Children Services Short Breaks - Manager in Norwich

Make a Real Difference to Children with Disabilities and Complex Needs

Are you passionate about helping children who need extra support to communicate, play, learn, and thrive?

You’ll be part of a warm, highly supportive team where creativity, patience, specialist care, and play‑based learning go hand in hand.

And above all — you must be willing to play, get messy, let your hair down, and have fun!

• What You’ll Need
• A genuine passion for supporting children with disabilities, additional needs, and developmental differences.
• A caring, patient, and positive approach with the ability to build strong relationships with children and families.
• Confidence working as part of a multi‑disciplinary team.
• Willingness to undertake specialist medical training including enteral feeding, epilepsy support, and manual handling.

• Flexibility, creativity, resilience, and a sense of fun!

• Why You’ll Love Working With Us
• The opportunity to make a profound difference to children and families every single day.
• The joy of seeing children achieve things others may have thought impossible.
• Specialist training and ongoing support to build your confidence and expertise in disability‑focused early years practice.
• A warm, close‑knit team who value kindness, teamwork, inclusion, and laughter.
• A rewarding role where no two days are ever the same.
• Safeguarding Statement

The Hamlet is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and at‑risk adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

You will find our full Safeguarding Policy as part of our application pack to read before completing your application.

We are committed to ensuring that all aspects of recruitment reflect this. Short listed candidates will be invited to a two‑part Warner and role related interview.

Post

Short Breaks Manager

Based at

• The Hamlet Children's Centre
• 36 hours per week | Tuesday to Saturday

Job share applications are welcome.

This role operates on a fixed two‑week rota

• Week 1: 2 set working days per week (Tuesday to Friday)
• Week 2: The same set working days as Week 1, plus Saturday as a third working day

Salary

Annual salary (36 hours, term‑time only): £28,042.36
Hourly rate: £14.98 per hour

Closing date

22nd August 2026

Please note that we reserve the right to close the vacancy before the stated closing date, therefore early applications are encouraged.

Interviews

• Week Commencing 24th August 2026
• Purpose and Scope of the Role

To support the Children’s Service Centre Manager on a daily basis to lead and develop services for children and young people with disabilities and complex health needs at the Children’s Centre in the centre of Norwich, deputising as necessary and to manage the Short Breaks for disabled children operating from and in the centre ensuring all 5‑17 year olds services operate efficiently.

• Teamwork and Partnership Working
• Support the Children’s Service Senior Manager in the day to day running of the Children’s Service.
• Deputise for the Children’s Service Senior Manager, attending meetings, taking staff meetings, and overseeing the building as required.
• Deputise for the Children’s Service Senior Manager in periods of absence, planned or unplanned. To ensure that the highest standards of care are always adhered to.
• To lead the team of short break staff – (Specialist Play Leader, Health Care Practitioners, Support Workers and Volunteers) from recruitment onwards including induction and supervision and appraisal and information for payroll as required.
• To ensure that legal and statutory requirements and care standards are met.
• Allocate Short Break sessions to children and young people and liaise with Norfolk County Council other funders as required by contracts.
• Overseeing the booking, admissions, completing a programme of activities, analysis and evaluation of services.
• Ensure that records of individual children and young people are maintained, and information shared with appropriate staff / parents / other professionals as required.
• Complete Invoices and data for the Short Breaks Team at Norfolk County Council
• Staff Management and Leadership
• Lead Support and encourage the staff and volunteers by being a positive role model.
• Hold at least weekly meetings with management team to discuss service needs and issues arising.
• Liaise with the Children’s Service Senior Manager and Training Co‑ordinator regarding the training needs identified
• Attend training as required by the Hamlet Charity and identified through the appraisal / supervision systems.
• Be responsible for a staff rota that ensures each short break session is staffed by an appropriate number of suitably experienced and trained staff.
• Promote effective working relationships between all staff and volunteers and ensure that regular briefing and debriefing meetings are held.
• Ensure Staff and Volunteers are fully aware of the support and developmental needs, medical and dietary requirements of children and young people in their care.
• Ensure that Staff responsible for any care or medical procedures have been trained and passed as competent to carry out such procedures as are required.
• Monitor staff hours and sickness, recording and discuss an action plan with the Centre Manager.
• Support Placements of students and apprentices when applicable, attending meetings as required.
• Administration and Operations
• Be responsible for the creation of a stimulating, exciting and safe environment for 5 – 17 year old services that represents good practice in playwork
• Support the planning of sessions to meet the individual needs of the children and young people as far as possible with parents and the children and young people themselves.
• Be responsible for effective communication with the parents/carers and the children and young people and the centre.
• Ensure that the resources support the needs of the children and young people.
• Contribute to and ensure that Core Assessments are complete to build strong support and care plans for the children and young people attending The Hamlet.
• Carry out any other reasonable tasks required to support the organisation’s needs.
• Assign key person responsibilities and schedule new intake planning.
• Manage weekly staff updates, ensuring all team members receive key information.
• Ensure policy and procedures updates are shared with all team members.
• Report in writing to the Board of Trustees all significant developments and or events you are responsible for.
• To be responsible for and to support staff to protect children and young people from harm.
• Be a Lead Safeguarding Practitioner in the setting and undertake appropriate training to do so.
• Reporting any concerns about a child’s safety or welfare according to the Hamlet Centre Safeguarding Children and Young People policy.
• Be aware of any changes in the needs of the individual children and young people and disseminate to your team as appropriate.
• Be able to manage and de‑escalate situations involving challenging behaviours of young people and children with profound and complex learning disabilities.
• Ensure that you fully understand the medical and dietary needs of children and young people attending the setting and gain support from Community Health as required.

The Building and Environment

• Responsibility for the ensuring that the centre is kept safe and secure by carrying out risk assessment and ensuring the building is secure.

Locking and unlocking, including the setting / deactivation of alarms as required.

• Support the staff to always maintain equipment and toys, to report and remove any damaged or faulty equipment.
• Ensure that the team complies with Health and Safety including fire safety and have practice in this.
• Ensure that all Hamlet Centre policies are adhered to and made available to staff.
• Support the staff to maintain equipment and resources at all times and remove any damaged or faulty equipment.
• Health and Safety
• Ensure a safe and hygienic environment, conducting risk assessments, monitoring equipment safety, and maintaining high health and safety standards.
• Ensure records (such as attendance registers, accident/incident reports) are properly maintained.
• Ensure the team complies with Health and Safety including evacuations and lockdowns and have practice in this.
• Work closely with the Children Service Centre Administrator / Health and Safety Officer.

Supporting our Safeguarding Commitment

You will be required to hold a satisfactory Enhanced DBS check and have supplied at least 2 satisfactory references before starting work.

Any conviction or adverse report relating to care, children, at risk adults, or dishonesty would make a candidate unsuitable for this role.

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