Lancashire County Council
Casual Residential Child Care Worker | Hilltop Lodge
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
Casual Residential Child Care Social Worker | £14.82 per hour | Casual various hours to suit
International Sponsorship – this role is not open to international sponsorship
Who are we …
Hilltop Lodge is a warm, welcoming short break home for children and young people with disabilities, providing high-quality care, support and opportunities for children to thrive. Our focus is always on the individual child, ensuring that every stay is safe, enjoyable, meaningful and tailored to their unique needs, interests and strengths. We work closely with families, schools, social workers and health professionals to provide consistent, child-centred care that promotes independence, confidence and emotional wellbeing.
At Hilltop Lodge, we are proud of our values-led culture where children are at the heart of everything we do. Our dedicated and passionate team creates a nurturing environment where children can build friendships, develop life skills, enjoy new experiences and make happy memories. We celebrate diversity, champion inclusion and are committed to helping every child achieve their full potential. As part of our team, you will have the opportunity to make a genuine difference to children's lives while working in a supportive environment that values professional development, teamwork and innovation.
Could you work in a children's homes?
As a Residential Child Care Worker at Hilltop Lodge, you will work within a dedicated short break service for children and young people with disabilities aged 0 to 18 years. Hilltop Lodge provides planned short breaks in a warm, welcoming and nurturing environment, giving children opportunities to develop independence, build friendships, enjoy new experiences and have fun, whilst providing valuable respite for families.
Residential Child Care Workers play a vital role in supporting children with a wide range of needs, including learning disabilities, autism, physical disabilities and complex health needs.
You will support children with all aspects of daily living, including personal care, communication, activities, mealtimes and bedtime routines, whilst helping to create a safe, enjoyable and child-centred environment. Duties also include basic household tasks such as preparing meals, maintaining a clean and welcoming home and ensuring children have everything they need during their stay.
At Hilltop Lodge, relationships are at the heart of what we do. You will spend quality time with children, getting to know what is important to them and supporting them to express their wishes, feelings and choices using a range of communication methods. You will work closely with families, social workers, schools, health professionals and other agencies to ensure each child receives consistent, high-quality support that promotes their wellbeing, independence and overall development.
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
This is a rewarding role where no two days are the same, offering the opportunity to make a genuine difference to the lives of children and young people with disabilities and their families.
What our children want from you
We encourage our children to participate and get involved in all decisions, and recruitment is no different. It is really important to us that any worker joining the Residential team has the skills, abilities, and outlook that our children tell us they need from us.
- I would like 'someone like me who has time to listen instead of being behind a locked door'
- I would like "someone who listens to me but also takes action and who I can have a laugh with – they also need to be able to make nice food"
- I would like "someone who spends time with me"
What you can expect from us
We have an ambitious, confident, and motivated management team who are experienced, supportive, and keen to help you learn and grow. We have over 50 free courses for you to learn new things, and even have funded qualifications we can support you with obtaining, up to degree level, should this be something that interests you.
We have a detailed induction programme specifically designed to cover all elements of the role, so that you have all the tools and knowledge ready to get going.
As an Organisation we offer a wide range of staff benefits including access to our "Blues and Twos Credit" Union, Membership of Blue Light Card, and various discounts at local retailers.
What we are looking for…
- Passion – Thinking creatively to ensure that our children are supported to achieve their aspirations (no matter how big or small) will need to be top of your list! We are looking for passionate practitioners (irrelevant of length of experience) who truly care and want to make a difference to children, young people and families.
- Challenge – Some days will be tough, for our children, for you, and for your colleagues - we're after someone who is dedicated and committed, and who will always go that extra mile for our children (even on the bad days). Working as part of a close professional team is really important and you will need to be a team player to get through those tough times.
- Forward thinking – We are an expanding service with big ideas and aspirational views. We are looking for workers who can join our team and join us on this exciting journey, making contributions to help shape and inform the future of the service for our children
- Values – We are looking for someone who has values aligned to those that are integral to our service and our organisation - supportive, innovative, respectful and collaborative
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
Are you interested?
We would love to hear from anyone who has a passion for building relationships with children and supporting them to achieve the best possible outcomes and want to join our team.
There are lots of ways to register your interest and find out more information
Informal discussion
You would like to find out more about the role, we would love to hear from you. We actively encourage informal discussions and welcome prospective applicants to contact us to learn more about working at Hilltop Lodge.
For an informal chat about the role, please contact Mary McDonough, Registered Manager, on 01254 220700 or mary.mcdonough@lancashire.gov.uk. You are also very welcome to arrange a visit to Hilltop Lodge to have a look around, meet the team, and gain a better understanding of the rewarding work we do supporting children and young people with disabilities. We would be delighted to answer any questions you may have and show you what makes Hilltop Lodge such a special place to work.
Applying
To apply for a post, you can apply direct from here.
Please ensure you have uploaded and attached your supporting statement to evidence how you meet the criteria for the role. The panel may be unable to shortlist you for interview without this evidence.
Please ensure you have uploaded and attached your supporting statement to evidence how you meet the criteria for the role. The panel may be unable to shortlist you for interview without this evidence.
The post you are applying for is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2013). If successful you will be required to apply to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) for a 'disclosure'. Further information can be found on the 'Our Recruitment Process' tab.
In return Lancashire County Council offers a range of benefits, which can be found on LCC Vacancies website.
We reserve the right to close down a vacancy early, before the closing date, if we receive sufficient applications.
Job Description and Person Specification https://lancashire-county-council-umbraco-sites.uksouth01.umbraco.io/media/t01kdrkn/jdps-casual.pdf
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Skills