Deputy Manager Children's Home

Bear Care; Greater London; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

A nurturing care provider is seeking a Deputy Manager for their Ofsted-registered therapeutic children's home in Frinton-on-Sea. The role involves leading a team to provide trauma-informed care, ensuring children's emotional well-being is prioritized. Candidates should have strong leadership qualities and a relevant qualification. The role offers competitive pay, structured development opportunities, and the chance to contribute to a supportive environment. Apply by January 28, 2026, for further details.

Benefits

Market-leading pay and conditions

Ongoing professional development

Annual performance bonus

Qualifications

• Experience in a senior or supervisory role within a residential children's setting.
• Strong working knowledge of trauma-informed and therapeutic approaches.
• Calm, emotionally intelligent leadership style.
• Understanding of quality, compliance, and inspection readiness.

Responsibilities

• Support the safe and effective day-to-day running of the home.
• Leadership, decision-making, and oversight for compliance.
• Embed trauma-informed strategies into care delivery.
• Provide reflective supervision, coaching, and mentoring to staff.
• Maintain high standards of safeguarding and quality.

Skills

Leadership

Trauma-informed care

Emotional intelligence

Reflective practice

Safeguarding knowledge

Education

Level 5 in Leadership and Management

Job description

Deputy Manager

Therapeutic Childrens Home

Reporting to : Registered Manager

Location : Frinton-on-Sea

Salary : 42,000 to £46,000 post-probation

Package : Sector leading

Ofsted-registered : Good provision (2025)

Employment : Full-time

About us

Beechwood House is an Ofsted-registered Good therapeutic residential childrens home, providing trauma-informed care for children and young people who have experienced trauma, neglect, and adversity.

Therapy at Beechwood House is not an add-on. It is embedded in everyday care, relationships, routines, and leadership. Our practice is relational, reflective, and grounded in emotional intelligence, creating an environment where children feel safe, understood, and able to settle.

Since opening, every child who has joined Beechwood House has remained with us, reflecting the consistency of our care, the strength of our therapeutic approach, and the stability of our team.

As we expand our provision to occupy and develop additional capacity, we are seeking to appoint an additional Deputy Manager to strengthen our leadership structure. This role will support the continued, staged growth of the service while ensuring that high-quality, therapeutically informed practice remains consistent across the home.

The Role

As Deputy Manager, you will collaborate closely with the Registered Manager to ensure Beechwood House remains safe, stable, and effectively led, with childrens emotional wellbeing at the heart of practice. This role is ideal for an experienced leader prepared to progress to the position of Registered Manager and who values reflective, therapeutic leadership.

You will provide visible, values-led leadership across the home, supporting staff to think reflectively, regulate emotionally, and respond consistently to childrens needs. Drawing on your therapeutic background in residential childcare, you will help translate trauma-informed theory into everyday practice, ensuring children experience care that is nurturing, predictable, and relationally attuned.

The role offers genuine development and progression, with the opportunity to build experience in governance, inspection readiness, and strategic leadership alongside an established Registered Manager.

Key responsibilities include :

• Working in partnership with the Registered Manager and their senior team to support the safe, effective, and compliant day-to-day running of the home.
• Taking increasing responsibility for leadership, decision-making, and oversight, in preparation for future Registered Manager registration as we expand our provision.
• Embedding trauma-informed and therapeutic approaches into care delivery, routines, staff practice, and leadership responses.
• Providing reflective supervision, coaching, and mentoring to staff teams, role-modeling emotionally intelligent and relational leadership.
• Supporting staff performance, wellbeing, and development within a therapeutic and psychologically safe culture.
• Maintaining high standards of safeguarding, quality, and inspection readiness, in line with the expectations of Ofsted.
• Working collaboratively with placing authorities, social workers, therapists, and other professionals to ensure cohesive, child-centred care.
• Contributing to service development and expansion, helping to maintain stability, consistency, and strong leadership as the provision grows.

About You

You are a calm, confident, and values-led leader with a strong grounding in therapeutic residential childcare. You understand how trauma, attachment, and adversity shape behaviour, and you bring this understanding into your leadership as well as your day-to-day practice.

You are reflective by nature, able to hold complexity without becoming reactive, and skilled at supporting staff to think clearly and compassionately in emotionally demanding situations. You are motivated by high standards, consistency, and relational care, and you value doing things properly in a regulated environment.

You will bring :

• Experience in a senior or supervisory role within a residential childrens setting, with responsibility for leading and supporting staff teams.
• A strong working knowledge of trauma-informed and therapeutic approaches, alongside a sound understanding of safeguarding practice.
• A calm, emotionally intelligent leadership style, able to model reflective practice and support staff through challenge, uncertainty, and change.
• Confidence working within a regulated environment, with an understanding of quality, compliance, and inspection readiness.
• A relevant childcare or social care qualification, with Level 5 (Leadership and Management) achieved or actively being worked towards.

Desirable criteria :

• Experience supporting and contributing to an Ofsted inspection, particularly in a childrens residential setting.
• Previous involvement in deputising for a Registered Manager or acting‑up responsibilities.
• Experience of working within a therapeutic or clinically supported model of care.
• Confidence in supervision, performance management, and staff development.
• An interest in progressing to Registered Manager within a supportive and developmental framework.

You will be someone who believes in stability, thoughtful leadership, and emotionally attuned care, and who wants to play a key role in a service that helps children feel safe, settled, and able to thrive.

We Offer

• Guaranteed contracted hours, providing stability and consistency.
• Market‑leading pay and conditions, reflecting the responsibility and emotional intelligence required in therapeutic leadership.
• A high‑quality induction programme and ongoing professional development, including trauma‑informed practice, leadership training, and reflective clinical well‑being supervision.
• A supportive, values‑led and therapeutic culture, where staff are encouraged to think reflectively and are not expected to carry complexity alone.
• Clear and genuine progression opportunities, including structured development for those aspiring to progress to Registered Manager.
• Strong, visible senior leadership and a service that prioritises quality, safeguarding, and relational care over firefighting or turnover.
• The opportunity to be part of a stable and growing provision, where leadership expansion reflects ambition and development - not crisis.

Post-probationary enhancements :

• A starting bonus payable following successful completion of the 6‑month probationary period.
• Salary increases to £46,000.
• Enhanced employer pension contribution.
• Private medical cover (such as Bupa or equivalent).
• Annual performance bonus.
• Annual salary review.
• Ofsted outcome‑linked bonus.
• Increased holiday entitlement linked to long service.

Make an application

If you believe children heal through relationships, safety, and understanding, we would love to hear from you.

Please get in touch with us by 28 January 2026, we will be pleased to share the full job description and further details about this exciting opportunity.