Senior Children's Residential Care worker

Northamptonshire Childrens Trust; Kettering; On-site; GBP 29,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual leave 28 days

Bank holidays

Life cover 3x salary

Leave purchase up to 25 days

NVQ qualification funding

Employee Assistance Programme

Employee discounts

Flexible working

Free on-site parking

Free meals on shift

Job summary

Northamptonshire Children’s Trust is seeking a Senior Children’s Residential Care Worker in Kettering. You will supervise a small care team, manage shifts, and support young people with education and life skills.

We are looking for self-motivated, enthusiastic and flexible individuals who can build positive relationships with children and families. A full UK driving licence is essential, with 37-hour weeks and a 3-month fixed term contract.

Qualifications

• Experience of working with young people is essential.
• Must hold a full UK driving licence.
• Ability to manage day-to-day life and support education and life skills.
• Provide supervision to residential and domestic staff and ensure care standards.

Responsibilities

• Set up daily shift planners and delegate tasks to staff.
• Provide formal and informal supervision to the care team.
• Oversee shifts and day-to-day decision making.
• Assist with risk assessments and care plans as required.
• Support children and families and coordinate activities.

Skills

Self-motivated

Enthusiastic

Flexible

Patience

Relationship building

Job description

The following content displays a map of the jobs location - Kettering

Senior Children's Residential Care worker

Job Reference Ref/77/9319

Number of Positions:

1

Contract Type:

Temporary

3 month fixed term immediate start

Salary Range:

£28,572 - £31,925 per annum with enhancements paid on top for unsocial hours, weekends and bank holidays

Working Hours:

37

Location:

Kettering

Closing Date:

23/09/2026

Job Category:

Children's Homes

Organisation:

Northamptonshire Children's Trust

• 28days’ annual leave, plus 8 Bank Holidays (pro rata for part time) and an additional 5 days,after 5 years
• Local Government Pension Scheme plus immediate life cover (3 times your annual salary from day one) and ill-health protection.
• Opportunity to purchase up to 25 days annual leave
• We will pay for you to complete qualifications including NVQ Level 3 or equivalent
• Employee Assistance Programme - We have an employee support programme run by Health Assured, an independent, external organisation. Health Assured is available for you and your immediate family members, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and includes telephone counselling, legal advice, bereavement support and medical information.
• Employee discounts with local and national retailers, days out, finance, health and beauty, travel and eating out plus lots more.
• Flexible and family working arrangements including enhanced maternity benefits
• A permanent, supportive and inclusive management team where you will be empowered to make good professional decisions
• Extensive Learning & Development andcareer development opportunities
• Free parking on site plus heavily subsidised town centre car parking scheme
• Free meals whilst on shift

About the role

Are you looking for a varied, challenging and rewarding position where you can help make a difference to young people’s lives and also supervise and mentor staff?

Our home is a two bedded residential unit housing young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. We are looking for self-motivated, enthusiastic, flexible people to join our staff team. You will be part of a supportive team to ensure young people achieve their full potential by providing them with support and services they need to lead happy, healthy and successful lives.

You will work a mixture of early and late shifts and alternative weekends with enhancements paid on top of the basic hourly rate for unsocial hours, Sunday/ Bank Holiday working, standby and sleep ins. There is also an opportunity for overtime.

Please note we do not offer sponsorship for this role so you should have the right to work in the UK without restrictions.

This is a fixed term contract for 3 months

Interviews will be held on Friday 25th September

What will you be doing?

The role includes supporting with day-to-day life, which may include working alongside the children’s families and other professionals, assisting the children with education and life skills and providing the children with support and guidance and positive life experiences. We are a small home so we encourage a “family feel” where possible, this involves eating our meals together, creating positive relationships and supporting the care of our children from when the wake up in the morning to when they settle to their bedroom at night.

You will set up the daily shift planners, delegate tasks to the residential care workers, provide formal and informal supervision to residential and domestic staff and oversee a small care team that strives to improves outcomes for children and you will be responsible for the running of the shifts and day to day decision making.

There may also be occasions where you are responsible for the smooth running of the home in the absence of a manager and report writing of risk assessments and care plans.

About you

You need to be self-motivated, enthusiastic, patient and flexible amongst other things.

You will find it easy to establish and build positive relationships with children.

Applicantsmusthold a full UK driving licence as you will be accompanying our childrento appointments or activities.

Experience of working with young people in either a professional or voluntary capacity is essential, as is evidence of an ongoing interest and commitment to children.

When applyingplease ensure your supporting statement covers how you fulfil the essential criteria set out in the person specification as this will be used for shortlisting.

You will need to provide a full employment history including any gaps since leaving full time education.

This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore subject to an enhanced DBS certificate. It is also a regulated activity and will be subject to a Barred List check

About us

At Northamptonshire Children’s Trust, children, young people and families are at the heart of everything we do. Every decision we make and every action we take is guided by our commitment to delivering high-quality services that make a lasting difference to the lives of children, young people and families across Northamptonshire.

We know that our people are our greatest strength. Our workforce is at the centre of our success, and we are committed to creating an environment where colleagues feel valued, supported and empowered to do the best job of their lives every day. We foster a culture built on kindness, collaboration and trust, where achievements are recognised, ideas are welcomed and innovation is encouraged.

We are proud of the positive impact we make together and delighted that our work has been recognised by Ofsted, with an Outstanding rating for Leadership and Management and Good ratings across Help and Protection, Children in Care and Care Leavers.

At NCT equality, diversity and inclusion are part of us and in everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and thrive in our organisation. We are a Disability Confident employer and have a commitment to care leavers, who we guarantee an interview if they meet the essential criteria.

If you are passionate about making a difference and want to be part of an ambitious, supportive and forward-thinking organisation, Northamptonshire Children’s Trust could be the place for you.

Supporting Children – A Career That Matters