Residential Team Leader (Childrens Residential Homes)

What you’ll need to succeed
Be able to build and maintain trust and rapport with children and staff
Be able to inspire and motivate others to achieve their full potential, for both children and staff
Be a positive role model in your interactions with children and those around them
Be familiar with, and adhere to, the values of WSCC and provide support and practice guidance that is compliant with key regulations, standards and procedures
Be willing to champion the delivery of ambitious outcomes for children, striving for continuous improvement in their social, educational and health development
Work as part of a team to support incremental change and achieve the shared goal of delivering consistent and outstanding care to children
Be able to multi-task and effectively prioritise tasks within the home
Be able to effectively communicate with the children, staff team and senior management
Be physically able to participate in all aspects of Team Teach and Team Teach training, including physical interventions
There is a regular and intrinsic requirement to communicate in English with members of the public
Job details
Grade: Grade 9
Directorate Group: Children, Young People & Learning

(Below will be used as the shortlisting criteria)
Key Skills:
1. Ability to assess, plan and undertake risk assessments for individual children, ensuring the needs of all children are met.
2. Sound communication and interpersonal skills in order to provide clear and concise advice and specialist guidance to a range of staff, Children, and other professionals.
3. Ability to provide clear professional practice guidance to staff, challenging poor practice and ensuring high standards are maintained.
4. Ability to effectively manage the time and priorities of self and others
5. Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to anticipate problems and resolve issues independently, planning solutions and make sound pragmatic decisions.
6. Good literacy and IT skills to be able to maintain children’s records, write reports, emails, supervision records, etc.

Qualifications and/or experience:
• Experience of working within a team, dealing with a diverse range of situations while prioritising the wellbeing of children and achieving set targets.
• Significant level of experience within a position relevant to the residential care of children.
• Sound experience of keyworking, in order to create assessments and plans for individual Children.
• Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare or equivalent qualification.
• Developing knowledge of a childcare related specialism.
• Experience of working within internal policies and procedures and statutory responsibilities e.g. Children’s Homes Regulations 2015 and Social Care Inspection Framework.

Salary up to £32,800

Salary up to £32,800

To support the management team to ensure that the home is run in accordance with both policies and procedures and within relevant legislation e.g. OFSTED, DfE.
Supervise a team, including undertaking formal supervisions, appraisals, allocation of work, checking and direction. Monitor and support staff development and wellbeing e.g. induction, coaching and supporting the Residential staff apprenticeship scheme, compliance with Training pathway. Be a Team Teach trainer and maintain related skills and knowledge within the home.
To provide the highest standards of support to children with a focus on consistency and aspirational outcomes. This includes working to individual care plans including physical handling strategies such as Team Teach.
To lead shifts within the home, supporting staff and working directly with the children to ensure they are being provided with a safe, positive and supporting home where their emotional, physical, educational and social needs are met.
Assist and advise colleagues in the preparation of care plans and reports for reviews or case conferences and chair meetings with external partners, acting as advocate for that child where appropriate.
To undertake key specific areas of responsibility within the homes; this could be overseeing the rota, Health and Safety, Training, Medication, etc.
Quality Assurance role in relation to overseeing keyworking, undertake a quarterly audit of files and children consultations.
Act as mentor for the key workers, resolving problems and barriers, supporting them to plan, lead and arrange activities around the Children’s needs. In some circumstances, you will be required to undertake a keyworker role.
Key role in new referrals to the homes, visiting the previous settings, undertake initial preparatory work prior to the child coming to the home, building relationships with key professionals, the child’s family and the child.
To follow all correct local and national policies and procedures including maintaining a working knowledge of the home, reporting and responding to any safeguarding concerns, complying with health and safety and checking and administering medication.
To produce and maintain accurate record and reports (both handwritten and typed) in respect of children and advising management of any significant issues and observation.
Ensuring supervised staff are adhering to the standards.
To take responsibility for managing risk of self-harming behaviour, absconding and general vulnerability by ensuring appropriate support at all times. This includes managing risk of harm to yourself and to others.
To undertake all requirements of the training pathway including all mandatory training, continuous professional development and participating in our staff development programme i.e. appraisal’s, supervisions and staff meetings.
To be engaged in on-going learning about your role and the children and families you work with, developing your practice and embedding that in the workplace.
Our Values
You will lead, promote and demonstrate the values of our organisation.
• Trust and Support
• Listen and Act Upon
• Customer Centred
• Honest and Realistic
• Genuinely Valued
You will lead, promote and demonstrate the cultural ambition of our organisation:
‘To become an organisation which lives and breathes our values where all of our people are able to work in an empowered, collaborative and innovative way to make a real and positive difference to all our communities.’