Registered Childrens Home Manager

Salary: £48,000 per year

About Southend YMCA

Southend YMCA is a growing, high quality charitable group, comprised of: A young persons’ Housing Association, an Alternative Provision Free School (Ofsted Good), a wealth of innovative youth work projects, and now a Children’s Home. We design projects for and with local children and young people to address their needs and aspirations and transform their lives.

Without the Charity’s transformational support many young people on the margins of society would be homeless, they may not develop the foundational skills, behaviours and resilience to succeed in education, or gain relevant qualifications and competencies for employment and independent adulthood.

Southend YMCA has a caring and creative culture as demonstrated through our Investors in People Award (Gold) and the Queens Award for Voluntary Service (the MBE for voluntary groups). These standards speak highly of the Charity as an employer and great place to work. This also means that the Manager will benefit from our established wrap around business team supporting financial, HR and facilities compliance.

The role
An exciting opportunity has become available for a proven Registered Children’s Home Manager to mobilise and deliver Southend YMCA’s new Children’s Home. The ‘Homely Space’ will accommodate up to five children with social, emotional and behavioural needs (primarily between the ages of 11 to 16, with the option of staying up to 18 or until a suitable move on provision is secured).

The Registered Manager will have high aspirations for vulnerable children. They will be an inspirational Leader and Manager with sound judgement. Their clear vision for children’s care, a psychologically informed approach, coupled with tacit ‘know how’ will guarantee safe, effective and innovative operational delivery. All to meet and uphold the Children’s Home Regulatory Standards and to safeguard and holistically develop young lives. We anticipate taking our first children at the end of 2021 or early in 2022 with a gradual planned placements building to 5 children.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:
The Manager will work with Southend YMCA’s Responsible Individual and the wider team (social care, psychological and educational consultants) to operationalise the home and submit an application to Ofsted for registration. This offers the post holder a unique opportunity to shape the service bringing their knowledge, creativity and reflexivity to bare during the development and pre-opening phases.

The Manager will lead on the safer recruitment and ongoing development of a talented multi-disciplinary staff team, building the culture and working approaches to assure the homes success. We will aspire to achieve an Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ judgement.

The Manager will create a containing and developmental space for children to live and grow. Every detail of the home should be cohesive and fit for purpose from the maintenance of safe, homely spaces and routines; to insightful assessment, care planning, behaviour management and record keeping systems; through to creating fun and enjoyable activities and experiences with and for children.

The Children’s Home will be focussed on Southend Children. The Manager will work systemically with other professionals and key agencies across the town to create a seamless offer for children. They will ensure effective outreach support to ensure children make and sustain effective transitions when they move on from the home.

Skills, experience and Qualification Required

• A Registered Children’s Home Manager achieving no less that Ofsted Good at Inspection (essential)
• At least 3 years’ experience of social care leadership
• Level 5 Diploma in Leadership for Health and Social Care of Children’s and Young People’s Services (essential)
• A Degree or equivalent in a related field such as: education, psychology, social work (desirable)
• An enhanced DBS check will be conducted on successful candidates as the candidate will come into contact with vulnerable children
• Knowledge of child development and attachment, a trauma informed approach, behavioural approaches to protect children and thematic and contextual safeguarding.
• The Children’s Home Manager must satisfy the legal fitness requirements and complete all checks required by Regulation 28 (Schedule 2) of the Children’s Home Regulations (2015) for Ofsted registration. The burden of proof is with the applicant rather than with Ofsted. So the proposed Registered Manager will need to demonstrate that their experience and qualifications are ‘relevant’ to children and young peoples’ residential care services.