Residential Childrens Worker (Spire Lodge)

About the role

Derbyshire County Council have an exciting Residential Childrens Worker opportunity to join an experienced and supportive team at Spire Lodge.

Spire Lodge is a 6 bedded short break service based in North East Derbyshire and situated close to Chesterfield town centre. We provide an Ofsted Outstanding graded service for young people aged between 8 and 17 years who may have a physical disability, moderate to severe learning disability, an autistic spectrum condition or sensory impairment.

The Spire Lodge team prides themselves in their commitment and child centred approach to the young people they care for.

What will you be doing?

• Delivering the holistic care and safety needs of children within the home.
• Provide a service to Children within Specialist Services in accordance with legislative and policy requirements.
• Assuming a parental role for the children.
• Working with internal and external partners
• Providing responsive care and support based on the individual needs of children and their families.
• Assessing and monitoring the care needs of the children.
• Escalating any emergency situations accordingly.
• Being a warm, friendly and approachable member of the care team.

What skills and qualifications will you need?

• A relationship focused and mindful approach to the care of children.
• The ability to work using your own initiative.
• Working within and understanding the Quality Care Standards and Children’s Homes (England) regulations 2015.
• You must hold, be working towards or willing to undertake and complete the Level 3 Children and Young people’s Workforce Diploma & Social Care Pathway (2015) England OR have an equivalent qualification (More information on the role can be found within the Job and Person profile).

Residential Childrens Worker roles attract the following additional payments. This post is an overnight role, for the most part, and will include weekend and bank holiday working, as well as attendance at team meetings and reflective practice sessions. Assistant Residential Childrens Workers have the support of a Residential Childrens Worker who will sleep in, and wake, should the need arise.

Plain/enhanced hours

Basic hourly rate

Unsocial hours enhancement

Total hourly rate

Monday to Sunday 7am-7pm: plain time

£16.77

£0.00

£16.77

Monday to Sunday 7pm-7am: plain time plus one third

£16.77

£5.59

£22.36

Bank Holidays all hours: double time

£16.77

£16.77

£33.54

Sleep-in duty, you will be paid a basic duty payment rate of £30.40. Any additional time worked because of being called to work when sleeping in will be paid at the appropriate rate for the day/time of day. Bank holidays: sleep-in duties that span into or out of a bank holiday will be enhanced to double the basic duty payment rate.

What we offer you

• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Generous annual leave and flexi-time scheme
• Travel expenses
• Discount on leisure centre memberships
• Free car parking at most sites
• In-house counselling services
• Occupational health service
• Access to sessions with a trained physiotherapist
• Cycle to work scheme

Our Commitment:

• Derbyshire provides consistent, good quality care through twelve children’s homes across the County. Our homes provide an environment where young people feel happy to live.
• Under-pinned by Sensory Processing, trauma informed practice, social pedagogy and person-centred approach to inform practice, we work continuously to improve the quality of our Children’s homes, ensuring our young people have every opportunity to thrive and develop.

Provisional Interview Date: 9th February 2026

Due to this post having access to children and/or vulnerable adults, the successful candidate will be required to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service check. The possession of a criminal record will not necessarily prevent an applicant from obtaining this post, as all cases are judged individually according to the nature of the role and information provided. Click here to see our policy on criminal background checks.

The job may require unsocial hours working including weekends and Bank Holidays. Payment arrangements will be detailed in any contract offer made.

Saturday and Sunday hours will be paid at plain time where it is part of your normal working pattern unless it is between 7pm and 7am, where enhanced rates of pay apply. Enhanced pay rates are paid for Bank Holiday working.

Apply now and take the first step towards a fulfilling career with us! By joining Derbyshire County Council you will have access to a range of amazing rewards and employee benefits, including our generous annual leave scheme, excellent local government pension and fantastic employee discounts. To discover more detail about the rewards and benefits available to you, click here

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We welcome applications from individuals who share our values — being Collaborative, Innovative, Empowered and Accountable. These values describe who we are and what we stand for as a council. They help shape our culture, encourage consistent behaviour and guide how we work together to make a positive difference for both our employees and the residents we serve.