Bradford has created a new Children and Families Trust, which has been commissioned by Bradford Council to deliver a wide range of services for children, families and young people on their behalf. The Trust is accountable for determining how outcomes of these services are achieved and for the day-to-day running of commissioned children’s services.
This is an important opportunity to renew our approach to delivering support to Bradford’s children, young people, and families in need by renewing services and creating a new organisation. We are bringing the mindset, dynamism, and energy of a start-up together with the national expertise and determination of the Trust’s Board, senior leadership, and our colleagues’ practical experiences of providing children’s services in Bradford.
As a new organisation, Bradford Children and Families Trust has established our own purpose, vision, and outcomes for what we aim to achieve.
Our Vision
For all children and young people in Bradford to be safe and able to realise their full potential.
Our Purpose
To provide high-quality services with partners that help safeguard, support, and promote the welfare of children, young people, and families across the Bradford District.
We will achieve this through continuous improvements in our services and positive collaboration with our staff and partner organisations.
Role Title: Residential Practitioner
Salary: Band 8, SCP 17-22 (Depending on Experience)
Location: Bradford, Children Residential Service
Report to: Senior Residential Practitioner, Assistant, and Registered Manager
Job Overview
About Us
• To provide inspirational care, tailored to the individual needs of the children and young people. Through support, encouragement, and our ‘Model of Care’, create a stable and secure base, where young people have a sense of belonging, where they can begin to understand, address, and work through their past experiences and present difficulties and behaviours and be able to prepare for, and achieve their full potential in their futures.
• The children/young people we look after have experienced significant trauma, which requires high levels of compassion, empathy, resilience, and understanding. While some of the children in specialist short break and residential services will have complex health needs and physical/learning disabilities. Due to these needs, they can present challenging behaviour, including self-harm, physical outbursts, and risk-taking behaviour, where we have a responsibility to make them feel safe and cared for. Staff are likely to be exposed to substantial risk of challenging behaviour by the children using the service and will be involved with the management of this.
• Be able to carry out all requirements of the post including the use of physical interventions as part of Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) to manage challenging behaviour as required.
• To ensure that all children and young people’s files are kept up-to-date and any remedial action is taken promptly. Ensure information held on children and young people is accurate and ensure confidentiality of information in line with the Data Protection Act when obtaining, transmitting, and recording information verbally, in writing, and electronically.
• Residential Practitioners and Family support respite workers are expected to work directly with the young person using theoretical approaches and models of working to enable them to understand their past to manage their feelings, frustrations, and behaviours and to enable them to make positive life choices. Children with complex health needs and disabilities will have sensory and communication profiles to assist choices and decision-making. To record all work and to reflect and analyse outcomes and identify future work required.
• To support the day-to-day physical and emotional needs of the children and young people in accordance with Racial, Cultural, Religious, Health care, and Linguistic and dietary needs. Support and enable children and young people to attend school, enjoy leisure activities, stay healthy, and also keep safe.
• To be prepared to work flexibly, including unsociable hours and shifts on a rota basis, including weekend and bank holiday working. You will also be required to undertake sleep-in duties, again this will be on a rota and could be at short notice.
• To be able to work in a variety of Children’s Homes settings across the city. This could include working in the locality but may also involve travelling long distances to participate in overnight stays and holidays. You will be expected to work positively with a range of children and young people, their families, professionals, and partners, ensuring effective lines of communication are established and maintained. You will be expected to attend Care Planning Meetings, Statutory Reviews, and Strategy Meetings as required.
• To take all reasonable steps to locate and ensure the safe return of any young people who are missing from the home.
• Whilst you will be expected to respect the privacy of the children and young people, you will have a duty of care which includes ensuring that living spaces and the children and young people’s bedrooms are both clean and safe. You will also be required to undertake tasks such as shopping, cleaning, cooking, and caring for children and young people as a good parent would do. This could include supporting children and young people with their personal care needs.
• To encourage and enable young people to achieve their maximum potential, with respect to their rights of a positive future. Promote the responsibility of their actions in line with their age, ability, and aptitude; and contribute to the transition of children and young people through direct care and support.
• Required to have responsibilities as a keyworker to a young person. The role of the key worker is extensive and will require the post holder to work closely with professionals, parents, siblings, and extended family to ensure that the Care Plans, Positive Support Plans, Clinical Care Plans, Therapeutic Crisis Intervention Plans, Risk Assessments, and health Plans are accurately detailed and communicated effectively to ensure children and young people are cared for consistently. A key worker is required to collate information for reports and represent the Home and the young people at a variety of meetings to ensure the Care plan for the young person is proactively maintained.
• Remain up to date and compliant with all relevant legislation, organisational procedures, policies, and professional codes of conduct in order to uphold standards of best practice. In practice, you will be required to utilise these skills and knowledge, to interpret, assess and evaluate the potential consequences to decisions you make.
Main Duties and Responsibilities
• To be responsible for access to petty cash, monies for trips, outdoor activities, and holidays. This will also include, where required, the post holder applying for and using a Procurement Card in line with the Council’s policies and procedures. You will be responsible for young people’s belongings and money, and will be responsible for access to equipment and property used in the course of your duties.
Experience
• Experience of working in a challenging and changing environment being adaptable and resilient.
• Experience of working in a Children’s Home or health care setting where there are extensive transferable skills for working with children with complex health needs and disabilities, OR in the last year, be able to demonstrate experience of working with children and young people who have emotional/behavioural/complex health needs and physical/learning disabilities either in a paid or voluntary capacity in a children’s home, social care setting, a school, youth service, or any other service or provision designed to support children and young people.
• Experience in contributing to the maintenance of administrative records.
• Experience of working within a team setting.
Qualifications
GCSE Grade A – C in Maths and English or a qualification that is equivalent or higher. The minimum qualification for this post is the Level 3 Diploma in Residential Child Care or the equivalent.
OR will have completed within 2 years of starting work in the home. Failure to complete the Level 3 Diploma or equivalent within 2 years will prevent the post holder from assuming this post, with immediate effect. The registered person may defer the relevant date if the individual does not work, or has not worked, in a care role in a home for a prolonged period, or works, or has worked, in a care role in a home on a part-time basis.
*Equivalent NVQs are defined in the Children’s Homes Standards 2015 as:
1. Level 3 Children & Young Peoples Workforce Diploma with social care pathway
2. NVQ 3 caring for children & young people
3. NVQ 3 health & social care
Working Conditions
Must be able to perform all duties and tasks with reasonable adjustment, where appropriate, in accordance with the Equality Act 2010 in relation to Disability Provisions.
Special Conditions
The Warner Process will be completed to ensure candidates have the psychological resilience required to work in a Children’s Home.
About You
Bradford Children and Families Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children who use our services and as such expects all staff to share this commitment. Successful applicants will be required to complete the relevant safeguarding checks. An DBS check will be requested.
We are an equal opportunities employer.
Safeguarding Responsibilities
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