Cook - The Firs

Job Description

The London Borough of Harrow is seeking a dedicated and skilled Cook to join our Children and Families team at The Firs. This unique role is central to the daily lives of children and young people with learning disabilities and complex needs. As the sole Cook in a domestic-style residential setting, you will be responsible for creating a warm, homely, and child-centred environment through the provision of high-quality, nutritious evening meals.

You will oversee the effective day-to-day management of the kitchen, encompassing everything from creative menu planning to food preparation. Accuracy is vital; you must manage complex dietary, religious, and allergy requirements with total precision. Your duties include monitoring the quality and quantity of supplies, collaborating with the wider staff team on ordering, and ensuring cost-effective stock management.

Maintaining impeccable standards of cleanliness and hygiene is a core requirement. You will ensure all preparation areas and utensils are sterilised, adhering strictly to food health and safety regulations. While The Firs reflects a family home, it operates within a professional care framework. You will work under the supervision of the Registered Manager and shift leads, contributing directly to the physical and emotional well-being of our residents in line with the centre’s Statement of Purpose.

The successful candidate will be a compassionate culinary professional who thrives in a collaborative environment. You must be responsive to the individual needs of young people, ensuring every meal provides comfort and nourishment in a safe, respectful, and inclusive atmosphere.

The successful candidate will have:

• An understanding and awareness of the Council’s Equal Opportunities policy
• Able to read and write in English
• A commitment to promoting the rights and dignity of people who have learning disabilities
• Some experience in cleaning
• The potential to prioritise and manage personal workload
• Ability to work as part of a team

For more information, please refer to the Role Profile/Selection Criteria

About us

Harrow Council is the 12th largest London borough and one of the most culturally diverse local authorities in the UK, making it a great place to live, work and visit with a range of cultures, religions and opinions that come together to produce high achieving schools and a close and friendly community. Located 10 miles from the city centre and just 13 minutes to Euston from Harrow & Wealdstone station there are great transport links via the Metropolitan Line, Watford DC Line and national rail service. It is easily accessible to the M1, M25 and A406.

Other information

Support for candidates visit:Harrow.gov.uk Our behavioural indicators roles below G11 and above G11 Here at Harrow Council, the vision is one of 'Working together to make a difference for Harrow' Please click here to view Harrow Council's benefits

Important Note

To deliver our commitment to equality of opportunity in service provision, all staff are expected to promote equality in the workplace and in the services the Council delivers. All sections of the population will have equal access to jobs at the London Borough of Harrow. No applicant or employee will receive less favourable treatment because of age, disability, gender, reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy, or maternity unless a Genuine Occupational Qualification applies. As such, we value diversity and welcome applications from all backgrounds. For further information, please read our equality statement.

As a disability-confident employer, we are committed to making our recruitment practices barrier-free and accessible to everyone. This includes reasonably adjusting the recruitment process for those with disabilities or long-term health conditions. For further information, please contact us at resourcing@harrow.gov.uk

London Borough of Harrow is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Harrow operates stringent, safer recruitment procedures.

Due to the high number of applications received for some posts, we may close vacancies before the stated closing date if sufficient applications are received. Therefore, please apply as soon as possible.

Harrow redeployees will be given priority consideration.

The personal information we have collected from you will be shared with Cifas who will use it to prevent fraud, other unlawful or dishonest conduct, malpractice, and other seriously improper conduct. If any of these are detected you could be refused certain services or employment. Your personal information will also be used to verify your identity. Further details of how your information will be used by us and Cifas, any your data protection rights, can be found by visiting www.cifas.org.uk/fpn