Assistant Manager – Maternity Cover in Chippenham

So much more than just a job.

Be part of a caring company and make a real difference to peoples lives.

• Assistant Manager – Maternity Cover
• Children’s Residential Home
• £32,000 - £36,000 per annum (DOE&Q)
  40 hours per week

This is more than keeping a home running. It is the chance to create the calm, consistency and belief that help young people feel safe, belong and make progress.

Haresfield is a residential children’s home for young people aged 8–18 with learning disabilities, complex needs and behaviours that may challenge.

We are looking for an assured, compassionate leader who can bring out the best in a team while keeping children at the heart of every decision.

You will be visible in the home—not managing from a distance.

You will lead practice, coach colleagues, strengthen care planning and quality assurance, and step into support shifts when the needs of the children or service require it.

• What you will bring to Haresfield
• Purposeful leadership — set clear expectations and build a warm, accountable and child-centred culture.
• Practice confidence — help teams understand behaviour as communication and use positive, consistent support.
• Operational grip — keep rotas, care plans, audits and daily systems accurate, effective and inspection-ready.
• Human connection — listen, communicate honestly and build trusted relationships with children, families and professionals.
• What you can expect from us
• 40 hours per week
• Six weeks’ annual leave
• A fixed-term, 15-month maternity-cover contract
• A supportive management team and access to full-time Mental Health First Aiders
• Accredited Positive Behaviour Management training and all mandatory training
• Auto-enrolment pension and Blue Light Card eligibility
• A confidential employee advice line, available 24 hours a day

The role

As Assistant Manager, you will work with the Registered Manager to lead the safe, effective and nurturing day-to-day operation of Haresfield.

You will translate plans and standards into consistent practice and help colleagues understand not only what must be done, but why it matters for each child.

• Your key responsibilities
• Oversee daily operations and maintain a safe, organised and welcoming home.
• Create and manage staffing rotas that reflect children’s assessed needs, safe staffing levels and service requirements.
• Develop, review and quality-assure child-centred care plans, risk assessments and behaviour-support plans.
• Lead, coach and support staff through supervision, reflective practice, feedback and clear performance expectations.
• Complete quality-assurance audits, identify themes and ensure improvement actions are completed and sustained.
• Promote children’s rights, wishes and feelings and support meaningful participation in decisions about their lives.
• Work collaboratively with families, social workers, education, health professionals and other partners.
• Respond appropriately to safeguarding concerns, incidents, complaints and notifications, escalating without delay.
• Model trauma-informed, positive and least-restrictive approaches to behaviour support.
• Undertake support shifts according to the needs of the home and participate in the on-call rota.

About you

You do not need to be the loudest person in the room.

You do need to be calm under pressure, clear about standards and genuinely interested in helping children and colleagues succeed.

• At least two years’ experience in a managerial or substantial supervisory role within care, education or a closely related setting.
• RQF Level 3 in Health and Social Care, Children and Young People, or an equivalent relevant qualification.
• Experience of supporting individuals and teams through effective positive-behaviour support.
• A broad and practical understanding of learning disabilities and complex needs.
• Strong leadership, communication, literacy, numeracy and digital skills.
• The ability to work flexibly, including support shifts, weekends when required and participation in on-call.
• A full driving licence.
• The kind of person who thrives here
• Caring and respectful — you protect dignity, champion choice and notice the small things that improve a child’s day.
• Flexible and dependable — you respond to changing needs and are prepared to step in when it matters.
• Curious and reflective — you learn from incidents, feedback and the experiences of children and colleagues.
• Warm and positive — you bring appropriate humour, energy and hope while maintaining professional boundaries.
• Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility

Autonomy Plus Ltd is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults.

Safer recruitment checks will form part of the selection process.

Any offer will be subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks, which are expected to include an enhanced DBS check with the relevant barred-list information, identity and right-to-work checks, references and verification of employment history and qualifications, as applicable to the role.

It is a criminal offence for a person who is barred from regulated activity with children to apply for, offer to do, accept or do regulated activity from which they are barred.

Applicants must provide complete and accurate information during recruitment.

A disclosed conviction or other information will be considered fairly and proportionately in relation to the role and safeguarding requirements.

Equality, inclusion and accessibility

We are an equal opportunities employer.

We welcome applications from suitably qualified people and make employment decisions fairly, without unlawful discrimination.

We are a Disability Confident employer and a Mental Health at Work committed employer.

If you need a reasonable adjustment at any stage of recruitment, please tell us how we can support you.

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