Short Breaks Residential Practitioner, Looked After Children

Job summary

RMBC has made a strategic decision to make a significantinvestment in childrens residential services. This will ensure more of ourlooked after children are placed in Rotherham, close to their localcommunities, family and schools.

We are particularly looking for practitioners who haveprevious experience of working in specialist solo provision, mental healthresidential settings, crisis accommodation and with children and young peoplewith sensory, ASD, mental health needs and who have suffered significanttrauma.

This new residential provision will be part of a Childrenand Young People Service judged as `Good` by Ofsted in January 2018 and buildon practice from our short break residential home judged as `Outstanding` inFebruary 2020.

Main duties of the job

Seeking inspirational, resilientand child focused practitioners who are committed to:

Developing their skills/practices to provide anoutstanding residential service

Support/caring for complex children and youngpeople, at times in solo provision

Working evening, weekend and sleep in shifts aspart of the residential team

Our vision is for children andfamilies to experience and describe the services they received, as outstanding- by putting the child first in everything we do.

By being part of our residential teams, you willplay a crucial role in developing our collective commitment to an ethos ofexcellence, integrity, trust and transparency. Joining us at a time of changewith regard to developing our provision provides you an opportunity to be involvedand influence the service design and development of practice in line with bestpractice and evidence-based approaches.

About us

This is an excellent time to workwithin Rotherham. We are passionate about the place and the people who live,work and visit here. We are delivering major regeneration and housing, as wellas creating new jobs and opportunities for our residents. Rotherham is a real'central UK' location with excellent road and rail links and is ideally placednear the scenic countryside of the Peak District, whilst also beingconveniently located next to the vibrant city of Sheffield.

Our vision for Rotherham is thatwe come together as a community, where we seek to draw on our proud history tobuild a future we can all share. We respect decency, dignity and seek to builda town where opportunity is extended to everyone, where people can grow, flourishand prosper, and where no one is left behind.

We offer an excellent pay andbenefits package which includes membership of the Local Government PensionScheme, as well as a range of health and wellbeing and other benefits.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Directorate: Children and Young Peoples Services

Short Breaks Residential Practitioners

Job reference REQ16899

Location Rotherham, South Yorkshire

£26,421 to £28,770 (pay award pending) & excellent benefits

37 hours per week, Temporary for 12 months

Our recent successful application for further DfE funding ensures that the innovation project will not only endure but expand over the next year, as such, we are looking to employ a Residential Practitioner to join this growing team. This extension allows for the project to grow and amplifies the potential impact of our work.

Furthermore, as we transition beyond the tenure of the innovation project, our strategic intention is to seamlessly incorporate the knowledge, experience, and personnel gained into the fabric of our residential and short break service offerings. This strategic alignment underscores our unwavering commitment to nurturing a dynamic and harmonious service environment.

About the Opportunity:

Are you a dedicated professional with a systemic approach, passionate about the well-being of children? Are you enthusiastic about reshaping community-based short breaks for Rotherham's children? If so, this opportunity may be precisely what you're seeking.

As part of our Short Breaks Innovation Fund initiative, we are recruiting Children's Residential/Short Breaks Practitioners to provide comprehensive services within our in-house facilities and the broader Rotherham community. The primary focus is to address the unique needs of children under the care of Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council while maintaining their connection to their communities, families, and schools.

This initiative aligns with Rotherham Council's strategic vision to enhance children's residential services and accommodate more youth within the Rotherham vicinity. It is seamlessly integrated into Rotherham's existing short breaks service, aiming to provide specialised care to our most complex children.

We are actively searching for candidates who not only possess experience in short break settings and expertise in working with complex needs and disabilities but additionally demonstrate an unwavering resilience that will be indispensable in this role. Transferable skills are also highly valued.

Key Responsibilities :

Advocate for the welfare and safeguarding of looked-after children.

Establish and maintain meaningful connections with individual children, serving as a positive role model.

Implement evidence-based therapeutic and behavioural management strategies.

Facilitate participation in decision-making.

Collaborate within a systemic framework and function seamlessly as part of a cohesive team.

Oversee project activities and collaborate with multiple agencies.

Conduct regular visits to observe and engage with children in other provisions.

Provide comprehensive support to young people during short break experiences.

Actively engage in training, meetings, and supervision.

Create and foster a secure, engaging, and nurturing environment for children and young people.

Benefits :

Robust managerial support and clear guidance.

Comprehensive training for professional advancement.

Access to in-house therapeutic services.

Participation in pioneering Edge of Care Services and robust Early Help provisions.

Priority for Looked After Children in CAMHS assessment and intervention.

Opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of children, young individuals, and families.

Investment in your professional development.

Local Authority Pension and generous annual leave entitlement.

About You:

We are looking for inspirational, resilient, and child-focused practitioners committed to:

Elevating proficiency and practices for exceptional residential care.

Providing compassionate support to complex cases.

Adapting to varied shift requirements.

Championing a vision of excellence for Rotherham's children and families.

Fostering a culture of excellence, integrity, trust, and transparency.

Participating in an evolving landscape of service enhancement.

Please note that this role requires community outreach work and as such, you will need access to your own vehicle and a full UK driving licence.

About Yorkshire: Rotherham and the wider South Yorkshire region offer a great quality of life, beautiful countryside, and easy access to major towns and cities like Sheffield and Leeds. Property prices are reasonable, and it's just a 2-hour train journey from London.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss this role further, please contact Richard Fisher at Letitia Robertson .

This post involves working with children and therefore if successful you will be required to apply for a disclosure of criminal records check at an enhanced level. Further information about the Disclosure Scheme can be found at

Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.

Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council is committed to encouraging equality, diversity and inclusion among our workforce, and eliminating unlawful discrimination. The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative of all sections of society and our customers, and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best. As a Disability Confident employer, we will ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants that meet the minimum criteria for this position will be offered an interview.For further information, please visit ourwebsite.

Until 31st March 2026 employees paid at Band D and above are subject to a temporary pay reduction of spread out by means of a monthly deduction from each pay period over the full financial year. In recognition of implementing this temporary measure, those who experience a pay reduction will be awarded three additional days leave (pro rata for part-time).

Confirmation of this appointment is also subject to a medical assessment.

Please click the following link to view Rotherham Councils Privacy Notice

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

NQF Level 3 qualification AS and A levels, NVQs Level 3, Applied A Levels, BTEC First Certificates and Diplomas, City and Guilds Advanced Craft Part 3, or NQF Level 4 Certificates of Higher Education Or Evidence of the equivalent level of knowledge gained through work experience

Experience

Essential

Appropriate/sufficient experience of and familiar with multi agency working. Experience of understanding the needs of clients with a range of sensitive and personal care issues mental health problems, dementia, depression, challenging behaviours etc. Experience of caseload management in order to optimise individual performance

---