Residential Practitioner- Children's Home - PermanentThis is a Gloucestershire County Council job. Job Title: Residential Practitioner- Children's HomeJob Location: Gloucester Salary: £30,024 - £32,597 per annum (plus enhanced pay for unsociable hours and sleep-in allowance) Hours per Week: 37 Contract Type: Permanent Closing Date: 22/02/2026 Job Requisition Number: 9880 This post is open to job share (on an 18.5 hour per week basis) Make a Real Difference – Join Us as a Residential Practitioner Are you driven by purpose? Do you believe every child deserves safety, love, and the chance to thrive? If you're passionate about transforming lives and want to be part of something truly meaningful, we’d love to hear from you. We’re looking for compassionate, resilient, and dedicated individuals to join our growing team across our newly opened children’s homes. This is more than a job — it’s an opportunity to be a stabilising, trusted adult in a child’s life, every single day. In accordance with Schedule 9, Part 1, of the Equality Act 2010, this role has a Genuine Occupational Requirement for the postholder to be aged 21 years or above. This is an essential and proportionate requirement to ensure the effective and appropriate delivery of the service due to the nature of the duties of the role and the ages and complex needs of the children and young people in our care.About Us Right child, right support, right time, every time. Following our June 2025 Ofsted inspection, our Children’s Services were rated ‘Good’ with ‘Outstanding’ elements. We are proud to be opening new, purpose-led children’s homes designed around trauma‑informed care, clinical support, and excellent staff development. What makes us different?As a Local Authority children’s home, we are driven by care, not profit. Our focus is firmly on doing what is right for children. That means every decision, every resource, and every member of staff is dedicated to creating safety, stability and long‑term opportunities for the children who live with us.Being part of a Local Authority service also means our homes are fully connected to Gloucestershire’s wider support network, giving children seamless access to education, health, therapeutic input, and community resources. It also means you’ll work alongside professionals who share the same values, the same purpose, and the same commitment to children’s futures.On‑site therapeutic support clinicians guiding trauma‑informed practiceAdvanced Practitioner‑led training and reflective supporta culture of listening, learning, and valuing staff voice Our homesEach home has a clear purpose:Short‑term home for younger children transitioning to foster care or returning homeLong‑term home for older children preparing for independenceStep‑down home supporting older children moving from residential care to fostering or home About You We are looking for people who are:passionate about helping children flourishempathetic, patient, and resilientable to build strong, trusting relationshipsgood communicators and collaborative team playersflexible to work shifts, evenings, weekends, and sleep‑inscommitted to reflection and professional development Experience is welcomed but not essential — full training is provided. Requirements level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) or an equivalent qualification, or a commitment to achieving the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare within two years of commencing employment at the home if you do not already have this qualificationfull driving licence and wiliness to drive in the jobEnhanced DBS (Adults & Children) About the Role As a Residential Practitioner, you will:deliver high‑quality, personalised careuse trauma‑informed approaches to support emotional healingencourage independence, life skills, and positive routineswork closely with a multidisciplinary teamsupport children in education, recreation and personal growthrespond to challenges with confidence and curiosityensure the home meets safeguarding and regulatory standards Typical shift pattern: Rotas operates over 7 days a week (Monday–Sunday). Staff typically work 2 to 3 long shifts per week, each totalling 16 hours.Example Long Shift StructureDay 1: 10:00am – 11:00pm (shift)+ sleep in (11:00pm – 7:00am), Day 2 - 7:00am – 10:30am (shift continues).Day 3 Off Why Join Us? Choosing this role means choosing to make a real and lasting difference. Here’s what you can expect:You’ll change lives and see it happen. You’ll witness powerful moments of growth: a child smiling again, trusting again, or feeling safe enough to be themselves. These are the moments that stay with you.You’ll be part of a team that lifts each other up. You won’t face challenges alone. Our teams support one another, reflect together, and celebrate progress, big and small.You’ll receive training that builds confidence and skill. With trauma‑informed training, clinical guidance and continuous development, you’ll grow into a confident, thoughtful practitioner who makes a meaningful impact.You’ll work in homes built to feel safe and welcoming. Our homes are shaped with young people, warm, homely, and filled with opportunities for connection, fun, and healing.Your work will have purpose every day. Every meal shared, every conversation, every walk, every moment of support builds trust, safety and hope. You’ll go home knowing your presence mattered. How to apply If you would like to find out more about our Children's Service please take a look here: Children's Social Care Careers | Gloucestershire County Council For additional information about this role please reach out to ChildrenHomeRecruitment@gloucestershire.gov.uk * Any hours worked between 20.00 – 06.00, weekends and Bank Holidays attract an unsociable payment over and above the basic salary for this post. Candidates will be contacted by phone to arrange a face to face interview at Shire Hall. We reserve the right to close an advertisement earlier than the stated closing date if we receive a suitable number of applications. Under the terms of our Safer Recruitment Policy, if you are invited to interview, we will take up safeguarding references prior to your interview to understand your suitability to work with vulnerable children. These references will then be discussed in your interview. Please give details of at least two referees, one of whom must be your present and/or last employer and the other from a previous employer(s). These will need to cover the last three years of employment/education. In the case of applicants leaving full time education or not having worked since doing so, the Head of School, College or University should be one of the named referees. We do not accept references from friends or family members or workplace colleagues (who are not more senior). To ensure we process your application in a speedy and efficient way, we will contact your referees by DocuSign. Where appropriate, please inform them of your application. Additional Information To access the Job Profile for this role, please follow the link below:- Residential Practitioner job profileThis position is subject to a DBS check.Please ensure that your personal statement relates to this particular role and that a full CV is uploaded. If information is missed off your application, the hiring managers may not review it. The council is not currently able to offer sponsorship in this role. Candidates will need to have right to work that enables them to commit to at least 6 months employment. Right to work is not transferable from a sponsored role held with another employer. Gloucestershire County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people or vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.We want to be an employer of choice, attracting and retaining excellent people to work for us, so that we can best serve all of Gloucestershire’s diverse communities. Our promise to you is that we will provide an inclusive and supportive working environment that enables you to bring your whole self to work and realise your full potential.It is a legal requirement, under the Immigration Act 2016, that anyone appointed to a ‘customer facing role’ must be able to demonstrate an ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in fluent English.Hybrid working arrangements are available for the majority of our roles, giving teams the opportunity to work in a way that suits them, balancing service need and individual choice, with a mix of both remote and office working.