Responsible Individual
Home: 4 Bed EBD Residential Children's Home (2YPs)

Rate: £350 - £450 per day (DOE), 1 day per week
Location: Stoke on Trent

If you are already an experienced Responsible Individual in children’s residential care, you probably know what you’re looking for by now.

• A small, well-resourced home where quality is taken seriously.

• A team that want clear leadership and good supervision.

• Directors who genuinely invest in staff and are in this for the children.

That is what this service offers.

They run small homes for up to four children who have experienced significant trauma and have EBD needs. The homes feel homely and structured, with high staffing levels, good pay for frontline staff and a strong focus on training, development and emotional support. Benefits for staff include referral schemes, employee discounts, wellbeing support and a proper Employee Assistance Programme, which gives you a sense of how they treat their teams.

They are now looking for a Responsible Individual who can provide confident, thoughtful oversight as they continue to grow.

The role

• Responsible Individual for a small children’s residential service

• Part time: minimum of 1 day per week in the home, with additional hours from home for oversight, monitoring and regulatory work

• Day rate up to £450, depending on experience and scope

• Opportunity to shape practice as the organisation develops further homes over time

You will have the space to focus on what actually improves outcomes: the quality of relationships, the consistency of day to day care and the way the team think about risk, attachment and behaviour.

What you’ll be doing

• Holding the formal RI role with Ofsted and providing confident leadership across the service

• Offering clear oversight of care quality, safeguarding and compliance with the Children’s Homes Regulations and Quality Standards

• Visiting the home regularly, talking with children and staff, and understanding how the culture feels in real life

• Working alongside the Registered Manager as a genuine partner, providing reflective supervision, guidance and challenge

• Reviewing serious incidents, patterns and themes, and guiding the service to respond thoughtfully

• Overseeing Regulation 45 reports and internal audits so they are meaningful and used, not just filed

• Building and maintaining strong relationships with placing authorities, Ofsted and other professionals

• Supporting the development of policies, training and improvement plans as the organisation grows

What’s attractive about this service

• Small homes, small caseloads

Two young people in the home, allowing staff to really know each child and provide consistent, relationship-based care. Indeed

• Investment in people

Frontline salaries are above the national average for similar roles, with a strong focus on training, development and retention. That tells you a lot about their priorities.

• Supportive leadership

Directors are visible and involved. There is a real intent to build homes that are safe, nurturing and compliant, not just open for the sake of it.

• Genuine development opportunities

As more homes come online, there is scope for the RI role to grow into wider strategic responsibility if that’s something you want.

• Modern, balanced benefits for staff

Things like referral programmes, discounts and wellbeing support are already in place for the wider team, which gives a good indication of how the organisation thinks about staff welfare.

Who they’re looking for

• Experience as a Responsible Individual for children’s homes, or as a multi-site senior leader with clear exposure to RI-level duties

• A strong record of contributing to Good or Outstanding Ofsted outcomes in children’s homes

• In depth knowledge of the Children’s Homes Regulations, Quality Standards and current Ofsted expectations

• Sound safeguarding judgement, with the confidence to make and stand by decisions in complex situations

• The ability to mentor and stretch Registered Managers in a supportive way

• Someone who enjoys being present in the home, listening to children and staff, and noticing how practice lands in real life

• Level 5 (or above) relevant qualification and strong, up to date CPD

Useful experience

• Leading or overseeing small homes for children who have experienced significant trauma, attachment disruption or exploitation

• Working with children who display complex behaviours linked to trauma and neurodiversity

• Experience supporting new or growing providers through registration, first inspections or service development

How to apply

If you are an experienced Responsible Individual or senior leader in children’s homes and you are interested in a part time role where quality really matters, please apply with your CV.

Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an informal conversation in the first instance, with full details of the service shared at that point.