the outset.
- The opportunity to shape the culture, values and standards of the home.
- A psychologically informed working environment.
- Support and guidance from an in-house Psychology Team.
- Access to regular therapeutic consultation and reflective practice.
- Comprehensive induction and ongoing training.
- Training in trauma-informed and attachment-focused practice.
- Professional development around therapeutic parenting, DDP and PACE principles.
- Regular management supervision and support.
- Support from the Responsible Individual and senior management team.
- Opportunities for career progression.
- Supportive working environment.
- Competitive salary.
- Pension scheme.
- Annual leave entitlement.
- [Additional benefits to be confirmed].
Safeguarding and Safer Recruitment
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.
The successful candidate will be required to undertake an enhanced DBS check, provide satisfactory employment references and complete all required safer recruitment checks. Employment will be subject to the organisation's safeguarding and recruitment procedures.
Join Our Team
This is an opportunity to join a brand-new service and help create a home where children who have experienced adversity can feel safe, develop secure relationships, recover from trauma and thrive.
Pay: £50,000.00-£60,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- Free parking
- On-site parking
Work Location: In person
