Residential Practitioner - Maximum 2 bed Children's home
Location: Droylsden and Newton Heath Manchester
Job title: Children's Residential Practitioner
Earnings: £13.50 per hour
Hours: Full Time (plus £50 sleep-in)
Shift pattern: Varies to meet the needs of the home, usually two on four off.
We are seeking a caring, reflective, and committed Residential Support Worker to join our therapeutic children's home. Our home provides a family-like, nurturing environment where children and young people feel safe, valued, understood, and supported to heal and grow.
Our practice is grounded in the PACE Model of Care, developed by Dan Hughes, and informed by attachment theory and trauma-responsive approaches. The children and young people we support may present with complex emotional needs and behaviours linked to adverse life experiences. Your role will be to respond with consistency, compassion, curiosity, and emotional warmth, while maintaining clear and appropriate boundaries.
Key Responsibilities
As a Residential Support Worker, you will:
* Provide high-quality, child-centred care within a therapeutic, family-style home
* Build trusting, meaningful relationships with children and young people
* Support young people to feel emotionally safe, listened to, and understood
* Respond to behaviours with calm, curiosity, empathy, and consistency, recognising behaviour as communication
* Promote positive routines, boundaries, and structure within the home
* Support daily living tasks:
* Cooking and shared mealtimes
* Maintaining a clean, safe, and welcoming home environment
* Supporting routines and transitions
* Encourage and participate in activities such as:
* Cinema trips, walks, sports, and leisure activities
* Creative activities, games, and shared TV time
* Support young people to attend appointments, meetings, and education-related commitments
* Work collaboratively with
* Senior residential staff
* Psychologists and specialist therapeutic professionals
* Maintain accurate records and contribute to care planning and safeguarding processes
Our Ethos
While this may be your place of work, it is the children's home. We are seeking staff who understand the importance of:
* Creating a warm, homely, and predictable environment
* Being mindful of how adults' responses impact children's emotional safety
* Supporting children to flourish in a settled, stable, and nurturing home
Induction, Support & Development
You will receive a comprehensive induction and ongoing guidance from senior staff. This includes support to:
* Understand and apply the PACE Model of Care in daily practice
* Establish and maintain safe, therapeutic boundaries
* Develop confidence in managing behaviours in a trauma-informed way
* Grow professionally through reflective practice, supervision, and training
Essential Requirements
* NVQ Level 3/4 Diploma in Residential Childcare (or equivalent)
* Ability to work flexibly across a range of shifts, including sleep-ins
* A genuine passion for safeguarding, nurturing, and advocating for children and young people
* The emotional resilience and personal qualities to manage challenging behaviour professionally
* Willingness to lead by example and share best practice within the home
* Ability to work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary therapeutic team
* Full UK Driving Licence
* Right to work in the United Kingdom
Desirable Qualities
* Calm, patient, and emotionally attuned
* Reflective and open to learning
* Consistent, boundaried and nurturing in approach
* Values relationships over control
REQUIRED QUALIFICATION: NVQ Level 3/4 Diploma (for Residential Childcare)
Licence/Certification:
* Driving Licence (preferred)
Work authorisation:
* United Kingdom (required)
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: £13.50 per hour
Benefits:
* Company pension
* On-site parking
Ability to commute/relocate:
* Droylsden M43 6AJ: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)
Experience:
* Residential Childcare: 1 year (required)
* Support Environment: 1 year (required)
Licence/Certification:
* Driving Licence (required)
* NVQ Level 3/4/5 (required)
Work Location: In person