Senior Support Worker: Children's Residential Care in Rossendale

Senior Support Worker: Children's Residential Care

Location: Rossendale / East Lancashire (Homes in Bacup & Barnoldswick)

Salary: £14.00 to £15.00 per hour (depending on experience and qualifications) + £50.00 per sleep-in night (Approx. £34,000 to £36,500+ per annum including regular sleep-ins)

Hours: Average 38.8 hours per week (Structured 2-on 4-off rolling shift pattern, 8:00am start)

Key Benefits include: Fully funded NVQ Level 3 / Level 4 training | Specialised outdoor adventurous activities programme | Dedicated management mentoring | Workplace pension | Employee Assistance Programme | Supportive 2:1 staffing ratios

Are you an experienced residential care professional looking for the perfect stepping stone into management?

Whether you're an established Senior Support Worker, Shift Leader or Team Leader seeking a values-led provider, or an established Residential Care Worker ready to take on formal supervisory responsibilities, we want to hear from you.

At XYP Childcare, we don't do corporate, one-size-fits-all care. Operating beautiful, high-specification homes across East Lancashire and the Rossendale Valley - including Bacup and Barnoldswick - our services are dedicated to therapeutic solo and high-ratio 2:1 care. We create calm, low-arousal environments where young people have the genuine space, safety, and individual attention they need to rebuild their lives.

As a Senior Support Worker, you'll bridge the gap between front-line care and leadership. Supporting our Registered Managers and Deputy Managers, you'll help lead shifts, mentor newer team members, and drive care standards across our small, dedicated teams.

Why join XYP Childcare?

• Clear Management Pathway: Gain direct, practical experience deputising for managers, chairing reviews, conducting supervisions, and mastering care compliance to fast-track your route into Deputy Management.
• Predictable 2-on 4-off Rota: Enjoy a healthy work-life balance with a structured 2-on 4-off shift pattern, giving you four consecutive days off after every two shifts.
• Supportive 2:1 Staffing Ratios: No chaotic multi-bed group dynamics. Our homes operate on intensive, high-ratio support (2:1 care with sleeping nights) designed to give young people the dedicated attention they deserve.
• Outdoors & Experiential Care: Work alongside our specialist adventurous outdoor activity team, incorporating hiking, camping, water sports, and DofE initiatives into everyday care.
• Funded Professional Development: Complete your Diploma Level 3 or progress onto Level 4/5 qualifications at zero personal cost, backed by hands-on mentoring from experienced leaders.

Ready to apply? Skip to the ‘apply now’ button to start your journey with XYP Childcare.

Why join our team?

We believe children's residential care should feel like a true home from home - built on unconditional positive regard, stability, and high aspirations. We lead through connection before correction, using trauma-informed PACE principles (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity, Empathy) to help young people heal and thrive.

As a Senior Support Worker with us, you'll never feel left to sink or swim. You'll inherit a balanced mix of fresh and experienced residential carers who need a calm, diplomatic, and encouraging leader on shift. Our Registered Managers and Deputy Managers maintain an active, visible presence on the floor, providing regular supervision, reflective debriefs, and the guidance you need to grow into a senior leadership post.

About Our Homes: Rossendale & East Lancashire

Our homes across Bacup and Barnoldswick are warm, high-specification Victorian and detached properties situated in peaceful, semi-rural settings right on the edge of the Lancashire countryside and Pendle Hill.

Each home is finished to an exceptional domestic standard, featuring comfortable young people's suites, modern family kitchens, quiet therapy spaces, staff sleep-in facilities, and private management offices. Designed for solo or 2:1 residential care, these homes eliminate the chaos of large group settings, giving you the time and space to practice deep, relational childcare.

The Role: What you'll be doing

Working closely with the Registered Manager and Deputy Manager, you'll oversee daily shift operations, mentor care workers, and ensure care plans are carried out with precision, heart, and consistency.

Your day-to-day as a Senior Support Worker will involve:

• Shift Leadership & Coaching: Leading daily shifts by example, supervising both new and established care workers, and conducting reflective 1:1 supervisions and appraisals.
• Care Planning & Quality Reviews: Drafting, reviewing, and updating young people's Placement Plans, Behaviour Support Plans, and Risk Assessments in line with Quality Standards.
• Management Support & Deputising: Supporting the Registered Manager and Deputy Manager with daily audits, chairing team handovers and house meetings, and providing holiday cover when required.
• Active Engagement & Outdoors: Getting hands-on with young people, coordinating daily life-skills routines, cooking meals together, and collaborating with our outdoor activity instructors on off-site expeditions.
• Safeguarding & Administration: Administering and recording medication accurately, maintaining digital logs (Lief), and acting as an alert, proactive safeguarding advocate.

Your Experience and Qualifications

Essential:

• The Background: Minimum of 1 to 2 years' direct experience working within an Ofsted-registered children's residential home, with demonstrable experience in shift leading, key working, or mentoring.
• The Character: Resilient, diplomatic, and emotionally mature, with the confidence to challenge poor practice constructively and support newer team members with patience.
• Driving Licence: Hold a full, valid UK manual driving licence (essential for driving house vehicles and outdoor trips).
• The Logistics: Have the legal right to work in the UK without sponsorship.
• Safer Recruitment: Willingness to complete a full safer recruitment application form and undergo an Enhanced DBS check on the Update Service.

Desirable:

• Hold the NVQ / Diploma Level 3 in Residential Childcare (or Children and Young People's Workforce). Candidates with strong senior experience who are working towards completion will also be considered.
• Working knowledge of the Children's Homes Regulations 2015 and PACE principles.

Your Package and Perks

• Hourly Rate: £14.00 to £15.00 per hour (dependent on qualifications and track record).
• Sleep-In Allowance: £50.00 per sleep-in night (adding £4,000 to £6,000+ to your annual earnings).
• Shift Pattern: Predictable 2-on 4-off rolling rota (8:00am start), providing four full rest days after every two working days.
• Funded Training & Development: Free, company-funded NVQ Level 3 and Level 4/5 qualifications, plus specialist trauma-informed and de-escalation training.
• Wellbeing & Support: Workplace Pension scheme, Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), and casual dress code.

Our Interview Process

We value your time and keep our recruitment path clear and straightforward:

1. Apply: Submit your CV and complete the initial screening questions.
2. Stage 1 (Screening): A brief, informal telephone conversation with our direct hiring partner resîta to discuss your experience and expectations.
3. Stage 2 (Competency & Culture Interview): A face-to-face interview at one of our homes with the Registered Manager and leadership team.
4. Offer: Conditional hiring decision, subject to references and safer recruitment checks.

How to Apply

If you're ready to take the next step in your childcare career and join a values-led provider that truly invests in you, we'd love to hear from you. Please submit your CV.

XYP Childcare is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are strictly committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children; all successful appointments are subject to comprehensive safer recruitment checks, referencing, and an Enhanced DBS on the Update Service.