Children's Residential Worker

The starting salary for this role is 30,647 per annum for working 36 hours per week.

This role requires shift working on a rota basis so may not suit everyone. On average you would be required to work two sleep-ins per week and approximately one weekend in three as part of a 24-7 caring service. We provide enhanced rates of pay for any unsociable hours you work, including sleep-ins, weekend and bank holiday working.

We're excited to be supporting with recruiting to roles for a brand-new 2-bed children's residential community home in Cobham, as part of our expanding and ambitious residential service in Surrey. Our mission is to support children to remain connected to their communities-where it is safe and right for them-while providing a stable, nurturing environment that helps them thrive.

Our Offer to You

• 26 days' holiday, rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years' service
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave and 2 paid volunteering days per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
• An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
• Wellbeing and lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, and shopping
• A chance to make a real difference to the lives of our residents
• Relocation bonus
• Refer a friend payment of 750 as a thank you for finding the right residential worker

About the Role

Residential Support Workers are the heart of our homes, working directly with children to create a safe, supportive, and enriching space they can call home. You'll play a key role in promoting their physical, emotional, and social development through meaningful engagement and consistent, compassionate care.

This new home in Cobham will support children who experience social and emotional difficulties. We're looking for motivated, resilient, and empathetic individuals to join our team and help shape the culture and ethos from the ground up. The home is co-located alongside another, meaning you will be able to draw on support from the already established team there, and the wider service, to help you embed and feel confident in your role.

No two days will be the same-so being adaptable, calm under pressure, and confident in responding to challenging behaviours is essential.

You'll encounter the kinds of challenges familiar to any family environment-negotiating screen time, encouraging routines, setting boundaries, and supporting children through complex emotions and relationships. But you'll also have the privilege of walking alongside them through some of their most formative years, helping them build resilience, independence, and a sense of belonging.

In this role, you'll wear many hats: caregiver, mentor, advocate, and role model. You'll work restoratively, building strong, trusting relationships and encouraging accountability through open, honest communication. We place a strong emphasis on helping children stay active, engaged, and focused on what they can achieve-something we hope you'll embrace and help us build upon in this new home.

While the role can be challenging, the rewards can be profound. Watching a child grow in confidence, develop new skills, and begin to believe in their future is an experience like no other.

This opportunity would suit someone with a calm, proactive, and solution-focused outlook, who can build meaningful relationships based on trust and mutual respect. Experience in residential care, mental health, youth work, probation, or family services is valuable, but we also welcome transferable experience from education, sports coaching, or other people-focused roles. What matters most is your motivation and ability to connect with children, understanding how you can encourage and engage them to make healthy, meaningful and positive choices.

Supporting You

We are dedicated to providing consistent care and building effective relationships, not just with our children and young people, but with each other and with our partner organisations and colleagues who support us with our work.

We will support and invest in you to achieve the mandatory, nationally recognised, Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare (within two years of starting) if you do not already have this. We have a proven track record of supporting staff to pass their qualification and are proud of the achievements of all staff we invest in.

Gaining this qualification will unlock opportunities for you to progress to a Senior Residential Worker (starting at 33,552 per annum) and will help you grow the skills and confidence needed to be an effective Residential Worker. Working in children's residential services is a great opportunity and gateway to developing a career within care. We offer a clearly defined career pathway and progression opportunities with our expanding children's residential service as we continue our journey to open further homes this…