Residential Childcare Worker

**About Us**

Teasel Close is a five-bed home for children who have emotional and/or behavioural issues, making it hard for them to live within a family environment.

We aim to provide a supportive, fun and nurturing home, where the children are able to feel safe, valued, respected and cared for. The children we care for very often have gone through difficulties and staff work with the children through challenging times, sharing their triumphs and sometimes mistakes, but always with the best interest of the children at the centre of all our work.

What do people say about us:
**_ “You are all such good people with amazing hearts and I thank you all dearly for making me feel like I am a child and I actually mean something, and I am not a bad person and there are good people out there. You are special.” (Former resident at Teasel Close.)_**

**_ “In my opinion, Teasel Close has and still does a brilliant job to support my daughter, as she can be challenging. They do their best to keep me updated on her behaviour, good or bad. Thanks for all you do.” (Feedback from a parent.)_**

**About The Job** Salary**: £24,496 - £25,878 per annum including weekend working allowance (pro-rata for part time, salary £23,194-£24,496 plus weekend working allowance of £1,302 - £1,382). You will also receive an additional Crawley Allowance.
**Working Pattern**: Part time and full time (37 hours full time) + rota for evening and weekend work
**Contract**: Permanent
**Location**: Crawley

**Children’s Residential Recruitment and Retention Payment scheme - £1500 during your first 18 months**

To support recruitment into this vital area West Sussex County Council offer £1,500 during the employee’s first 18 months where they are recruited to a new permanent role which is identified as hard to recruit and remain in the County Council’s employment during this time.

The scheme consists of two payments: £500 after successful completion of 6 months employment (including successful completion of probation where relevant) and £1,000 after 18 months

To succeed at this role, you will help to provide a nurturing, positive and safe environment for our children and young people, ensuring that we meet our statutory obligations to the highest standards possible. With direct responsibility for designated children or young people, you will ensure that each person is given the appropriate care and support to achieve their full potential.

For more information, please visit our dedicated Residential **website, Careers in Children's Residential Care.**

**Experience and Skills** Essential**
- Grade D or above (3+) in GCSE (or equivalent) Maths and English (Grade C or above (4-9) preferred)
- Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare or equivalent. If you do not have this, the service will support you to complete this qualification; you must achieve this within two years of appointment as it is a statutory requirement of this post

**Desirable**
- Awareness of the development needs of children in residential care.
- Knowledge of Children’s home regulations 2015 (England)
- Knowledge of how to support children who have experienced trauma, harm or abuse
- Previous childcare experience, preferably in a residential setting
- Experience of working with children with disabilities, complex high-risk adolescents or related experience e.g. adults with disabilities

Please be advised you are required to bring certificates for your Maths and English (C and above) and any Childcare qualifications you hold.

**Rewards and Benefits**
For a full list of the benefits offered to you as a West Sussex County Council employee you can find them on our **Rewards and Benefits** page.

**Further Information**
The reference number for this role is **CAFHE03650 **.

For an informal conversation or further information regarding the role, please contact one of the following people;

**To apply, upload your CV and cover letter, explaining the skills and experience you can bring to the role, ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV.**

**We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.**

Note for Recruitment Agencies: We prefer to hire people directly, but we do have a supplier list for when we need a helping hand. We'll be in touch directly if we need you

Job Reference: CAFHE03650