We have a fantastic opportunity to welcome you to be part of growing and innovative team. We are expanding our current Children’s Residential offer and will open a bespoke service primarily aimed to reduce the number of Looked After Children in County Durham. You will join us at a really exciting time as we expand our residential provision, developing homes which meet the individual needs of young people, and creating teams who are invested in, well supported and skilled in trauma-based approaches to work alongside children and young people with a range of different needs. The Role As a Deputy Manager, you will be integral to the development and delivery of our residential short-break offer, working with existing Durham County Council services in addition to the wider system to reduce the number of children becoming looked after. The Deputy Manager will work in partnership with the Registered Manager to model best practice and lead on interventions to train and develop others as required. You will be part of an aspirational culture and approach to improve and develop the Children’s Homes Service to achieve its vision of providing high quality care and support to children, young people and their families as stated in the Children’s Homes Statement of Purpose. As a Deputy Manager, you can expect a thorough and supportive induction, a suite of training and professional development opportunities. We encourage you to contact Rob Hamer or Greg Bevan via email Rob.Hamer@durham.gov.uk or Greg.Bevan@durham.gov.uk to arrange an informal discussion about the role. Our Values Durham Cares incorporates our core values and strategic objectives, shaping our work and the high-quality care we provide for young people, as well as the culture across the Children’s Homes Service. Our ‘Durham’ values - Dignity, Unity, Responsibility, Heart, Aspiration, and Mindset are at the heart of everything we do for both our young people and our teams. What you will need You should have significant experience of working within a residential setting and experience of working in a supervisory or management role. As well as proven people management skills, and experience of quality assurance tools. You will also demonstrate exceptional communications skills and the ability to support and develop the team. You should have an understanding of the Children’s Homes Regulations 2015, and their application, as well as experience of Ofsted inspections and Regulation 44. You should have an appreciation of the importance of evidence-based practice and research in relation to children and young people in our care. Your expertise should come with relevant professional qualifications including: Level 3 Diploma for Residential Child Care or equivalent qualification as stated in the Children’s Homes Regulations 2015 Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare or willingness to work towards this within 18 months from qualification enrolment in accordance with DCC guidelines You will benefit from a comprehensive programme of training to support you to develop in your role, which will include safeguarding and health and safety related training to effectively manage a home and ensure the high quality care of our children and young people. Our offer to you We offer competitive rewards and benefits to help you perform at your best, including: 27 days holiday (plus bank holidays), rising to 32 days after 5 years' continuous local government service Option to purchase up to 10 additional days annual leave per year Excellent Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS), with top-up options Wellbeing Portal and Employee Assistance Scheme Learning and development opportunities, including professional qualifications and mentoring Employee Benefits Portal with discounts at major retailers Discounted gym membership Staff-led networks (Race Equality, LGBT, Carers, Armed Forces, Menopause) Trade Union membership Salary sacrifice schemes, such as car leasing Take a closer look at our Rewards and Benefits Equality, Diversity and Inclusion We are a proud equal opportunities employer and recognise that a diverse, talented workforce brings new ideas and new perspectives, which will facilitate growth and improvements to services. We are committed to ensuring that our employment policies and processes are fair and equitable to all. We welcome job applications from everyone, and successful candidates are considered only on their skills and ability to do the job. As a Disability Confident Leader, we encourage applications from disabled people and provide support throughout the recruitment process. Take a closer look at our approach to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Interviews It is anticipated that interviews will be held on 11 September 2025. We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that can show they meet all the essential criteria and have indicated they have a disability, are a looked after young person, care leaver or a veteran. How to Apply In line with the County Council's Recruitment and Selection Policy, please note that we are unable to accept CVs. Applications must be submitted on-line via the Northeast Jobs portal. Please use the ‘Person Specification’ section of your application form to demonstrate that you have the essential and where possible, desirable experience, skills, and knowledge. Candidates who do not evidence that they meet the essential qualifications and experience listed on the person specification will not be short-listed. PLEASE NOTE THIS POST IS NOT OPEN TO JOB SHARE If you have any support needs or require assistance when applying for this role, please contact our Recruitment Helpdesk on 03000 26 27 27 (option 2), or the Recruitment Team via email at RecruitmentCYPS@durham.gov.uk We collect personal information from you when you register with North East Jobs and make an application. Details on how we process your personal data is available in our Privacy Notice. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL COMMUNICATION REGARDING YOUR APPLICATION FOR THIS POST WILL BE SENT TO THE EMAIL ADDRESS THAT YOU HAVE REGISTERED WITH NORTH EAST JOBS, INCLUDING YOUR INVITE TO INTERVIEW IF YOU ARE SHORTLISTED. 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