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- Tasks: Lead a team in providing trauma-informed care for children in a supportive environment.
- Company: Beechwood House, a Good-rated therapeutic residential children's home.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, bonuses, private medical cover, and professional development opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in children's lives while developing your leadership skills.
- Qualifications: Experience in residential childcare and a relevant qualification in social care.
- Other info: Join a stable, growing team with clear progression to Registered Manager.
The predicted salary is between 36000 - 48000 £ per year.
Reports to: Registered Manager
Salary: £42,000 to £46,000 post-probation
Employment: Full-time
Location: Frinton-on-Sea
Ofsted-registered: Good provision (2025)
Package: Sector leading
About us
Beechwood House is an Ofsted-registered Good therapeutic residential children's home, providing trauma-informed care for children and young people who have experienced trauma, neglect, and adversity. Therapy at Beechwood House is not an add-on. It is embedded in everyday care, relationships, routines, and leadership. Our practice is relational, reflective, and grounded in emotional intelligence, creating an environment where children feel safe, understood, and able to settle.
As we expand our provision to occupy and develop additional capacity, we are seeking to appoint an additional Deputy Manager to strengthen our leadership structure. This role will support the continued, staged growth of the service while ensuring that high-quality, therapeutically informed practice remains consistent across the home.
The Role
As Deputy Manager, you will collaborate closely with the Registered Manager to ensure Beechwood House remains safe, stable, and effectively led, with children's emotional wellbeing at the heart of practice. This role is ideal for an experienced leader prepared to progress to the position of Registered Manager and who values reflective, therapeutic leadership.
You will provide visible, values-led leadership across the home, supporting staff to think reflectively, regulate emotionally, and respond consistently to children's needs. Drawing on your therapeutic background in residential childcare, you will help translate trauma-informed theory into everyday practice, ensuring children experience care that is nurturing, predictable, and relationally attuned.
The role offers genuine development and progression, with the opportunity to build experience in governance, inspection readiness, and strategic leadership alongside an established Registered Manager.
Key responsibilities include:
- Working in partnership with the Registered Manager and their senior team to support the safe, effective, and compliant day-to-day running of the home.
- Taking increasing responsibility for leadership, decision-making, and oversight, in preparation for future Registered Manager registration as we expand our provision.
- Embedding trauma-informed and therapeutic approaches into care delivery, routines, staff practice, and leadership responses.
- Providing reflective supervision, coaching, and mentoring to staff teams, role-modelling emotionally intelligent and relational leadership.
- Supporting staff performance, wellbeing, and development within a therapeutic and psychologically safe culture.
- Maintaining high standards of safeguarding, quality, and inspection readiness, in line with the expectations of Ofsted.
- Working collaboratively with placing authorities, social workers, therapists, and other professionals to ensure cohesive, child-centred care.
- Contributing to service development and expansion, helping to maintain stability, consistency, and strong leadership as the provision grows.
About You
You are a calm, confident, and values-led leader with a strong grounding in therapeutic residential childcare. You understand how trauma, attachment, and adversity shape behaviour, and you bring this understanding into your leadership as well as your day-to-day practice.
You are reflective by nature, able to hold complexity without becoming reactive, and skilled at supporting staff to think clearly and compassionately in emotionally demanding situations. You are motivated by high standards, consistency, and relational care, and you value doing things properly in a regulated environment.
You will bring:
- Experience in a senior or supervisory role within a residential children's setting, with responsibility for leading and supporting staff teams.
- A strong working knowledge of trauma-informed and therapeutic approaches, alongside a sound understanding of safeguarding practice.
- A calm, emotionally intelligent leadership style, able to model reflective practice and support staff through challenge, uncertainty, and change.
- Confidence working within a regulated environment, with an understanding of quality, compliance, and inspection readiness.
- A relevant childcare or social care qualification, with Level 5 (Leadership and Management) achieved or actively being worked towards.
Desirable criteria:
- Experience supporting and contributing to an Ofsted inspection, particularly in a children's residential setting.
- Previous involvement in deputising for a Registered Manager or acting-up responsibilities.
- Experience of working within a therapeutic or clinically supported model of care.
- Confidence in supervision, performance management, and staff development.
- An interest in progressing to Registered Manager within a supportive and developmental framework.
You will be someone who believes in stability, thoughtful leadership, and emotionally attuned care, and who wants to play a key role in a service that helps children feel safe, settled, and able to thrive.
We Offer
- Guaranteed contracted hours, providing stability and consistency.
- Market-leading pay and conditions, reflecting the responsibility and emotional intelligence required in therapeutic leadership.
- A high-quality induction programme and ongoing professional development, including trauma-informed practice, leadership training, and reflective clinical wellbeing supervision.
- A supportive, values-led and therapeutic culture, where staff are encouraged to think reflectively and are not expected to carry complexity alone.
- Clear and genuine progression opportunities, including structured development for those aspiring to progress to Registered Manager.
- Strong, visible senior leadership and a service that prioritises quality, safeguarding, and relational care over firefighting or turnover.
- The opportunity to be part of a stable and growing provision, where leadership expansion reflects ambition and development not crisis.
Post-probationary enhancements:
- A starting bonus payable following successful completion of the 6-month probationary period.
- Salary increases to £46,000.
- Enhanced employer pension contribution.
- Private medical cover (such as Bupa or equivalent).
- Annual performance bonus.
- Annual salary review.
- Ofsted outcome-linked bonus.
- Increased holiday entitlement linked to long service.
Make an application
If you believe children heal through relationships, safety, and understanding, we would love to hear from you.
Deputy Manager in Chelmsford employer: Bear Care
Contact Detail:
Bear Care Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Deputy Manager in Chelmsford
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the childcare sector, attend local events, and join relevant online groups. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can put in a good word for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by practising common questions and scenarios related to trauma-informed care. Think about how you would handle specific situations and be ready to share your experiences. Confidence is key!
✨Tip Number 3
Showcase your leadership style during interviews. Be ready to discuss how you support staff and promote a reflective, emotionally intelligent environment. This will resonate well with employers looking for a Deputy Manager.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are genuinely interested in joining our therapeutic community.
We think you need these skills to ace Deputy Manager in Chelmsford
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion: When writing your application, let your passion for working with children shine through. We want to see how much you care about providing trauma-informed care and creating a safe environment for young people.
Tailor Your Experience: Make sure to highlight your relevant experience in residential childcare and leadership. We’re looking for someone who can translate their therapeutic background into everyday practice, so be specific about how you've done this in the past.
Be Reflective: We value reflective practice, so don’t hesitate to share examples of how you’ve navigated complex situations. Show us how you support staff and children emotionally, and how you maintain high standards in your work.
Apply Through Our Website: For the best chance of success, make sure to apply through our website. It’s the easiest way for us to keep track of your application and ensure it gets the attention it deserves!
How to prepare for a job interview at Bear Care
✨Know Your Trauma-Informed Care
Make sure you understand the principles of trauma-informed care and how they apply to everyday practice. Be ready to discuss specific examples from your experience where you've successfully implemented these approaches in a residential setting.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Style
Prepare to talk about your leadership style and how it aligns with the values of Beechwood House. Think of instances where you've modelled emotionally intelligent leadership and supported staff through challenging situations.
✨Reflective Practice is Key
Demonstrate your ability to reflect on complex situations without becoming reactive. Share examples of how you've encouraged staff to think reflectively and how this has positively impacted the children in your care.
✨Be Ready for Scenario Questions
Expect scenario-based questions that assess your decision-making and problem-solving skills in a therapeutic environment. Prepare by thinking through potential challenges you might face as a Deputy Manager and how you would address them.
