Waking Nights Youth Support Worker

Shaw Trust; East Midlands; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Attendance bonus

Sleep-in payments

28 days annual leave

Free meals during shifts

Employee discounts

Well-being support

Christmas voucher

Job summary

Homes2Inspire is seeking dedicated Children's Residential Support Workers to join our team at Minster House. You will support a young person aged 5-17 with SEBD, providing safety, stability and nurturing care to help them feel valued and empowered to grow.

As a Waking Nights Support Worker, you’ll work within a small, inclusive team, manage your own workload, complete documentation, and help build positive relationships.

Qualifications

• Strong, compassionate character with a genuine desire to support young people.
• Ability to remain calm and effective under pressure in challenging situations.
• Willingness to work shifts including evenings, weekends and sleep-ins.
• Proactive, solution-focused approach and reliable teamwork.
• Experience from prior careers or personal challenges can be valuable.

Responsibilities

• Prioritise and manage own workload independently.
• Maintain a safe, secure environment for young people.
• Build trust and positive relationships to encourage engagement.
• Set clear boundaries and act as a positive role model.
• Complete and maintain accurate house paperwork and reports.

Skills

Compassionate personality

Emotional resilience

Flexible shift work

Problem-solving skills

Life experience

Growth mindset

Job description

At Minster House, we provide a safe, nurturing home for a young person aged 5-17 with Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties (SEBD). Our home supports just one young person, enabling us to deliver highly personalised care and build meaningful relationships that promote recovery, resilience and positive outcomes.

Our philosophy is simple: "A safe haven for nurturing growth from adverse experience, empowering self-care and resilience, and working towards a brighter future together."

We are looking for passionate, caring and resilient individuals to join our team as Children's Residential Support Workers, helping young people feel safe, valued and empowered to reach their full potential.

Looking for Something More Rewarding?

Do you thrive in fast-paced environments? Have you worked in hospitality, retail, sports, outdoor activities, or customer service? Do you have the emotional resilience to handle challenging situations while supporting and inspiring young people? If so, you don't need prior experience in care - just the right mindset.

We provide full training, qualifications, and ongoing support to help you build a meaningful career in residential childcare.

What the Role Involves

As a Waking Nights Support Worker, you'll be a vital part of a team supporting young people who have experienced trauma. Your role will be dynamic, challenging, and deeply rewarding. You'll be responsible for:

• Able to prioritise and manage own workload independently.
• Maintain a safe, secure environment for young people.
• Build trust and positive relationships to encourage appropriate responses and engagement.
• Set clear boundaries and act as a positive role model.
• Complete and maintain accurate house paperwork and reports.

Our staff are not just a team our staff are a family would provide a warm and welcoming nature to all children that come and live with us.

Ideal candidates will have:

• A strong, compassionate personality
• Emotional resilience and the ability to stay calm under pressure
• Flexibility to work shifts, including evenings, weekends, and sleep-ins
• Problem-solving skills and a proactive mindset
• Life experience from previous careers or personal challenges
• A desire to grow - full training and a funded Level 3 qualification in Residential Childcare provided

Salary: Starting Rate (£29,767.00), 12 months in position (£30,659.00), QCF Level 3 Qualified (£31,579.00)

Pay Explained:

We offer a competitive salary with clear opportunities for progression and increased earnings. As a Band 1 Residential Youth Support Worker, you will receive a starting salary of £29,767 per annum (£14.31 per hour), with the opportunity to earn an additional £100 bonus, giving a total earning potential of £29,867. After 12 months in post, you can progress to Band 2, increasing your salary to £30,659 per annum (£14.74 per hour) and your total earning potential to £30,759. Upon achieving a QCF Level 3 qualification, you can progress to Band 3, earning £31,579 per annum (£15.18 per hour), with a total earning potential of £31,679, including bonus. This structured pay scale recognises both experience and professional development, ensuring your earnings grow as your career progresses.

Shift Pattern:

• Waking Night Shifts - DOI, + Structured career progression into senior roles
• £1,400 annual attendance bonus + sleep-in payments (£44.56 per shift)
• 28 days annual leave (increasing with service)
• Free meals during shifts
• Employee benefits including discounts on shopping, cinema, and holidays
• 24/7 well-being support, including free counselling sessions
• Christmas voucher of up to £200, based on length of service and contracted hours, to recognise the 24/7 care you provide year-round

Important Information:

• We do not offer sponsorship or support with right to work.
• All applicants must have their own right to work in the UK, permitting them to work 40 hours per week.
• All successful candidates will undergo pre-employment safer recruitment checks in line with Ofsted and Homes2Inspire policies.
• Applications are reviewed regularly, and interviews may be held before the advertised closing date.
• Interviews will take place in person during scheduled assessment days. Please contact our Careers Team if you require reasonable adjustments.

Our Commitment to Inclusion

At Homes2Inspire, we're proud to foster a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace. We actively encourage applications from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic communities, and welcome individuals with lived experience of disability or social exclusion. We also offer guaranteed interviews for care leavers who meet the minimum role requirements-please let us know in your application if you have lived-in care experience. Male staff are currently under-represented in our residential children's services, and we strongly encourage more male applicants to apply. We aim to match candidates with the most suitable service based on their skills, experience, and the needs of the young people in our care. In some cases, this may mean offering employment at a different home than originally applied for.