Deputy Manager | Children's Residential Care | Walsall | £40,308.06 per annum

We're looking for a Deputy Manager to join a two-bedded children's residential homes in Walsall, working closely alongside our Dual Registered Manager across both homes to shape the culture, support the team, and make a genuine difference to the lives of young people aged 8 to 18 who've experienced significant trauma.

About the homes and the approach

These are small, purposeful residential homes built around the individual needs of the young people we support, which means every placement is considered, every care plan is personalised, and no two approaches are ever the same.

• The homes operate within a Non-Violent Resistance (NVR) therapeutic framework, underpinned by attachment theory, which places warm, present, relationship-based caregiving at the heart of everything we do

• Young people who come through our doors are supported to express their cultural, ethnic, religious and social identity, with their voice embedded throughout their care planning at every stage

• We work with a Registered Mental Health Nurse and Psychotherapist who supports staff and young people directly, with monthly Team Around the Child meetings to ensure holistic, coordinated support

• Behaviour management is creative and entirely personalised, because we understand that a single-model approach doesn't work when you're dealing with complex trauma, attachment difficulties, emotional behavioural difficulties (EBD) and developmental challenges

• Families and carers are actively involved in the process, with parent plans sitting alongside local authority care plans to ensure a truly wraparound approach

This is a service that takes its standards seriously and holds itself to a high bar, fully registered and operating within the Children's Homes Regulations and Quality Standards 2015, with Ofsted as our regulatory body.

What the role involves

As Deputy Manager, you'll be a visible, consistent, and trusted figure for both the team and the young people in the homes, working operationally and strategically alongside the Registered Manager to maintain quality, compliance, and a positive caring culture.

• Supporting and supervising your team across day-to-day operations, shift leadership, and reflective practice

• Contributing to care planning, risk assessments, and placement reviews in line with regulatory requirements

• Deputising for the Registered Manager when needed and representing the home to external professionals with confidence

• Being part of the management on-call rota, covering out-of-hours support on a rolling three-weekly basis: Monday to Friday from 17:00 to 09:00, and 24 hours across weekends, with the expectation that you may be required to attend the home in person when a situation cannot be resolved by phone

• Driving standards of safeguarding, child-centred practice and therapeutic care throughout everything the home does

What we're looking for

We're looking for someone who has lived experience of children's residential care, who understands what it means to hold a team together in a demanding environment, and who brings both emotional intelligence and professional rigour to their practice.

• A minimum of two years' experience managing or supervising a team within a children's residential setting is essential

• Experience working with young people presenting with EBD is a significant advantage and is something we look for actively

• You must hold one of the following qualifications, or something equivalent or higher:

• Level 4 in Children, Young People and Families Practitioner

• Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare

• Level 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care

• A full UK driving licence is essential, as participation in the on-call management rota requires you to be mobile and responsive out of hours

Hours of work

This is a 46.5-hour working week, structured across a combination of:

• Three admin days per week, running 09:00 to 17:00

• One 24-hour shift per week, running 07:30 through to 22:30 with a sleep-in period and a half-hour handover the following morning

If you've worked in residential childcare before, you'll understand this pattern and what it demands, and you'll also understand why the right kind of person genuinely thrives within it.

What you'll receive

• A starting salary of £40,308.06 per annum, with a salary increase upon successful completion of your six-month probation period

• 28 days annual leave per year

• The opportunity to work within a therapeutic, values-led service where the work you do has a measurable, lasting impact on the lives of vulnerable young people

• A structured management framework with genuine scope to develop your leadership and shape the culture of a growing residential service

• Access to clinical support through our embedded therapeutic team, including a Registered Mental Health Nurse and Psychotherapist

Who this role is for

This is a role for someone who brings experience and thoughtfulness in equal measure, someone who has worked closely with young people with complex trauma histories and understands that the best residential care is built on trusted relationships, consistent boundaries, and a therapeutic approach that never loses sight of the individual.

If you're a Senior Support Worker who has been stepping into leadership and is ready to make it official, or a Deputy Manager looking for a service where the values are lived rather than just written on a wall, we'd genuinely love to hear from you.

Apply now and take the next step in your residential childcare career.

This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check, satisfactory references, and compliance with safer recruitment procedures. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and this commitment is reflected in every stage of our recruitment process.