Residential Night Support Worker

You will contribute to the protection, safeguarding and promotion of education, health and the well-being of children and young people. As a residential night care officer, you will provide a safe, caring, and supportive environment for children during the night. You will support with housekeeping tasks, including laundry, cleaning, and admin duties. You will be expected to monitor and discreetly oversee the children's safety during the night, including the administration of medication as necessary, and lead on the reporting of missing children when necessary. You will collaborate with other staff and liaise with external agencies when necessary. You will have shared responsibility for the safe handling and management of petty cash and procurement procedures. The post holder will promote, safeguard and protect the welfare of each child and ensure the child is the primary focus. You will promote self-advocacy and ensure you capture the child's voice in all aspects of your work. The post holder will work as a member of the team ensuring the admission, ongoing care and discharge of children is undertaken in a sensitive and caring manner by being responsible for the welfare of children for the duration of the shift, including the undertaking of such personal and intimate care (in some residential homes) as may be required for any individual child.

Main duties of the job:

• Work independently as part of a specialist team managing a caseload undertaking assessment of need, negotiate care packages and undertake reviews with consideration for budgetary constraints and in accordance with legislation and council policies.
• Carry out the role of key worker for service users, providing assistance and guidance in areas such as restorative practice, signs of safety, personal care, daily living, health, social integration and emotional support.
• Ensure implementation of care plans, support plans, risk assessments and monitor the effectiveness of these plans and take any appropriate follow-up action in conjunction with the service user, carers and other professionals as appropriate.
• Work in partnership with others to ensure a consistent and planned care package is delivered.
• Ensure that parents/carers, service users receive appropriate information and are aware of their rights under appropriate legislation so they can make informed decisions.
• Encourage choice in daily life and promote self-advocacy and/or advocate on behalf of the service user.
• Assist service users to deal with behavioural difficulties or other vulnerabilities.
• Produce and maintain up to date accurate records to an appropriate standard as required by policy and good practice by using appropriate IT equipment and other methods.
• Provide support in a variety of environments i.e. home, community, outreach, residential, school.

About us:

This is an excellent time to work within Rotherham. We are passionate about the place and the people who live, work and visit here. We are delivering major regeneration and housing, as well as creating new jobs and opportunities for our residents. Rotherham is a real 'central UK' location with excellent road and rail links and is ideally placed near the scenic countryside of the Peak District, whilst also being conveniently located next to the vibrant city of Sheffield. Our vision for Rotherham is that we come together as a community, where we seek to draw on our proud history to build a future we can all share. We respect decency, dignity and seek to build a town where opportunity is extended to everyone, where people can grow, flourish and prosper, and where no one is left behind. We offer an excellent pay and benefits package which includes membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme, as well as a range of health and wellbeing and other benefits.

Job responsibilities:

• Residential Night Support Worker x 3 posts
• Advert reference REQ21823
• Post 1 - Permanent, Full time, 37 hours per week
• Post 2 - Permanent, Part time, 28 hours per week
• Post 3 - Permanent, Part time, 19 hours per week
• Salary details: £28,598 - £31,022 (Pro rata for part time) plus excellent benefits and enhanced rates for night working.
• Working times are 10.00pm - 07.00am working a varied rota including weekends and bank holidays.
• Shortlisting date 4th February 2026
• Interview date w/c 9th February 2026

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY:

Rotherham Council is committed to making every child fulfil their potential. You can help us by applying for a role in one of our residential homes today. When you join one of our dedicated teams, you will help make a lasting difference in the lives of children and young people across the borough. Following a full-service review and cabinet approval, our Children and Young Peoples Service are now recruiting for Children's Residential Waking Nights Support Workers. Our overarching ambition is to be a children-friendly borough, which is part of our commitment to create a performance-led culture that puts the child at the centre of everything we do. We want our children and young people to be physically healthier and emotionally happier. Rotherham Council has made a strategic decision to make a significant investment in children's residential services. This will ensure more of our looked after children are placed in Rotherham, close to their local communities, family, and schools. We are using current best practice and evidence-based models to develop a range of new children's homes including 2 and 4 bed children's homes, emergency accommodation and solo provision for some of our most complex children and young people.

