Children’s Home Deputy Manager

Salary: £24 – £27.6 per hour

Avocet Staffing are currently looking for an experienced Deputy Manager to work with our client at one of their Children’s Homes.

The home is a registered 3 bed home providing support for children and young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties and is a large detached property set within close proximity of Swindon and situated in the peaceful village of Highworth.

The post holder will need to be NVQ Level 3 qualified in Residential Childcare and agree to undertake NVQ Level 5 in Residential Childcare once induction period is completed.

Organisational Relationships:

The post holder will be accountable to the Registered Manager. The Deputy Manager will be supported by Senior Support Staff and all the staff team and play a vital role in the day to day management and leadership of the home.

Description of Role:

You will be Deputy Manager within a small nurturing Children’s Home. The post holder will be responsible for assisting in the managing of all aspects of running the Home, for medium to long term planned placements and respite breaks (N.B. emergency short-term placements are also occasionally accommodated) to ensure young people are supported and prepared to move on to independent living.

To ensure that high levels of emotional and physical care, appropriate activities, comfortable accommodation and the service of keyworkers are planned, provided and applied in accordance with home’s Procedures and Strategies.

The Deputy Manager must demonstrate emotional sustainability, sound partnership practice, verbal and written communication techniques, the ability to form lasting relationships, commitment to working issues through, to be tenacious in working in a planned way to achieve the best outcomes for the young person through establishing small achievable targets.

Main Duties and Responsibilities Specific to the Post:

To assist in the management, co-ordination and development of a range of quality services for young people referred and/or accommodated within the home.

To ensure the Home exceeds all standards prescribed within the Children’s Homes Regulations 2015 and to look for ways in which we can provide care that is ‘Outstanding’.

To ensure the young people’s needs are met in line with their Care Plans.

To promote the practice of working in partnership with young people, their families, other staff, and other agencies, in order to meet the needs of young people.

To provide effective leadership day to day by implementing organizational strategies to meet the targets and objectives set out in our policies and procedures.

To promote team development and effective team working.

To maximise the effectiveness of staff through motivation, development and the application of my client’s personnel policies.

To take the lead in setting standards and evaluating achievements; to take a proactive role in securing improvements in the quality of services provided by my client.

To provide operational management of the staff team and to deploy appropriate staff resources in order that key tasks are fulfilled. To ensure that sufficient back up resources are available in emergency/out of hours’ situations including participation in an out of hours ‘On-Call’ Rota.

To have line management responsibilities for a staff team, ensuring that all staff receive appropriate induction, supervision and appraisal.

To be responsible for ensuring a full flow of information into and out of the team and to develop effective communication strategies and systems which assist staff in the operation of their duties.

To ensure that the policies and procedures of the client are implemented.

To ensure that staff training and development needs are identified and ensuring that those needs are met. To assist in training staff as required.

To ensure that all Health and Safety Regulations are complied with in accordance with client policies, procedures and practices.

To ensure that effective finance budgets, control, administration and records comply with the client’s expectations and procedures.

To promote and implement the companies Equality and Diversity policies and procedures.

To ensure that staff understand and implement the companies Child Protection Procedures.

Specific Duties:

1. To assist in formulating monthly rotas one month in advance that take into account staffing requirements, individual needs and holidays and co-ordinate and monitor staffing levels within the home to ensure that they are met and in line with budgetary constraints.

2. To assist the Registered Manager in ensuring that there is an appropriate Statement of Purpose for the home and that this document is updated on a regular basis. To update the Annex A and Single Central Record on a monthly basis.

3. Be involved in the company’s selection and recruitment process, undertaking Safer Recruitment training and playing an important role in the recruitment of new staff. To be active in new staff’s induction process into the home and take control of their induction period making sure it is correctly documented and saved.

4. To assist the Manager in providing operational management of the staff team and to deploy staff resources in order that key objectives are fulfilled. Organising shifts, weeks and longer periods of time with documented schedules so that the home is run efficiently and is organised with staff informed of what they are doing whilst on shift during these times. The senior staff will also assist with this.

5. To organise, deliver and co-ordinate supervision and appraisal support to the staff team. To arrange a supervision matrix allocating between the management team who needs supervision/appraisal and on what dates and schedule these appointments making sure they are completed.

6. To assist the manager in the implementation of care plans in line with legislation and current needs and make sure the documents are accurate and up to date showing progression and progress up to that date.

7. To arrange monthly keyworkers meetings to co-ordinate each young person’s key working and make sure the young person’s files are accurate and up to date and the keyworkers are fulfilling their duties.

8. To make sure the young people are progressing through their development stages, allocating a staff member to take charge of this and making sure they are supported to fulfil their duties. Making sure all young people’s development is documented and easy to understand.

9. To chair meetings where appropriate.

10. To be the designated person in charge in the Manager’s absence.

11. To be a part of an on call via telephone during designated hours.

12. Ensure that the protection and welfare of young people/young adults is the paramount consideration to the staff team. That daily notes are completed, and all incidents, occurrences and observations are documented and followed through correctly.

13. To work alongside the registered manager in documenting incidents and occurrences and analysing these accurately acting upon your findings in supervisions. Notifying the LA or Ofsted where appropriate and making sure the quality of care is the best possible.

14. Maintain a clean and safe environment paying particular attention to Health and Safety legislation and environmental health needs. Being responsible for the fire and health and safety files if the manager is unavailable.

15. Attend training programmes as required.

16. To implement ways and ideas that will make the home ‘outstanding’, organise events, activities and long term plans that engage our young people in the wider community and give them a sense of responsibility and promote their sense of belonging.

17. To always consider the effect of your presentation, communication and conduct will have on others and always endeavour to work as part of a team.

18. To analyse The Children’s Homes Regulations and identify paperwork that we are missing or that needs to be improved and liase with the Director of Care to make sure this paperwork is implemented.

This job description is not intended to be a complete list of duties and responsibilities but indicates some of the main areas attached to the post of Deputy Home Manager.

Note: This post is non-residential, but the post holder will be required to be part of a management rota providing out of hours support for the Company. A full manual driving licence is essential, and you are required to drive the young people to appointments, home visits, school, local authorities etc.

Avocet Staffing are acting as a recruitment company on behalf of our client. If you have not heard from us within 5 working days from your application, you have been unsuccessful on this occasion.