Residential Childcare Worker - Green Waves

About Us

Green Waves is a 1-2 bed home for children aged 12-18 at referral. We provide short-term emergency assessment placements, supporting young people for a few days to several months during times of crisis or major change. The children we care for often have complex social, emotional, and behavioural needs linked to early trauma and family breakdown, and may be at risk in the community. Our priority is to keep them safe while working with partner agencies to secure suitable long-term placements or support reintegration. With new funding to enhance services such as mental health support, it's an exciting time to join Green Waves!

About the Role

Salary: £28,598 - £30,023 per annum (includes weekend working allowance) plus excellent pension, annual leave and additional benefits
Working Pattern: Full time, 37 hours per week
Contract: Permanent
Location: Worthing
Shifts and Rotas: for day work, you will be required to work on a shift rota between 07:00 - 22:00, including every other weekend and approximately one sleep-in duty per week currently with enhanced pay. This can be discussed in more detail at interview.

Due to additional funding, we have an exciting opportunity to join our team as a Residential Childcare Worker at Green Waves. You'll help create a safe, supportive space where young people feel valued during times of change. You'll build trust, be a positive role model, and encourage activities that boost confidence and resilience. No two days are the same - from planned sessions to adapting on the spot to meet each child's needs. Intuitive, creativity and resilience are qualities that will make a real difference here.

You'll also need to communicate clearly with colleagues and work closely with families, social workers, and other professionals to keep care consistent. Staying organised and keeping records up to date is important, but the most rewarding part is knowing you're helping children grow, feel supported, and reach their potential.

Join our friendly, supportive team with great opportunities for personal development - and apply today!

Experience and Skills

Some of the key skills and experience required for the role are:

• Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare or equivalent. If you do not have this, the service will support you to complete this qualification; you must achieve this within two years of appointment as it is a statutory requirement of this post.
• Sound communication and interpersonal skills to a range of children and families.
• Ability to promote and encourage a multi-agency approach to support the child.
• Ability to use initiative to resolve problems within given parameters.
• Ability to work under pressure and prioritise work.
• Ability to work as part of a team around a child.
• Good standard of literacy e.g. ability to write reports around individuals and significant incidents.
• Knowledge of how to support children who have experienced trauma, harm or abuse - Desirable

For a full list of key skills, experience and qualification requirements please refer to the job description attached below.

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 you can achieve your full potential and are rewarded for the work you do.

In addition to working within a great team and a brilliant opportunity you will receive:

• an excellent local government pension scheme
• generous holiday entitlement
• access to a wide selection of retail discounts and savings such as groceries, shopping, travel and more through our West Sussex Choices benefits platform.
• a range of commuting and business travel discount and initiatives
• maternity, paternity, dependency and adoption leave
• health and wellbeing benefits including access to our Employee Assistance Programme
• financial wellbeing support including access to educational tools and webinars, loans or debt consolidation options and savings scheme
• training and development opportunities, including coaching and mentoring

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.

Further Information

The reference number for this role is CAFHE05350 .

To apply, upload your CV and complete our short application form, explaining the skills and experience you can bring to the role, ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV. Feel free to view our guide here: How to create the best CV, Application Form or Cover Letter

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. A full employment history will be requested and covered for this role.

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.

We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information 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!