Support Worker - Children & Young People

Homesforsupport; Cheshire, Northern (CT, KY); Hybrid; USD 35,000 - 43,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Enhanced overtime

Paid training

Company pension

Paid annual leave

Company sick pay

Compassionate/bereavement pay

Health cash plan

Mileage/fuel support

Company fleet vehicles

Job summary

Homes for Support is seeking a Residential Children’s Worker to provide safe, nurturing homes for children and young people. The role offers full-time or flexible zero-hours positions with real opportunities to develop skills through a funded Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare as part of a structured development program.

You’ll build trusting relationships, support emotional wellbeing, manage routines, and work with families and professionals to create stability.

Qualifications

• No formal care experience required for entry-level roles.
• Funding available for Level 3 Diploma during the induction.
• Driver with own car required for full-time roles.

Responsibilities

• Build positive, trusting relationships with young people
• Support emotional wellbeing and development
• Help with routines, meals, education, appointments and activities
• Encourage independence and life skills
• Respond calmly and safely when things don’t go to plan
• Follow care plans, risk assessments and safeguarding procedures
• Keep accurate records and communicate with colleagues
• Work with families, social workers, education and other professionals
• Be a positive role model with clear boundaries
• Participate in supervision and training

Skills

Empathy

Communication

Resilience

Boundary setting

Education

Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare

Job description

Residential Children’s Worker | Crewe, Cheshire

Therapeutic | EBD | Complex & Solo Provision

Experienced/qualified: £27,358.50 + £5,475.00 sleep-in payments (£32,833.50) based 2 Days On / 4 Days Off
Inexperienced/new to residential childcare: £26,443.50 + fully funded Level 3 qualification
Sleep-ins: £45 per sleep-in
Full-time and flexible zero-hours positions available

Do a job that matters.

Being a Residential Children’s Worker isn’t always easy. Some days are challenging, some are messy and some will test your patience.

But then there are the moments that make it all worthwhile.

A young person who starts to trust you. A difficult day that ends well. A new skill they didn’t think they could master. A laugh around the dinner table. Seeing someone who has had a tough start in life begin to believe in themselves.

That’s the job.

At Homes for Support, you’ll be part of a team providing safe, nurturing homes for children and young people who need stability, consistency and adults they can rely on.

What you’ll actually do

• Build positive, trusting relationships with young people
• Support their emotional wellbeing and development
• Help with routines, meals, education, appointments and activities
• Encourage independence and life skills
• Respond calmly and safely when things don’t go to plan
• Follow individual care plans, risk assessments and safeguarding procedures
• Keep accurate records and communicate effectively with colleagues
• Work alongside families, social workers, education and other professionals
• Be a positive role model and provide clear, consistent boundaries
• Take part in supervision, training and reflective practice

It’s a hands-on role. You’ll spend much more time with young people than behind a desk.

Different homes. Different opportunities.

We have opportunities across several types of residential provision, so there’s scope to find the environment that suits your experience and interests.

Therapeutic homes

Work with young people who have experienced trauma or adversity, using a nurturing and therapeutic approach to help them feel safe, understood and able to develop.

EBD homes

Support young people with emotional and behavioural needs. You’ll help create structure, consistency and positive relationships while helping young people understand and manage their emotions and behaviour.

Complex & Solo Provision

Work more intensively with young people who have particularly complex needs and may require solo provision.

These roles can provide opportunities no to develop experience in more specialist care, including working within a framework where Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) may be relevant.

You’ll receive the training, guidance and support needed for the provision you’re working in.

New to residential childcare?

That’s absolutely fine.

You don’t need years of care experience to become a great Residential Children’s Worker.

We’re looking for people who are kind, reliable, resilient, willing to learn and able to build genuine relationships with young people.

If you’re new to residential childcare, you’ll complete our 18-month Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare, giving you a recognised qualification while you build your experience.

Complete your Level 3 and you’ll receive a completion bonus and move onto our enhanced pay rate.

So your development isn’t just something we talk about - there’s a reward for achieving it.

Already experienced or qualified?

If you already have relevant residential childcare experience and/or qualifications, you’ll be considered for our enhanced pay rate of £14.45 per hour.

Your experience matters to us, and we want you to be able to use it.

Your working pattern

Full-time: For people looking for a regular career in residential childcare you’ll work two days and have four days off. The hours are 08:00-23:00 plus sleep-in.

Zero-hours/flexible: For people who want flexibility around other commitments, another job, family life or simply want to choose when they work.

Full-time roles require you to be a car driver with access to your own car for work, or access to a company fleet vehicle, because our homes and young people’s needs require flexibility to travel.

What you’ll get

We want the reward for doing this job to go beyond your payslip.

Pay & financial rewards

• Enhanced overtime include double-time at Christmas and New Year
• Paid training
• Company pension
• Paid annual leave
• Company sick pay
• Compassionate/bereavement pay
• Health cash plan to help towards dental, optical and so much more
• Mileage/fuel support in line with our travel arrangements
• Access to company fleet vehicles for eligible full-time roles

Training & career development

• Fully funded Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare
• Structured 18-month development programme for new workers
• Regular supervision and support
• Ongoing mandatory and specialist training
• Opportunities to develop experience in therapeutic, EBD and complex care
• Clear progression opportunities into Senior Residential Children’s Worker, Team Leader, Deputy Manager and Registered Manager roles

Wellbeing & support

• Employee Assistance Programme
• Health and wellbeing support
• Health Shield health benefits following eligibility
• Supportive supervision and reflective practice
• A team around you when the work gets tough
• Recognition for people who make a difference

Life at Homes for Support

We’re growing, but we don’t want to lose what makes our homes feel like homes.

Our values are simple: Care. Compassion. Teamwork.

You’ll work alongside people who genuinely care about the young people they support and about each other.

There will be serious moments. There will be challenging behaviour. There will be paperwork, difficult conversations and days when things don’t go according to plan.

There will also be football, day trips, birthdays, Christmas dinners, inside jokes, celebrations, achievements and plenty of moments where you realise this is why you do the job.

We want our teams to be places where people can be themselves, ask for help, learn from each other and have a bit of fun along the way.

What we’re looking for

You don’t need to have worked in children’s care before.

We’d like you to be:

• Caring and compassionate
• Patient and emotionally resilient
• Reliable and responsible
• A good communicator
• Comfortable working as part of a team
• Able to maintain professional boundaries
• Willing to learn and develop
• Committed to safeguarding children and young people

Experience in residential childcare, children’s homes, social care, support work, education, youth work, mental health, health worker, prison service, custody suite, SEN, challenging behaviour or similar is useful, but isn’t essential for our entry-level roles.