Senior Support Worker

Senior Residential Support Worker – Reading

Are you passionate about making a difference in young people's lives? We are seeking a dedicated Senior Residential Support Worker to join a residential care team in Reading. This role offers a unique opportunity to help create a safe, nurturing, and therapeutic environment where children and young people feel valued and supported to recover from past traumas.

As a Senior Residential Support Worker in Reading, you will lead by example, inspiring a team while building trusting relationships with children aged 8–18 who have experienced trauma, abuse, and disrupted attachments. Your role will involve supporting their emotional and behavioural development through therapeutic approaches such as PACE, and contributing to care planning, safeguarding, and multi-agency collaboration.

Main Responsibilities:

* Develop positive, consistent relationships with children and young people, support children in expressing their views, wishes, and feelings, promote independence, confidence, and emotional resilience, create and maintain a warm, safe, and therapeutic home environment, support children with routines, personal care, education, hobbies and community activities, recognise, record, and respond appropriately to safeguarding concerns

* Follow organisational policies and procedures to ensure a safe setting

* Mentor and support Residential Support Workers and participate in supervision

* Work collaboratively with professionals such as social workers, health teams, and families

* Ensure the home remains well-maintained, safe, and compliant with regulatory standards

* Be flexible to work evenings, weekends, bank holidays, and sleep-in shifts

Candidate Requirements:

* Experience working with children or young people in a residential setting

* Level 4 Diploma in Residential Childcare (or willingness to achieve within the required timescale)

* Strong understanding of safeguarding responsibilities

* Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal

* Calm, resilient, and emotionally regulated under pressure

* Ability to work independently and as part of a team

* Full UK driving licence

Desirable Skills:

* Experience with therapeutic parenting approaches, including PACE

* Knowledge of Children’s Homes Regulations and Quality Standards

* Supervisory or mentoring experience

* Contrib...