Therapeutic Residential Children's Home Waking Night Support Worker

Job description

Salary range - £29,000 to £33,600 / £13.33 to £15.38
Night shift workers: 42 hours per week
At Bear Care, we believe every child deserves to feel safe, understood and supported to build a positive future.
We care for children who may have experienced trauma, disrupted relationships and significant challenges in their lives. Our aim is to provide a safe, stable and nurturing environment where children can build trust, develop emotional resilience and make progress at their own pace.
We are looking for warm, approachable and emotionally mature people who genuinely want to make a difference. Previous residential childcare experience is valuable, but it is not essential for the right candidate.
What we offer
We want our employees to feel supported, valued and able to develop throughout their career. Our benefits include, but are not limited to:

• Annual leave that increases with length of service
• Complimentary Perkbox membership, giving access to a range of discounts, rewards and wellbeing benefits
• Complimentary access to counselling services
• Long service awards
• Refer a friend bonus
• Funded CPD and ongoing learning opportunities
• Career development and progression opportunities
• A supportive working environment

About the role
As a Waking Night Residential Support Worker, you will:

• Provide emotional and social support, helping children and young people build positive and meaningful relationships.
• Support day-to-day routines including waking, mealtimes, school or college, activities and bedtime.
• Encourage participation in hobbies, activities and the local community.
• Build trusted and consistent relationships as a key worker for allocated children.
• Put our Therapeutic Framework into practice through your everyday interactions and support.
• Support children and young people to develop age-appropriate independence and life skills.
• Prepare meals and contribute to cooking, cleaning, shopping and laundry within the home.
• Promote the safety, welfare and wellbeing of children and young people at all times.
• Contribute to care plans, risk assessments and reviews, and maintain accurate records.

What we are looking for
We value compassion, but compassion alone is not enough. Children need adults who are dependable, emotionally mature and capable of making safe decisions under pressure. We are looking for someone who:

• Has a genuine motivation and desire to improve the lives of children and young people.
• Emotional maturity and the ability to remain calm when challenged.
• Empathy, patience and an interest in understanding what sits behind a child's behaviour.
• Sound judgement and an awareness of when to act, when to seek advice and when to escalate a concern.
• Personal accountability, honesty and the confidence to acknowledge mistakes.
• Good written and verbal communication skills.
• Reliability and the ability to work consistently as part of a team.
• A willingness to reflect, accept constructive feedback and continue learning.
• A clear commitment to safeguarding, professional boundaries and children's welfare.

You do not need to be perfect, and you will not be expected to know everything on your first day. You must, however, be willing to learn, ask questions and take your responsibilities seriously.
It would be great if you also have

• A Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare or equivalent, or are currently working towards one.
• Previous experience working in a children's residential setting.
• An understanding of trauma-informed or therapeutic approaches to care.
• A full UK driving licence.

Why join us?
Working in residential childcare is about much more than providing care. It's about being a consistent, trusted adult in a child's life and helping them develop the skills, confidence and relationships they need to move forward.
If you are compassionate, resilient and passionate about making a difference to children and young people, we would love to hear from you.

Extra information

Status

Open

Education Level

Secondary School

Location

Frinton-on-Sea

Type of Contract

Full-time jobs

Published at

31-10-2026

Profession type

Counselling and Social Services

Full UK/EU driving license preferred

No

Car Preferred

No

Must be eligible to work in the EU

No

Cover Letter Required

No

Languages

English