1. Role Overview
The Responsible Individual (RI) is a legally designated role under the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015. As the RI for a solo Ofsted-registered children’s residential home, the postholder carries ultimate accountability to Ofsted and to the provider for ensuring that the home is operated safely, effectively, and in full compliance with all statutory requirements.
This home provides a specialist residential placement for a child or young person presenting with Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties (EBD), which may include complex trauma histories, attachment difficulties, self-harming behaviours, risk-taking, and challenges related to mental health. The RI must therefore bring not only strong regulatory and governance expertise, but also a deep working knowledge of trauma-informed, therapeutic approaches to residential childcare.
The RI will provide visible, active leadership and oversight, working in close partnership with the Registered Manager to ensure that the young person in placement receives consistent, high-quality care that promotes their safety, stability, and long-term wellbeing.
2. Key ResponsibilitiesRegulatory Compliance & Ofsted Accountability
- Act as the legally responsible person for the home’s registration with Ofsted, ensuring full and continuous compliance with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the associated Quality Standards.
- Ensure the home’s Statement of Purpose accurately reflects the service provided, including the specific specialism of EBD, and is reviewed and updated as required.
- Notify Ofsted of all notifiable events within the prescribed timescales, including any significant incidents, placement breakdowns, allegations, or changes to key personnel.
- Ensure that all conditions of the home’s Ofsted registration are met at all times and that no changes to registration are made without appropriate approval.
- Prepare the home and support the Registered Manager in advance of Ofsted inspections, ensuring all documentation, records, and practice are inspection-ready at all times.
- Maintain robust awareness of Ofsted’s Social Care Common Inspection Framework (SCCIF) and ensure the home consistently works to the standard expected.
Active Oversight & Quality Assurance
- Conduct a minimum of one formal visit to the home per month, reviewing the quality of care, the welfare and progress of the young person, and the overall environment and culture of the home.
- Produce a written RI visit report following each visit, clearly identifying strengths, areas for development, and any required actions with assigned responsibility and timescales.
- Review and sign off all statutory records, logs, placement plans, risk assessments, and regulatory documentation to ensure accuracy, completeness, and timeliness.
- Commission and oversee regular audits across all key areas including safeguarding, health and safety, finances, staffing, and the quality of the young person’s daily experience.
- Monitor key performance indicators and outcomes for the young person in placement, including education, health, emotional wellbeing, placement stability, and progress against care plan goals.
- Ensure that the home’s physical environment remains safe, therapeutic, and fit for purpose, and that any maintenance or health and safety concerns are addressed without delay.
Specialist EBD Leadership & Practice Oversight
- Provide specialist leadership and strategic direction in relation to the home’s EBD specialism, ensuring that practice across the home is grounded in evidence-based, trauma-informed approaches.
- Ensure that therapeutic and behavioural frameworks used within the home (such as PACE, therapeutic crisis intervention, or positive behaviour support) are consistently embedded and reviewed for effectiveness.
- Oversee the development and regular review of the young person’s individual risk assessments, behaviour support plans, and placement plans, ensuring these are current, proportionate, and person-centred.
- Ensure the home maintains meaningful links with CAMHS, educational psychologists, speech and language therapists, and other specialist professionals contributing to the young person’s care.
- Lead a culture in which de-escalation, relationship-based practice, and the least restrictive approach are central to how the staff team works with the young person every day.
- Ensure that any use of physical intervention or restrictive practice is lawful, proportionate, properly recorded, reviewed, and reported in line with regulatory requirements.
Safeguarding
- Hold and promote ultimate accountability for safeguarding within the home, ensuring that all staff understand and fulfil their statutory safeguarding responsibilities.
- Ensure that robust, up-to-date safeguarding policies and procedures are in place, understood by all staff, and consistently applied in practice.
- Ensure that all referrals to children’s social care, the police, or the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) are made promptly and appropriately when concerns arise.
- Oversee the management of allegations against staff in accordance with LADO procedures and Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023).
- Ensure that the young person’s safety from exploitation, including Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE), Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE), county lines, and online harm, is actively considered and managed within the care and risk planning framework.
- Ensure missing from home episodes are responded to swiftly, recorded accurately, and followed up with return-to-home interviews and relevant referrals where required.
Staffing, Supervision & Workforce Development
- Ensure that all staff and the Registered Manager hold the qualifications, skills, and experience required to provide specialist EBD residential care, and that a clear workforce development plan is in place.
- Ensure robust safer recruitment processes are applied to all appointments within the home, including thorough DBS checks, reference verification, and pre-employment vetting.
- Ensure that all staff receive regular, structured supervision, appraisal, and access to specialist training relevant to EBD and trauma-informed practice.
- Ensure that adequate staffing ratios are maintained at all times, taking into account the specific risk profile and support needs of the young person in placement.
- Promote a culture of reflective practice, professional curiosity, and continuous learning across the staff team.
- Ensure appropriate support mechanisms are in place for staff wellbeing, given the emotionally demanding nature of specialist EBD residential work.
Partnership, Commissioning & Placement Management
- Develop and maintain effective working relationships with placing Local Authorities, Independent Reviewing Officers (IROs), social workers, and Virtual School Heads.
- Ensure that the young person’s Pathway Plan, Personal Education Plan (PEP), and Health Assessment are in place, reviewed regularly, and that the home actively contributes to these processes.
