Children's Residential Worker

More Than Just a Job

At Wakefield Council, we believe every child deserves a safe, loving home where they can feel valued, understood, and supported to achieve their potential.

We are looking for caring, committed and resilient individuals to join our small, nurturing 2-bed children's home in South Elmsall, supporting two young children who need consistency, stability and positive relationships to help them thrive.

Salary

Earn up to £50,483.55 inclusive of allowances and on-costs

About the Home

Our home provides a therapeutic and child-centred environment for two young children. The children have experienced significant challenges in their lives and require adults who can provide patience, understanding and unwavering support.

The successful candidates will help create a home where children feel safe, cared for and able to build trusting relationships. No two days are the same, and every day presents an opportunity to make a lasting difference.

Who We're Looking For

You don't need previous residential childcare experience to apply. We welcome people from all backgrounds who can demonstrate:

• Warmth, compassion and emotional intelligence
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills
• Resilience and a positive attitude
• The ability to remain calm during challenging situations
• A genuine commitment to improving children's lives
• Creativity, enthusiasm and a sense of fun

Desirable Experience

Whilst not essential, experience or knowledge in the following areas would be highly valued:

• Trauma-informed practice
• Supporting children who have experienced adverse childhood experiences
• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Special Educational Needs (SEN)
• Emotional regulation and behaviour support
• Attachment-based approaches
• Therapeutic parenting principles

We are particularly interested in applicants who understand how trauma and neurodiversity can impact a child's development, relationships, communication and behaviour.

Your Role

As a Residential Worker, you will:

• Build positive, trusting relationships with children
• Support children with education, health and emotional wellbeing
• Help children develop independence and life skills
• Create fun, enjoyable experiences and positive memories
• Support family time and maintain important relationships
• Work alongside social workers, schools and other professionals
• Promote children's voice, rights and aspirations
• Maintain accurate records and contribute to care planning

Most importantly, you will be the consistent adult who helps children feel safe, valued and cared for.

What You'll Receive

In addition to your salary, you'll benefit from:

• Weekend allowance
• Shift allowance
• Enhanced weekend and bank holiday payments
• Generous annual leave entitlement
• Annual salary increments
• Access to funded Level 4 Residential Childcare Apprenticeship
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Occupational Health support
• Blue Light Card discounts
• Local Government Pension Scheme

Why Join Wakefield Council?

Wakefield Council is recognised nationally for the quality of its residential childcare provision. Our homes focus on creating positive outcomes for children, supporting staff wellbeing and developing skilled practitioners.

We invest in our people through:

• Comprehensive induction and training
• Ongoing professional development
• Specialist trauma-informed training
• Supportive management and supervision
• Clear career progression pathways
• Opportunities to progress into senior and leadership roles

What Our Children Need

We are looking for people who can offer:

• Patience when things are difficult
• Encouragement when confidence is low
• Understanding when behaviour communicates unmet needs
• Consistency when children test boundaries
• Celebration of every achievement, no matter how small

If you can see the child behind the behaviour, believe in the power of relationships, and want to help shape brighter futures, we'd love to hear from you.

Shift Pattern

This role involves a combination of:

• Early shifts: 7:00am to 3:00pm
• Late shifts: 2:30pm to 10:30pm
• Sleep-in shifts
• Alternate weekend working

Be the Difference

Working in residential childcare is more than a job. It's about providing safety, stability and hope to children when they need it most. Join us and help make a lasting difference to the lives of young children in Wakefield.

Every child deserves someone who won't give up on them. Could that be you?

Thinking about relocating to join us? Eligible candidates may receive up to £8,000 in relocation support to help make the move easier.

Eligibility is subject to our relocation policy and criteria, including specific requirements relating to the distance between your current home, your new home, and your workplace. To qualify, your new home must be closer to your workplace than your current home

What can I expect?

• A competitive salary
• Generous holiday entitlement with the option to buy up to 10 extra days of annual leave
• Hybrid working (subject to role suitability)
• Access to high-quality training programs to advance your career to the next level.
• We are committed to supporting the wellbeing of our staff. We recognise that resilient teams need good work life balance as well as supportive leadership.
• Discounted and subsidised public transport (Arriva Bus Annual Travel Ticket, Northern Trains Limited (NTL), MetroCard).
• Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) and a Shared Cost Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVC) scheme providing a tax efficient way to increase our pension.
• Great range of benefits including an Employee Assistant Programme, discounted membership to our excellent leisure facilities with free 12 weeks exercise program, discounts for a range of retail, entertainment, health and leisure providers, a cycle to work scheme, and many more

Want to know more?

If you would like to know more about the role, the recruitment process or working for Wakefield Council, feel free to contact.

Name: Laura Ellis

Tel: 07909374869

E-mail: lauraellis@wakefield.gov.uk

Join us and make a real impact in the community. Apply today to become a valued member of our team!

Safeguarding

Wakefield Council is wholly committed to ensuring children and vulnerable adults are fully supported and safe. We are dedicated to the safeguarding of all children and vulnerable adults whilst promoting their welfare. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this responsibility.

DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service)

The successful applicant will be required to complete a Disclosure Application Form and to provide criminal conviction information.

Probation

In accordance with the Council Probation Procedure, this post is subject to a 6-month Probationary Period.

Fluency Duty

To comply with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016 (Fluency Duty), public facing roles will be subject to the Fluency Duty.

Diversity

Having a diverse workforce that is reflective of the communities we serve helps us to achieve the best outcomes for all. We encourage applications from everyone and actively seek to ensure that everyone feels included in the workplace so that we can make the most of our differences.

Why Wakefield

To find out more about the benefits of working at Wakefield Council, click here.