Senior Residential Care Practitioner
Job description Do you have experience of working with children and young people in a residential setting? Do you want to be part of a leadership team driving best practice, within our service 'Together We Can'?
Our innovative new service provides support to children and young people between 11-17 years through outreach, residential homes and the staying close service. It follows a forward-thinking new model involving working with a multi-disciplinary team in the home.
This an exciting role where you will develop relationships and ensure our young people have the most amazing experiences and memories of their time with you. You will be involved in planning and participating in regular activities. At times, this may include travel with our young people in the UK and abroad. We are looking for the candidate that has an enthusiasm for working creatively and with a commitment and flexibility to supporting our young people.
We aim to support young people in achieving York Children's Services vision that all young people should be able to 'Stay Home, Come Home, Belong.'
Stay Home - Young People remaining at home or in their naturally connected network.
Come Home - Young People returning to their family or network where it is safe to do so or at the very least returning to York when this is in line with their wishes.
Belong - Young People being connected to their network and community and supported to learn.
The role:
As a Senior Residential Care Practitioner, you will take the lead on a specialist area of interest as a portfolio lead, ensuring this is embedded within the service. You will work as part of a specialist leadership team to mentor Residential Care Practitioners, to support young people and their families who are on the edge of care, who are in care, or leaving care.
Residential Care Practitioners support children and young people, with a complex range of needs due to, but not exclusively, early trauma and attachment.
These children and young people often struggle to build relationships and make sense of their emotions which can result in complex and risk-taking behaviour.
You will work together with your specialist team, which includes a clinical psychologist, police liaison and speech and language therapist to support children, young people and their families and play a crucial role acting as a key worker and developing meaningful relationships built on compassion, respect and trust.
Community Support: providing ongoing support to young people and their families who are on the edge of care or supporting them back to their family home or supported lodgings.
Residential Care: providing exceptional care and support when a young person requires co-ordinated support whilst living in a residential setting.
Therapeutic Care: to support a young person requiring therapeutic care, to access the relevant services and provide oversight and pathway co-ordination in and out of health services in conjunction with multiagency care plans.
Our offer to you:
Continuous professional development within the role including training opportunities and ongoing support to support personal progression.
Generous annual leave allowance, supportive team environment and managers, learning and development opportunities, family friendly policies, health and wellbeing initiatives and an extensive staff benefits rewards and savings package.
If successful we will support you in developing into this role. You will need to be willing to work towards a Level 4 diploma for Residential Childcare.
As this role is public facing, applicants will need to demonstrate, at interview, their competency to converse and provide advice and guidance to members of the public, in spoken English to CEFR level C2: Can express themselves spontaneously at length with a natural conversational flow, avoiding or backtracking around any difficulty so smoothly that the person with whom they are conversing is hardly aware of it.
City of York Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment. We require the successful candidate to undertake an enhanced Criminal Record check via the Disclosure and Barring Service.
For further information or an informal discussion please contact Bethany Gamble - Registered Manager at beth.gamble@york.gov.uk
Closing date: Sunday 13 April 2025 at 12 midnight
Interview date: To be advised