Duty Manager (Care)

Harmeny Education Trust is a charitable organisation providing therapeutic care and education to children who have experienced early years trauma through abuse, neglect and family disruption, referred from all over Scotland. We currently work with children and young people aged 5-18, both on a day and all-year-round residential basis.

We are currently seeking a proactive, compassionate, and highly organised Duty Manager (Care) to join our Care Team on a permanent, full‑time employed basis. The postholder will contribute to a culture and ethos in which we make the needs of the children paramount and provide them with security, safety, care and social development to enable them to reach their potential. The successful applicant will be responsible for overseeing the day‑to‑day running of the service, ensuring the highest standard of care, and supporting both residents and staff throughout each shift.

As Duty Manager (Care), you will act as the senior point of contact on shift, promoting a safe, supportive, and person‑centred environment where children and young people can thrive. The postholder will aid the Service Manager (Residential) and Residential Team Manager and be an additional source of support and direction for the Care team. In the absence of the Residential Team Manager and Service Manager (Residential), the Duty Manager will assume the leadership role within the Care Team.

The successful candidate will be appointed at Point 26 on the Harmeny pay scale. Point 26 is currently £41,544 per annum, rising to £42,998 effective 1 April 2026. The normal hours for this post are 39 hours per week, including work during evenings and weekends, but additional hours may be required.

Successful applicants will be required to join Disclosure Scotland’s Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme and register with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) in line with the requirements for supervisors on the register for children and young people in the residential child care services. A driving licence allowing the use of our vehicles is essential.

Harmeny is a values‑led organisation and a good fit with our ethos is as important to us as having relevant experience. Harmeny is situated in a beautiful 35‑acre woodland estate, which includes residential and education accommodation, community garden, orchard, wildlife habitats and children’s play areas. Harmeny is located in Balerno on the outskirts of Edinburgh, at the foot of the Pentland Hills; we are easily accessible by bus and there is on‑site parking available.

We are highly committed to the professional development of all our staff and the postholder will have access to comprehensive training and development opportunities. We offer benefits and opportunities that promote wellbeing, work‑life balance and staff development.

• Seven weeks of annual leave
• Pension scheme
• Life assurance (three times salary)
• On‑site wellbeing spaces and free massage therapy
• Free gym membership
• Cycle to work scheme
• Access to a wellbeing app and counselling
• Access to discounts on shopping and events
• Access to a comprehensive induction package, and to a range of learning and development opportunities throughout their career with us.

More information on the benefits of working at Harmeny, plus a fuller job description and person specification can be found at www.harmeny.org.uk/jobs. If you would like to find out more about this opportunity, please contact Craig Paul or Stephanie Bestford, Service Manager, on 0131 449 3938. To apply, please complete the application form via our recruitment section at www.harmeny.org.uk/jobs.

Key Responsibilities:

