Registered Manager, Residential Children’s Home, Duston - Northampton

This is a Registered Manager opportunity for a newly registered three-bed children’s home in Northampton, offering a salary of £50,000 to £65,000 depending on experience, with the staff team recruited, the policies and Statement of Purpose prepared, and the home ready to welcome its first young people as soon as the right Registered Manager is in post.

Why this Registered Manager role stands out

• Ofsted registration is complete, so you step straight into leading a children’s home that’s ready to open its doors, with the chance to shape the culture, the team and the experience of every young person from the very first admission

• The home is registered for three young people, which gives you the space to know each child properly, to be visible and present in daily life, and to build the kind of relationships with young people and families that tend to change the course of a placement

• A second new home is opening nearby in Milton Keynes with its own dedicated Registered Manager, a deliberate choice by the owner so that each manager can give their full energy to one home, and it potentially means you’ll have a fellow manager close by to share ideas and celebrate early wins with

• The owner is looking for a genuine partnership with an experienced manager, someone trusted to review and sign off the policies so they reflect their own practice and values

The organisation behind the home

• The provider is part of a wider family of children’s homes, with a sister organisation that has been supporting children and young people with social, emotional and complex needs for a number of years, and whose established homes are rated Good by Ofsted

• That sister organisation places attachment understanding and recovery from developmental trauma at the heart of its care, with a strong belief that positive relationships, respect, empathy and understanding are what help young people heal and thrive

• Staff are described as the organisation’s greatest asset, with a real commitment to investing in training and development and recognising the people who go above and beyond for young people

• The values running through the group, things like integrity, compassion, listening and ownership, give a new Registered Manager a solid foundation to build their own home’s culture on

What the role involves

• Leading the home through its first admissions, from referrals and matching through to impact risk assessments and carefully planned moves that help each young person feel welcome from day one

• Reviewing the Statement of Purpose, policies and procedures already in place, shaping them around your own therapeutic and relational practice, and signing them off as the home’s Registered Manager

• Leading, supervising and developing the existing residential childcare team, creating a culture where staff feel supported, confident and proud of the difference they make

• Working closely with the Responsible Individual on quality assurance, Regulation 44 visits, Regulation 45 reviews and the long-term development of the home

• Building strong, trusting relationships with placing local authorities, social workers, schools, CAMHS, health professionals and families, so everyone around each young person is working towards the same goals

• Preparing the home for its first Ofsted inspection and setting the standard for everything that follows, with the aim of building a track record you’ll be proud to put your name to

• Overseeing rotas, budgets, recruitment and the day to day running of the home, while staying visible and involved in young people’s lives

What you’ll bring

• At least five years’ experience in children’s residential care, including a minimum of two years as an Ofsted Registered Manager

• A Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare, or an equivalent qualification

• A track record of positive Ofsted outcomes, ideally across more than one inspection

• The knowledge and confidence to approach a fit person interview with Ofsted comfortably

• A thorough understanding of the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Quality Standards, along with safeguarding practice that’s second nature to you

• A warm, collaborative leadership style and the ability to build an open, positive working relationship with the owner and Responsible Individual

• An enhanced DBS on the Update Service, or willingness to apply for one

Salary and package

• A salary of £50,000 to £65,000 depending on experience

• Shaping a newly registered children’s home through its first admissions and first Ofsted inspection is some of the most skilled and influential work a Registered Manager can do, and the pay is set to recognise the weight of that responsibility

• A personal interview process, starting with an informal conversation about the organisation and the home, followed by a face-to-face meeting with the Responsible Individual

• Evening interviews can be arranged, which makes things a lot easier if you’re currently in post and working around a busy rota

If you’re an experienced Registered Manager who has maybe been wondering what it would feel like to lead a home that’s truly yours from the very first day, I’d love to have a proper chat with you about this one, so apply here or get in touch and we can talk it through.