Job Description

About Us


Breakwater offers short to medium term residential care for children aged 12-17 on admission. You will be working with 4 children who present a range of social, emotional, and mental health difficulties due to family breakdown and early childhood trauma. Children who are referred to Breakwater are often victims of exploitation, involved in crime, and may have experienced a breakdown in education provision. They may be at risk of becoming homeless and have limited support around them.



Alongside the main part of the home, Breakwater also offers two smaller self-contained flats to support children who are looking to move into semi-independent living. We recognise that the transition to adulthood can be challenging, and that we need to promote emotional and social development alongside practical skills to achieve readiness for the future. The two flats are fully equipped for children to meet all their independence needs, with the additional support of staff being on hand when needed. While living in these flats, the children complete a six-month programme, which prepares them for independent living. The Breakwater team are trained in a range of interventions to promote independence and support children during this transitional period.



For more information, please visit our dedicated Residential website, Children's residential care careers.


About the Role

Salary:

38,220 - 40,777 per annum (includes weekend working allowance) plus generous pension, annual leave and additional benefits

Working Pattern

: Full time - 37 hours per week

Contract:

Permanent

Location:

Shoreham-By-Sea

Children's Residential Recruitment and Retention Payment scheme - 1500 during your first 18 months

To support recruitment into this vital area West Sussex County Council offer 1,500 during the employee's first 18 months where they are recruited to a new permanent role which is identified as hard to recruit and remain in the County Council's employment during this time.



The scheme consists of two payments: 500 after successful completion of 6 months employment (including successful completion of probation where relevant) and 1,000 after 18 months



As a Team Leader at Breakwater you will lead on key areas such as health and safety, training and supervision of staff, creating rotas and overseeing medication for children.



You will be expected to play a key part in new referrals to the Home, leading and arranging activities around children's needs and ensuring all children are safe with their emotional, physical, educational and social needs met. You will motivate children and staff to reach their full potential through positive role modelling, mentoring, planning and resolving problems and barriers.



To succeed in this role, you will build positive relationships with key professionals, the child's family and the child. You will motivate staff and children to achieve their full potential whilst effectively prioritising tasks and managing your time.



Shifts and rotas - for day work, you will be required to work on a shift rota between 07:00 - 22:00, which will include every other weekend and sleep in duties when needed. This will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate.


Experience & Skills


Some of the key skills, experience and qualifications required for the role are as follows:


Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare or equivalent qualification. Significant level of experience within a position relevant to the residential care of children. Experience of working within a team, dealing with a diverse range of situations while prioritising the wellbeing of children and achieving set targets. Ability to assess, plan and undertake risk assessments for individual children, ensuring the needs of all children are met. Sound communication and interpersonal skills in order to provide clear and concise advice and specialist guidance to a range of staff, Children, and other professionals. Ability to provide clear professional practice guidance to staff, challenging poor practice and ensuring high standards are maintained. Ability to effectively manage the time and priorities of self and others Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to anticipate problems and resolve issues independently, planning solutions and make sound pragmatic decisions. Good literacy and IT skills to be able to maintain children's records, write reports, emails, supervision records, etc.

For a full list of key skills, experience and qualification requirements please refer to the job description attached below.

Rewards & Benefits


As an employer we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance and are rewarded for the work they do.



In addition to working within a great team and a brilliant opportunity you will receive:



For a full list of the benefits offered to you as a West Sussex County Council employee you can find them on our Rewards and Benefits page.


Further Information


The reference number for this role is CAFHE05998 .



For an informal conversation or further information regarding the role, please contact one of the following people;



Eerik Sjosedt (Registered Manager) eerik.sjostedt@westsussex.gov.uk



Charlotte Blandford (Resourcing Specialist) charlotte.blandford@westsussex.gov.uk



To apply, upload your CV and application form, explaining the skills and experience you can bring to the role, ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV.



We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.

This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check, 5 years referencing and an occupational health check. A fully employment history will be requested and covered for this role.

Equity, inclusion and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.



We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application help page.



Note for Recruitment Agencies: We prefer to hire people directly, but we do have a supplier list for when we need a helping hand. We'll be in touch directly if we need you!



LOCATION

Shoreham area

CONTRACT TYPE

Permanent

JOB TYPE

Children's Services

CLOSING DATE

19 October 2025