Job description
Support Worker (Children’s Residential Home)
Location: Kempston/ Bedfordshire
Salary: £14.70 - £16.00 Per hour + £65 Per Sleep In
Expected hours: 20 per week
Contract: Part Time Weekend days and also Weekend Wake in Nights Available
***UNFORTUNATELY AT THIS TIME WE ARE UNABLE TO OFFER ANY EMPLOYEE SPONSORSHIPS***
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About Us
We’re excited to be opening our first children’s residential home and are looking for passionate, committed Residential Support Workers to bring our vision to life.
You’ll be joining a vibrant, forward-thinking children’s home dedicated to creating a warm, supportive, and nurturing environment for up to three children and young people aged 8–18 who may present with mental health needs, emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD), and complex needs, including learning difficulties.
Many of the young people we support will have experienced neglect, abuse, and multiple placement breakdowns.
This is a unique opportunity to be part of a new home from the very beginning, helping to shape a positive culture rooted in strong values, compassion, and teamwork.
Our home will operate within a therapeutic framework, embedding the principles of PACE (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity, and Empathy) and the Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) approach throughout all aspects of care and practice.
These approaches will be central to building trusting relationships, supporting emotional regulation, and helping young people recover from trauma.
This isn’t just a job — it’s a place you’ll enjoy coming to work. At Claris Homes, our staff are truly valued, supported by an approachable leadership team and a culture built on openness and trust from day one. We are big on staff wellbeing, welcome your ideas, and are always striving to grow and improve together,
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Your Role
As a Children’s Residential Support Worker, you will provide high-quality, child-centered care in line with the Children’s Homes Regulations and Quality Standards.
Working as part of a supportive team, you will help create a safe, stable, and nurturing home where children and young people feel secure, valued, and listened to.
You will provide one-to-one support to children and young people with mental health needs, emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD), learning disabilities, and experiences of trauma, including neglect, abuse, and placement breakdowns.
You will build positive, trusting relationships that promote emotional wellbeing, stability, and positive outcomes.
The role includes supporting daily routines, promoting independence and life skills, and contributing to a positive home environment.
Safeguarding will be central to your practice, with responsibility for recognising and reporting concerns in line with policy and procedure.
You will work collaboratively with colleagues and professionals, maintain accurate records, and support care plans and behaviour strategies to meet each child’s individual needs.
This is a rewarding role offering the opportunity to make a real and lasting difference in children’s and young people’s lives.
- This role involves a varied shift pattern, including early mornings, late evenings, sleep-ins, on-call duties, weekends on a rota basis, and Bank Holidays when required. Sleep-in duties are part of the role and attract an additional payment.
- From time to time, you may be asked to adjust your rota at short notice, in line with your contract, to ensure the service remains safely staffed. This may include covering an additional sleep-in shift in emergency situations.
- You will be expected to work in line with all Health and Safety requirements and to promptly report any concerns to the Registered Manager.
- The safety and wellbeing of children and young people is our highest priority. We maintain a safe, nurturing environment through thorough staff recruitment, enhanced DBS and working with children checks.
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Key Responsibilities
- Provide outstanding, child-centered care in line with each child’s individual care plan, ensuring their safety, wellbeing, and welfare at all times.
- Support children with daily living tasks, including cooking, medication, housekeeping, and health and safety checks.
- To ensure the home is kept clean and in a tidy condition, adhere to the cleaning Rota system, encouraging the young people to participate as appropriate.
- Promote independence, life-skills development, education engagement, and participation in social and community activities.
- Build positive, trusting relationships with children and young people, and work collaboratively with families and external professionals.
- Maintain accurate, timely records of daily activities, progress, and any incidents, in line with legislative, safeguarding, GDPR, and organizational requirements.
- Apply safeguarding knowledge and procedures consistently to protect children and create a safe, stable home environment.
- Work effectively both independently and as part of a team, demonstrating professionalism, empathy, resilience, and a solution-focused, “can-do” approach.
- Participate in a Rota system, including evenings, weekends, and holidays, and engage in ongoing training, supervision, and professional development.
- A genuine passion for supporting children and young people, strong communication skills, flexibility, and a commitment to making a positive difference are essential.
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Essential Requirements
- NVQ Level 4 in Children, Young People & Families Practitioner or equivalent
- (highly desirable) or a willingness to undergo this qualification within 6 months of employment
- Experience in a residential children's home setting (highly desirable)
- Flexibility to work 24-to-48-hour shift patterns (including sleep-in) - Rota given in advance but likely
- Full, UK driving license (essential)
All candidates must be over the age of 21 to meet industry regulations
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Knowledge and Understanding
- Children’s Home Regulations and Quality Standards 2015, Single Social Care Inspection Framework (SSCIF), Children Act 1989, Children and Families Act 2014, Care Standards Act 2000, Children Act 2004, Working Together to Safeguard Children 2015, Health and Safety at work and associated guidance and regulation.
- Policies and procedures pertaining to running a residential children’s home.
- Child protection, safeguarding children, impact of abuse and neglect, education and health needs of looked after children, equality and diversity and children’s rights.
- Care and placement planning, risk and review processes.
- Understanding of the education, health, social, emotional and psychological needs of looked after children and young people and how to ensure these needs are met.
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Desirable.
- A creative, solution-focused mindset, and the energy to help build a new, inspiring environment from the ground up.
- Proven experience opening or helping to establish a new children’s residential home.
- Training or certification in therapeutic approaches such as PACE or Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP).
- Strong understanding of trauma-informed care and child development.
- Experience within a residential setting supporting children and young people with emotional, behavioural, and complex needs, including learning difficulties.
- Demonstrated success in achieving positive outcomes during Ofsted inspections.
- Subscribed to the DBS update service
- Confident in liaising with external agencies, including social workers, education providers, and safeguarding authorities.
- Flexible and resilient with a solution-focused, child-centered approach.
- First Aid certified
- Experience using the ClearCare system
- Experience using Rota Cloud
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What We Offer
- Access to high-quality training and CPD through our dedicated Children’s Social Care Academy.
- Over time 1.5 hourly rate.
- Accumulate days annual leave.
- Nest Pension Scheme 3% (currently 5% employer contribution).
- A supportive and values-led senior leadership team that priorities well-being and work-life balance.
- With exciting expansion plans on the horizon, there will be multiple opportunities for career progression and significantly increased earning potential. A clear pathway to more senior managerial roles is in place as part of our planned growth.
- Staff and young people feedback – Chances to win family days out, family meals tailored to you as an induvial
- Refer a friend scheme up to £300
- End-of-year bonus
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Free parking
- On-site parking
- Free food on-site
- Additional Birthday Annual Leave Day
- Christmas Day and New Year's Day: 2.5x hourly rate for all shifts on 25th December and 1st January; 2x hourly rate for Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve
Work Location: In person
Pay: £15.00-£16.00 per hour
Benefits:
- Additional leave
- Casual dress
- Company pension
- Free parking
- On-site parking
- Referral programme
Application question(s):
- Experience supporting children and young people within a residential setting
Work Location: In person
