Children's Home Residential Practitioner

Gloucestershire County Council; Gloucester; Hybrid; GBP 21,000 - 27,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working arrangements

Job summary

Gloucestershire County Council is recruiting compassionate, resilient staff to join our established children’s home teams in Gloucestershire. Roles involve providing safe, nurturing care in trauma-informed environments, with a focus on building resilience and life skills for children and young people.

Hybrid working arrangements are available for many roles, and successful applicants will contribute to high-quality safeguarding, education and personal development plans, while earning a

Qualifications

• Empathy and resilience to support children who may have experienced trauma
• Strong teamwork and communication to collaborate with colleagues and partners
• Commitment to learning and professional development

Responsibilities

• Provide high-quality, individualised care in a safe and nurturing environment.
• Use trauma-informed and relationship-based approaches to support children's emotional wellbeing and development.
• Promote positive relationships, life skills and growing independence.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues and partner professionals to implement each child's plans.
• Support children to participate in education, recreation and personal development opportunities.
• Respond safely and professionally to challenging situations, using agreed therapeutic and behaviour-support approaches.
• Maintain accurate records and contribute to safeguarding, regulatory and quality standards.
• Typical shift pattern: 10:00am-11:00pm, followed by a sleep-in and 7:00am-10:30am the next morning.
• Hours worked between 8:00pm and 6:00am, at weekends or on bank holidays attract an unsociable-hours payment in addition to the basic salary.

Skills

Empathy

Teamwork

Communication

Education

Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England)

Job description

Are you motivated by purpose? Do you believe every child deserves safety, care and the opportunity to thrive? We are recruiting compassionate, resilient and dedicated people to join our established children's home teams. Our homes are operational and growing in occupancy, and successful applicants will play an important part in building on the strengths of each home, developing a positive team culture and providing safe, nurturing and consistent care for children. In accordance with Schedule 9, Part 1, of the Equality Act 2010, this role has a Genuine Occupational Requirement for the postholder to be aged 21 years or above. This is an essential and proportionate requirement to ensure the effective and appropriate delivery of the service due to the nature of the duties of the role and the ages and complex needs of the children and young people in our care. Right child, right support, right time, every time. Following our June 2025 Ofsted inspection, our Children's Services were rated 'Good' with 'Outstanding' elements. Ofsted praised our leadership for creating a culture where children, families, and staff feel valued and heard, and where risk is managed confidently and ethically. Our purpose-driven children's homes are designed to meet identified needs and provide children with stable, nurturing care. As occupancy grows, we are continuing to strengthen our teams, embed consistent practice and build on the individual strengths of each home. Our approach is centred on trauma-informed care, specialist support and staff development so that colleagues feel prepared, valued and confident in providing high-quality care.

Responsibilities

• Provide high-quality, individualised care in a safe and nurturing environment.
• Use trauma-informed and relationship-based approaches to support children's emotional wellbeing and development.
• Promote positive relationships, life skills and growing independence.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues and partner professionals to implement each child's plans.
• Support children to participate in education, recreation and personal development opportunities.
• Respond safely and professionally to challenging situations, using agreed therapeutic and behaviour-support approaches.
• Maintain accurate records and contribute to the home's safeguarding, regulatory and quality standards.
• Typical shift pattern: 10:00am-11:00pm, followed by a sleep-in and 7:00am-10:30am the next morning. Shift arrangements may be reviewed in line with operational requirements.
• Hours worked between 8:00pm and 6:00am, at weekends or on bank holidays attract an unsociable-hours payment in addition to the basic salary for this post.

We're looking for people who:

• are passionate about helping children and young people flourish.
• are empathetic, patient, and resilient, with strong teamwork and communication skills.
• can build trusting relationships with children who may have experienced trauma.
• are flexible to work shifts, evenings, weekends, and sleep-ins.
• are committed to learning and professional development.

Desirable

• a Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England), or an equivalent qualification; alternatively, a commitment to achieve the Level 3 Diploma within two years of starting work in the home.
• a full driving licence and willingness to drive as part of the role.
• willingness to undergo the required pre-employment and safer recruitment checks, including an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check.

We want to be an employer of choice, attracting and retaining excellent people to work for us, so that we can best serve all of Gloucestershire's diverse communities. Our promise to you is that we will provide an inclusive and supportive working environment that enables you to bring your whole self to work and realise your full potential.

It is a legal requirement, under the Immigration Act 2016, that anyone appointed to a 'customer facing role' must be able to demonstrate an ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in fluent English. Hybrid working arrangements are available for the majority of our roles, giving teams the opportunity to work in a way that suits them, balancing service need and individual choice, with a mix of both remote and office working.