Residential Support Worker

• Residential Children’s Home

• Rotherham, South Yorkshire

• £13.90 to £16.00 per hour plus £60 Sleep-Ins

• 2 on 4 off shift pattern

This is a Residential Support Worker role in a children’s home in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, paying £13.90 to £16.00 per hour depending on experience, with an extra £60 for every sleep-in, on a 2 on 4 off shift pattern, in a solo placement home that was judged good by Ofsted at its very first inspection in November 2025 and is now growing its team by at least three support workers.

If you have spent any time scrolling through residential childcare jobs in South Yorkshire lately, you will know most of them start to blur into one, so I think it’s worth saying straight away what makes this one different, because the reasons are pretty special for anyone who came into this work to make a real difference to a young person’s life.

What makes this role stand out

• It’s a solo placement home, which means your whole focus on shift goes into one young person, with 2:1 support so you always have a colleague alongside you

• The home was judged good by Ofsted at its first inspection, which anyone who has been through a first inspection will tell you takes real graft, clear values and a team that cares deeply about getting it right

• The team is being grown thoughtfully, so you would be joining at a point where your ideas, your personality and the way you work will help shape the culture of the home for years to come

• The home has been open for over a year, so the foundations are in place and you get to build on something that is already working well

• It sits within a growing group led by a director with more than ten years of experience in children’s residential care, with three homes open today, six planned by the end of 2026 and ten by the end of 2027

• That growth potentially means real opportunities to step up into senior support worker, team leader and management roles as new homes open across Yorkshire

Why solo homes are such a good place to grow

• You get the time and space to build a meaningful, trusting relationship, which is the thing most of us came into residential childcare to do in the first place

• You see the progress up close, from the first time a young person chooses to sit and chat over tea, to a good week at school, to them trying something new on a day out

• You learn to read one young person really well, which builds the kind of therapeutic, relationship-based skills that will serve you for your whole career

• You work as part of a small, close team where everyone knows each other’s strengths and backs each other up

What your days will look like

• Helping one young person feel safe, settled, valued and genuinely at home

• Working on a 2:1 basis with a colleague, sharing the load and supporting each other through every part of the shift

• Supporting everyday family life, from school runs, appointments and meal times to hobbies, days out and the cosy, quieter moments at home

• Encouraging independence and life skills in a way that suits the young person’s age and stage

• Helping them stay connected to family, school and the people who matter to them

• Using a warm, therapeutic approach to support emotional wellbeing and positive choices

• Writing thoughtful daily records that capture the young person’s voice, their achievements and how they are getting on

• Contributing your ideas in team meetings and supervision as the home continues to develop

What you will bring

• Experience as a Residential Support Worker, Residential Childcare Worker or Support Worker in a children’s home, or a background in a related setting such as youth work, SEN schools, foster care support or supported living

• A Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare, or a willingness to work towards it with full support

• A warm, patient and resilient nature, plus a good sense of humour, which goes a long way in this job

• Flexibility to work a 2 on 4 off pattern including sleep-ins, weekends and bank holidays

• A clear understanding of safeguarding and why consistency, honesty and kindness matter so much to young people in care

• An enhanced DBS on the update service, or happiness to apply for one

What is in it for you

• £13.90 to £16.00 per hour depending on experience, reflecting the skill and emotional investment that great residential childcare takes

• £60 for every sleep-in on top of your hourly rate, which adds up nicely across a month

• A 2 on 4 off shift pattern, giving you four full days at home to rest, see your family and enjoy life outside work

• The chance to join a small, supportive team in a home with a good Ofsted judgement behind it

• Real potential for career progression as the group continues to open new homes

• Ongoing training and support to help you grow your confidence and your qualifications

If you are reading this and feeling a little spark at the idea of working in a smaller home where you can focus on one young person and grow alongside a good team, I would genuinely love to chat with you, whether you are ready to apply for this Residential Support Worker role in Rotherham today or just want to find out a bit more first, so send your CV over or drop me a message and we can have an honest, relaxed conversation about whether it feels like the right next step for you.