Assistant Residential Childrens Worker

Salary details: £ - £

Our Commitment

Derbyshire provides consistent, good quality care through twelve children’s homes across the county. Our homes provide an environment where young people feel happy to live.

Underpinned by playfulness, acceptance, curiosity, and empathy (PACE); trauma-informed practice; social pedagogy; and person-centred approach to inform practice, we work continuously to improve the quality of our children’s homes, ensuring our young people have every opportunity to thrive and develop.

About the Role

We are pleased to offer this exciting opportunity to join the team at a therapeutically informed residential children’s home situated in Long Eaton.

Our Assistant Residential Children’s Workers (ARCWs) provide responsive care and support, particularly during the night, to children who have complex emotional and social needs. Using a considered and therapeutically informed approach to ensure children and young people are safe, well, and cared for. ARCWs are responsible for the holistic care and safety needs of the children, assuming a parental role for the children whilst working in close partnership with internal and external partners, and their families.

As an ARCW, you will need to have an openness to and an aptitude for relationship-focused and psychologically-informed working practices. You must have the appropriate skills and experience to perform and work within an environment that can, at times, require using your own initiative along with an understanding of The Children Act and The Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015, including quality standards.

You must hold, be working towards, or be willing to undertake and complete within 2 years of starting work at the home, the Level 3 Children and Young People’s Workforce Diploma and Social Care Pathway (England) 2015 OR you should hold an equivalent qualification such as The NVQ 3 Caring for Children & Young People and be prepared to complete any additional work to meet the required level. More information on the role can be found within the Job and Person profile.

ARCW roles attract the following additional payments. This post is an overnight role, for the most part, and will include weekend and bank holiday working, as well as attendance at team meetings and reflective practice sessions. Assistant Residential Children’s Workers have the support of Residential Children’s Workers who will sleep in, and wake, should the need arise.

For more information on our residential children’s service please visit https://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/social-health/children-and-families/children-we-look-after/residential-care/young-people-who-need-residential-care.aspx

Working for Derbyshire

Derbyshire is also a great place to live and work. It's only a short drive to Derby, Nottingham, Sheffield, and Manchester but is also home to miles of beautiful countryside and has the Peak District National Park on its doorstep. The county enjoys house prices below the UK average and has great road and rail links. In addition to location, there are several perks to being a Derbyshire County Council employee:

• Local Government Pension Scheme
• generous annual leave and flexi-time scheme
• travel expenses
• discount on leisure centre memberships
• free car parking at most sites
• an in-house counselling services
• occupational health service
• access to sessions with a trained physiotherapist
• cycle to work scheme

If you would like to discuss the role prior to applying, please contact Josh Mason at joshua.mason@derbyshire.gov.uk to arrange an informal conversation.

Provisional Interview Date: 9 October 2023

Due to this post having access to children and/or vulnerable adults, the successful candidate will be required to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service check. The possession of a criminal record will not necessarily prevent an applicant from obtaining this post, as all cases are judged individually according to the nature of the role and information provided. Click here to see our policy on criminal background checks.

The job may require unsocial hours working including weekends and Bank Holidays. Payment arrangements will be detailed in any contract offer made.

Saturday and Sunday hours will be paid at plain time where it is part of your normal working pattern unless it is between 7pm and 7am, where enhanced rates of pay apply. Enhanced pay rates are paid for Bank Holiday working.