- Act as a key point of contact for commissioners, responding promptly and professionally to placement queries, safeguarding concerns, and placement review requests.
- Participate in placement planning meetings, looked after children reviews, and professionals’ meetings as required.
Finance & Governance
- Hold financial accountability for the home, ensuring it is managed within budget and that all expenditure is appropriate, evidenced, and in the young person’s best interests.
- Ensure that the home’s governance arrangements are robust, with clear lines of accountability between the RI, the Registered Manager, and the provider.
- Report regularly to the provider on the operational performance, quality, and regulatory compliance of the home.
3. Person SpecificationQualifications — Essential
- Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare (England) or an equivalent Level 5 qualification — this is a mandatory minimum requirement and non-negotiable for this post.
- Evidence of continued professional development relevant to children’s residential care and/or EBD specialism.
Qualifications — Desirable
- Degree or professional qualification in Social Work, Psychology, Education, or a related discipline.
- Postgraduate or specialist training in trauma-informed practice, therapeutic childcare, or child and adolescent mental health.
- Registration with a relevant professional body (e.g. Social Work England).
Experience — Essential
- A minimum of five years’ experience working within children’s residential care, with at least two years in a senior management or leadership role within an Ofsted-regulated service.
- Demonstrable experience of managing or providing governance oversight for a residential home serving children with EBD, complex trauma, or associated mental health needs.
- Proven experience of working within the Ofsted regulatory framework, including managing inspections and responding to regulatory actions.
- Experience of managing complex safeguarding situations, including allegations, missing from home, exploitation risks, and multi-agency child protection processes.
- Track record of leading and developing staff teams to deliver high-quality, specialist residential care.
Experience — Desirable
- Previous experience as a Registered Manager or Responsible Individual within a solo or small residential children’s home.
- Experience of working with CAMHS, educational psychologists, or other specialist professionals within a multi-disciplinary framework.
- Experience of working with children who have experience of the youth justice system, exploitation, or significant placement disruption.
Knowledge & Skills
- Thorough, up-to-date knowledge of the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015, the Quality Standards, and Ofsted’s SCCIF.
- Comprehensive knowledge of safeguarding legislation and statutory guidance, including Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023) and Keeping Children Safe in Education (2024, where applicable).
- Strong understanding of EBD, attachment theory, developmental trauma, and evidence-based therapeutic approaches to residential childcare (e.g. PACE, therapeutic crisis intervention, positive behaviour support).
- Understanding of the specific vulnerabilities of looked-after children, including CSE, CCE, self-harm, mental health, and the impact of placement instability.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to produce high-quality regulatory reports, care plans, and risk assessments.
- Strong analytical and decision-making skills, with the ability to assess risk, act proportionately, and make sound judgements under pressure.
- Confident in leading multi-agency meetings, managing professional relationships with commissioners and statutory partners, and representing the home externally.
Personal Attributes
- A genuine, unwavering commitment to improving the lives and outcomes of children and young people with EBD and complex needs.
- Exceptional resilience and emotional intelligence, with the ability to remain calm, reflective, and authoritative in high-pressure situations.
- Strong personal integrity and sound ethical judgement, particularly in relation to safeguarding, restrictive practice, and the rights of children.
- A relational, child-centred approach that prioritises the voice, wishes, and feelings of the young person at all times.
- Collaborative leadership style, with the ability to inspire, support, and hold to account the Registered Manager and staff team.
- Flexible and adaptable, with an understanding of the unpredictable and demanding nature of specialist EBD residential care.
4. Mandatory Requirements
Requirement
Status
Level 5 Diploma in Leadership & Management for Residential Childcare (or equivalent Level 5)
Essential — Mandatory
Enhanced DBS Check with Children’s Barred List
Essential — Mandatory
Right to Work in the United Kingdom
Essential — Mandatory
Minimum 5 years’ experience in children’s residential care
Essential — Mandatory
Knowledge of EBD and trauma-informed practice
Essential — Mandatory
Full UK driving licence
Desirable
Registration with Social Work England or equivalent body
Desirable
Postgraduate training in therapeutic childcare or CAMHS
Desirable
5. Regulatory & Legislative Framework
The RI will operate within, and ensure the home’s full compliance with, the following:
- Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Quality Standards
- The Children Act 1989 and Children Act 2004
- Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023)
- Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010
- Ofsted’s Social Care Common Inspection Framework (SCCIF)
- The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (where applicable)
- Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and associated guidance
- The Equality Act 2010
- UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018
- Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024 (where applicable)
- NICE guidelines relevant to the care of children with EBD and mental health needs
6. Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
The organisation is fully committed to promoting equality of opportunity and to delivering care that is sensitive, inclusive, and responsive to the individual identity and background of every child. The RI is expected to champion an anti-discriminatory culture in which the rights, dignity, and individuality of the young person in placement are upheld at all times. The RI will ensure that the home’s practice is actively informed by the young person’s race, culture, religion, language, gender identity, and sexuality, and that these are central to care planning and daily life within the home.
7. Declaration
This job description is not exhaustive. The postholder may be required to carry out additional duties commensurate with the grade and purpose of the role, in response to the evolving needs of the service, the young person in placement, or changes in the regulatory environment. This document will be reviewed annually or when significant changes to the role or service occur.
Pay: £500.00-£1,000.00 per day
Work Location: In person
