Residential Workers – Part-Time Contract (Evenings and Weekends) Salary: £30,024 - £33,699 (pro-rata to hours worked). This is the basic salary for a Residential Worker, in addition the post is paid enhancements for unsociable hours (evening and weekend work) and sleep in payments. The Role We are expanding our Children’s Homes Service, developing homes which meet the individual needs of young people and building supportive teams who are skilled in trauma-informed approaches. We are committed to ensuring that our children and young people live in homes where they feel happy, safe and aspirational for their futures. We have an opportunity for Residential Workers to join us working on a part-time basis (18.5 hour contract). This role will involve working a range of shifts with the majority scheduled for an evening and weekend which will include sleep in duties. There may be an expectation to work outside of this arrangement as required to meet the needs of the service, participate in training and team meetings. As a Residential Worker, you will be responsible for undertaking all aspects of caring and supporting our young people who live in the home, as any parent would. For example, transporting them to school, college or appointments, making their home a clean, warm and cosy environment, cooking meals and encouraging participation in local activities and hobbies. You will adopt an aspirational approach to support and develop the Children’s Homes Service to achieve its vision of providing high quality care and support to children, young people and their families as detailed in the Children’s Homes Statement of Purpose. 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 with experience of working with children and young people with a range of needs either in a voluntary or professional capacity. Candidates should have excellent interpersonal skills, ability to cope with challenging and stressful situations and sensitively deal with emotional distress. You should be emotionally resilient, reliable and flexible in your approach to work. Our children and young people have often experienced trauma. We need you to offer them understanding through meaningful relationships aimed at keeping them safe and able to enjoy the world around them. We need you to listen to them and to consider their views, wishes and feelings. The role can be challenging and requires dedication and resolve however, the personal rewards are immense. The essential qualification for the post is: GCSE Grade A – C in Maths and English or a qualification that is equivalent or higher All candidates must hold or have the commitment to attain a Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare (or equivalent as stated in the Children’s Homes Regulations 2015) within programme timescales to meet regulatory requirements 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. 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. You can contact us via Glynn.Donnelly@durham.gov.uk or Amy.Philbin-Robinson@durham.gov.uk if you would like any additional information on the post or have any queries. Our offer to you We offer a competitive rewards package that includes attractive salaries, a generous annual leave entitlement of 27 days (rising to 32 after five years’ continuous local government service), membership of the excellent contributory career average Local Government Pension Scheme, and a range of flexible working arrangements including hybrid working (home and office) where applicable. Explore the full range of rewards and benefits on our website Rewards and benefits are subject to individual terms and conditions. Removal and Lodgings Removal, lodging and separation expenses may be available to the successful candidate if at the time of application for appointment their place of residence is outside the administrative area of County Durham and more than 30 miles in a straight line from their new administrative centre, along with several other criteria for eligibility. Interviews It is anticipated that interviews will be held on Tuesday 18 November 2025. 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 durham.gov.uk/jobsandcareerswithus VPRS/161