Residential Child Care Worker

Residential Child Care Worker (Nights FTE)

Application Deadline: 12 December 2025

Department: Care

Employment Type: Permanent - Part Time

Location: Balerno, Edinburgh

Reporting To: Senior Residential Child Care Worker (Nights)

Compensation: £22,712 - £28,489 / year

Description Harmeny Education Trust is a charitable organisation providing therapeutic care and education to children who have experienced early years trauma through abuse, neglect and family disruption, referred from all over Scotland. We currently work with children and young people aged 5-18, both on a day and all-year-round residential basis.     We are seeking a Residential Child Care Worker to join our Nights Care team on a permanent, part-time (0.64 FTE) employment basis.   The post holders will contribute to the creation of a culture and ethos in which the needs of the children are paramount and provide them with security, safety, care and social development to enable them to reach their potential. The post holders will be responsible for all childcare needs through the night.      The successful candidates will work approximately 137 nights per year on a six nights on / ten nights off rota basis. The working hours are 10pm to 7.30am. There will be opportunities to work additional night shifts to cover for colleagues (e.g., holidays) but this will not be compulsory.    The remuneration for the post is dependent on qualifications, as required by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC), and can be as follows:    £22,712.24 per annum inclusive of an allowance for working nights (unqualified)   £23,871.13 per annum inclusive of an allowance for working nights (part-qualified)  £26,056.76 to £28,488.86 per annum inclusive of an allowance for working nights (qualified)    The part-time salary is calculated based on a full-time equivalent salary that ranges from £30,593 to £38,374 per annum.    The applicants should be registered, or will need to register within the first three months of employment, with the SSSC as a practitioner on the register for children and young people workforce in residential child care services.     Harmeny is a values-led organisation and a good fit with our ethos is as important to us as having relevant experience.     Harmeny is situated in a beautiful 35-acre woodland estate, which includes residential and education accommodation, community garden, orchard, wildlife habitats and children's play areas. Harmeny is located in Balerno on the outskirts of Edinburgh, at the foot of the Pentland Hills; we are easily accessible by bus and there is on-site parking available.    We offer benefits and opportunities that promote wellbeing, work-life balance, staff development and security. Benefits include:

• On site wellbeing spaces and free massage therapy 
• Free gym membership and cycle to work scheme 
• Access to wellbeing app and counselling 
• Access to discounts on shopping and events  

All staff receive a comprehensive induction package, and access to a range of learning and development opportunities throughout their career with us.      More information on the benefits of working at Harmeny, plus a fuller job description and person specification can be found at     If you would like to find out more about this opportunity, please contact, Steph Bestford, Service Manager, on
To apply, please complete the application form via our recruitment section at  

Key Responsibilities Key areas of the job:

1. Promote a positive ethos in the school consistent with Harmeny's vision, purpose and core values. 
2. Implement management decisions, consistent with the Harmeny and cottage plans, policies and procedures. 
3. Be an integral part of the Care staff team. 
4. Care for the children's everyday requirements and to help create a homely, caring and safe environment for all the children at Harmeny. 
5. Attend to all childcare needs of residents which occur through the night, alongside the sleeping member of staff or duty manager as required.
6. Communicate and interact positively with children using solution-focussed and strengths-based principles in line with Harmeny policy, procedures and core values. 
7. Be involved in the development and implementation of risk assessment planning for children.
8. Understand children's behaviour and support them to manage their behaviour themselves.  Where required, as a last resort, to implement physical intervention techniques. 
9. Ensure that all children's personal records including log books, reviews and medical information are kept up to date.     
10. Attend supervision, annual performance review, training and other meetings as required. 
11. If extra staffing is required, seek authority from the assigned Service Manager or On-Call Manager to cover this need.
12. Potentially cover the annual/sick leave of the other Residential Child Care Worker (Nights), (optional but with additional remuneration).
13. Undertake domestic and food preparation duties as directed, and ensure that others in the team also do so.
14. Undertake induction and other relevant training as required to fulfil the duties of the post and maintain SSSC registration.
15. Undertake any other duties as delegated by the management team that are consistent with the role of Residential Child Care Worker (Nights).

Qualifications, Skills, Knowledge and Experience Essential:

1. A qualification in line with the SSSC registration requirements for Residential Child Care Workers, e.g., an HNC and SVQ (SCQF level 7). 
2. Full, clean driving licence.
3. Experience in residential work and / or childcare, including working with children with complex social, emotional and behavioural needs.
4. Knowledge and understanding of children who are looked after and accommodated, and children with complex additional support needs.
5. Knowledge of child development, childcare legislation, good practice guidance, policy and procedures and a commitment to Children's Rights.
6. Understanding of the duty of care to children and colleagues. 
7. Understanding of the practice issues of physical intervention (PI), and ability to undertake PI when required.
8. Good communication skills, both written and oral.
9. Experience of managing and developing others.
10. Good organisational and administrative skills and computer literacy.
11. Personal commitment to high standards of care.
12. Ability to handle competing priorities and a challenging workload within a highly pressurised working environment.
13. Emotionally intelligent, with an understanding of the needs of others and a commitment to reflective practice. 
14. Accountable for the performance of their team and their own performance.
15. Proactive and takes the initiative to gain the information needed for the role, with a flexible and 'can do' attitude.

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• 7 weeks' holiday pro rata per year, inclusive of public holidays
• Pension scheme
• Enhanced sick pay up to 13 weeks' full pay (after probation)
• Life assurance scheme (three times salary)
• Enhanced pay for maternity, adoption and paternity leave
• Policies and practices that promote a healthy work-life balance
• Access to wellbeing initiatives such as massage therapy and a range of resources to support mental and physical health

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