Job Description: Registered Manager – Residential Children’s Home
Organisation: Illuminate Care Group
Location: Doncaster
Salary: £50,000–£55,000 per year
Reports to: Responsible Individual
**This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Applicants must have the right to work in the UK at the time of application. We are unable to support Skilled Worker or other visa applications for this position.**
About Illuminate Care Group
Illuminate Care Group provides safe, nurturing and stable homes for children and young people. Through trauma-informed care, individual support and consistent relationships, we help each child build confidence, develop skills and work towards their goals.
Our T.R.I.B.E. values guide our work:
- Trust: Building relationships through honesty, integrity and reliability.
- Respect: Treating people with dignity and valuing their differences.
- Impact: Making meaningful and lasting differences in young people’s lives.
- Belonging: Creating safe spaces where children and staff feel accepted.
- Enable: Giving people the support and opportunities to reach their potential.
Role Overview
The Registered Manager will lead and manage a residential children’s home in Doncaster. The home provides a solo placement for a child or young person with complex needs, which may include trauma, social, emotional and mental health needs, behaviours that challenge and communication needs.
You will hold day-to-day responsibility for the home, the quality of care and the performance of its staff team. You will create a safe, stable and homely environment while meeting the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015, the Quality Standards and other safeguarding requirements.
You must apply to register with Ofsted as the Registered Manager for the home and demonstrate your fitness, experience, knowledge and qualifications through the registration process.
Key Responsibilities
Leadership and Staff Management
- Provide clear and consistent leadership to the staff team.
- Recruit, induct and retain staff through safer recruitment practices.
- Plan staffing levels and rotas based on the child’s needs and the home’s statement of purpose.
- Lead regular team meetings and promote open, reflective practice.
- Complete staff supervision, probation reviews and annual appraisals.
- Identify development needs and support staff to complete training and qualifications.
- Monitor staff conduct, capability and performance, taking action when standards fall below expectations.
- Build a culture based on accountability, teamwork and the T.R.I.B.E. values.
- Support staff to manage the practical and emotional demands of a solo placement.
Quality of Care
- Lead child-centred care that reflects the child’s assessed needs, wishes, identity and background.
- Develop, implement and review individual care plans, placement plans and risk assessments.
- Promote trauma-informed and therapeutic approaches across the staff team.
- Help the child develop relationships, confidence, independence and practical life skills.
- Support access to education, healthcare, activities and community opportunities.
- Monitor the child’s progress and use this information to improve their care.
- Advocate for the child and promote their participation in decisions affecting their life.
- Maintain a home that is safe, welcoming, clean and well maintained.
Safeguarding and Risk Management
- Act as the Designated Safeguarding Lead for the home.
- Promote a strong safeguarding culture in which staff recognise, report and respond to concerns.
- Follow local safeguarding procedures and statutory guidance, including Working Together to Safeguard Children.
- Respond to safeguarding concerns, allegations, complaints, missing-from-care incidents and significant events.
- Complete required referrals and notifications within the relevant timescales.
- Develop and review behaviour support plans, safety plans and risk assessments.
- Promote proportionate, child-centred approaches to risk.
- Review incidents, identify patterns and use learning to reduce the risk of recurrence.
- Work closely with the Responsible Individual and relevant safeguarding agencies.
Regulatory Compliance and Quality Assurance
- Maintain compliance with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Quality Standards.
- Operate the home in line with its statement of purpose, policies and procedures.
- Prepare for and lead Ofsted inspections, monitoring visits and internal audits.
- Develop and complete improvement plans arising from inspections, audits, complaints or monitoring activity.
- Maintain accurate, timely and confidential records.
- Monitor the quality of care and use evidence, feedback and outcomes to improve the service.
- Support Regulation 44 independent visits and respond to resulting actions.
- Complete Regulation 45 quality-of-care reviews and reports within the required timescales.
- Keep current with changes to legislation, statutory guidance and regulatory expectations.
Partnership Working
- Build constructive working relationships with social workers, families, education providers, health professionals and other agencies.
- Attend and contribute to care reviews, planning meetings and professional discussions.
- Share information lawfully and promptly when this supports the child’s welfare or safety.
