By 2027/28, Buckinghamshire Council will have 10 operational children's homes
The council looking for staff to join them on this journey. These homes will offer secure and nurturing placements for more than thirty vulnerable young people, keeping children and young people in care within Buckinghamshire, close to their local community and friends.
Some of the new homes are mainstream residential settings. Others offer a calm, therapeutic environment for children recovering from trauma. In the future, some children living in residential care may be ready to move into a family setting with a therapeutic foster carer who can support their specialist needs.
Here's why staff enjoy working across Buckinghamshire's children's homes
Members of Buckinghamshire's residential team talk about what brought them to the work, what keeps them in it and what a typical shift actually involves.
What Buckinghamshire offers its staff
Buckinghamshire funds qualifications from Level 4 through to Level 7. Staff also train in positive behaviour support through Team Teach, complete Mental Health Champion training, and gain First Aid and Fire Warden certifications.
Beyond formal qualifications, the council runs workshops, reflective practice sessions and learning circles. Staff can shadow colleagues, pick up shifts in other homes and explore different roles across the service.
How staff are supported
Every staff member has regular one-to-one supervisions with their manager. After difficult incidents, the team debriefs together. Check-ins are routine, not reserved for when something goes wrong.
The council provides free, confidential access to its Employee Assistance Programme, which covers mental, emotional, physical and financial wellbeing for staff and their families. Mental Health First Aiders and a coaching and mentoring pool are available across the organisation. Paid sick leave, compassionate leave and carers' leave are all in place.
Buckinghamshire also runs a wellness programme and offers flexible working arrangements where the rota allows. Staff networks support colleagues from different backgrounds, and regular team activities help people build relationships beyond the day-to-day work.
Buckinghamshire is recruiting residential workers and senior staff for its new and existing homes. If you want to work somewhere that will invest in your development and give you the backing to do this work well, have a look at their current vacancies.