Job Description

Senior Support Worker/Team Leader - Panacea Children's Home

East Tilbury, Essex
Full time, rota based including evenings, weekends and sleeps

About Panacea

Panacea Children's Home is a small two bed therapeutic home for children aged 11 to 17 with emotional and behavioural difficulties. We provide stable, trauma informed residential care where children feel safe, heard and genuinely cared for.

We work with a 2 to 1 staff ratio, use PACE based practice, and record all key work, safeguarding and daily life on Lief, supported by BrightHR and Microsoft 365. Our aim is simple: stability, trust and progress for every child in our care.

We are now looking for a Team Leader to join our core staff team.

The role

As Team Leader you are the senior person on shift, holding the line between the Registered Manager or Deputy Manager and the support workers. You will:

Lead shifts and ensure the home runs calmly and safely day to day Model therapeutic, trauma informed practice in every interaction with children Support children with routines, education, family time, health appointments and activities Oversee key work sessions, placement plans and risk management plans Make sure records on Lief are accurate, timely and reflect the child's voice Take the lead in responding to incidents, missing episodes and safeguarding concerns in line with policy Provide guidance, coaching and informal supervision to support workers on shift Help embed our behaviour support approach that focuses on relationships, de escalation and restorative practice Work in partnership with social workers, schools, health, police and other professionals Contribute to team meetings, handovers, audits and Reg 44 and Reg 45 improvement actions
This is a hands on role. You will be part of the rota including sleeps, weekends and bank holidays.

What we are looking for

You do not need to be perfect. You do need to genuinely care about children and be willing to learn. We are looking for someone who has:

Experience working in a children's residential home, ideally with EBD or similar needs Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare or Children and Young People, or a clear plan to complete it within agreed timescales Confidence leading a small team on shift and taking decisions when things are busy or challenging Strong safeguarding knowledge and the confidence to escalate concerns quickly Good written skills and attention to detail when recording on electronic systems Emotional resilience, good self awareness and a reflective attitude A calm, consistent approach to behaviour, with a focus on relationships and repair rather than punishment Commitment to equality, diversity and anti discriminatory practice
A full UK driving licence and access to a car are highly desirable due to the location and needs of the role.

What we offer

A small, stable, therapeutic home with only two children and 2 to 1 staffing Supportive leadership from an experienced Registered Manager, Deputy Manager and Responsible Individual Competitive salary with sleep in payments and access to bonuses linked to home performance Funded and protected CPD including core safeguarding, PMVA, PACE and other specialist training Regular supervision, reflective practice and clear progression routes for the right person The chance to be part of a founding team building a high quality home from the ground up
Job Type: Full-time

Pay: 24,420.00-36,417.16 per year

Application question(s):

Do you hold a Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare or Children and Young People, or an equivalent qualification recognised for work in children's homes
Work authorisation:

United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: In person