Residential Childcare Worker - Bright Star

West Sussex County Council; Worthing; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 31,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension

Holiday entitlement

Discounts

Commuting benefits

Parental leave

Wellbeing benefits

Training opportunities

Job summary

West Sussex County Council's Bright Star in Worthing seeks empathetic Residential Childcare Workers to support children aged 7-18 with varying needs, including disabilities and challenging behaviour. You will assist with mornings, personal care, daily living skills and accompany children on activities and trips.

Join a supportive team, work a 37-hour week on a fixed rota, and benefit from an enhanced pension, generous leave and development opportunities.

Qualifications

• Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare or equivalent; must achieve within two years.
• Good communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work under pressure and prioritise work.
• Experience with those with disabilities, autism or challenging behaviour (desirable).
• Ability to work as part of a team around a child.

Responsibilities

• Support with morning routines and personal care.
• Build daily living skills and accompany on activities and trips.
• Develop strong relationships with children and collaborate with families and professionals.
• Work on a shift rota 07:00–22:00 with weekend and sleep-in duties.

Skills

Communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Multi-agency work

Initiative

Stress management

Team player

Literacy

Disabilities experience

Education

Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare

Job description

About Us

Bright Star is an OFSTED rated Good Children's home that provides full time care and short breaks for Children 7-18 years old who have a wide range of needs including physical disabilities, autism and/or challenging behaviour.

Bright Star has been recently refurbished and has excellent facilities and play equipment. We provide support with personal care and daily living skills and promoting a relaxed homely environment full of fun outings and activities where the children can feel safe and be successful in achieving their goals!

About the Role

Salary: £29,542 - £31,015 per annum (includes weekend working allowance) plus sleep-in enhanced pay, excellent pension, annual leave and additional benefits.
Working Pattern: Full time, 37 hours per week
Contract: Permanent
Location: Worthing
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 two sleep-in duties per month currently with enhanced pay. This can be discussed with candidates in more detail at interview.

A Residential Childcare Worker's routine at Bright Star can involve helping with morning routines, personal care, building children's daily living skills, guiding them in activities and joining them on trips. You will also spend time building strong relationships with the children as well as working closely with families and professionals to meet a child's individual needs.

We are looking for empathetic, resilient and caring individuals to join our supportive team to provide an exceptional level of support to the children in our care. Ideally you will have experience working in a similar setting or working with those with physical disabilities, autism and/or challenging behaviour. If you are passionate about children feeling valued and respected in reaching their full potential.

Experience and Skills

• 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 individuals and significant incidents.

• Experience working with those with physical disabilities, autism and/or challenging behaviour - Desirable

For the full list of experience, qualification and key skills required please review the job description linked here and reference these in your application.

Rewards and Benefits

As an employer we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where you can achieve your full potential and are rewarded for the work you do.

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

• an excellent local government pension scheme

• generous holiday entitlement of 244.2 to 266.4 hours

• 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 129

For more information about career opportunities in our Residential Children's Homes.

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.

For Children's Residential roles requiring completion of a Level 3 Diploma, applicants who do not already hold the qualification must have sufficient existing right to work in the UK to enable completion of the qualification period. The organisation is currently unable to provide sponsorship for these roles.

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!