- Challenge decisions professionally when they do not support the child’s needs or agreed plans.
- Maintain clear communication with the Responsible Individual and senior leadership team.
Operational and Financial Management
- Manage the home’s budget, resources and expenditure responsibly.
- Monitor staffing costs and agency use while maintaining safe staffing levels.
- Manage the home’s day-to-day administration and regulatory records.
- Check that premises, equipment, vehicles and fire-safety arrangements remain safe and suitable.
- Develop and review procedures that support effective service delivery.
- Participate in the organisation’s on-call arrangements.
- Report operational, safeguarding and compliance risks to the Responsible Individual.
Person Specification
Essential Qualifications and Experience
You must have:
- A Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare (England), an accepted equivalent, or a commitment to complete the required qualification within the regulatory timescale.
- At least two years’ experience, gained within the last five years, in a position relevant to the residential care of children.
- At least one year’s experience supervising and managing staff who work in a care role.
- Experience supporting children with complex needs, such as trauma, SEMH needs, behaviours that challenge or communication needs.
- Experience developing care plans, behaviour support plans and risk assessments.
- Working knowledge of the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015, the Quality Standards and safeguarding guidance.
- Experience responding to safeguarding concerns and managing incidents.
- The ability to meet Ofsted’s fitness requirements and successfully register as the home’s Registered Manager.
Desirable Experience
It would be helpful if you have:
- Previous experience as a Registered Manager or Deputy Manager in a children’s home.
- Experience managing a solo or specialist placement.
- Experience preparing for or contributing to Ofsted inspections.
- Knowledge of trauma-informed and therapeutic care models.
- Experience supporting children who use alternative communication approaches, including PECS.
Skills and Attributes
You will need:
- Strong leadership and staff-management skills.
- Sound judgement and the confidence to make difficult decisions.
- Clear written and verbal communication.
- Good organisation and attention to detail.
- The ability to manage competing priorities and meet deadlines.
- Emotional resilience and the ability to remain calm during challenging situations.
- A child-focused, empathetic and respectful approach.
- The ability to work constructively with families and professionals.
- Commitment to safeguarding, inclusion and children’s rights.
- Integrity, accountability and alignment with the T.R.I.B.E. values.
Pay and Benefits
Illuminate Care Group offers:
- A salary of £50,000–£55,000 per year.
- An additional on-call allowance.
- 38 days’ annual leave.
- Your birthday off each year.
- Private healthcare through Aviva.
- Ongoing training and professional development.
- Support from an experienced senior leadership team.
- The opportunity to shape and lead a specialist residential service.
Safeguarding and Safer Recruitment
Illuminate Care Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. Appointment to this position remains subject to:
- A satisfactory enhanced DBS check with a check of the children’s barred list.
- Verification of identity, qualifications and employment history.
- Satisfactory references, including the applicant’s most recent relevant employer.
- Right-to-work checks.
- Health and fitness confirmation.
- Completion of all safer recruitment and Ofsted suitability checks.
- Successful registration with Ofsted as the Registered Manager.
Any employment offer may remain conditional until the required checks have been completed satisfactorily.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Illuminate Care Group is an equal-opportunities employer. We welcome applications from people of different backgrounds and aim to maintain a workplace where staff and children receive dignity, fairness and respect.
Safeguarding Statement
Illuminate Care is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. All staff must share this commitment. This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references.
Please Note:
Due to the nature of the role, applicants must have a good level of physical fitness to safely participate in physical interventions where necessary, in line with our Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) framework. This may include supporting young people during crisis situations, ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all individuals involved.
**This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Applicants must have the right to work in the UK at the time of application. We are unable to support Skilled Worker or other visa applications for this position.**
You will be required to complete an application form provided by us before attending an interview.
Pay: £50,000.00-£55,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Additional leave
- Company pension
- Employee discount
- Private medical insurance
- Referral programme
Ability to commute/relocate:
- Doncaster, South Yorkshire: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)
Experience:
- the last five years, residential care of children.: 2 years (required)
- supervising and managing staff who work in a care role.: 1 year (required)
Licence/Certification:
- Level 5 in Leadership & Management for Residential Childcare (preferred)
Work Location: In person
