Responsible Individual,

• Children’s Residential Homes

• Walsall (WS2) and Castleford (WF10)

• £65,500 plus Bonus and Car Allowance

This is a full-time, employed, permanent Responsible Individual role overseeing four Ofsted-registered therapeutic children’s homes across Walsall and Castleford, paying £65,500 a year alongside a £200 monthly car allowance, a bonus conversation once you’ve passed a six-month probation, and further salary increments to be agreed when you accept the role.

You’ll be working Monday to Friday, 9am until 5pm, with on-call cover shared with your Registered Managers when they’re away, and the provider would love the right person to start as soon as possible.

What makes this role stand out, is the size of it, because four homes is enough to give you a proper strategic role across the Midlands and West Yorkshire while still being small enough that you’ll know every young person’s story, every manager’s strengths and every staff team’s personality.

Why this provider is worth your time

The founder registered his first children’s home with Ofsted back in 2015, after years of setting up community projects within the NHS and local authorities, and he still puts part of what the business earns into funding education projects for children overseas.

Care here is built around attachment and therapeutic practice, with a Registered Mental Health Nurse and Psychotherapist supporting the homes, monthly Team Around the Child meetings bringing managers and keyworkers together, and assessment woven in from referral right through each placement so plans grow with the young person. The homes work closely with CAMHS and specialist services, and the therapeutic offer stretches to life coaching and creative approaches for young people who maybe aren’t ready for formal sessions yet.

The most recent Ofsted inspection in January 2026 judged the home Good across all three areas for the second inspection running. The report tells us, a young person who had been out of education is now back in full-time learning, making exceptional progress and planning for post-16 study, missing episodes stopped completely within a few months thanks to creative, multi-agency safety work, and every incident in the home has been managed through relationships and de-escalation alone. One professional told the inspector it was the best home they had worked with, families receive a monthly newsletter celebrating their child’s achievements, and staff described feeling supported and enjoying their work. Ofsted also pointed towards supervision and quality monitoring as the next areas to strengthen, which is potentially the most exciting part for a strong RI, because you’ll be stepping into solid foundations with a clear opportunity to lead the push from Good towards Outstanding.

What you’ll be doing as Responsible Individual

• Holding the Ofsted-approved Responsible Individual position for four therapeutic children’s homes across Walsall and Castleford

• Supporting, coaching and empowering your Registered Managers so they can deliver outstanding standards of care

• Taking overall responsibility for safeguarding every young person placed across your homes

• Completing announced and unannounced visits, audits and quality assurance across each service

• Owning budgets and financial controls, including staffing costs, agency use, training, maintenance, health and safety and each home’s vehicle

• Assessing proposed referrals and building strong links with social workers, CAMHS, education and other external professionals

• Making sure every young person has an individual, therapeutic care plan and a genuine voice in decisions about their care

• Strengthening supervision and monitoring systems so the whole group keeps improving

• Leading on disciplinary and grievance matters where needed and sharing on-call with your managers

What you’ll bring

• Experience as an Ofsted Registered Manager or Responsible Individual in children’s residential care

• A Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare, Level 5 Children, Young People and Families Manager, or an equivalent Level 5 Leadership and Management qualification

• Confident knowledge of the Children’s Homes Regulations 2015, the Quality Standards and the SCCIF inspection framework

• Experience managing budgets and making commercial decisions across more than one service

• A hands-on, relational leadership style and a real belief in therapeutic, trauma-informed practice

• Recruitment and selection experience, plus the ability to spot a team’s strengths and development needs quickly

• A full UK driving licence, as you’ll be spending time across both regions

The package, and why it’s pitched where it is

At £65,500 with a car allowance worth £2,400 a year, increments to discuss on acceptance and a bonus conversation after probation, this salary reflects the reality that you’ll be carrying the regulatory, financial and safeguarding accountability for four homes across two regions, which is a big, meaningful job deserving of proper recognition. On top of that you’ll have private medical healthcare, life insurance, a dental and optical cashback plan, an employee assistance programme, a workplace pension, and 25 days’ annual leave plus the 8 bank holidays.

If you’ve been an RI or a seasoned Registered Manager for a while and you’re ready for a role where your leadership shapes the whole organisation, I’d genuinely love to hear from you, whether that’s a full application or just an informal chat about what the homes are like day to day and whether it feels like the right fit for where you want to go next. Hit apply and I’ll be in touch quickly, because the provider is keen to meet the right person soon and I’d hate for you to miss out on something this good.