Patience, empathy and resilience will go a long way, especially when supporting children through times that may feel challenging due to individual heightened behaviours or when meeting the complexities of some children’s health and personal care support needs. At times the role can be demanding, fast paced and busy where the ability to multitask is advantageous.

You won’t be doing this alone. At Chestnut Lodge, it’s all about teamwork where we believe in investing in our team. You can expect a comprehensive induction, learn new specialised skills applicable to the role, and support for qualifications. Regular supervision and team meetings ensure you are integrated and valued within our team.

Short breaks are a chance for disabled children and young people to have fun, gain independence, learn and develop while their families get to take a much-needed break.

Our children love to engage in playful and sensory activities such as singing, ball games, arts/crafts, garden play, water play, puzzles, dressing up and iPad time. Opportunities to support children within outings and stimulating activities within the community are encouraged to ensure they have a positive experience when staying at Chestnut Lodge.

This isn’t just a job, it’s an opportunity to be part of a caring, supportive team to build meaningful connections to the children we support to make their lives better.

How you'll help to create brighter futures

Some other key responsibilities are;

• Providing lead case/care planning management, including assessing, reviewing and managing risk.
• Co-ordinating responsibilities within the service, with multi agency and producing family information, including analysis and written reports.
• Attending professional meetings including reviews, court work etc.
• Helping young people in all aspects of their daily lives.
• Having good communication skills and the ability to engage well with both young people, colleagues and other professionals.

Let's talk about you

• Demonstrable experience of working in a care setting and developing positive relationships through trust.
• Application of a range of techniques to co-ordinate and communicate with service users and their families.
• Demonstrate a solution focused approach to address problems, individually and in a team setting.
• Demonstrate emotional resilience to respond to the challenging nature of the role.
• Possess a Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare (or recognised equivalent) or if you do not possess this you must be prepared to complete this within 2 years of commencing employment with us, full support will be provided.

Why Action for Children?

Every child should have a loving home, food, warmth, the chance to grow and learn - the support to cope with life’s challenges. But too many children don’t. By bringing your passion and unique skills and experience, you’ll help us change that where it really matters.

We've been driven by love to take action for children for over 150 years, giving them the protection and practical help they need. A lot’s changed since 1869. But what children really need, hasn’t. So as long as children need us, we’ll be here.

Will you join us?

Help with your application

If you require any support with the application process, please contact Sarah Manderfield at recruitmentservice@actionforchildren.org.uk quoting reference 13737

Please note, we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.

Diversity, equality and inclusion

At Action for Children, we’re committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels respected, valued, and able to thrive. We know that racism and discrimination create barriers, and we’re taking active steps to challenge these inequalities in our organisation and in the communities we serve.

We strongly welcome applications from people who are Black, Asian, or from other racialised and ethnically marginalised communities, as well as disabled people, who are currently under‑represented in our workforce. We are committed to removing barriers in our recruitment processes and ensuring fair access to opportunities.

We also encourage applications from men, who are under‑represented in our Children’s Services roles. We recognise that people hold multiple identities, and we value the richness this brings to our team.

Job Description

Job Description

See below for further information about working with us:

Action for Children Employee Benefits

AfC Commitment Statement

Make a Difference - A Career in Residential Services [https://fa-evrg-saasfaprod1.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com/cs/idcplg?IdcService=GET_FILE&fldFile=fFileGUID:122051C72EF1BCDA7BAD4ACDC1FE01FD&fldBrowsingMode=contribution]