Ofsted Registered Manager – Children's HomesEvery Second Care Children's Services
At Every Second Care Children's Services, we're committed to giving children the very best care. Everything we do is guided by our EVERY values and one simple principle – the child always comes first.
We're looking for an experienced Ofsted Registered Manager to lead two of our single-occupancy children's homes. The homes are based in the Ormskirk/St Helens area, with the final base to be confirmed.
This is an important role within our growing children's services. We're looking for someone who understands children's residential care, knows what good looks like and can lead teams to provide consistent, child-centred care.
Our EVERY values
- E – Empathy through PACE – We take time to understand the child behind the behaviour.
- V – Visionary Leadership – We lead by example, stay proactive and always look for ways to improve.
- E – Empowering Environments – We create homes where children feel safe, valued and able to grow.
- R – Respect – We treat children, families and colleagues with honesty, kindness and dignity.
- Y – You're Accountable – We take responsibility for our actions and the quality of care we provide.
About the role
You'll have responsibility for two single-occupancy children's homes, supported by senior management, Team Leaders and the wider Every Second Care Children's Services team.
Our children may have experienced significant adversity and trauma and can have complex support needs. We work in a trauma-informed way, using PACE and Positive Behaviour Support to understand what sits behind behaviour and provide care specific to each child.
We're looking for a manager who can balance strong leadership and Ofsted compliance with the everyday reality of running children's homes. You'll need to be visible in the homes, know the children, support your teams and make sure plans are being followed in practice.
Key responsibilities
- Taking responsibility for the day-to-day management of two single-occupancy children's homes.
- Leading the homes in line with the Children's Homes Regulations and Ofsted Quality Standards.
- Preparing for and managing Ofsted inspections.
- Making sure children receive high-quality, individualised care.
- Ensuring care plans, risk assessments, Positive Behaviour Support plans and other key documents are current and followed by staff.
- Providing oversight of safeguarding, incidents, complaints and significant events.
- Reviewing incidents and making sure learning is carried into practice.
- Completing and overseeing audits, monitoring and quality assurance.
- Leading and supporting Team Leaders and Residential Children's Workers.
- Completing supervisions, appraisals, team meetings and reflective practice.
- Supporting staff development and addressing areas where standards need to improve.
- Working closely with social workers, families, education, health professionals and other agencies.
- Monitoring children's health, education, activities, family time and overall progress.
- Making sure records and electronic systems are accurate and up to date.
- Supporting safer recruitment and the development of a strong staff team.
- Ensuring the homes are safe, welcoming and maintained to a high standard.
- Working closely with the Responsible Individual and senior management to continually develop the service.
What we're looking for
Ofsted children's home experience is essential for this role.
You'll also need:
- Strong experience within children's residential care.
- A good working knowledge of the Children's Homes Regulations and Ofsted Quality Standards.
- Experience of leading and developing staff teams.
- Confidence in care planning, safeguarding, risk management and quality assurance.
- Good written and verbal communication skills.
- The ability to work effectively with social workers, local authorities and other professionals.
- A proactive approach and the confidence to make decisions.
- The ability to reflect, learn and make changes when something isn't working.
- A relevant Level 5 qualification, or willingness to complete this where appropriate.
- A full UK driving licence and access to your own vehicle. This is essential as regular travel between the two homes and to meetings is required.
The type of manager we're looking for
We're not looking for someone who simply keeps paperwork ready for Ofsted.
We want a manager who is interested in what is actually happening for the child. Someone who visits the homes, speaks to children and staff, notices when something isn't right and takes action.
Self-reflection and reflective practice are important to us. We learn from good practice as well as the more challenging situations. We want a manager who can do the same and create a culture where staff feel supported but also understand their responsibilities.
The role can be demanding, but you'll have support around you. We want our managers to have the confidence to lead while also being comfortable asking questions, sharing ideas and continuing to learn.
Training & Career Development
We invest in our staff and provide ongoing training and development, including trauma-informed practice, Positive Behaviour Support, safeguarding, leadership, the Children's Homes Regulations and Ofsted Quality Standards.
Every Second Care Children's Services continues to grow, which creates genuine opportunities for career progression. We have recently promoted three members of staff and are always looking for people who care about what they do and have the potential to develop further.
Location
The role will cover two single-occupancy children's homes in the Ormskirk/St Helens area. The main base will be confirmed.
Regular travel between the homes and to professional meetings will be required, so a full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle are essential.
Applying
When applying, please explain your experience within Ofsted children's homes and why you feel you would be a good fit for Every Second Care Children's Services.
We're particularly interested in hearing about your leadership approach, experience of Ofsted and the Quality Standards, how you develop staff teams and how you make sure the child's needs remain at the centre of the service.
If you share our values, care about standards and believe good leadership should make a real difference to children's lives, we'd love to hear from you.
Pay: £55,000.00-£65,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company events
- Company pension
- Employee discount
- On-site parking
Work Location: In person