• Promote a positive ethos in the school consistent with Harmeny’s vision, purpose and core values.
• Support the Residential Team Manager with the implementation of management decisions, consistent with the Harmeny and cottage plans, policies and procedures.
• Be an integral part of the Care staff team.
• Adhere to the requirements of the SSSC Codes of Practice, and ensure that team members, and those of whom you are responsible for, do the same and remain updated of any changes in them.
• Care for the children’s everyday requirements and to help create a homely, caring and safe environment for all the children at Harmeny.
• Be involved in the development, implementation and review of risk assessment and care planning for children.
• Be responsible for the care and welfare of children and staff, reporting any safeguarding or health and safety issues immediately, in line with relevant policies and procedures.
• Be the point of contact for any child protection concerns out of normal office hours and complete paperwork and notifications to on call management and relevant social workers/departments this includes adhering to or amending risk assessments for children and staff and relevant protocols, within your role as Duty Manager.
• Undertake the role of Fire Warden, First Aider and respond to any emergency situations, engaging relevant contingency and crisis management plans, where required, for major incidents.
• Assist with staff selection, recruitment and retention.
• Be involved in the development and implementation of cottage improvement plans that reflect recommendations from the Independent Care Review outcomes – “The Promise”.
• Be able to understand children’s behaviour and support them to manage their behaviour themselves.
• Support and mentor all care staff to manage difficult situations on a daily basis and provide feedback to staff and cottage management, to learn and adapt to meet our children’s needs.
• Ensure all paperwork pertaining to Child protection, physical intervention, restrictive practice, accident, injury, first aid and incidents are recorded to a high standard, signposted/notified to responsible person or signed off as required and logged.
• Where required, as a last resort, be capable of implementing physical intervention techniques.
• Support children’s learning during and out with the formal school day.
• Manage and allocate resources such as cars, rooms, family spaces and ensure they are maintained and safe to use.
• Attend meetings with other Duty Managers/join RTM meeting to share observations, as required.
• Ensure that all children’s case notes are recorded, where required, to a high standard.
• Be able to be flexible within the timetable and working patterns at the discretion of the Service Manager (Residential).
• Work in accordance with all Harmeny policies and procedures.
• Attend supervision, training and other meetings, as required.
• Ensure effective systems of line management and leadership, and professional support through Supervision of sessional staff in line with level of need, statutory requirements and frequency of shifts worked.
• Manage poor performance, attainment, training and sickness pertaining to sessional staff, liaising closely with HR/Learning and Development, where required.
• Be the point of call for all staff, site wide to report their absence.
• With responsibility for updating management and relevant teams as well as updating the HR system (BreatheHR) where required.
• Manage the day-to-day deployment of care staff and rota of the care team as well as supporting the school to bridge gaps in staffing.
• Seeking cover where applicable through sessional, day, night and agency provision and balancing staffing across the site to best meet the needs of the service and the young people.
• Matching, skills, experience and need, to support our young people and team in line with Care Staffing Needs Assessment.
• Participate in in‑service training and recognised residential care training as well as contribute to the delivery of learning and development, supporting induction training, shadow shifts and managing the rota and maintain minimal staffing levels when training site wide is taking place.
• Undertake sleep‑in duties as required by the staffing rota.
• Participate in residential trips and holidays when required.
• Play a co‑ordination role in whole school events.
• Ensure the weekly Medication Audits are completed by the cottages in line with company policy and our duties as a registered service.
• Carry out any other duties consistent with the nature of the post at the discretion of the Harmeny’s management team.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Take responsibility as delegated by the Residential Team Manager / Service Manager (Care) for managing resources of staff and finance to meet the needs of the children and the effective running of the school.
• Ensure a high level of security around the site, school buildings and cottages, ensuring all buildings that are empty are secured and ensure that only authorised people are on site and challenge anyone who should not be on site and effectively actioning and reporting concerns.
• Ensure that the highest levels of professional practice are maintained within the overall operation of the care and learning environments.
• Assist in the provision of professional support and direction for Care staff, through mental health first aid, de‑briefs, 1‑1 support or signposting to our inhouse and external support services.
• Provide evening, daytime and weekend leadership to the staff team on a rota basis.
• Ensure that all recording and reporting systems are maintained and updated and to bring to the attention of the Service Manager (Residential), or member of HSMT in their absence, any issues of concern at the earliest opportunity.

Qualifications, Skills, Knowledge and Expertise:

• A qualification in line with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) requirements for supervisors on the register for children and young people in the residential child care services, or the ability to work towards it.
• The ability to drive fleet vehicles.
• Experience in residential work and / or childcare, including working with children with complex social, emotional and behavioural needs.
• Knowledge and understanding of children who are looked after and accommodated, and children with complex additional support needs.
• Knowledge of child development, childcare legislation, good practice guidance, policy and procedures and a commitment to Children’s Rights.
• Knowledge of the Independent Care Review, “The Promise”.
• Understanding of the duty of care to children and colleagues.
• Understanding of the practice issues of physical intervention (PI), and ability to undertake PI when required.
• Knowledge and experience of organising and delivering children’s activities.
• Good communication skills, both written and oral.
• Experience of mentoring and supporting new staff and students.
• Good organisational and administrative skills and computer literacy.

Personal characteristics:

• Committed to high standards of care.
• Able to handle competing priorities and a challenging workload within a highly pressurised working environment.
• Accountable for the performance of their team and own performance.
• Proactive and takes the initiative to gain the information needed for the role, with a flexible and ‘can do’ attitude.