Route 29 Registered Manager

Salford-Council; Swinton; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Salford-Council’s Route 29 project seeks an exceptional Registered Manager to spearhead the creation and opening of a new children’s home in Salford. You will lead registration, development and opening while embedding a therapeutic, trauma-informed culture from day one, ensuring high aspirations and outstanding practice.

You will recruit and develop a high‑performing team, oversee admissions, risk, care planning and transitions, and manage budgets to deliver excellent outcomes for looked-after

Qualifications

• At least two years' experience in residential childcare within the last five years.
• Experience supervising and managing staff within a care setting.
• Significant safeguarding experience and risk management in residential services.
• Knowledge of children's home regulations, quality standards and Ofsted expectations.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development, registration and opening of the new home.
• Embed a strong therapeutic, trauma-informed culture and practice framework.
• Recruit, develop and inspire a high performing staff team.
• Ensure the home consistently achieves the highest standards of care, safeguarding and regulatory compliance.
• Drive continuous improvement through quality assurance, performance monitoring and reflective practice.
• Build relationships with children, families, social workers and partner agencies for joined up planning.
• Oversee admissions, risk management, care planning and transitions for children and young people.
• Manage budgets and resources while maintaining outstanding outcomes.
• Champion innovation and contribute to Route 29's residential services.

Skills

Leadership

Staff development

Trauma-informed care

Safeguarding

Education

Level 5 Diploma in Leadership & Management for Residential Childcare

Job description

About us

Route 29 is inspired by the pioneering No Wrong Door approach, bringing together specialist services to provide integrated, trauma informed support for some of Salford's most vulnerable children, young people and families.

Our vision is simple: to ensure that every child receives the right support, at the right time, from people who understand their experiences and are committed to helping them thrive. We currently work with children and young people aged 8-18 who are on the edge of care, in care, or at risk of placement breakdown, delivering intensive intervention that improves stability, strengthens relationships and creates better futures.

As Route 29 continues to evolve, we are expanding our prevention and residential offer through the development of an innovative new children's home. This service will provide short-term stabilisation placements for children and young people experiencing crisis, offering a safe, nurturing and therapeutic environment where they can recover, rebuild and plan for their next steps.

The home will be designed to support children and young people who may:

• Require a period of assessment and stabilisation before returning to family care.
• Need short term residential support while awaiting a longer term placement.
• Be experiencing emotional or mental health difficulties that require intensive therapeutic intervention but do not meet Tier 4 admission criteria.
• Be preparing to move into semi-independent living.
• Be stepping down from higher levels of care, including solo placements or residential settings, into foster care or larger family style homes.

This is an exciting stage in the journey. The property has been identified, and we are now seeking an exceptional Registered Manager to lead the development, registration and opening of this new home.

You won't be building this service alone. As Route 29 continues to grow, you will be supported by an expanding team of dedicated specialists, creating a truly collaborative model that combines residential care, therapeutic intervention and education expertise to achieve the best possible outcomes for children and young people. This will include:

• Senior CAMHS Practitioners/ Psychologist
• Educational Psychologist
• Speech and Language Therapist
• Occupational Therapist

You will also work closely with our established Edge of Care and Outreach services, as well as our existing residential provision, ensuring children experience seamless support and positive transitions.

This is more than an opportunity to manage a home. It is an opportunity to shape a service from the very beginning, influence its culture and practice, and create meaningful change in the lives of children and young people across Salford.

About the Role

This is a rare and exciting opportunity to lead the creation and development of a brand-new children's home within Route 29's innovative and growing service.

As Registered Manager, you will play a pivotal role from day one, leading the home's registration, development and opening while establishing a culture of high aspirations, therapeutic care and outstanding practice. You will have the unique opportunity to shape every aspect of the service, from recruitment and team development to creating systems, processes and a nurturing environment where children can feel safe, supported and understood.

The home will provide up to three short term stabilisation placements for children and young people experiencing crisis. Working alongside our specialist multi-disciplinary team, you will ensure children receive high quality, trauma informed care that helps them build resilience, achieve stability and move successfully to their next stage, whether that is returning home, moving to foster care or transitioning to longer-term support.

As the home's Registered Manager, you will:

• Lead the development, registration and successful opening of the service.

• Create and embed a strong therapeutic, trauma informed culture and practice framework.
• Recruit, develop and inspire a high performing staff team.
• Ensure the home consistently achieves the highest standards of care, safeguarding and regulatory compliance.
• Drive continuous improvement through effective quality assurance, performance monitoring and reflective practice.
• Build strong relationships with children, families, social workers and partner agencies to ensure joined up planning and decision making.
• Oversee admissions, risk management, care planning and successful transitions for children and young people.
• Manage budgets and resources effectively while maintaining outstanding outcomes.
• Champion innovation and contribute to the ongoing development of Route 29's residential services.

This is a transformational leadership role for someone who is passionate about improving outcomes for children and young people and who is excited by the opportunity to help build a new service from the ground up.

The salary includes a +2 allowance in recognition of regular evening and weekend working

About you

We are looking for an inspiring and compassionate leader who believes that every child deserves the opportunity to feel safe, valued and hopeful about their future.

You will be an experienced residential childcare professional with a proven track record of achieving positive outcomes for children and young people. Most importantly, you will be motivated by the opportunity to develop a brand-new service and create an environment where children can experience stability, strong relationships and meaningful change.

You will be someone who:

• Leads with confidence, integrity and empathy.
• Is passionate about trauma-informed and relationship-based practice.
• Can inspire, motivate and develop staff to deliver exceptional care.
• Builds positive partnerships with families, professionals and wider agencies.
• Thinks creatively and embraces innovation when developing support and intervention plans.
• Maintains high standards while remaining calm, resilient and solution-focused in challenging situations.
• Is committed to continuous improvement and achieving the very best outcomes for children and young people.

To meet the requirements of registration, you will have:

• At least two years' experience, within the last five years, in a role relevant to residential childcare.

• At least one year's experience supervising and managing staff within a care setting.
• Significant experience of safeguarding children and managing risk within residential services.
• Experience of leading teams through change, service development or improvement.
• A Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare (or an equivalent qualification recognised within the Children's Homes Regulations).
• A thorough understanding of children's home regulations, quality standards and Ofsted expectations.

Above all, you will share our values of Pride, Passion, People and Personal Responsibility. You will be motivated by the opportunity to create a home where children feel a sense of belonging, where staff are empowered to do their best work, and where every young person is given the support, stability and opportunities they need to achieve their potential.

This is your chance to shape a new service, build an exceptional team and leave a lasting legacy for children and young people in Salford.

Please be aware that this post is subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and that you will be required to meet the cost of the DBS check – currently £49.50 (£41 for checks completed from 5th October 2026). The payment for this will be deducted from your first four months’ salary payments at a rate of £12.38 per month (£10.25 per month from 5th October 2026). If you do not commence employment for any reason but the DBS has been processed, you will be sent an invoice for the payment of £49.50 (£41 from 5th October 2026).

If you have lived or worked abroad for 3 months or more in the last 5 years or 12 months or more (whether continuously or in total) in the last 10 years whilst aged 18 or over, please refer to the link below for details for how to obtain your Certificates of Good Character.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-records-checks-for-overseas-applicants

If you have completed the GM Elevate Leadership Development Programme within the last 2 years, please indicate this within the "About You" or "Supporting Statement" section of your application.