Residential Youth Support Worker

South Gloucestershire Council; Emersons Green; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Secure unit allowance £2,903.04 per An

Enhanced DBS check provided

Meals provided with young people

Shift pattern and 37 hours per week

Job summary

South Gloucestershire Council at Vinney Green Secure Children’s Home in Emersons Green seeks a Residential Youth Support Worker to provide safe, consistent care and support emotional wellbeing, development and independence for young people.

You will work as part of a dedicated team, supporting education, routines and positive behaviour, with 37 hours per week on shift patterns. DBS check required; salary includes a secure unit allowance. Interviews on 23 November 2026.

Qualifications

• You will need to undertake training and development activity, including achieving the Level 3 RQF programme within an agreed timescale.
• You should have excellent written and verbal communication skills and be able to record and share information using basic IT systems including Microsoft Office.
• You should understand the challenges of working with young people with complex needs and respond in a professional, non-judgemental manner.
• Experience in a secure setting or with young people who present challenging behaviour is preferred.

Responsibilities

• You will provide safe and consistent care and supervision to young people living within the home, ensuring their wellbeing while working within the regulations governing secure accommodation.
• You will follow and monitor established procedures, routines and recording requirements, supporting health and safety compliance including fire procedures.
• You will safeguard young people by identifying, assessing and responding to their individual needs and strengths.
• You will build positive relationships with young people, offering guidance, support and positive role modelling.
• You will organise activities that enrich their lives and support education through classroom and study sessions.
• You will help develop positive behavioural responses, decision-making and skills for transitions.

Skills

Communication skills

IT skills

Experience with young people

Resilience

Teamwork

Education

Level 3 RQF programme

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

How you'll make a difference

Vinney Green Secure Children’s Home provides a safe, caring and structured environment where young people receive high-quality care, education and life skills support. As a Residential Youth Support Worker, you will play an important role in helping young people overcome challenges, build confidence and develop the skills they need to achieve positive outcomes. Through consistent support, guidance and positive role modelling, you will help young people develop their independence, self-control and resilience, enabling them to return to their communities in a more positive and purposeful way.

Working as part of a dedicated team, you will build strong professional relationships with young people, supporting their emotional wellbeing, personal development and day-to-day care needs. The role offers the opportunity to make a meaningful difference to the lives of young people, helping them to recognise their strengths, achieve their potential and work towards a brighter future.

What you will be doing

• You will provide safe and consistent care and supervision to young people living within the home, ensuring their wellbeing while working within the regulations governing secure accommodation.
• Contributing to maintaining a safe and secure environment, you will follow and monitor established procedures, routines and recording requirements, while supporting compliance with health and safety legislation, including fire safety and evacuation procedures.
• It will be your responsibility to help safeguard young people from harm by identifying, assessing and responding to their individual needs, strengths and areas for development.
• A key aspect of your role will be building positive and professional relationships with young people, providing guidance, support and positive role modelling to encourage pro-social behaviour and support periods of change and transition.
• You will organise and participate in a range of activities that enrich the lives of young people, while also supporting their education through involvement in classroom learning, study sessions and homework activities.
• Through consistent boundaries and encouragement, you will help young people develop more positive behavioural responses, improve their decision-making and build the skills needed to achieve successful outcomes both within the home and beyond.

What we need from you

• You will need to undertake training and development activity, including achieving the Level 3 RQF programme within an agreed timescale.
• It is essential that you have excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to accurately record and share important information and confidently use basic IT systems, including Microsoft Office.
• We are looking for someone who understands the challenges faced of working with young people with complex needs, alongside the ability to respond in a professional, non-judgemental and supportive manner.
• Ideally, you will have previous experience of working in a secure setting or with young people who present challenging behaviour.

What you need to know

• The salary is plus a secure unit allowance of £2,903.04 per annum and additional rates applicable for rostered Sunday shifts (time and a half) and bank holidays (double time).
• The home works on shift patterns, working an average of 37 hours per week following a designated shift pattern working between the hours of 7:30am – 10:30pm, alternate weekends and some shifts may be on bank holidays. Meals are normally eaten with young people.
• Young people can present physically threatening behaviour and the environment can become tense and anxiety provoking, so for everybody’s safety surveillance cameras are in use in most areas of the building.
• Vinney Green operates a full non-smoking environment, and there is no provision to facilitate smoking anywhere on site. Staff’s personal belongings are required to be left in a provided locker on entry into the building and we may require you to undertake a further physical fitness check.
• Please note that due to the nature of this role is a requirement of employment that an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checkis obtained for this post.
• This role is demanding and there will be some physical active aspects to the job, but we can assure you that this will be one of the most rewarding jobs that you will ever do!

Interviews will be held 23rd November 2026.

How a career at South Gloucestershire Council is different

• We value our staff as individuals, investing in their careers and we are recognised for the quality, breadth and depth of ourtraining and development offer,which helps make the greatest long-term difference in work.
• What’s special here is the strength of theteam ethos, the support and the training.
• We arecommitted to safeguardingand promoting the safety and welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. Ensuring all our staff are given right skills, knowledge and support to recognise and respond effectively to potential abuse or neglect.
• As part of our benefits package you will receivegenerous annual leave(pro rata), employeewellbeing supportand you will have access to a range ofstaff discounts, including eye tests, travel, shopping and leisure activities.
• We recognise that ourdiverse teamof skilled and dedicated people make us a great place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and ensure that individuals are selected, promoted and developed on the basis of their merits and abilities.

Our teams at South Gloucestershire Council are making a real difference to the lives of people who live, work and learn here.

• We're building and shaping communities which people are proud of.
• We're working with the most vulnerable in our community to help them achieve what they want in life.
• We're investing in our schools to ensure every child and young person in South Gloucestershire achieves their full potential.

We've achieved a great deal, but we need talented and dedicated people to ensure we continue to make a difference.

We’re making a difference, be part of it!

For more information, please see the attached job description: Residential Youth Support Worker (RCO) - Job Description