Children's Residential Practitioners

Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council; Rotherham; On-site; GBP 10,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

An established local authority is seeking dedicated Children’s Residential Practitioners to enhance the lives of looked after children in Rotherham. This role is pivotal in delivering a new model of residential intervention, focusing on providing a safe and nurturing environment. Practitioners will work closely with children, applying evidence-based approaches to support their needs and well-being. The position offers extensive training and professional development opportunities, allowing you to make a meaningful impact on the lives of vulnerable children and young people. Join a committed team and contribute to a service that prioritizes excellence and child-centered care.

Benefits

Extensive Training Program

Local Authority Pension

30 Days Annual Leave

Support and Supervision

Professional Development Opportunities

Qualifications

• Experience in residential settings and working with complex needs children.
• Ability to apply evidence-based therapeutic approaches.

Responsibilities

• Promote and safeguard the welfare of looked after children.
• Build effective relationships with children and young people.
• Engage in the running of the home and provide personal care.

Skills

Child Focused Practice

Crisis Management

Therapeutic Approaches

Relationship Building

Teamwork

Communication Skills

Education

Relevant Qualification in Social Work or Child Care

Job description

Are you an experienced, solution oriented, systemic working, child focused practitioner, keen to work alongside partners and particularly our children and young people to deliver a new model of residential intervention in Rotherham? This post could be for you…

The Children’s Residential Practitioner posts will play a key role in the delivery of a range of in-house residential provision for Rotherham looked after children.

Rotherham Council has made a strategic decision to make a significant investment in children’s residential services. This will ensure more of our looked after children are placed in Rotherham, close to their local communities, family and schools.

We are using current best practice and evidence-based models to develop a range of new children's homes including 2 and 4 bed EBD, emergency accommodation and solo provision for some of our most complex children and young people.

We are particularly looking for practitioners who have previous experience of working in specialist solo provision, mental health residential settings, crisis accommodation and with children and young people with sensory, ASD, mental health needs and who have suffered significant trauma.

This new residential provision will be part of a Children and Young People Service judged as 'Good' by Ofsted in August 2022 and build on practice from our short break residential home provision.

Children’s Residential Practitioners in Rotherham will:

• Promote, safeguard and protect the welfare of looked after children across the borough
• Key work individual children and young people, building effective relationships, being a positive role model and providing consistency of support
• Apply agreed evidence based therapeutic and behavioural management approaches and practice models
• Provide opportunities for children and young people to influence the decisions that affect them and the service they receive
• Work systemically and as part of a team to ensure a joined-up service centred on the child
• Engage in the running of the home including activities, meals, personal care, recording, report writing and administration of medication in line with the council’s policy
• Undertake staff training, attend staff meetings and formal supervision sessions
• Provide and promote a safe, stimulating and nurturing physical environment
• Hold a full valid UK driving license and be willing to transport children

Key benefits of working at Rotherham Council’s Children and Young People’s service are:

• Strong support and clear direction from Managers
• Extensive training programme, to develop and professionalise our residential practitioners. This includes the Rotherham Family Approach incorporating Signs of Safety and Restorative Practice
• Residential services that have access to and work closely with our high quality in house therapeutic service
• Innovative Edge of Care Services and a strong Early Help offer which is reducing demand and supporting professionals to think systemically and develop creative options to support children and young people
• The prioritisation of Looked After Children for CAMHS assessment and intervention
• The opportunity to make a real difference to the children, young people and families
• Investment in you as a practitioner involving support, supervision, training and opportunity for professional development and progression.
• Local Authority pension and 30 days annual leave, to be taken in line with the agreed weekend annual leave allocation as detailed in employer handbook.

About you

We are seeking inspirational, resilient and child focused practitioners who are committed to:

• Developing their skills and practices in order to provide an outstanding residential service to children and young people
• Supporting and caring for some of our most complex children and young people, at times in solo provision
• Working evening, weekend and sleep in shifts as part of the residential team

Our vision is for the children and families of Rotherham to routinely experience and describe the services they receive from us, as outstanding and we intend to do that by putting the child first in everything we do.

By being part of our residential teams, you will play a crucial role in developing our collective commitment to an ethos of excellence, integrity, trust and transparency. Joining us at a time of change with regard to developing our provision provides you an opportunity to be involved and influence the service design and development of practice in line with best practice and evidence-based approaches.

If you have any questions regarding these opportunities, and/or would like a conversation about these new roles, please email [e-mail].

To apply please click the Apply Now link below.