Children’s Residential Worker - Steeple Claydon

Buckinghamshire Council; Aylesbury; On-site; GBP 23,000 - 29,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension Scheme

Discounts on cafés, restaurants, shops

Costco membership

Discounted gym memberships

Travel discounts with Arriva

Job summary

Buckinghamshire Council is recruiting a Children’s Residential Worker to help shape brighter futures for young people in Steeple Claydon. You’ll provide stable, caring support across day and night shifts, building trust and independence while following trauma-informed approaches in a safe, nurturing home environment.

Experience in residential childcare is welcome; full training and development are provided, and we welcome applicants from the UK with right to work.

Qualifications

• Empathetic and patient with a genuine passion for supporting young people.
• Excellent communicator, able to listen, understand and respond calmly.
• Strong team player who can work independently when needed.
• Resilient in emotionally demanding environments.
• Flexible, able to work shifts including evenings, weekends and nights.

Responsibilities

• Support young people with daily routines, meals and activities.
• Encourage emotional and social development through community engagement.
• Build positive relationships and act as a role model.
• Support children using trauma-informed approaches and positive behaviour strategies.
• Maintain accurate records and contribute to care planning and reviews.
• Create a warm, nurturing environment where young people feel safe and valued.

Job description

Overview

Looking for a job where you can truly make a difference? Join our team as a Children’s Residential Worker in Steeple Claydon and help shape brighter futures for young people who need it most. Whether you have previous experience working with children and young people or you're looking for a rewarding career change, if you have the dedication, resilience and passion to support children through life's challenges, we want to hear from you. Founded in our new children's home in Steeple Claydon, you'll become part of a committed team providing high-quality care and support to young people in a safe, nurturing environment. We have opportunities for both day and night work, as well as relief positions.

\"It's wonderful to make a difference to a child's life. You're doing everything you would do for them at home, but as a corporate parent within the structure and boundaries set within Buckinghamshire. If you're thinking about working in residential care, do it! It will be one of the best decisions you can make in your life.\"

Take a look at our Children’s Residential Worker Candidate Pack to find out more information

About Us

This isn't your average 9 to 5. As a Residential Worker, you'll play a vital role in providing a stable, supportive and caring home for young people. You'll be part of a close-knit team, supporting children with their physical, emotional and social development while helping them build confidence, independence and positive life experiences.

Working a mixture of day and night shifts, you'll be involved in all aspects of daily life, from morning routines and school runs to activities in the community, emotional support and creating lasting memories.

About The Role

• Supporting young people with daily routines, meals and activities.
• Encouraging emotional and social development through community engagement and recreational activities.
• Building positive, trusting relationships and acting as a role model.
• Supporting children using trauma-informed approaches and positive behaviour support strategies.
• Maintaining accurate records and contributing to care planning, reviews and reports.
• Celebrating achievements and helping young people develop independence and life skills.
• Creating a warm, nurturing and inclusive environment where young people feel safe and valued.
• Promoting equality, diversity and inclusion, while challenging discriminatory practice.

This role involves shift work to provide 24-hour care, including sleep-in duties where required (sleep-in allowance payable).

About You

• Empathetic and patient, with a genuine passion for supporting young people.
• An excellent communicator, able to listen, understand and respond calmly in challenging situations.
• A strong team player, whilst also being confident working independently.
• Resilient, able to work within an emotionally and sometimes physically demanding environment.
• Flexible and adaptable, able to work shifts, including evenings, weekends and nights.
• Committed to equality and inclusion, recognising and valuing diversity.

If you already have experience within a children's residential setting, that's fantastic. If not, don't worry. We provide comprehensive training, support and development opportunities to help you succeed in your role and build a rewarding career in residential childcare.

We welcome applications from candidates who currently reside in the UK with established proof of right to work documentation. This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship in accordance with Home Office guidance.

Other information

If you would like to find out more about this role, please contact Emma Matthews at [email protected]

Closing date

23:59 Sunday 25th October 2026.

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

Buckinghamshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent convictions and conditional cautions
• All spent convictions and adult cautions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020 and 2023).

For further information on filtering please refer to Nacro guidance and the guidance published by the Ministry of Justice (see, in particular, the section titled ‘Exceptions Order’).

Our values and culture

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

About The Business Unit

Buckinghamshire is a successful, growing place with fantastic natural assets, a highly productive economy and many resourceful and thriving communities. However, we are far from complacent and our new and ambitious unitary authority is well placed to tackle the challenges associated with growth, an aging population, climate change and inequalities in both opportunities and outcomes – particularly for our children and young people.

Children’s Services is on an improvement journey and as our very recent Ofsted report shows, we have continued to improve despite the pressures of the pandemic and have built solid foundations for future success. Relationships with partners are strong and our collective response to the pandemic has strengthened and deepened our work together.

We have a big, ambitious agenda for Buckinghamshire, and our teams work collaboratively and at pace to make a positive difference to the lives of children and young people across the county.

We are looking for talented and driven individuals to help us achieve the best outcomes for our children, young people and families in Buckinghamshire. Our key priorities include continuing to protect vulnerable children and young people from harm, whilst sustaining an environment where social work practice can thrive. Through our vital work with our partners, including The Buckinghamshire Safeguarding Childrens Partnership, we continue to improve our collective response to children and young people who have been exposed to domestic abuse, exploitation, substance misuse and mental health issues.

No matter what role you take on in our Children’s services, you will be part of a team who is dedicated to supporting children and their families to achieve their full potential.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.

https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/