Registered Manager, Children's Residential Home (Learning Disabilities and Autism)

• Location: Batley, West Yorkshire, WF17, within easy reach of Dewsbury, Leeds, Wakefield, Huddersfield and Bradford

• Salary: £50,000 to £55,000 per annum, depending on experience

• Service: A brand new children's home for children and young people with learning disabilities, autism and behaviours that challenge, preparing for Ofsted registration within an established group

• Team: Supported by a Deputy Manager, with the freedom to build and develop your own specialist staff team

This is a Registered Manager opportunity to open and lead a new children's home in Batley from the very beginning, shaping the culture, the team and the care for children whose needs deserve a home built entirely around them.

What makes this home stand out

• It has been designed from day one around children with learning disabilities, autism, sensory differences and communication needs, so positive behaviour support, accessible communication and predictable routines sit at the centre of how the whole home works

• You'll be the manager who takes it through Ofsted registration, writes the story of the home into its practice and puts your name to what it becomes

• The home is the newest part of an established Batley care group that has been supporting local people for around a decade, growing from home care into learning disability support for adults and children, and supported accommodation for looked after young people and care leavers aged 16 and over

• That wider group holds a Good rating from CQC for its home care service, with Caring rated Outstanding, and inspectors heard people describe the care as exceptional and staff praise the management team as skilled, committed and genuinely caring

• Because sister services in the same town already support young adults with learning disabilities and care leavers, you'd potentially have a real say in thoughtful, joined-up transitions as the children you care for move towards adulthood, which is often the most delicate part of their journey

• The Director is someone we've partnered with before, and they're building this home on the same values that run through the wider group, with compassion, respect, integrity, independence and community life at the heart of everything

What you'll be leading

• Taking the home through Ofsted registration and leading it with confidence against the Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015, the Quality Standards and the Statement of Purpose

• Creating a home where behaviour is understood as communication, with individual positive behaviour support plans built around prevention, meaningful activities, predictable routines and de-escalation

• Getting to know each child deeply, including their triggers, sensory needs and ways of communicating, and working alongside health, education, speech and language and multidisciplinary colleagues to understand what each child is telling you

• Matching referrals thoughtfully so every placement works for the child arriving and the children already living in the home

• Leading safeguarding practice, working closely with social workers, families, schools, the LADO and local safeguarding partners, and keeping notifications and escalations timely and clear

• Recruiting, inducting, supervising and developing a specialist team, with training in learning disabilities, autism, PBS, communication approaches, medication and each child's individual needs

• Keeping restrictive practice lawful, necessary and proportionate, and reviewing incidents with children and staff so restriction reduces over time and children's confidence grows

• Facilitating Regulation 44 visits, completing Regulation 45 reviews and leading the home through Ofsted inspections with rich evidence of each child's progress and experiences

• Overseeing budgets, records, health and safety and the day-to-day running of the home, while staying visible, reflective and hands-on with the children and your team

What you'll bring

• At least five years' experience in a children's residential setting, including two years in a relevant role within the last five years and at least one year supervising and managing staff

• Demonstrable experience caring for children with learning disabilities and behaviours that challenge, including writing and embedding positive behaviour support plans

• Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare (England), or working towards

• Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare, or a relevant equivalent

• Sound knowledge of the Children's Homes Regulations, Quality Standards, the Ofsted SCCIF and local safeguarding procedures

• Knowledge of accessible communication, trauma-informed practice, de-escalation and proportionate behaviour support

• The ability to meet Ofsted's fitness and suitability requirements for registration as a Registered Manager

• Willingness to take part in agreed on-call arrangements

What would make you stand out even more

• Previous Ofsted registration as a children's home manager

• A track record of contributing to Good or Outstanding inspection outcomes

• Experience opening or developing a new children's home

• Additional training in autism, Makaton, PECS, sensory approaches or positive behaviour support

What's in it for you

• A salary of £50,000 to £55,000 that reflects the specialist skill, leadership and care this Registered Manager role asks of you

• Direct access to a Director who is invested in getting this home right and values the voice of the person leading it

• The backing of a wider local care group with years of experience, established relationships and a culture that inspectors have recognised

• The opportunity to build a specialist team in your own image and create a home you'll be genuinely proud of

• A role on your doorstep if you live across Kirklees, Calderdale, Leeds or Wakefield, with full hours and on-call arrangements confirmed at offer stage

Appointment is subject to an enhanced DBS with children's barred list check, satisfactory references, verification of qualifications, employment history and right to work, and the Ofsted registration and suitability process.

If you've spent years building your learning disability and PBS experience and you're ready to lead a home where that expertise is the whole point, I'd love to hear from you, so apply today or give Kizuna Recruitment a ring for a relaxed and confidential conversation about the home, the Director and everything they're hoping to create for children in Batley.