Residential Child Care Officer

Join Us — Be a voice for the vulnerable and make your impact.
Brent is a tremendously vibrant London borough where the iconic arch of Wembley Stadium dominates the skyline. Spanning both inner and outer London, it is a borough of huge contrasts in terms of its economic, environmental, ethnic and social make up. Brent’s diversity is evident to all who visit our borough and our long history of ethnic and cultural diversity has created a place that is truly unique and valued by those who live and work here. The council is pursuing a far-reaching transformation agenda that better meets the needs of our community so it is an exciting time to join us.
The Post

Ade Adepitan Short Break Centre offers something truly special — no two days, children, or care needs are the same. Working in a respite setting means supporting a vibrant mix of children and young people with different personalities, communication styles, and abilities.

You’ll play a key role in helping children build independence skills and preparing them for adulthood. This includes leading engaging activities, taking part in regular community outings (supported by our on-site minibus), and carrying out key-working sessions that ensure each child’s wishes, feelings and preferences shape their support.
You’ll work closely with parents, schools, CAMHS and other professionals to provide consistent, holistic care that meets each child’s individual needs.

The role offers hands-on experience across a broad range of complex needs, including autism, profound disabilities, and specialist medical routines such as gastrostomy care (full training provided). This variety makes the work highly rewarding and provides a level of professional development rarely found in traditional residential settings.
If you’re looking to build a long-term career in children’s services, safeguarding, disability care or education, this role is an exceptional foundation.

Shift Pattern & Working Hours
You’ll work a long-week/short-week rota that supports consistency for children and balance for staff:

• Morning shift: 7-12.00 or 7-14.30
• Afternoon shift: 16.30-21.30 or 14.00-21.30
• Short week: 3 days
• Long week: 5 days (including weekends)
• Shift leaders finish at 10:00pm to hand over to the night team.
During school hours, staff complete key-working tasks such as paperwork, planning, meetings, school visits, home visits, and updating risk assessments.

Training & Development
We offer extensive face-to-face and online training, and staff are encouraged to continually develop their practice.
You’ll receive thorough training in the Positive Approach, with a strong focus on supporting autistic children and young people who may display behaviours of concern.

Team Culture
We’re a small, supportive, and family-friendly team.
The work can be demanding, but it’s highly rewarding — and you’ll have regular team meetings and reflective discussions to share ideas and learn from each other.

Supporting Children & Young People
Our practice is centred around the needs and voices of the children:
• Building independence skills and preparing for adulthood
• Regular community outings and activities (supported by our own minibus)
• Key-working sessions to capture each child’s wishes and feelings
• Close work with parents, schools, CAMHS and wider professionals for consistent, holistic support

The Person

You’re someone who:

• Brings warmth, patience, and emotional intelligence
• Understands the unique needs of children with disabilities
• Can plan and lead engaging activities that spark joy
• Isn’t afraid of responsibility — including shift-leading
• Writes clearly and keeps accurate records
• Works in partnership with parents, schools, health professionals and social workers
• Values safeguarding, dignity, and person-centred care
• Can work flexibly on a rota including evenings, weekends and sleep-ins
• Is willing to learn specialist skills — including gastrostomy feeding, suctioning and behaviour support (full training provided)
• You'll also hold (or be working towards) a Level 4 Diploma in Residential Childcare or equivalent.

If you have genuine passion for improving the lives of disabled children and a commitment to high-quality care, we want to hear from you.

Why join us?

We know people achieve their best when they feel valued. At Brent, you’ll benefit from:

• Up to 33 days annual leave (depending on length of service) plus bank holidays
• Excellent pension with generous employer contributions (LGPS)
• Hybrid and flexible working options available for most roles
• Supportive family-friendly policies for parent, guardians, and carers
• Health and wellbeing support, including access to eye test support and a 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme
• Financial support such as education sessions, childcare deposit loans, and season ticket loans
• Travel perks including affordable parking nearby, a Cycle to Work scheme, and great onsite facilities
• Learning and development opportunities to help you grow your career
• Access to My Brent Rewards with exclusive discounts on shopping, travel, leisure, and entertainment

To learn more about our benefits, visit Our offer to you.
Closing date: Sunday 28 June 2026 (23:59)

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested in this role, we advise that you apply as soon as possible.
Additional Information

If you are interested in applying for this job, please start by clicking the "Apply Now" button below. You must provide a supporting statement as part of your application that clearly shows how you meet the essential requirements on the Job description. We will accept a CV in support of your application, however, you should still provide a supporting statement.

Brent Council values the diversity of its community and aims to have a workforce that reflects this and therefore encourage applications from all sections of the community. We positively encourage all applicants to self-identify their characteristics in the diversity survey section in the application.

We are committed to safer recruitment and safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Applicants should be aware that posts working with children, young people and vulnerable adults are subject to an Enhanced DBS check as well as other employment clearances.
The information we collect 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. Further details of how your information will be used by us and Cifas and your data protection rights, can be found here.
Brent has a positive approach to flexible working.
As a disability confident employer Brent welcomes applications from people with all disabilities, including “non-visible” disabilities and mental health conditions. We will interview any disabled applicant who meets the essential criteria. If you require reasonable adjustments to be made to any part of the recruitment process due to your disability, please contact us on recruitment@brent.gov.uk.