Senior Residential Support Worker

Melbourne, Derbyshire DE73

£30,160 per annum plus sleep in payment of £7,200pa

This Senior Residential Support Worker role in Melbourne, South Derbyshire, paying £14.50 an hour (£30,160 per annum pro rata) with sleep ins paid separately at £7,200 a year, working a one day on, two days off pattern across 8am to 11pm shifts.

The home operates at low occupancy, built around the idea that children grow best in something that resembles a family setting rather than an institution, and that shows up in how the shifts are structured and how much room staff have to do relational work rather than just managing the day. If you've worked in bigger, busier settings, you'll potentially notice the difference right away.

What you'll be doing

• Leading shifts and managing a small care team, including handovers, staff deployment and day to day decision making in the home

• Supervising and mentoring Residential Support Workers, supporting their development and standing in for the Deputy Manager when needed

• Holding responsibility for individual young people's care plans, risk assessments and reviews, and making sure LAC documentation is kept current

• Building and maintaining relationships with social workers, education providers and other professionals involved in each young person's care

• Modelling safeguarding practice and making sure the home runs to Ofsted and regulatory standard, including audits, inspections and quality checks

• Supporting young people through education, therapy and any statutory meetings, and stepping in when a young person is struggling through a difficult period

What you'll need

• A minimum of 18 months' experience in residential childcare, ideally with some exposure to EBD, mental health or emotional and behavioural needs

• Some experience of shift leading and supervising care staff, plus confidence writing LAC reports and attending external meetings

• A relevant qualification (Level 3 as a baseline, Level 4 or 5 desirable), or a clear willingness to work towards it

• A full UK driving licence, with confidence driving on motorways and at night when the job requires it

• A clean, up to date DBS, and if you've spent more than six months living abroad, a police check ready to go

• Strong understanding of safeguarding, Ofsted regulations and the Children's Homes Regulations and Quality Standards

The homes across the group carry both Good and Outstanding Ofsted ratings, plus a Virtual School best practice award from 2024. Pay progression happens twice yearly, in March and October, tied to clear targets set out in your PDP and appraisals, and on top of the salary there's a paid Christmas party, an extra eight hours of annual leave for your birthday, a company pension, paid face to face training, an annual appraisal bonus, a probation bonus and an Ofsted bonus, a referral payment once your mate has completed their first shift, an employee assistance scheme, and overtime paid at an extra £2.50 an hour once you're past 160 hours in the month. Sleep ins sit at £60 a night on top of everything else. For a Senior RSW role that carries this much responsibility, that reflects the complexity of what you're actually being asked to hold.

If any of this sounds like the kind of place you'd want to build something longer term, rather than just clock in and out of, get in touch and we'll have a proper conversation about it, no pressure, just a chat about whether it's the right fit both ways.