Senior Residential Care Practitioner - Children & Young People

We Manage Jobs(WMJobs); Metropolitan Borough of Solihull; On-site; GBP 33,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A child welfare organization is seeking a Senior Residential Care Practitioner to support children and young people. This full-time position based in Solihull includes leading a team, ensuring compliance with regulations, and providing a nurturing environment. Competitive salary and ongoing training are offered. The ideal candidate should have strong leadership abilities and experience in children's residential services.

Benefits

Funded Level 5 qualification in Residential Childcare

Local government pension

25 days annual leave

Employee Assistance Programme

Staff discounts and benefits

Qualifications

• Significant experience working in children’s residential services within an Ofsted regulated environment.
• Experience leading shifts and supervising a team.
• Good understanding of The Children’s Home Regulations 2015.

Responsibilities

• Lead and inspire a team of Care Practitioners.
• Provide a safe, supportive environment for children and young people.
• Ensure compliance with children’s plans and risk assessments.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Leadership abilities

Experience in children’s services

Understanding of safeguarding policies

Education

Level 3 or 4 Diploma in Residential Childcare

Willingness to work towards Level 5 Diploma

Job description

Senior Residential Care Practitioner – Children and Young People

Salary: £33,699 - £39,152 pro rata, per annum. This includes 2 atypical payments for the requirement to work evenings, weekends and bank holidays for staff working on a rota basis.

This role also includes Sleep ins, for which a separate payment will be made (currently £41.78).

Hours: Full time - 37 hours per week. While this vacancy is full time, requests for working on a part-time basis may also be considered, where business needs can be met.

About Us

We are opening new Residential Children’s Homes across Solihull for children aged 7 to 17 and we are looking for Senior Residential Care Practitioners to join us.

Whether you’re a Senior Care Practitioner, or an experienced Care Practitioner looking to take the next step in your career, we would love to hear from you.

Our senior management team have extensive knowledge and experience in working in Children’s Residential services, as well as working with vulnerable children, young people and their families.

We believe that every child and young person deserves a safe, nurturing environment that enables them to reach their aspirations, goals and outcomes. Our service is embedding the PACE model for therapeutic input and the care provided to our children and young people is person-centred and individual to their needs.

We are focused on delivering the best possible care for our children and young people, whilst providing an inclusive and positive environment that provides the opportunity to grow, develop and achieve personally, emotionally and educationally.

About the Role

We will provide a comprehensive induction and training prior to the opening of the home, and where desired, the opportunity to undertake a funded Level 5 Diploma in Residential Childcare.

With guidance and support from our Registered Managers, as well as managing daily routines, you will also lead and inspire a team of Care Practitioners to act as role models to our children and young people. You will assist our Care Practitioners to address challenges, build the children’s resilience and you won’t think twice about going above and beyond to enable our children and young people to achieve their full potential on their journey to adulthood.

In this highly rewarding role, by providing our children and young people with a safe, supportive, stable and stimulating environment, you will help to create a strong foundation for a brighter future.

We will also ensure you are given the ongoing support, guidance and training you need.

Our Offer to You

• A funded Level 5 qualification in Residential Childcare (should you wish)
• Competitive pay
• A clear career pathway
• Access to our Local government pension
• High quality training and coaching via our Children\'s Social Care Academy to support your continuous professional development.
• 25 days annual leave rising to 30 days after 5 years of service, and the opportunity to buy up to 10 days of additional leave per year
• We want the best for our children, and we recognise to prioritise our children’s care we must also prioritise the wellbeing of those caring for them, so we offer shift patterns to allow our staff the ability to maintain a good work life balance.
• Our Employee Assistance Programme – a 24 hour independent, free and confidential advice and support service
• Family and carer friendly policies
• Many other employee benefits including staff discounts, subsidised travel passes and Cycle 2 Work Scheme

About You

You will either be working towards or hold a Level 3 or 4 Diploma in Residential Childcare (or equivalent). There will also be the opportunity to work towards a Level 5 Diploma in Residential Childcare, as funded by us, should you wish.

You will also have:

• Significant experience of working in children’s residential services within an Ofsted regulated environment, supporting vulnerable children and young people with emotional and behaviour difficulties and / or learning difficulties.
• Experience of leading shifts within a residential home setting, providing supervision, guidance, support and developmental opportunities to your team, to provide the best possible outcomes for our children and young people.
• A good understanding of The Children’s Home Regulations 2015, to ensure that children’s plans and risk assessments remain compliant
• Experience of working to safeguarding policies
• Excellent interpersonal skills, to build strong relationships with our children and young people and your staff team alike.
• A passion for learning, development, reflection and growth within this role.

This post also carries essential car user status, therefore you must be able to drive, have a driving licence and have access to a car, however for disabled applicants, reasonable adjustments will be made where required.

Whilst you will be based at one of our children’s residential homes, on occasions you will be required to provide cover across all the homes, to ensure we continue to meet the needs of our children and young people.

Contact Us

To apply, please click on the link. Your application should be in your own words and reflect your own personal experiences.

If you have a specific question regarding these opportunities, please contact: Cam Bradley-King, Residential Operations Manager at [e-mail] or Alan Austin, Registered Manager, at [e-mail]

You can also find out more about the many great benefits of working for Solihull Council by clicking here.

Closing date: 26 October 2025.

Interviews will be held during weeks commencing 3 and 10 November 2025

Please note, applications may be reviewed and pre-screening / interviews carried out at regular intervals during this recruitment window, therefore candidates are advised to submit their application as soon as possible.

Further Information

Assessment for these opportunities will consist of a two stage process;

1. Stage one: A pre-screening phone call
2. Stage two: Candidates who are successful at stage one will be invited to interview and required to complete an assessment.

Please note, we are not accepting CVs for this opportunity.

This post is subject to compliance checks in line with Schedule 2 requirements for working in a children’s home, including a pre-employment medical check.

This post will also require an enhanced DBS barred list check for working with Children.

For alternative working patterns, where atypicals don\'t apply, salary band D will apply; £32,597 - £37,280 pro rata, per annum.

This post is covered by the Fluency Duty, as outlined in the Code of Practice on the English language requirements for public sector workers.

Solihull Council is proud to be an Equal Opportunities Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees - a place where we can all be ourselves and succeed on merit.

Solihull Council has a responsibility for, and is committed to, safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk, and requires all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Attached documents: TP-196-1612 - JDPS - Snr Residential Care Practitioner - CYP (22.9.25).docx