Night Residential Support Worker

Action for Children; Balerno; On-site; GBP 26,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent children's charity in Balerno is seeking a compassionate Night Residential Support Worker to support a young person overnight. Responsibilities include care planning, risk management, and providing emotional support. Ideal candidates will have a Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare or be willing to obtain it, and be patient, empathetic, and resilient. This role offers flexible working hours in a supportive team environment, aiming to create a secure and caring atmosphere for young individuals.

Benefits

29 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Professional qualifications and training opportunities

Flexible family leave packages

Pension with up to 7% employer contribution

Employee discount portal

Qualifications

• Experience in a care setting and ability to build genuine relationships.
• Comfortable using diverse communication methods.
• Ability to focus on solutions and handle challenges.

Responsibilities

• Provide lead case/care planning management and assess risks.
• Coordinate responsibilities within the service.
• Support young people in daily life during night shifts.

Skills

Empathy

Patience

Communication skills

Education

Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare

Job description

Salary: £25,500 per annum, pro rata (£13.22 per hour)

Location: Balerno, Edinburgh

Contract/Hours: Permanent / Full Time, Part Time and casual hours are available

Nightshift work patterns will consist of either 10-hour shifts or 12-hours shifts. Sleepovers, evening and weekend work is also required.

Closing date for applications is midnight of 21st January and interviews will take place week commencing 26th January

Benefits:

• 29 days annual leave PLUS bank holidays, with up to 5 additional days for continuous service and option to buy or sell leave
• Gain professional qualifications and excellent training/development opportunities
• Flexible maternity, adoption, and paternity packages
• Pension with up to 7% employer contribution with included life assurance cover
• Staff discount portal and Blue Light Card eligibility with 15,000 national retailers discounts.
• We are a Real Living Wage Employer.

We are one of the largest children’s charities in the UK and have been making a difference to the lives of the UK’s vulnerable children for over 150 years.

About the role

We’re really happy to be welcoming new Night Residential Support Workers to our brand‑new home, Al‑Rahman House in Balerno, Edinburgh. In this role, you’ll be supporting one young person, aged 16, helping them feel safe, settled, and cared for throughout the night.

Nights are quieter, but they’re just as important. You’ll be there to offer reassurance, keep routines consistent, and make sure the young person is comfortable and well‑supported. You might help them wind down after a busy day, offer calm reassurance if they wake, or simply be a steady, friendly presence while they sleep.

You won’t be on your own. Even on night shifts, you’re part of a close, supportive team, with guidance from in‑house and external health professionals and behaviour support specialists whenever you need it.

During the day, the young person enjoys lots of sensory and playful activities; ball games, matching games, singing, iPad time, slime, painting, garden play, puzzles, drawing, and stickers. Your role at night helps set them up for those positive, fun-filled days by creating a peaceful, predictable environment where they can rest and recharge.

Patience, empathy, and resilience are really important, especially if the young person becomes unsettled or needs extra support during the night. Your calm presence will help them feel secure, respected, and understood.

This isn’t just a night job, it’s a chance to be part of a caring team and to make a real difference in someone’s life, simply by being there when they need you most.

How you’ll create brighter futures

Some key responsibilities of the Residential Support Worker are;

• Providing lead case/care planning management, including assessing, reviewing and managing risk.
• Co‑ordinating responsibilities within the service, with multi agency and producing family information, including analysis and written reports.
• Helping young people in all aspects of their daily lives at night.
• Having good communication skills and the ability to engage well with young people, colleagues and other professionals.

Let’s talk about you

Are you resilient and have a positive approach to change and challenge? We’re looking for someone with a ‘can do’ attitude to join our team. Ideally you’ll:

• Have spent time working in a care setting and know how to build genuine, trusting relationships with the people you support.
• Be comfortable using different ways to communicate and stay connected with the young person and their family, making sure everyone feels informed and involved.
• Like to focus on solutions, whether you’re tackling something on your own or working things through with the team.
• Able to stay steady, patient, and grounded, even when the role brings moments that feel challenging.
• Possess a Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare (or recognised equivalent) or if you do not possess this you must be prepared to complete this within 2 years of commencing employment with us, full support will be provided.

Good to know

We are unable to offer sponsorship for this role

If, for any reason, you need support with your application, please contact [e-mail] quoting reference 11459

Diversity, equality, and inclusion

At Action for Children, we're dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace. We actively encourage applications from Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic, and disabled candidates as they are under-represented within Action for Children. We want to take deliberate and purposeful action to ensure equal opportunity to all groups in society and for Action for Children.

Male staff are under-represented within our Children Service roles. We would like to encourage more male applicants for our Children Service roles.

Please click on the below links to find out more about this role and Action for Children:

Job Description

Action for Children Employee Benefits

AfC Commitment Statement

Action for Children's Story

Make a Difference - A Career in Residential Services

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