Residential Support Worker

Durham County Council; North East; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 25,000; Full time

Job summary

Durham County Council seeks dedicated individuals for the Children’s Homes Service, focusing on providing care and support to children and young people. Successful candidates will engage in diverse activities, work alongside multi-agency teams, and participate in a Sector-Based Academy Programme for personal and professional development. This role offers valuable experience and a pathway to advancement within the organization, offering competitive benefits and support.

Benefits

27 days holiday, increasing to 32 after 5 years

Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)

Wellbeing Portal and Employee Assistance Scheme

Learning and development opportunities

Employee Benefits Portal with discounts

Discounted gym membership

Qualifications

• Positive role model for children and young people.
• Ability to handle challenging behaviours.
• Commitment to complete training and qualifications.

Responsibilities

• Engage and support children in daily activities.
• Build relationships and meet the needs of children and young people.
• Work as part of a multi-agency team to safeguard young people.

Skills

Child-centred approach

Resilience

Education

Level 2 qualifications in Maths and English (or equivalent)

Job description

We are excited to offer an opportunity to people who are interested in developing a career in our Children’s Homes Service.

This role is designed for post holders to develop knowledge, skills and build experience by working in our children’s homes, providing care and support to our children and young people.

You will be expected to engage with our children and young people in a range of activities, building relationships and meeting their day-to-day needs. You will learn and develop the skills and knowledge to work as part of a multi-agency team to safeguard our young people.

Successful candidates will be provided with a robust induction and significant training opportunities to develop in this role. As part of this development opportunity you will complete a Sector-Based Academy Programme.

The contract offered is temporary for 12 months from the post start date as part of this development programme. It is hoped that during this 12 month period, you build confidence, skills and experience to support you to apply to the next level of position in our career pathway as a Residential Worker.

If you are passionate to make a difference to the lives of our children and young people, and to support them to build a positive future, we would like to hear from you.

Our Values

Durham Cares incorporates our core values and strategic objectives, shaping our work and the high-quality care we provide for young people, as well as the culture across the Children’s Homes Service. Our ‘Durham’ values - Dignity, Unity, Responsibility, Heart, Aspiration, and Mindset are at the heart of everything we do for both our young people and our teams.

What you will need

We are looking for child centred practitioners who can be a positive role model to our children and young people. You should be able to demonstrate resilience and work effectively with challenging behaviours.

You should have a commitment to complete the following requirements as part of the development programme:

• Willingness to complete Sector-Based Academy Programme according to required timescales.
• Willingness to undertake and complete Level 2 qualifications in Maths and English during the Support Worker role in preparation for progression (if you do not hold GCSE’s in Maths and English or equivalent).
• Willingness to work towards an apprenticeship Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare qualification subject to progression to a Residential Worker position.

The role will involve working a range of shifts including weekdays, evenings, weekends and sleep in duties as approved. The nature of shift patterns enables a level of flexibility for employees.

We operate a 365 days per year, 24 hours a day service. As part of this, our shift-based roles work on a rota basis and attract enhanced payments which include time and a third for overtime and unsociable hours (working between the hours of 8pm to 6am and on weekends), as well as sleep in payments at £41.78 per sleep in.

You can contact us [e-mail] you would like any additional information about the role.

Our offer to you

You will benefit from a comprehensive programme of training to support you to develop in your role.

We offer competitive rewards and benefits to help you perform at your best, including:

• 27 days holiday (plus bank holidays), rising to 32 days after 5 years' continuous local government service
• Option to purchase up to 10 additional days annual leave per year
• Excellent Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS), with top-up options
• Wellbeing Portal and Employee Assistance Scheme
• Learning and development opportunities, including professional qualifications and mentoring
• Employee Benefits Portal with discounts at major retailers
• Discounted gym membership
• Staff-led networks (Race Equality, LGBT+, Carers, Armed Forces, Menopause)
• Trade Union membership
• Salary sacrifice schemes, such as car leasing

Take a closer look at our Rewards and Benefits

PLEASE NOTE THIS POST IS NOT OPEN TO JOB SHARE

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

We are a proud equal opportunities employer and recognise that a diverse, talented workforce brings new ideas and new perspectives, which will facilitate growth and improvements to services.

We are committed to ensuring that our employment policies and processes are fair and equitable to all. We welcome job applications from everyone, and successful candidates are considered only on their skills and ability to do the job.

As a Disability Confident Leader, we encourage applications from disabled people and provide support throughout the recruitment process.

Take a closer look at our approach toEquality, Diversity and Inclusion

Interviews

It is anticipated that interviews will be held on 12 September 2025.

We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that can show they meet all the essential criteria and have indicated they have a disability, are a looked after young person, care leaver or a veteran.

How to Apply

In accordance with Durham County Council’s requirements, candidates must be a minimum of 22 years of age or above to apply. The successful applicant for this post will be required to apply for a Disclosure & Barring Service Enhanced Disclosure.

In line with the County Council's Recruitment and Selection Policy, please note that we are unable to accept CVs. Applications must be submitted on-line via the Northeast Jobs portal.

Please use the ‘Person Specification’ section of your application form to demonstrate that you have the essential and where possible, desirable experience, skills, and knowledge. Candidates who do not evidence that they meet the essential qualifications and experience listed on the person specification will not be short-listed.

If you have any support needs or require assistance when applying for this role, please contact our Recruitment Helpdesk on 03000 26 27 27 (option 2), or the Recruitment Team via email [e-mail]

We collect personal information from you when you register with North East Jobs and make an application. Details on how we process your personal data is available in ourPrivacy Notice.

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