Residential Practitioner

Job title: Residential Practitioner

Salary: C1 £29,542 - £32,046 (pro rata) plus weekend enhancements and sleep in allowance where appropriate

Hours: Various

Contract: Permanent

Location: Leeds (city wide)

Leeds City Council is seeking compassionate and dedicated Residential Practitioners to join our outstanding children’s services. In this role, you’ll have the opportunity to make a profound impact on the lives of vulnerable children and young people, guiding them towards adulthood and independence. Your support will be instrumental in helping them overcome significant challenges and achieve their full potential.

There are a range of exciting opportunities available across the city:

• We’re recruiting part time (18.5hrs) and waking nights (17.5hrs) colleagues to support in homes for young people with complex needs.
• We’re also recruiting for full time colleagues (37hrs) in our mainstream homes as we continually develop our residential estate.

Please indicate on your application which post/service you are interested in. Shifts vary to meet service needs, and all posts include alternative weekends. Posts can include sleep-ins. Additional payments apply for sleep-ins, waking night hours and weekend work.

We want Leeds to be a city where all children are safe, happy and healthy, do well at school, fulfil their potential and grow up to be active citizens with voice and influence.​ This is your chance to join us and support our Child Friendly Leeds ambition.

About you​

As a Residential Practitioner you will bring to the role:​

• a good standard of literacy and numeracy, with basic computer literacy​
• Level 3 Diploma in Residential Child Care (or equivalent), or commitment to achieving the qualification within a reasonable period (we pay the course fees)​
• recent experience supporting children or young people with additional emotional/behavioural issues – this may be from employment, volunteering, student placements or personal life​
• excellent communication and listening skills, teamwork and emotional intelligence​​
• flexibility to work shifts including weekends, bank holidays and nights​

About the role​​

Based in one of our children’s homes, you’ll be part of a supportive team at that prioritises your well-being and personal development. Your responsibilities will include:

• Creating a safe, caring living environment.
• Building positive, trusting relationships with children and young people.
• Nurturing each child’s personal development, education and wider learning.

This role offers immense job satisfaction as you witness the positive changes you facilitate in the lives of disadvantaged children and young people daily. You’ll also be making a positive impact to your community by working for a local authority.

Enhancements are paid for unsocial hours and sleeping in duties. Time and a half is paid for weekend working (if applicable).

What we offer​

We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:​

• a competitive salary plus enhancements for nights and weekends​​
• generous annual leave entitlement plus bank holiday allowance​
• a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities, including support to study for relevant qualifications​
• membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions​
• a range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further​

We are proud to align our work with the council’s values and ambitions, placing children and families at the heart of everything we do. We’re looking for passionate individuals who are ready to embark on their childcare vocation.

If you’re ready to bring your empathy, passion, and emotional resilience to this vital role, we’d love to hear from you.

How to apply​

Please complete the online application form​.

Read our guidance for further advice. Please check your information carefully and ensure you complete all sections before submitting your application. ​

If you have any queries or would like an informal chat about the role please email [email removed].

A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check against the Children’s or Adults’ barred list as applicable will be carried out on preferred candidates. Read our recruitment of ex-offenders policy.

We welcome applications from everyone and actively seek a diverse range of applicants from all backgrounds and cultures. We particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to, women, carers, veterans as well as LGBT+, ethnically diverse, disabled and care experienced people.

This role is based in the UK. Home Office guidance states that candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK prior to commencing employment, either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa.

If you do not have the right to work in the UK, you must consider your own eligibility for sponsorship for a particular role through the Skilled Worker visaroute before applying. To be eligible for sponsorship you'll usually need to be paid the standard salary rate of at least £41,700 per year or meet one of the other eligibility criteria. Please ensure you are eligible before applying.

Job description

Job purpose
The Residential Practitioner’s role is to support, encourage and safeguard children and young people in their development, enabling them to make positive contributions to their families, society and local communities.
You will do this by fostering positive relationships and maintaining strong bonds between children and staff based on shared daily life and routines, joint activities and established boundaries of acceptable behaviour.
Responsibilities

• Undertake key worker role, implement care plans, conduct risk assessments and devise support and health plans
• Provide and maintain a safe, stimulating and secure living and learning environment supporting day-to-day physical and emotional needs
• Work with professionals and communities of origin to sustain links and understand past problems
• Nurture children’s ambitions for their future and their learning, both in and out of school
• Support children and young people’s emotional, mental and physical health needs to build self-esteem
• Respect privacy whilst maintaining a duty of care ensuring that living spaces are clean and safe
• Provide appropriate levels of personal care for children and young people with disabilities and complex needs, including bathing, toileting, dressing, changing and feeding as appropriate
• Ensure that all records are accurate, up to date and