Young People's Care & Safeguarding

• Maintain a strong understanding of the needs, risks, plans, and progress of each young person living within the home.
• Build positive, trusting, and professional relationships with young people.
• Ensure young people receive individualized, nurturing, and therapeutic care.
• Support young people with education, health, family relationships, activities, independence skills, and their individual goals.
• Promote young people's wishes and feelings and ensure their views contribute to decisions about their care.
• Respond appropriately to safeguarding concerns, disclosures, allegations, missing-from-home incidents, and significant events.
• Ensure safeguarding concerns are promptly reported and escalated in accordance with policy and procedure.
• Support staff to manage challenging situations safely using de-escalation and approved positive intervention approaches.

Administration & Office Responsibilities

The Deputy Manager will have designated administration/office time to support the effective management of the home. Responsibilities will include:

• Rota planning and staffing coordination.
• Reviewing and auditing ClearCare records.
• Reviewing care plans, placement plans, and risk assessments.
• Completing management oversight of incidents and significant events as delegated.
• Supporting audits and quality assurance processes.
• Monitoring staff training, supervision, and development requirements.
• Preparing for meetings and professional reviews.
• Supporting regulatory and compliance requirements.
• Maintaining organized and accurate records.
• Following up actions identified through audits, meetings, incidents, or management reviews.
• Supporting the Registered Manager with reports and other management information.
• Liaising with social workers, education providers, health professionals, families, and other agencies. Office days are an important part of the Deputy Manager role; however, flexibility will be required where the needs of the young people or home require management support.

Shift Responsibilities

The Deputy Manager will remain an active member of the residential team and will work shifts within the home. When working on shift, the Deputy Manager will:

• Lead by example and maintain high standards of practice.
• Work directly with and support young people.
• Lead and coordinate the staff team.
• Ensure individual routines, appointments, and activities are completed.
• Manage incidents and make appropriate decisions.
• Ensure medication procedures are followed correctly.
• Ensure effective handovers take place.
• Maintain oversight of safeguarding and risk throughout the shift.
• Ensure the home remains safe, welcoming, and appropriately maintained. The Deputy Manager should be visible within the home and approachable to both young people and staff.

Supporting the Registered Manager

The Deputy Manager will work in partnership with the Registered Manager and will be expected to understand the overall operation of the home. They will support the Registered Manager in ensuring the home operates in accordance with its Statement of Purpose, Children's Homes Regulations 2015, Quality Standards, and organizational policies and procedures. In the Registered Manager's absence, the Deputy Manager will be expected to provide appropriate management oversight of the home and escalate significant matters through the organization's management/on-call structure.

Person Specification

The successful candidate should:

• Have significant experience working within children's residential care.
• Have experience at Senior, Team Leader, Deputy, or similar level.
• Hold the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare or a recognized equivalent.
• Ideally hold, be working towards, or be willing to undertake an appropriate Level 5 leadership and management qualification.
• Have a strong understanding of safeguarding and children's residential care.
• Have experience of leading shifts and managing staff.
• Be confident planning and managing staff rotas.
• Have strong organizational and administrative skills.
• Be confident using electronic care-recording systems; experience using ClearCare would be advantageous.
• Have good written skills and understand the importance of accurate, professional recording.
• Be confident reviewing and challenging staff practice.
• Be able to manage competing priorities and make appropriate decisions under pressure.
• Be able to develop positive professional relationships with young people, staff, families, and external professionals.
• Be flexible and willing to combine management responsibilities with direct shift work.
• Hold a full UK driving licence where required for the role.

Overall Expectation

The Deputy Residential Care Manager is a key link between the Registered Manager and the residential staff team. The successful person must be equally comfortable planning a rota, reviewing ClearCare records, and completing management administration in the office as they are leading a busy shift and directly supporting a young person. This is not a purely office-based management position. We are looking for someone who will be present, approachable, and actively involved in the life of the home, while helping the Registered Manager maintain excellent standards of care, safeguarding, staffing, and compliance.