Assistant Manager - Children's Residential Home

About Us

Breakwater offers short to medium term residential care for children aged 12-17 on admission, supporting young people until they turn 18. You will be working with 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.

About the Role

Salary: £46,142 - £49,281 per annum includes weekend working allowance
Contract: Permanent
Working Pattern: Full Time (37 hours per week)
Location: Shoreham

As an Assistant Manager, you will work collaboratively with the Registered Manager and all stakeholders to assist with delivery of ambitious outcomes for children, striving for continuous improvement in their social, educational and health development.

You will have key managerial areas of responsibility, this includes line management of a team of staff, ensuring that they provide the highest standard of care to children and deputising in the absence of the registered manager. You will be required to confidentially support and assist the registered manager in the day -to-day management of the time, ensuring compliance with the appropriate legalisation, policies, and procedures.

To succeed at the role, you will need to be a visible hands-on leader with the skills to build and maintain trust and rapport with children and staff. You will strive to be a positive role model in your interactions with children and those around them.

About You

To succeed at this role, you will need some of the following key skills and experience:

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to lead and influence others and negotiate positive outcomes.
• Effective people management skills and the ability to provide support and direction to individuals and teams.
• Significant experience of dealing with a diverse range of complex situations while prioritising the wellbeing of children.
• Significant level of experience within a position relevant to the residential care of children.
• Ability to effectively manage the time and priorities of self and others.
• Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare or equivalent qualification.
• Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare or equivalent. (If this qualification is not held, the individual must have achieved this within 3 years of appointment)
• An awareness of innovative theoretical practices within a residential setting.
• Experience of delivering personalised services to children whilst understanding the issues affecting their behaviour and presentation.

For more information on the Key Skills as well as the Qualifications and/or experience required, please refer to the Job Description attached.

Rewards and 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. Upon joining us you will have access to a range of benefits including the following:

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.

How to Apply

The reference number for this role is CAFHE05869

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. Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.

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.

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.

For information regarding your eligibility to apply for this role under our Disability or Veteran's Guaranteed Interview Scheme, this 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!