Residential Worker

About the role

We are looking for a committed and compassionate Residential Worker to join our Children's Residential Service at Merrifield House. Merrifield House is a short break and longer stay home for children with disabilities. This role is centred on providing personal and emotional care to children and young people, supporting them to build independence, confidence and enjoy positive experiences in a safe and nurturing environment.

As a Residential Worker, you will play a key role in supporting the day-to-day care and development of children and young people. You will also support the wider team by sharing good practice, contributing to a positive team culture and maintaining high standards of care.

This is a shift-based service operating 24 hours a day; however, this particular post is for day hours only.

Key responsibilities include:

• Supporting the day-to-day running of the home in line with policies, procedures and regulatory standards
• Providing personal and emotional care tailored to each child's individual needs
• Promoting independence, confidence and positive experiences for children and young people
• Contributing to care planning, assessments, reports and statutory reviews
• Supporting the admission and discharge of children, ensuring a positive experience
• Building strong, trusting relationships with children and supporting their emotional and physical development
• Promoting participation and ensuring children have a voice in their care and environment
• Maintaining accurate records and ensuring confidentiality at all times
• Administering medication and maintaining clear records where required
• Working closely with Social Workers, families and external agencies
• Acting as a link worker for individual children
• Supporting a safe, structured and welcoming home environment

About You

We are looking for individuals who are caring, reliable and genuinely motivated to support children with additional needs. The ideal candidate will:

• Have experience working with children and young people, ideally in a care or residential setting
• Be able to provide both practical and emotional support
• Have a good understanding of safeguarding responsibilities
• Be patient, empathetic and able to build trusting relationships
• Be organised and able to manage competing priorities
• Work effectively both independently and as part of a team
• Be willing to undertake training and commit to completing a Level 3 qualification (CQF/QCF) in Children and Young People's Workforce

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable groups and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is subject to an Enhanced DBS Check, Qualifications Check and 5 years of Referencing.

Hillingdon Council Offer to You

We value our employees and are committed to ensuring that they enjoy a fulfilling and rewarding career with us. We understand that a happy and motivated workforce is essential for the success of our organisation. We offer a comprehensive range of employee benefits to enhance your work-life balance, financial wellbeing, health, and professional development:

• Flexible Working Hours and a 36 Hour Week for all full time staff
• Generous Holiday Entitlement increasing with length of service
• Hillingdon Sports & Leisure discounts at council owned leisure centres and swimming pools
• Salary Sacrifice Schemes for cycle purchase, electric vehicle leasing and additional voluntary pension contributions
• Local Government Pension Scheme and Credit Union membership
• Mental Health Support and Counselling Services with 24-hour confidential advice
• And more

At the London Borough of Hillingdon, we are committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace. The aim is for our workforce to be representative of all sections of society and Hillingdon residents so we welcome applicants from a wide variety of backgrounds.