Children's Home Support Worker

Join Our Team at Beechwood House: Residential Childcare Practitioners (11-18)

Pinewood Residential Care is a newly opened children's home in Carshalton, providing a safe and nurturing environment for young people aged 11-18. Many of the young people living with us are looked after children under social care. We're looking for compassionate and committed individuals to join our dedicated team as Residential Childcare Practitioners.

The purpose of this role is to provide comprehensive care, support, and supervision to young people, alongside ensuring the smooth running and maintenance of our home.

We are seeking experienced and dedicated candidates to become part of our team. We offer both full-time and part-time roles in our lovely home in Carshalton.

Shift commitment is essential: You must be able to commit to our day shifts (9 am - 9 pm) or waking night shifts (9 pm - 9 am) ONLY.

The Role: Residential Childcare Practitioner

As a Residential Childcare Practitioner, your primary role is to ensure the safe and nurturing environment of Beechwood House. You'll support young people in developing their independence and life skills, promoting engagement with education, employment, and personal development through a flexible, person-centred, and outcome-focused approach. You'll help young people thrive, manage their personal development, and ensure key reporting systems are maintained, with safeguarding always being paramount.

Essential Requirements

The ideal Residential Childcare Practitioner will:

• Prioritise and respect young people's wishes and feelings.
• Demonstrate a deep understanding of the needs and issues faced by vulnerable young people.
• Possess thorough knowledge of Safeguarding for Children.
• Have proven experience in problem-solving and handling challenging situations, using initiative effectively.
• Be skilled in IT, including Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher), and adept at using internal systems.
• Be passionate about supporting and motivating young people into employment, training, and education.
• Be able to stay on duty in an emergency when required.
• Work within the guidelines of the 1989 Children's Act, National Minimum Standards for Children's Homes, "Every Child Matters," and all other relevant legislation.
• Provide a caring, supportive, and nurturing environment where children and young people feel secure and free from harm.
• Establish positive, unconditional, and respectful relationships with young people.
• Help young people develop self-control by consistently challenging unacceptable behaviour and rewarding pro-social conduct.
• Ensure each young person's care plan is followed and amended as appropriate to reflect their changing needs.
• Attend to practical matters related to childcare, including cooking nutritious meals each shift, cleaning, and general maintenance around the home.
• Provide empathetic advice, assistance, and support.
• Offer emotional support during times of difficulty or stress.

About You

You will be:

• Experienced, skilled, and enthusiastic in working directly with young people.
• Comfortable and effective in a fast-paced environment.
• Passionate about working with young people and making a genuine difference in their lives.
• Person-centred in your approach, always empowering young people.
• Committed to excellence in all aspects of your work.
• Innovative in your approach to supporting young people.
• Proficient in keeping accurate records and providing clear written reports for planning meetings, reviews, or any other meetings as directed by the line manager.

Working as Part of a Team

• Be aware of the aims and objectives of Beechwood House and work collaboratively with colleagues to achieve them.
• Actively attend and make positive contributions to team/staff meetings.
• Proactively contribute to the development of the team.
• Effectively receive and share information to improve communication within the home.
• Be willing to give and receive constructive feedback on performance with colleagues and managers.
• Provide informal practical and emotional support to colleagues experiencing difficulties.
• Attend and contribute to regular supervision sessions in line with the National Minimum Standards.
• Monitor the conduct of colleagues and refer on any causes for concern (Whistleblowing).
• Be familiar with all policies and procedures and adhere to them diligently.

General Responsibilities

• Attending young people's meetings and contributing constructively.
• Driving company vehicles (current driving licence holders subject to procedures).
• Receiving appropriate training for the role and maintaining an up-to-date training profile.
• Responsibility for the accurate maintenance of financial records appropriate to the duties of the post.
• Responsibility for the health, safety, and welfare of yourself and colleagues in accordance with organisational Health and Safety Policies.
• Maintaining the upkeep of the house through general cleaning of communal areas.

Qualifications & Special Conditions

• Experience in working with young people is essential.
• Be willing to work towards and complete an NVQ Level 3 in Residential Childcare within 8 months of starting the role.
• This post requires varying shifts.
• On occasions, you may be requested to change your rota at short notice, as per your contract, to ensure service contingencies are covered. This may include covering an additional sleep-in duty as an emergency measure.
• In accordance with Health and Safety guidelines, you will accept responsibility for working within these guidelines and reporting any concerns to the Manager.
• To undertake such other duties appropriate to the grade of the post and the needs of the Home, such as decorating or gardening, in order to develop and maintain service delivery.
• This post requires the holder to have an Enhanced Criminal Records Bureau (DBS) check at all times. You must report any changes to personal circumstances that may affect your ability to remain in the role.

Interested in making a difference in a young person's life? We'd love to hear from you!

Job Types: Full-time, Part-time, Fixed term contract
Contract length: 12 months

Pay: £12.50-£14.50 per hour

Benefits:

• Casual dress
• Company pension
• Discounted or free food
• Free parking
• Health & wellbeing programme
• On-site parking
• Profit sharing
• Sick pay

Application question(s):

• Are you available to start immediately if successful?
• Are you available to work weekends if requested?

Experience:

• children support worker in a childrens home: 1 year (required)

Licence/Certification:

• Enhanced clean DBS and on Update Service (required)

Work Location: In person

Application deadline: 28/09/2025