Residential Support Workers – Temporary 12 Month development opportunity Salary : £26,403 - £28,598 plus enhancements which include time and a third for unsociable hours and overtime. The Role We are excited to offer an opportunity to people who are interested in developing a career in our Children’s Homes Service. This role is designed for post holders to develop knowledge, skills and build experience by working in our children’s homes, providing care and support to our children and young people. You will be expected to engage with our children and young people in a range of activities, building relationships and meeting their day-to-day needs. You will learn and develop the skills and knowledge to work as part of a multi-agency team to safeguard our young people. Successful candidates will be provided with a robust induction and significant training opportunities to develop in this role. As part of this development opportunity you will complete a Sector-Based Academy Programme. The contract offered is temporary for 12 months from the post start date as part of this development programme. It is hoped that during this 12 month period, you build confidence, skills and experience to support you to apply to the next level of position in our career pathway as a Residential Worker. If you are passionate to make a difference to the lives of our children and young people, and to support them to build a positive future, we would like to hear from you. We encourage you to contact Courtney Good via email at Courtney.Good@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 We are looking for child centred practitioners who can be a positive role model to our children and young people. You should be able to demonstrate resilience and work effectively with challenging behaviours. You should have a commitment to complete the following requirements as part of the development programme: Willingness to complete Sector-Based Academy Programme according to required timescales. Willingness to undertake and complete Level 2 qualifications in Maths and English during the Support Worker role in preparation for progression (if you do not hold GCSE’s in Maths and English or equivalent). Willingness to work towards an apprenticeship Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare qualification subject to progression to a Residential Worker position. The role will involve working a range of shifts including weekdays, evenings, weekends and sleep in duties as approved. The nature of shift patterns enables a level of flexibility for employees. We operate a 365 days per year, 24 hours a day service. As part of this, our shift-based roles work on a rota basis and attract enhanced payments which include time and a third for overtime and unsociable hours (working between the hours of 8pm to 6am and on weekends), as well as sleep in payments at £41.78 per sleep in. Please refer to the attached Person Specification for the full criteria. Our offer to you You will benefit from a comprehensive programme of training to support you to develop in your role. We offer competitive rewards and benefits to help you perform at your best, take a closer look at our Rewards and Benefits You can contact us via ChildrensHomesJobs@durham.gov.uk if you would like any additional information on the post or have any queries. It is anticipated that interviews will be held on 11 or 12 December 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. In accordance with Durham County Council’s requirements, candidates must be a minimum of 22 years of age or above to apply. The successful applicant for this post will be required to apply for a Disclosure & Barring Service Enhanced Disclosure. EQUALITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION We are a proud equal opportunities employer and believe a diverse workforce brings fresh ideas and drives service improvement. We welcome applications from everyone and make employment decisions based on skills and ability. As a Disability Confident Leader, we actively encourage applications from disabled people and offer support throughout the recruitment process. HOW TO APPLY Please note, we do not accept CVs. All applications must be submitted online via the Northeast Jobs portal. Use the ‘Person Specification’ section of the form to clearly demonstrate how you meet the essential (and where possible, desirable) criteria. Applications that do not evidence the essential requirements will not be shortlisted. For guidance on completing your application, visit our website If you require assistance when applying for this role, please contact our Recruitment Helpdesk on 03000 26 27 27, or via email RecruitmentCYPS@durham.gov.uk All correspondence relating to your application will be sent from donotreply@northeastjobs.org.uk. Kindly check your spam/junk folder regularly to ensure you don’t miss any updates. CONNECT WITH US Follow us on Instagram Like us on Facebook Visit our website VPRS/161