Senior Support Worker

Peters Dean Care Ltd; Swindon; On-site; GBP 23,000 - 29,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Sleep-ins allowed

Job summary

Peters Dean Care Ltd in Swindon invites applications for a Senior Support Worker to join a warm family home supporting 3 children. The role is active, hands-on and focused on safety, nurture and consistent routines.

You will build trusting relationships, manage difficult emotions, supervise safeguarding, and support development of life skills through activities, outdoor play and community engagement. Driving is required to support community trips.

Qualifications

• Experience in children's residential settings preferred.
• Excellent communication and empathy with children and families.
• Ability to remain patient, emotionally resilient and provide boundaries with nurture.

Responsibilities

• Be a positive, consistent and trustworthy role model.
• Report and oversee safeguarding issues.
• Build genuine relationships based on trust, patience and respect.
• Provide nurturing care and emotional reassurance.
• Help children manage difficult emotions and develop confidence.
• Encourage positive decision-making and appropriate boundaries.
• Support the children to develop independence and practical life skills.
• Get involved in activities and supervise outdoor play, swimming and community activities.

Education

Level 3 Residential Childcare Qualification

Job description

We are looking for a Senior Support Worker to join our dedicated team and become part of a warm, settled family home supporting 3 children.

This is a rewarding opportunity for someone who is outgoing, confident, hands-on and naturally engaging, who enjoys being active and wants to make a genuine difference to the lives of children.

The Role

You will help provide a safe, nurturing and consistent environment where the children can feel secure, develop their confidence and enjoy being young.

The role involves understanding that, because of their early experiences, the children may sometimes need additional reassurance, consistency and encouragement. They may find it difficult to trust adults or worry about rejection, so building a strong and dependable relationship is incredibly important.

You will need to be patient, emotionally aware and able to recognise what may be behind a child's behaviour.

They need adults who engage with them, know what they are doing and understand where they are at emotionally. Particularly outside of school, they can get up to mischief, so staff need to be observant, involved and able to provide appropriate boundaries and supervision.

You will:

• Be a positive, consistent and trustworthy role model
• Report and oversee safeguarding issues.
• Build genuine relationships based on trust, patience and respect
• Provide nurturing care and emotional reassurance
• Help children manage difficult emotions and develop confidence
• Encourage positive decision-making and appropriate boundaries
• Support the children to develop independence and practical life skills
• Get involved in activities rather than simply observing
• Encourage outdoor play, exercise, swimming, water sports and community activities
• Plan and participate in activities based around their individual interests
• Help create fun, positive experiences and opportunities for achievement
• Recognise changes in mood and behaviour and respond appropriately
• Provide close and attentive supervision, particularly when the children are not at school

What We're Looking For

This role would suit someone who is confident, outgoing, energetic and naturally engaging.

You will need to be someone who can take the lead, come up with ideas and motivate children to get involved. You should be comfortable being hands-on and getting involved in activities, whether that's going swimming, playing games, going for a walk, heading to a theme park or simply spending quality time together.

We're looking for someone who:

• HAS A LEVEL 3 RESIDENTIAL CHILDCARE QUALIFICATION - ESSENTIAL.
• TWO OR MORE YEARS WORKING IN A CHILDREN'S RESIDENTIAL SETTING - ESSENTIAL
• Is confident, outgoing and comfortable taking the lead
• Is creative and enthusiastic about planning activities
• Can motivate children to participate and try new things
• Is patient, emotionally resilient and understanding
• Understands the importance of consistency and reassurance
• Can build trusting relationships with children who may initially be wary of adults
• Is observant and able to recognise when children may need additional support
• Is confident setting appropriate boundaries while maintaining a nurturing approach
• Is proactive and doesn't wait to be told what needs doing
• Enjoys helping children develop practical life skills and independence
• Is a strong team player and will fit into our close-knit home
• Is flexible and comfortable working long shifts, weekends and sleep-ins

Driving Requirement

Driving is an essential part of the role as staff will support the children with activities and trips within the community.

Shift Pattern

This is a full-time role of 40 hours per week, working on a flexible rolling rota.

Shifts are generally:

• Early shifts and late shifts
• 1-2 sleep ins a week
• Single-day or back-to-back shifts
• 1 in 3 weekends
• Some flexibility around the rota may be required

The rota is designed to provide consistency for the children while offering some flexibility for the wider team.

Experience

Previous experience working with children or young people is essential.

We welcome applicants from a range of backgrounds. What matters most is your personality, attitude, values and ability to build positive relationships.

Why Join Us?

This is an opportunity to join a very settled home and close-knit team, where you can build meaningful, long-term relationships with the children you support.

You won't just be providing care, you'll be helping the children experience new things, build confidence, develop life skills and create positive memories.

If you're an active, confident and nurturing person who wants to be hands-on, get involved and genuinely make a difference, we'd love to hear from you.

(Salary is inclusive of sleep ins)