The Role
:
As Deputy Manager, you’ll work closely with the Registered Manager to oversee the day-to-day running of Poppy House. You’ll lead and support the staff team to deliver emotionally intelligent, reflective care - promoting safeguarding, education, and inclusion in line with Ofsted standards and the individual needs of the young people.
This role blends leadership, administration, and hands-on support to create a truly holistic approach to care. More than just stepping up when needed, it’s about showing up every day with emotional stability, professional boundaries, and a commitment to growth.
You’ll help embed a culture of empathy, accountability, and therapeutic leadership - guiding the team through complex situations with curiosity and calm, and ensuring every child receives care rooted in presence, not power.
*Full job description available on request
About Homes2inspire:
Since opening our first home in 2007, Homes2inspire, which is part of the Shaw Trust, has become the largest charitably owned residential children’s home provider in the UK. We have grown and developed to over 55 homes, two supported accommodation developments and provide high needs foster care with plans to develop further!
We provide homes and services that are nurturing, warm and welcoming. Our caring staff teams are committed to providing safe, well-planned care to children and young people who have often faced real challenges in their early years.
In order for our staff team to provide the best possible experiences to our children and young people, we are fully committed to offering continuous training, support and development as well as future career development opportunities.
Key Responsibilities:
1. Supervision and Leadership: Assist the Home Manager in leading and managing the staff team, including recruitment, training, and supervision.
2. Operational Oversight: Support the day-to-day operations of the home, ensuring a safe, nurturing, and structured environment.
3. Care Planning: Develop and implement individual care plans for each child, ensuring their physical, emotional, and social needs are met.
4. Nurturing Support: Build positive relationships, providing emotional and practical support and create an environment where our children feel safe and loved.
5. Quality Assurance: Monitor and maintain the quality of care provided, conducting regular assessments and implementing improvements where necessary.
6. Training and Development: Assist in the training and ongoing development of staff, promoting best practices in childcare and support.
7. Record Keeping: Maintain records detailing the journey of our children, in a way that is thoughtful and meaningful.
8. Making Memories: Providing opportunities and experiences to make happy memories.
9. Crisis Management: Respond to emergencies and incidents in a calm manner, ensuring appropriate action is taken and documentation completed.
Qualifications and Skills:
10. Previous experience working with children and young people in a leadership role in a residential or similar setting is essential
11. QCF Level 3 Residential Childcare (or equivalent)
12. Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage with children and work collaboratively with colleagues and other professionals.
13. Have the confidence to handle challenging situations with patience and a calm demeanour
14. You will be able to lead a team to achieve positive outcomes, providing them with guidance and mentorship to develop in their roles.
Hours of Work:
You will typically be required to work more office hours, Monday to Friday, however there will be occasions you will be required to work evenings and weekends to cover shifts when needed to meet the needs of the home.
You will also be required to participate in the Managers on call rota. There is an on call payment of £1,800 per annum available on completion of probation.
What We Offer:
15. 33 days annual leave inclusive of bank holidays
16. Unum Health Plan 360 - claim back an annual cost of everyday healthcare, such as dental, optical treatment and specialist treatment
17. Employee Assistant Program (EAP) – 24/7 access to support via phone, sms, whatsapp and live chat. 8 free counselling sessions/short-term solutions provided-
18. Wellbeing support – We have an internal health and wellbeing team who are on hand and available to provide professional help and support during difficult times. Our team all have an NHS clinical background and are trained in their field of expertise
19. Shopping, Cinema and Holiday discounts – you can also sign up to the Blue Light discount card for £4.99 for 2 years to access additional online and retail savings
20. Cycle to Work Scheme – A cost-effective solution to getting new cycling equipment
21. ‘Refer a Friend’ scheme where employees can earn a £500.00 bonus for every successful applicant referred to us
22. Overtime & Sleeps: Overtime opportunities available and sleep in allowance of £46.01 per sleep
Please Note:
23. All successful candidates will be subject to pre-employment safer recruitment checks in line with Ofsted regulatory requirements and Homes2Inspire Safer Recruitment Policy.
24. We are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.
25. Candidate applications will be reviewed regularly, and we reserve the right to interview candidates before the advertised closing date of this role.
26. Due to partnership working with the local authority please be aware that personal information given by applicants may be shared with partners at any stage of the recruitment process.
27. Interviews for this role will take place in-person during pre-planned assessment days, please contact the careers team if you have any accessibility requests or need reasonable adjustments (contact details below).
At Homes2Inspire, we're dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace. We actively encourage applications from Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic, and welcome applications from all sections of the community including from people with lived experience and/or knowledge of disability or social exclusion.
Homes2Inspire is dedicated to supporting care leavers by offering guaranteed job interviews if you meet the minimum requirements for the role. If you want to benefit from this scheme, please inform us as part of your application that you have lived in care experience.
Male staff are under-represented within our residential children’s services. We would like to encourage more male applicants to apply for our opportunities.
It is an important part of Homes2Inspire’s recruitment process to ensure that candidates are matched with the most appropriate service based on their skills, experience, and the needs of the young people in our care. On occasion, this may result in offers of employment being made at an alternative service than where the candidate has originally applied.
For any questions on the role, or to receive a full job description, please contact our Careers Team on