Therapeutic Residential Children's Home Worker

Bear Care 1 Ltd; Tendring; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 28,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual leave increases with service

Perkbox membership access

Counselling services

Long service awards

Refer a friend bonus

CPD and learning opportunities

Career development

Supportive working environment

Job summary

Bear Care 1 Ltd is recruiting a Therapeutic Residential Children's Home Worker to support children and young people in a nurturing, trauma-informed setting. You will work within a therapeutic framework to build trust, resilience and life skills, while safeguarding their welfare and development.

The role focuses on emotional and social support, daily routines, and active participation in community activities, with opportunities for CPD and career progression within a supportive team.

Qualifications

• Residential childcare experience is valuable but not essential.
• Apply the Therapeutic Framework in everyday interactions.
• Commitment to safeguarding and professional boundaries.
• Provide consistent, reflective support to children and young people.

Responsibilities

• Provide emotional and social support and build positive relationships with children and young people.
• Support day-to-day routines including waking, meals, school/college, activities and bedtime.
• Encourage participation in hobbies, activities and the local community.
• Build trusted relationships as a key worker for allocated children.
• Contribute to care plans, risk assessments and maintain accurate records.

Skills

Empathy

Emotional maturity

Communication

Reliability

Safeguarding

Patience

Willingness to learn

Education

Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare

Job description

Therapeutic Residential Children's Home Worker

At Bear Care, we believe every child deserves to feel safe, understood and supported to build a positive future.

We care for children who may have experienced trauma, disrupted relationships and significant challenges in their lives. Our aim is to provide a safe, stable and nurturing environment where children can build trust, develop emotional resilience and make progress at their own pace.

We are looking for warm, approachable and emotionally mature people who genuinely want to make a difference. Previous residential childcare experience is valuable, but it is not essential for the right candidate.

What we offer

We want our employees to feel supported, valued and able to develop throughout their career. Our benefits include, but are not limited to:

• Annual leave that increases with length of service
• Complimentary Perkbox membership, giving access to a range of discounts, rewards and wellbeing benefits
• Complimentary access to counselling services
• Long service awards
• Refer a friend bonus
• Funded CPD and ongoing learning opportunities
• Career development and progression opportunities
• A supportive working environment

About the role

As a Residential Support Worker, you will:

• Provide emotional and social support, helping children and young people build positive and meaningful relationships.
• Support day-to-day routines including waking, mealtimes, school or college, activities and bedtime.
• Encourage participation in hobbies, activities and the local community.
• Build trusted and consistent relationships as a key worker for allocated children.
• Put our Therapeutic Framework into practice through your everyday interactions and support.
• Support children and young people to develop age-appropriate independence and life skills.
• Prepare meals and contribute to cooking, cleaning, shopping and laundry within the home.
• Promote the safety, welfare and wellbeing of children and young people at all times.
• Contribute to care plans, risk assessments and reviews, and maintain accurate records.

What we are looking for

We value compassion, but compassion alone is not enough. Children need adults who are dependable, emotionally mature and capable of making safe decisions under pressure.

We are looking for someone who:

• Has a genuine motivation and desire to improve the lives of children and young people.
• Emotional maturity and the ability to remain calm when challenged.
• Empathy, patience and an interest in understanding what sits behind a child’s behaviour.
• Sound judgement and an awareness of when to act, when to seek advice and when to elevate a concern.
• Personal accountability, honesty and the confidence to acknowledge mistakes.
• Good written and verbal communication skills.
• Reliability and the ability to work consistently as part of a team.
• A willingness to reflect, accept constructive feedback and continue learning.
• A clear commitment to safeguarding, professional boundaries and children’s welfare.

You do not need to be perfect, and you will not be expected to know everything on your first day. You must, however, be willing to learn, ask questions and take your responsibilities seriously.

It would be great if you also have

• A Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare or equivalent, or are currently working towards one.
• Previous experience working in a children's residential setting.
• An understanding of trauma-informed or therapeutic approaches to care.
• A full UK driving licence.

Working in residential childcare is about much more than providing care. It's about being a consistent, trusted adult in a child's life and helping them develop the skills, confidence and relationships they need to move forward.

If you are compassionate, resilient and passionate about making a difference to children and young people, we would love to hear from you.