Job Title: Children's Home Residential Practitioner
* Job Location: Shire Hall
* Salary: £30,024 - £32,597 per annum (plus enhanced pay for unsociable hours and sleep‑in allowance)
* Contract Type: Permanent
* Closing Date: 03/05/2026
* Job Requisition Number: 13982
* This post is open to job share on an 18.5 hour a 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 practice
* Advanced Practitioner‑led training and reflective support
* A culture of listening, learning, and valuing staff voice
Our homes
Each home has a clear purpose:
* Short‑term home for younger children transitioning to foster care or returning home
* Step‑down home supporting older children moving from residential care to fostering or home
About you
* Passionate about helping children flourish
* Empathetic, patient, and resilient
* Able to build strong, trusting relationships
* Good communicators and collaborative team players
* Flexible to work shifts, evenings, weekends, and sleep‑ins
* Committed 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 qualification
* Full driving licence and willingness to drive in the job
* Enhanced DBS (Adults & Children)
About the role
* Deliver high‑quality, personalised care
* Use trauma‑informed approaches to support emotional healing
* Encourage independence, life skills, and positive routines
* Work closely with a multidisciplinary team
* Support children in education, recreation and personal growth
* Respond to challenges with confidence and curiosity
* Ensure the home meets safeguarding and regulatory standards
Typical shift pattern
Rotas operate over 7 days a week (Monday–Sunday). Staff typically work 2 to 3 long shifts per week, each totalling 16 hours.
Example Long Shift Structure:
Day 1: 10:00 am – 11:00 pm (shift)+ sleep in (11:00 pm – 7:00 am), Day 2 – 7:00 am – 10:30 am (shift continues).
Day 3 Off
Choosing this role
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.
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.
This Position is subject to a DBS check.
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.
#J-18808-Ljbffr