Job Title

Residential Children’s Home Deputy Manager

Location

Eastergate

Service

Childrens Home

Responsible to

Registered Manager, Responsible Individual

Responsible for

Senior Support Workers and Support Workers

General Duties

Ensure that Safeguarding is of the highest Priority.

Strive to provide the best experience possible for the Children - enabling, engaging, and empowering them to achieve their aspirations. 

Service 

This is a Registered Childrens Home which falls under West Sussex. It accommodates up to 4 Children (male and female) between the ages of 10 – 17 years. The Children will be placed by the Local Authority and referrals to Old Farm will be made for many different reasons. Children may have suffered neglect, abuse, education related issues, mental health concerns and as a result might present behaviours which are challenging to others. The service includes residential care 52 weeks per year, 24 hours per day. With the ability to utilise therapeutic approaches e.g. PACE in managing trauma related behaviour.  We will ensure Children are always kept safe from harm and that every child is supported with their education. We will strive to ensure that children are always provided with a clean & warm living environment. We will maintain strong professional relationships with placing Authorities and other external partners, always being appropriately responsive and courteous. We will ensure to maintain clear and concise records for the home making this available when requested. All legislation including Health and Safety will always be followed.

Job Purpose

The Deputy Manager will deputise for the Manager in their absence, maintaining quality care standards and meeting all legislative requirements. The Deputy Manager for the children’s home will support the Registered Manager in leading and managing the children’s home according to the ethos and approach of the organisation, ensuring that outcomes and high-quality care are delivered according to the home’s statement of purpose and in line with the Childrens Homes Regulations 2015. The post holder will demonstrate sound understanding to ensure that Health and Safety Regulations are at all always adhered to. 

 Ensure that all Legislation, Company Policy + Procedures are always followed.

Support and Respect all Colleagues to the best of your ability.

Always have a professional attitude. 

 Be confident in the use of the Whistle Blowing Policy.

Be aware of the budgets and monitor spending.

Celebrate the smallest of achievements for Children and Colleagues.

Celebrate birthdays, Festive Holidays and always create fun!

Specific Duties

To deputise for the Registered Manager in their absence.

Ensure Residential Support Workers are meeting the needs of children in accordance with their care plans to ensure the meeting of desired outcomes.

Ensure the quality of shift handover meetings are of good standard, alongside end of shift debriefs and all other records. Ensuring that all other residential duties are in line with best-practice standards, the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015, Quality Standards for Children’s Homes (NMS), The Children Act 1989, and WeCare 360 policy & procedures.

Ensure that the home is well always maintained and clean. 

Ensure that weekly menus are planned alongside residents and deliver fresh home cooked food meeting individual choices.

Ensure the home’s ethos is embedded within shift planning and that children are involved in the day-to-day running of the service.

Ensure that weekly House Meetings are convened, and that minutes & decisions made are recorded.

Support the team to ensure that the team’s work meets the needs of children from diverse backgrounds under the legislation, policy, and best practice standards.

Provide oversight and leadership for safeguarding children and supporting the team to manage & reduce risks. 

Provide leadership, monitor & ensure that risk assessments are completed, reviewed, and remain updated at all always remain updated.

Identify services and support access to services that enable children to meet their education, social, emotional, mental health, and well-being needs. 

Plan and deliver the service and its programs to meet the needs of children. 

Plan the staff rota and shift presence to ensure the needs of children are being met.

Ensure that all shifts are led by a Team Leader and that shifts are diverse to provide for mixed gender, skill, experience, knowledge, and are culturally balanced. 

Guide the team to ensure service delivery is effective to meet desired outcomes.

Ensure that social inclusion is embedded as a focus within service delivery.

Participate within on-call arrangements. 

Supervise and support the development of the staff team in line with their statutory training requirements and continuous professional development (CPD).

Ensure staff are inducted and briefed on working with children, care planning systems and any programmes for positive care.

Ensure the home follows health & safety and fire precautions & procedures. 

Ensure that COSSH regulations are always followed.

Ensure staff and children adhere to the home’s ICT policies.

Ensure quality monitoring and health and safety assessments are conducted, and that action plans are implemented.

Ensure effective risk assessments and personal safety procedures are in place to protect staff and children under organisational policies and procedures and keep them under regular review.

Ensure care planning, key working, safeguarding, incidents, health, education, and activities recording is completed in the required timeframe and to the required standard. 

Ensure that Care Reviews Reports are prepared in advance and that Children are prepared and supported during the review process.

Ensure that all and any medication is stored and administered correctly and is checked daily.

Assist the Registered Manager in the administration of related financial management, ensuring that budgets are maintained and that any overspends are identified as soon as possible. 

To lead on Missing persons procedures, ensuring that detailed logs are kept and that all communications are recorded.

To be fully aware of LADO procedures.

To be fully confident in completion and submission of Regulation 40 notifications.

To be able to complete and update the Annex A information as required.

Person Specification

Qualifications and Education

Have attained a Level 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care for Children and Young People.

Be willing to attain a qualification of at least or equivalent to Level 5 Diploma in Health and Social care for Children and Young People.

Demonstrate commitment to continuing professional development.

Must hold a full UK drivers’ licence. 

The post holder must be prepared to change working patterns with notice, and support in emergency staffing situations. The post holder is required to work Bank Holidays, Weekends, Evenings and undertake sleep in duties on a rota system although extra hours could be requested in times of staff shortage.

Experience

A minimum of two years’ experience in a supervisory role within a children’s residential setting.

Knowledge and Understanding

A sound working knowledge of the statutory requirements related to children’s residential care. This includes the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and Quality Standards for Children’s Homes, Children Act 1989, Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018, Data Protection Act 2018, and Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, and related policies and procedures for the day-to-day running of a residential children’s home. 

Understanding children’s rights, child protection, safeguarding children, the impact of abuse and neglect, equality and diversity, care and placement planning, risk assessment, and review processes. 

Understanding children’s education, health, social, emotional, and psychological needs of looked after children and ensuring these needs are met.

 Skill and Abilities

Ability to Support the Registered Manager with the training and development of staff team members, conducting regular reflective staff supervision, and rostering to ensure continuity of positive care for each child. 

Ability to cope with stress and complex dynamics evident within a children’s home and to demonstrate emotional resilience.

Ability to manage the range of administrative tasks related to the day-to-day running of a children’s home.

Ability to prioritise and organise workloads to maintain and promote quality service delivery.

Sustaining and work through placement issues to prevent placement breakdowns.

Monitor the service’s quality of care in line with the requirements of Ofsted.

Developing and maintain constructive working relationships with the wider community and multi-agency teams.

Ability to motivate, direct, and delegate within a residential setting.

Ability to utilise and demonstrate skills in financial management.

Equality and Diversity

Promoting equality and valuing diversity through legislation, policies, procedures, and relevant standards.

Identify patterns of discrimination and take actions to overcome this and enable others to promote quality and diversity and a non-discriminatory culture that supports people in exercising their rights.

Communication

This position requires the post holder to be able to utilise a clear and effective communication style in order that The Deputy Manager is clearly understood by those being communicated with.

The above expectations are not exhaustive, and you may be required to undertake tasks not listed above to ensure the safety of Children and meet the performance needs of the home.