Care Officer

**The job itself**:
Are you passionate about making a difference in the lives of young people? Do you have experience working with vulnerable children and are looking for a new challenge that will help you develop your career while making a significant impact? If so, our Care Officer role might be the perfect fit for you

**About the opportunity**

We are seeking dedicated Care Officers to join the team at Throstle Nest, a new children’s home for children with learning disabilities and/or autism. East Riding currently has three Children’s Home’s all judged to be Good in all areas by Ofsted. We are expanding the service and have other homes awaiting registration. Throstle Nest is a lovely Victorian detached former farmhouse in a rural setting; the house is newly refurbished for this client group and has lots of outside space.

We are seeking a dedicated Care Officers to join this new team. You will be part of a committed team including a Registered Manager, a Deputy Manager,4 Senior Care Officers, 8 Care Officers, an Admin Assistant and a Domestic. Together, you will create a safe, nurturing, homely environment that supports the young person’s interests, education, and overall well-being and strikes to assist the young people be able to reach their full potential.

**The Role**

As a Care Officer, you will be responsible for undertaking all aspects of caring and supporting our children and young people, as any parent would. For example, encouraging and promoting their interests and hobbies, supporting their education, supporting their family time, promoting independence and supporting with personal care, making their home a clean, warm and cosy environment, cooking meals and making sure they feel safe and secure. You will transport young people in the home’s vehicle, help them with their schoolwork, listen to their wishes and feelings and work with their families to promote positive relationships.

Our children and young people have often experienced trauma. They need understanding and meaningful relationships aimed at keeping them safe and able to enjoy the world around them. Our young people tell us that good Care Officers are caring, approachable, respectful, determined, interested, giving, adaptable and non-judgemental. They help us with the interview process to make sure we take on the right people.

You will receive an in-depth induction, regular supervision and access to a good range of training opportunities. You will need to take part in physical intervention training and be able to use this in your day-to-day work.

**Key Responsibilities**:

- Supporting and supervising young people with learning disabilities and/or autism.
- Link worker responsibilities including writing care plans, link sessions, risk assessment.
- Collaborating with multiple agencies.
- Working to each the young person’s care plan.

Our children and young people need caregivers who are caring, patient, respectful, determined, interested, giving, adaptable, non-judgemental, can provide personal care and are able to communicate with young people who may be non
- verbal. Your ability to build meaningful relationships and provide understanding care will be crucial in helping them feel safe and valued.
- Experience working with young people with autism or disabilities.
- QCF Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare or willing to complete this.
- Enthusiastic, solution focused and child centred.
- Must be a car driver and have access to their own car due to the location of the home.

**What We Offer**:

- Comprehensive induction, regular supervision, and ongoing training opportunities.
- Full training including opportunities for career development.
- Enhanced pay for weekend and evening hours.(equivalent to an average of an additional £4,500 per year for weekend and evening enhancements and £2,000 per year for sleep-in shifts).
- Double time and time off in lieu for Bank Holidays.
- Excellent pension scheme.

**Our Practice Model**

‘You can, I can, We can’

The work within our Homes for Children reflects our Stronger Together practice model and connects our values and behaviours as one East Riding of Yorkshire approach to working with children and young people, which is nurtured and grown from within East Riding of Yorkshire and owned by our workforce. Having a well-developed practice model helps to create a common language for the service and enables everyone to understand how we go about doing the right things, in the right way and for the right reasons for children and their families.