Team Leader - Residential Children's Home

Polaris Community; Brampton; On-site; GBP 29,000 - 34,000; Full time

Job summary

A local children's service provider is seeking a Team Leader for their residential children's home in Brampton. The role involves overseeing the daily operations, supporting a team, and providing therapeutic care to vulnerable children. Candidates must have relevant qualifications in childcare and be committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people. This full-time position offers a competitive salary and benefits including a sleep-in allowance and professional development opportunities.

Benefits

Sleep-in allowance

6 weeks annual leave

Company pension

Employee Discount Scheme

Career progression opportunities

Qualifications

• Must have understanding of issues that face young people in care.
• Experience with Emotional Behavioural Disorder or Youth Work is advantageous.
• Willing to undertake a DBS check at an enhanced level.

Responsibilities

• Supervise and support a small team of staff.
• Manage the daily running of the team.
• Provide therapeutic interventions and support the children.

Skills

Communication

Empathy

Leadership

Understanding of child development

Therapeutic intervention knowledge

Education

Residential Childcare/Families Practitioner Diploma

NVQ Level 3 in Health & Social Care

Job description

Team Leader - Residential Children's Home

Location: Headsnook, Brampton (and other locations in Carlisle)

Contract Type: Full-time, Permanent

Salary: Entry level: £29,265.60 (potential up to £32,522.88 in sleep‑in shifts). Experienced: £29,811.60 (up to £33,068.88 in sleep‑in shifts).

Specific Hours: 42 hours per week – shift pattern on rotation.

We are currently seeking an experienced Residential Team Leader to join our services based in Carlisle.

North Lakes Children's Services is a well‑established local provider of therapeutic residential care and education for boys aged 6‑18. We improve the resilience, self‑esteem and abilities of all the young people we work with.

The role of a Team Leader is to share in creating a purposeful, caring, therapeutic, learning environment for our young people, by the application of high professional standards of care and support for the young person's social, emotional and/or behavioural needs, and mental health and learning difficulties.

Your Attributes

As a Therapeutic Residential Team Leader, your qualities of being decisive, highly attuned and consistent will positively benefit the vulnerable children we care for. We welcome applications from experienced individuals who seek to deepen their therapeutic care knowledge and help develop the practice of others in utilising the PACE model and Therapeutic Parenting approaches.

Can you inspire your team? Will you use curiosity and empathy to help validate a child's life story? Have you an approachable leadership style?

Your ability to make key therapeutic interventions throughout the day will guide your team in adopting best practice. Recognising trauma and how it can manifest within a child and using your knowledge of child development will help the recovery, progression and ability for a child to live a full life and gain an independent, healthy future.

Are you

• Ready to supervise and support the continued professional development of a small team of staff?
• Willing and competent to lead a shift, making well‑judged decisions in line with care plans?
• Knowledgeable in therapeutic interventions and an experienced key worker?
• Able to deputise for the Registered Manager in holiday periods?

Main duties

• To provide support/advice for staff as required and manage the daily running of the team.
• To support and deputise for deputy manager as and when required.
• To carry out supervisions of individuals and support for key workers.
• To manage monies for activities.
• To manage the daily needs of the children.
• To monitor and check staff they carry out their duties.
• To take part in rostered sleep‑in duties, as required.
• To develop programmes that will improve children's progress and interaction.
• To link programmes of study with nationally recognised vocational qualifications.
• To work with the young people in a caring and nurturing manner developing relationships based on trust, confidence and understanding.
• To assist in sustaining peer relationships within the home as well as promoting aspects of a young person's individual programme through growing personal resilience and empathy.
• To plan with, join in with and encourage all young people in educational, recreational, occupational and social activities.
• To work as "part of a team" and provide support and encouragement for colleagues as well as the young people and help build a strong child‑focused team.
• To work from your own initiative, in line with all: risk assessments, care plans and emotional and behavioural plans to progress the therapeutic goals of a child.
• To help young people to develop their independent Living/Life Skills.
• To prepare, implement and review programmes designed to aid a child's development and personalise their care plans.
• To induct newly admitted young people, making them feel welcome and validated as important members of their new home.
• To help plan and prepare young people when moving on from the home, for their future including balancing risk with opportunity.
• To enable young people to recognise a wide range of emotions, to help them to name how they feel, notice where it manifests in their body and how they experience specific emotions.
• To use interventions aimed at a child's presenting stage of development to create a plan to aid emotional regulation. To be aware of the age of the initial trauma and nurture the younger child within.
• To recognise vulnerability and see through presenting behavioural choices.
• To liaise effectively with outside partners (parents, placing agencies, other professionals etc.) as necessary, including attendance at reviews and home visits where appropriate.
• To be aware and adhere to current Health & Safety regulations in relation to use of machinery, equipment and substances, and in keeping the house a home.
• To be a keyworker to some of the young people, which requires the monitoring, supporting, developing and implementing of the young person's individual placement plan, encouraging and advising on relationships and emotional health and well‑being.

All Applicants must have

• Understanding of the issues that face young people in care.
• Hold Residential Childcare/Families Practitioner Diploma/Children and Young People's Workforce/NVQ Level 3 in Health & Social Care or equivalent.
• Excellent communication and listening skills.
• Be willing to learn.
• Be able to work well as part of a small team.
• Be willing to undertake a DBS check at enhanced level if successful for the position. Your DBS check shall be paid for by ourselves.
• Experience with Emotional Behavioural Disorder, Social/Residential Work or Youth Work would be advantageous.
• Have a full, clean UK driving licence and be able to cover at other Residential Homes as and when needed.

Benefits

• A sleep‑in allowance of £62.64 per night – potential extra earning up to £3,257.28.
• Shift Rotation: 2 days on, 2 days off, with staggered start times ranging from 8am, 12noon or 2pm.
• 6 weeks annual leave entitlement.
• Company pension.
• Progression in professional development opportunity, through an HABC level 5 diploma in leadership and management residential care.
• Access to our Employee Discount Scheme, including discounts at various well‑known retail companies.
• Access to wellbeing supports via our Employee Assistance Programme.
• Monthly clinical and professional supervisions, access to therapeutic support.
• Overtime and additional holiday pay at Christmas day and New Year's Day.
• Career progression opportunities.
• Comprehensive annual training including: Child Development, Attachment Theory, PACE Model, Therapeutic Parenting, The Whole Brain Child Model.

"Staff follow a research‑based therapeutic approach to parenting. Staff use their sensitivity and empathy to successfully help children validate their feelings, feel accepted and well cared for." - Ofsted Outstanding 2018

North Lakes is an equal opportunities employer and positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates. The company is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff to share this commitment. Successful applicants will be subject to a DBS check at enhanced level if successful for the position.