"It's the best job in the World"
"The work life balance is brilliant"
"I am at home more than I am at work - both families benefit"
"'Thanks for running me a bath' - is what made me smile today - win/win".
These are some of the things you could say about your role on a day-to-day basis working in our Residential Care homes, and if you really want to make a difference to a young person's life then read on......
It is hard to put a job title on a role where you are mentor, teacher, coach, deliverer of parental guidance, role mode, therapist, councillor, and family liaison, often all in the same day.
Curiosity is our mantra, and we give full training on Informed Practices. we do not act in a punitive way, adapting our practice to each individual in our family. We help you to develop your understanding of working and supporting in Trauma situations.
We also have several statutory training courses along with intensive training around our ARC framework, NVR (non-violence resistance) Therapeutic skills, and all our team will undertake the NVQ 4 for Children and Residential Services fully funded.
On a daily basis you will be liaising with a host of individuals and services, from our young person's family to schools and education authorities, social workers, police and a whole range of other internal and external contacts.
The essence of the role is to support, almost as an extension of the family, one young person to help them develop into adulthood as effectively as possible, establishing routine, boundaries and consistency in a calm, non-judgemental manner.
No two days are the same in our Residential Service - on your working days you could be taking your young person horse riding, painting, for a drive, for a walk, out shopping, or attending virtual schools,
"You are there when I rise, when I eat, when I play, and you are there to put me to bed at the end of my day".
Our commitment to young people in our care is to be there around the clock for them.
You will be part of a team working on a shift/rota basis; you will work together with the rest of the team, and your senior, to organise this in advance. Due to the nature of our care, there may be occasions where you need to swap shifts and working together with your team we can achieve this flexibility.
Your passion and commitment to supporting the lives of young people is the most essential thing you can bring to the role .... there are a few other things, too, that are essential:
- Previous experience of interacting with children/teenagers in our age category, either in a working environment or in voluntary roles, coupled with a passion for making a difference to a child's life.
- For the Senior role you must already have the NVQ level 4, for the Residential Care worker role we will support your studies accordingly.
- For both roles, a manual UK Driving Licence is required - each young person has a car assigned to them.