Children's Home Deputy Manager

Suffolk County Council; Brandon, Shotley; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 49,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Up to 29 days annual leave pro rata

LGPS pension

Travel and wellbeing benefits

Career development opportunities

Flexible working options

Job summary

Suffolk County Council is seeking a Deputy Manager to lead two one-bed children’s homes in Brandon and Shotley. You will support the Registered Children’s Home Manager, ensuring high standards of care, safeguarding and staff practice across both sites.

The role is permanent, 37 hours per week, with on-call duties and opportunities to influence service improvements while developing a strong team ethos. DBS checks are required.

Qualifications

• Experience of working with children in residential settings within the last 5 years.
• Knowledge of the Children's Act, Quality Standards and the Children's Homes Regulations.
• Ability to lead a management team with minimal supervision.

Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day leadership across two one-bed homes in Brandon and Shotley.
• Maintain safeguarding, risk management and regulatory compliance.
• Lead and support residential staff, serving as a positive role model.

Skills

Leadership

Safeguarding

Staff development

Communication

Team ethos

Management experience

Solution-focused

Education

Level 5 qualification (or equivalent)

Job description

Job Description

• Suffolk County Council
• Address: Brandon and Shotley Children's Homes, Suffolk, On-site working across both locations
• Salary: £42,123 - £48,607 per annum (pro rata for part time) plus 10% Residential Enhancement Allowance. In addition to your salary, you will receive payment for any on call duties performed as management cover
• Hours: 37 hours per week
• Contract: Permanent

At Suffolk County Council, every role is a chance to create positive change for young people in our care. As a Deputy Manager, you will support the Registered Children’s Home Manager across two one-bed children’s homes, one based in Brandon and one in Shotley.

This is an opportunity to help lead two small, dedicated teams and ensure both homes provide safe, nurturing and stable environments where children and young people can feel valued, build positive relationships and achieve the best possible outcomes.

Reimagine the possibilities.

Your Role And Responsibilities

You will work alongside the Registered Children’s Home Manager to provide day-to-day leadership and management across our two one-bed children’s homes in Brandon and Shotley. You will help maintain consistently high standards of care, safeguarding, staff practice and regulatory compliance, and lead across both homes in the Manager’s absence.

Each home provides a nurturing, safe and stable environment for one child or young person aged 11-17, enabling the teams to build strong relationships and provide individualised care tailored to their needs.

You will:

• support the Registered Manager in the effective day-to-day leadership of both one-bed children’s homes in Brandon and Shotley
• lead and support residential childcare staff across both homes, acting as a positive role model and promoting good practice
• provide management oversight in the Registered Manager’s absence, helping to maintain safeguarding, risk management and compliance with the Children’s Homes Regulations and Quality Standards
• help take forward service priorities and improvements that support positive outcomes for children and young people
• support staff supervision, development and wellbeing, creating a strong team ethos across both homes
• encourage and support children and young people to make positive changes and fulfil their potential
• work flexibly across both locations and participate in the evening and weekend on-call system as management cover.

Our residential homes are open 365 days a year. Shift work, weekend working and bank holidays are therefore a core part of the role.

You will need

• experience of working with children in a residential setting within the last 5 years
• good knowledge of the Children Act, the Quality Standards and the Children’s Homes Regulations
• experience of acting as a role model when working with children or young adults
• the ability to work effectively as part of a management team and lead without constant supervision
• good communication skills, a strong team ethos and a commitment to staff training and development
• experience of using solution-focused approaches in practice
• a suitable practitioner-level qualification at Level 5, equivalent experience in a relevant area, or a commitment to achieve the qualification within 2 years of employment
• a full UK driving licence with access to your own transport
• a strong commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.

To support your development, you will have access to regular training and supervision, helping you to feel supported and confident in your role.

Take a look at what makes our Ideal Worker (pdf) , shaped by the voices of young people.

The Team

This is your chance to join a brand-new team and help shape a children’s home from the very beginning.

Our newly renovated homes in Shotley and Brandon are ready for their next chapter, and we’re looking for fantastic people to be part of it. From a team of Youth Support Practitioners and Senior Youth Support Practitioners through to the Deputy Manager, Home Manager and Handyperson every member of the team will play an important part in creating a home where children and young people can feel safe, supported and valued.

You’ll have the opportunity to grow together as a team, share ideas, learn from each other and create the kind of positive, supportive culture you’d be proud to be part of. It’s an exciting opportunity to make your mark in a new team while making a real difference to the lives of the children and young people you support.

Empowering Everyone

We’re big believers in potential, possibility and the power of different ideas. We’re always searching for ways to encourage, respect and enable everyone to be the best they can be. We want to represent the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all individuals, especially those from groups that are currently underrepresented in the organisation, as shown in our Workforce Equality Report .

For an informal discussion about this role, please contact

Beth Fletcher, Residential Service Manager, by calling 07732603793.

You will be required to attend a Warner Interview for this position as part of the recruitment process.

Please note: Without a supporting statement, your interest will not be progressed. Any supporting documents must be in either PDF or MS Word format.

We would like to make you aware that priority consideration for this post may be given to current employees who are at risk due to restructure within the organisation or are in a redeployment position.

Please note: If you are successful in securing a position, you will be required to provide a full 10-year employment and activity history as part of our pre-employment checks. This includes details of all employment, periods of education, and any gaps, along with referee contact details for each role where applicable. To help avoid delays in the recruitment and onboarding process, we recommend gathering this information in advance.

This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks or police vetting will be required for relevant posts.

About Us

As a modern and effective council, we offer a wide variety of careers to suit people with a range of skills, abilities and ambitions. We offer working options that flex to reflect the way people work today and take the time to understand and support your individual needs. We’re driven to make a positive difference to the world around us and encourage everyone with drive and focus to join us and build an influential and impactful career. Reimagine the possibilities.

In return, you’ll enjoy:

• up to 29 days annual leave entitlement (pro rata), plus UK bank holidays and two paid volunteering days
• membership of a competitive Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• travel, lifestyle, health and wellbeing benefits
• performance-related annual pay progression, in addition to an annual cost-of-living pay increase
• training and encouragement to expand your knowledge
• a variety of career development opportunities across our organisation
• diverse and active staff networks
• flexible working options, with the right to request flexible working from your first day

Plus lots more!

If you want to know more about our benefits, values and equality commitments please visit our Suffolk County Council careers website (careers.Suffolk.gov.uk) .