Deputy Manager

Children's Residential Care

Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent (ST1)

£36,400 per annum (£17.50 per hour) plus sleep-in payments averaging £7,800 per year

Shift pattern: 1 on, 2 off

This is a Deputy Manager role at a children's home in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, currently open and supporting two young people, on a 1-on-2-off shift pattern, paying £36,400 per annum plus sleep-in payments that average around £7,800 a year on top of that.

The home is registered with Ofsted and has young people in placement, but it is still in that formative period where the culture of the service, the standards of practice, and the way the team works together are all actively being shaped. The Deputy Manager who joins now will have a genuine hand in that, and if you've ever wanted a leadership role where your judgment and your values actually leave a mark on a service, this is maybe the closest thing to that you'll find at this level.

The Role

As Deputy Manager, you'll work closely with the Registered Manager to lead the day-to-day running of the home, providing visible, consistent leadership on shift and supporting the team to deliver high-quality, trauma-informed care to the young people living there. This is a proper operational leadership role with real responsibility, not a step-up-in-name-only position.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Leading the staff team across shifts, providing direct support and modelling best practice in day-to-day work with young people

• Contributing to the development, review, and quality of care plans, risk assessments, and placement plans in line with the Children's Homes Regulations 2015 and the associated Quality Standards

• Maintaining safeguarding records, placement documentation, and Regulation 44 preparation to a consistently high standard

• Deputising for the Registered Manager and taking full operational responsibility for the home during their absence

• Supporting safer recruitment, staff supervision, and the ongoing development of the team

• Building and maintaining effective working relationships with placing authorities, independent reviewing officers, social workers, and other professionals involved with the young people in your care

• Embedding a child-centred, trauma-informed approach to practice across the whole team, from the way handovers are run to the way incidents are reflected on

What We're Looking For

• A Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (or equivalent)

• Level 5 in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare either completed or currently in progress (desirable)

• Strong, direct experience in children's residential care under the Children's Homes Regulations 2015, ideally at Senior Support Worker level or above

• A genuine working knowledge of safeguarding frameworks, the SCCIF, and what Ofsted inspectors actually look for when they walk through the door

• Someone who understands that leading a small team in a small home requires more skill, not less, because there's nowhere to hide and the relationships with young people depend on the consistency you create

• Strong communication skills, the ability to hold professional boundaries without losing warmth, and a commitment to getting the best outcomes for looked-after children

• The self-awareness to reflect on your own practice and bring that same expectation to the people you supervise

The Shift Pattern and Pay

The 1-on-2-off pattern is something people in residential care tend to either have or spend years wishing they had, and it's worth factoring into your thinking properly when you consider this role. The base salary of £36,400 per annum reflects the seniority of a Deputy Manager position in a regulated children's home, and the sleep-in payments, averaging ten nights per month at £65 per night, bring total potential earnings to approximately £44,200 per year. The work is complex and the responsibility is real, and the package reflects that.

Why This One

Joining a home at this particular point in its development, open, with young people in placement, but with the culture still being actively built rather than simply maintained, is to be honest one of the more meaningful opportunities you can step into at Deputy Manager level. The providers behind this service are focused on doing this properly, and they need someone alongside the Registered Manager who shares that outlook and has the experience to back it up.

If you hold a Level 3 in Residential Childcare, have meaningful experience working in a children's home regulated under the Children's Homes Regulations 2015, and you're looking for a Deputy Manager role in Stoke-on-Trent where you can make a difference that actually sticks, we'd genuinely like to hear from you.