Shift Leader - Children's Homes

WG060 Witherslack Group Ltd; Woodlands; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 37,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Care Academy induction

7 weeks holiday

Sleep-ins allowance

Employee benefits package

Employee wellbeing resources

Job summary

Witherslack Group in England is seeking a Shift Leader to help run our children's homes, support the staff team, and maintain high standards while deputising for Team Leaders. You will be pivotal in delivering a stable, caring environment for young people with social, emotional and mental health needs.

Starting with a four‑week Care Academy induction, you’ll build relationships with young people and colleagues, demonstrate resilience, and help create positive everyday outcomes.

Qualifications

• A ‘can do’ attitude and team spirit with willingness to help others.
• Genuine care for young people, honesty and empathy.
• Resilience to handle challenging situations.
• Full UK driving licence held for at least 12 months.
• If no Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare, we’ll sponsor your studies.
• Start as an RSW via Care Academy – four weeks of off-the-job training.

Responsibilities

• Lead and support the staff team to ensure the home runs smoothly and meets high standards, deputising for Team Leaders as required.
• Build positive relationships with young people to support their day-to-day life and development.
• Monitor and respond to incidents with compassion, ensuring safety and well‑being for residents.

Skills

Can-do attitude

Empathy

Resilience

Driving licence

Residential childcare awareness

Education

Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare (or equivalent)

Job description

£37,254 - £41,808 assuming good attendance and up to 4 sleep ins per month

Working in our Children’s Homes means being a part of a young person’s day to day life. This means being there for the highest highs and lowest lows. Our shift leaders enable our young people to get their childhood back and create pathways to become well rounded adults – an incredibly rewarding role to have. There will be challenges along the way but there will also be the smallest moments which feel like a huge small victory! Our homes accommodate young people with social, emotional and mental health needs, and our aim is to create the best possible outcome for the young people in our care. Our shift leaders are fulfilled by the idea of affecting even the smallest positive changes in our young people, so we celebrate the little things.

Get out what you put in You’ll be a part of taking care of our young people day to day, making sure things run smoothly and creating lasting memories. As a shift leader you will also make sure that the staff team are supported and the home is operating at our high standards, prepared to step up to deputise for the Team Leaders. We’re looking for someone able to relate to and build relationships with our young people. Compassionate, emotionally resilient, and supportive, you’ll also be able to provide the leadership that inspires your colleagues.

What we’ll be looking for from you:

• A ‘can do’ attitude – a team player who rolls up their sleeves to help others
• We genuinely care about our young people (and each other) so honesty and empathy is a must
• The resilience to be able to deal with challenging situations
• A full UK driving licence which you’ve held for at least 12 months
• If you don’t have a Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare (or equivalent), we’ll pay for you to study and support you every step of the way
• You’ll start life as a RSW by joining our ‘Care Academy’ – 4 weeks of off the job training with experienced WG professionals to help you feel confident and ready to support our young people.

Benefits

• Salary: Base salary of £32,014 - £36,568
• Bonuses: In addition to your base salary you’ll do up to 4 sleep ins per months, these are paid at £80 per sleep (approx. £3,840 per year) and £1,400 Attendance Allowance – assuming good attendance
• Training: A full 4-week induction on our Care Academy
• Holiday: You’ll work hard at WG, so you’ll be rewarded with 7 weeks’ holiday
• Progression: If career development is your thing, most of our team leaders and managers have been promoted from within our group – plus you could join our ‘Aspire’ future managers programme
• Flexible benefits package: meaning you can increase/decrease your holiday allowance, pension and life insurance – check out our benefits here
• Wellbeing: a host of wellbeing tools and advice including employee assistance
• Medical cover so you can claim back the cost of things like an opticians or dentist appointment and a host of high-street discounts
• Meals provided while you’re at work
• Beautiful working environments with the very best facilities – check out our homes here
• A recommend a friend scheme that offers a £1,000 bonus every time
• Bring your whole-self to work

Company culture

Here at Witherslack Group, we celebrate everyone’s differences as that’s what makes us the best at what we do. Our young people come from all walks of life, diverse backgrounds and with different needs – and our workforce reflects that diversity, so that our teams can engage, encourage and inspire our young people to be themselves.

If you need any adjustments to support you through the recruitment process or in the workplace, we’ll be there every step of the way.

By building a diverse and inclusive team, we’re better able to support the children, young people and families we serve and ensure every member of our team can thrive, grow, and be their authentic self.

Diversity and Inclusion

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, identities, and abilities.

We are proud to be recognised as an inclusive employer and are committed to making our recruitment and workplace practices inclusive and accessible.

We are an equal opportunities employer welcoming applications from all sections of the community.

This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check (we will cover the cost) and an online search.

Mission: We are the leading provider of specialist education and care for children and young people with social, emotional and mental health needs, communication difficulties (autistic spectrum conditions; speech, language and communication needs), ADHD and complex learning needs.