Residential Childcare Worker - Breakwater

West Sussex County Council; Adur; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 31,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in England is seeking a dedicated Residential Childcare Worker to provide support for children facing emotional and mental health challenges at Breakwater. The ideal candidate will have a Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare and experience working with vulnerable children. This full-time role offers a salary of £28,598 - £30,023 per annum, along with benefits like a local government pension, generous holiday entitlement, and training opportunities. Shift work is required, including some sleep-in duties.

Benefits

Local government pension scheme

Generous holiday entitlement

Access to retail discounts

Health and wellbeing benefits

Training and development opportunities

Qualifications

• Experience working with young people facing emotional and mental health challenges.
• Ability to write reports and applications for qualifications.
• Knowledge of supporting children who have experienced trauma.

Responsibilities

• Support children through challenging behavior and emotional needs.
• Ensure safety when children return from the community.
• Work on a shift rota, including sleep-in duties.

Skills

Communication skills

Ability to promote multi-agency support

Problem-solving initiative

Team collaboration

Literacy skills for reporting

Education

Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare or equivalent

Job description

About Us

Breakwater provides short to medium‑term residential care for children aged 12‑17. The home supports 4 young people facing social, emotional, and mental health challenges linked to family breakdown and early childhood trauma. Children referred to Breakwater are often victims of exploitation or involved in crime and may have experienced disrupted education. They may be at risk of becoming homeless and have limited support around them.

Alongside the main home, two self‑contained flats offer semi‑independent living for those preparing for adulthood. Each flat is fully equipped, with staff available as needed. Children complete a six‑month independence programme that develops emotional, social, and practical skills. The Breakwater team are trained in interventions to promote independence and guide young people through this transition.

About the Role

Salary: £28,598 - £30,023 per annum (includes weekend working allowance) plus a pension, annual leave and additional benefits
Working Pattern: Full time, 37 hours per week
Contract: Permanent
Location: Shoreham‑By‑Sea
Shifts and Rotas: for day work, you will be required to work on a shift rota between 07:00 – 22:00, including every other weekend and approximately one sleep‑in duty per week currently with enhanced pay. This can be discussed with candidates in more detail at interview.

Children's Residential Recruitment and Retention Payment scheme – £1500 during your first 18 months while you remain in the County Council's permanent employment during this time to support our new employees in this vital role! The scheme consists of two payments: £500 after successful completion of 6 months employment (including successful completion of probation where relevant) and £1,000 after 18 months.

As a Residential Childcare Worker at Breakwater, no two days are the same. Guided by each child's individual care plan, your role may involve supporting them through challenging behaviour, offering emotional reassurance when it's needed most, and ensuring their safety when returning from time spent in the community.

Our ideal candidate will have experience working alongside young people who have faced social, emotional, and mental health challenges. Your understanding and resilience will help create stability and trust for the children in our care.

At Breakwater, while times can be challenging, we support one another and collaborate closely with a wide network of professionals. Together, we provide consistent, high quality care in a homely, nurturing environment where children feel valued, safe, and encouraged to thrive.

Experience and Skills

The main key skills and experience required for the role are:

• Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare or equivalent. If you do not have this, the service will support you to complete this qualification; you must achieve this within two years of appointment as it is a statutory requirement of this post.
• Sound communication and interpersonal skills to a range of children and families.
• Ability to promote and encourage a multi‑agency approach to support the child.
• Ability to use initiative to resolve problems within given parameters.
• Ability to work under pressure and prioritise work.
• Ability to work as part of a team around a child.
• Good standard of literacy e.g. ability to write reports around individual young
  people and significant incidents and to be able to write application for level 3
  diploma if required. Could be gained through formal education or vocational experience.
• Knowledge of how to support children who have experienced trauma, harm or abuse - Desirable

For a full list of key skills, experience and qualification requirements please refer to the job description attached below.

Rewards and Benefits

In addition to working within a great team and fantastic opportunities you will receive:

• an excellent local government pension scheme
• generous holiday entitlement of 27 to 28 days, depending on job title and length of service
• access to a wide selection of retail discounts and savings such as groceries, shopping, travel and more through our West Sussex Choices benefits platform.
• a range of commuting and business travel discount and initiatives
• maternity, paternity, dependency and adoption leave
• health and wellbeing benefits including access to our Employee Assistance Programme
• financial wellbeing support including access to educational tools and webinars, loans or debt consolidation options and savings scheme
• training and development opportunities, including coaching and mentoring

For a full list of the benefits offered to you as a West Sussex County Council employee you can find them on our Rewards and Benefits page.

Further Information

The reference number for this role is CAFHE05448.

To apply, upload your CV and complete our short application form, explaining the skills and experience you can bring to the role, ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.

This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check, 5 years referencing and an occupational health check. A full employment history will be requested and covered for this role.

Equity, inclusion and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.

We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application help page.

Note for Recruitment Agencies: We prefer to hire people directly, but we do have a supplier list for when we need a helping hand. We'll be in touch directly if we need you!