Senior Residential Support Worker
Children’s Residential Home
Milton Keynes, MK6

Salary: £33,164 to £36,160 per year
Shift pattern: 1 on / 2 off
Start time: 8am
Sleep-ins: £50 per night

This Senior Residential Support Worker role sits within a well-structured children’s home in Milton Keynes supporting young people aged 12 to 17 with emotional and behavioural needs. It’s a service built around consistency, thoughtful leadership and a therapeutic approach that runs through daily life in the home.

You’ll still be hands-on with the young people. School runs, activities, conversations in the kitchen, the everyday moments that actually shape progress. At the same time you’ll guide staff on shift, support practice across the team and help keep the home running the way it should.

It’s the kind of role that suits someone who enjoys responsibility but still values being present with the young people and the team.

The role

As a Senior Residential Support Worker you’ll take a lead position within the team, helping ensure the home runs smoothly day to day.

Your work will include supporting young people with routines, education, appointments and activities, while creating a homely environment where they feel valued and understood. You’ll also lead shifts, offer guidance to colleagues and help newer staff grow into the role.

You’ll contribute to care planning, risk assessments and review meetings, working closely with social workers, therapists and education professionals so everyone is pulling in the same direction.

Recording and safeguarding practice are central to the role. Clear, thoughtful documentation matters because it tells the story of each young person’s progress and helps shape the support around them.

Alongside this, you’ll support the Registered and Deputy Manager with the daily running of the home and step in when leadership is needed on shift.

What they’re looking for

Experience matters in this role, but so does the way you work with people.

You’ll likely bring:

• Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare or equivalent

• Experience working with young people in residential care

• Confidence leading shifts and supporting colleagues

• A thoughtful, relationship-based approach to working with young people

• Good written skills for reports and case records

• A full UK driving licence

You’ll be someone who enjoys building trust with young people and helping a team find their feet on shift. Someone who understands that the small moments in residential care often matter most.

Pay, progression and benefits

Salary sits between £33,164 and £36,160 per year, depending on experience and qualifications.

Progression here is structured and transparent.

Pay increases are reviewed twice each year in March and October, with progression linked to clear development targets agreed within your PDP and annual appraisal. The Registered Manager will support you in working towards the next band.

If you complete probation between review periods, your salary increase will take place at the next available review date. For example, passing probation in August would move you to the next band in October.

Alongside salary, the package includes:

• Sleep-ins paid at £50 per night

• Overtime paid at an additional £2.50 per hour after 160 hours per month

• Annual appraisal bonus

• Probation bonus

• Ofsted bonus following inspection outcomes

• Paid face-to-face training

• Company pension scheme

• Employee Assistance Programme

• Paid Christmas party

• An extra 8 hours of annual leave for your birthday

• Refer a friend payment once they complete their first shift

Training and development are taken seriously here. Staff are supported through qualifications and ongoing learning so people continue progressing in their careers.

Why people tend to stay

Residential childcare works best when teams feel supported.

In this home leadership stays visible, expectations are clear and staff are given the space to focus on the young people rather than constantly chasing systems. Supervision is consistent, training is planned and the structure around the service helps staff feel confident in the work they’re doing.

For someone stepping into a Senior role who enjoys guiding others while staying close to the day-to-day care, it’s a genuinely rewarding environment to be part of.

If you’re ready to step into a Senior role where your experience actually shapes the home around you, we’d love to hear from you.