Waking Nights Residential Support Workers in Rotherham will:

• Promote, safeguard, and protect the welfare of looked after children across the borough.
• Apply agreed evidence-based therapeutic and behavioural management approaches and practice models.
• Provide opportunities for children and young people to influence the decisions that affect them and the service they receive.
• Work systemically and as part of a team to ensure a joined-up service centred on the child.
• Manage and adapt rota arrangements to ensure that children and young people have safe levels of support.
• Engage in the running of the home including activities, meals, personal care, recording, report writing and administration of medication in line with the council's policy.
• Participate in and audit the completion of relevant records and reports.
• Provide and promote a safe, stimulating and nurturing physical environment.

Key benefits of working at Rotherham Council's Children and Young Peoples service are:

• The Council offers access to a contributory pension scheme with the Council paying in around double the amount you pay towards your pension benefits payable on retirement.

Training and Qualifications:

All residential staff must complete a Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare (or equivalent) within 2 years of starting, in line with the Children's Homes Regulations 2015. Already studying? We can support your transfer. If you don't have the qualification yet, talk to us to see how we can support you with accessing training. Continued learning and development is at the centre of the Residential Service. We provide regular opportunities for training and development through our dedicated Rotherham Learning Academy. We want to ensure all our staff are fully equipped to deliver their role to the fullest so our children get the best support possible.

About you:

We are seeking inspirational, resilient and child-focused waking night support workers who are committed to:

• Developing their skills and practices to provide an outstanding residential service to children and young people.
• Promoting and being part of a learning and coaching culture.
• Supporting and caring for some of our most complex children and young people, at times in solo provisions.

Our vision is for the children and families of Rotherham to routinely experience and describe the services they receive from us, as outstanding and we intend to do that by putting the child first in everything we do. By being part of our residential teams, you will play a crucial role in developing skills and practice and our collective commitment to an ethos of excellence, integrity, trust, and transparency. Joining us as we grow provides you an opportunity to be involved and influence the service design and development of practice in line with best practice and evidence-based approaches.

About Yorkshire:

Rotherham and the wider South Yorkshire region is a great place to live and a stone's throw from some of the UK's finest towns and cities and is home to some of the most beautiful countryside in Britain. Easy to reach from Sheffield or Leeds, there are plenty of places to see, things to do and property is excellent value for money - all within a 2-hour train journey from London.

If you have any questions regarding these opportunities and or would like a conversation about these new roles, please email our service managers at rickard.fisher@rotherham.gov.uk or Angie.currie@rotherham.gov.uk.

This post involves working with children and therefore if successful you will be required to apply for a disclosure of criminal records check at an enhanced level. Further information about the Disclosure Scheme can be found at www.gov.uk/disclosure-barring-service-check.

Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council is committed to encouraging equality, diversity and inclusion among our workforce, and eliminating unlawful discrimination. The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative of all sections of society and our customers, and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best. As a Disability Confident employer, we will ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants that meet the minimum criteria for this position will be offered an interview. For further information, please visit our website.

Until 31st March 2026 employees paid at Band D and above are subject to a temporary pay reduction of 1.15% spread out by means of a monthly deduction from each pay period over the full financial year. In recognition of implementing this temporary measure, those who experience a pay reduction will be awarded three additional days leave (pro rata for part-time).

Confirmation of this appointment is also subject to a medical assessment.

Please click the following link to view Rotherham Council's Privacy Notice here.

Person Specification:

Qualifications:

• NQF Level 3 qualification e.g. AS and A levels, NVQs Level 3, Applied A Levels, BTEC First Certificates and Diplomas, City and Guilds Advanced Craft Part 3, or NQF Level 4 Certificates of Higher Education.
• Or Evidence of the equivalent level of knowledge gained through work experience.

Experience:

• Experience of working with children and young people, ideally in a residential setting.
• Experience of working directly with children and families in a multi-agency setting and knowledge of the roles of other agencies and professionals.
• Knowledge of child development and the impact of early childhood trauma.
• Understanding and reviewing individual programmes of care and risk assessments for children and young people.
• Ability to record accurate information and data in line with statutory requirements and GDPR.
• Knowledge of The Children's Homes Regulations 2015 and Safeguarding frameworks.
• Ability to work under pressure whilst maintaining a calm and professional manner.
• Understanding of advocacy and a commitment to upholding children's rights.
• Using a range of computer applications and ICT including word processing, spreadsheets, databases, presentation software, internet and e-mail.
• Hold a full UK driving licence.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check:

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.