Children's Home Support Worker

Barnardo's; Ilford; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking passionate individuals to join their Residential Team as Children's Home Support Workers. This rewarding position focuses on providing care and support to vulnerable children and young people, helping them navigate their challenges and build a brighter future. You'll engage with children in meaningful ways, support their everyday goals, and foster a nurturing environment that promotes their self-esteem and independence. With opportunities for ongoing training and career progression, this role is perfect for those looking to make a significant impact in the lives of young people while working in a supportive and dynamic team environment.

Benefits

Ongoing training and development opportunities

Excellent career progression opportunities

Supportive working environment

Flexible 24-hour rota system

Trade union recognition with Unison

Qualifications

• Experience in residential care is desirable but not essential.
• Understanding of trauma and its effects on behavior.

Responsibilities

• Engage and develop positive relationships with children.
• Support children with activities and community outings.
• Help manage challenging behaviors with patience.

Skills

Engagement with children and young people

Support for activities and hobbies

Resilience in managing challenging behaviors

Advocacy for children's voices

Education

Level 3/4 Children & Young People Workforce qualification

Job description

Do you share Barnardo's vision of Changing Childhoods, Changing Lives?

Are you looking for a new challenge?

Do you enjoy working with children & young people and positively impacting their lives?

We have a fantastic opportunity to join our Residential Team as a Children's Home Support Worker on a full-time permanent basis.

If so, we have an exciting opportunity to work as a Children's Home Support Worker in our London residential service. Our homes are located in Ilford and Redbridge. The homes specialise in children and young people with learning disabilities, learning difficulties and / or autism.

We provide 24/7 residential services to the UK's most vulnerable children and young people and believe a child's future should never be defined by their past. Every child has the right to a fulfilling life, to realise their potential and to have a positive future.

The children and young people we care for have experienced trauma that can lead them to display challenging behaviours in an effort to communicate with those around them. They require care from a reliable, committed, passionate and skilled staff team. This will support them to develop trusting relationships which provide the time and space to explore their past experiences, behaviours and current situation.

Our aim is to create a secure, safe and nurturing environment for children and young people to be able to explore and understand their identities, whilst promoting and developing confidence and self-esteem. We are aspirational for our children and young people and actively support them to attend and access education and employment opportunities and to develop their independence skills. We also support them to continue with and develop relationships with family and peers where appropriate.

Staff are enabled to provide a high level of care and support to children and young people through regular and ongoing training opportunities. Staff are ambitious for the children and young people we care for and are passionate and committed to ensure they experience good quality care that is individual to them and positively prepares them for adulthood.

As a Children's Home Support Worker, you will:

• Be able to engage and develop positive relationships with children and young people.
• Be able to support children and young people with activities in the home. This includes engaging them in hobbies and interests, accompanying them out in the community and on day trips.
• Support children and young people to achieve their everyday goals with patience and positivity.
• Be resilient and help manage behaviours that challenge, supporting them to reflect and learn when these present.
• Empower children and young people and facilitate their active involvement in the decision making about their life and their future.
• Advocate for them and ensure their voices are heard.

In return you'll get:

• A challenging and rewarding job that will make a significant difference to the lives of children and young people.
• Ongoing training and personal development opportunities.
• Excellent career progression opportunities.
• A supportive working environment and management team.

• Flexible 24-hour rota system – including weekends and evenings.
• Barnardo's has a trade union recognition agreement with Unison.

Requirements for this position are:

• Level 3/4 Children & Young People Workforce Social Care or Residential Child Care qualification (or willing to undertake this training within 2 years).
• Understanding of the needs and presenting behaviours of children and young people who have experienced trauma.
• Able to work on a rota pattern to include evenings, weekends and bank holidays.
• Experience of working with children and young people in a residential care setting is desirable but not essential. Transferable skills will be considered on application.

When completing your application please refer to your skills knowledge and experience in relation to the Person Specification, Job Description and Additional Information document (if applicable). This should be done with an understanding of the context of the service described.

(Please note due to the high volume of applications for some posts, this advert might close before the displayed closing date. We recommend that you apply for this role as soon as possible).