Senior Residential Support Worker

Senior Residential Support Worker – Compass House, Dudley

£32,000–£35,000 a year (depending on experience), plus £70 for each sleep-in, paid separately
Full-time, permanent · 40 hours a week · Two extended duties a week (7:00am to 7:30am the next morning, including a sleep-in)

Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England), or an accepted equivalent, required on appointment.

The role

Lead the shift while staying part of everyday life in the home. Support your colleague, organise the work and help the team provide safe, consistent care.

A Senior at Inkfish isn't an extra layer of management. You're there to make good care more consistent: meals, school mornings, difficult evenings, appointments, key work, records, laughter, boundaries and repair. When you lead, the Residential Support Worker alongside you should feel supported by you, not managed from a distance.

Could this suit you?

• Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England), or an accepted equivalent, held on appointment
• Experience working with children or young people. Children's residential experience is strongly expected.
• Evidence you can organise a shift and make safe decisions under pressure
• Strong safeguarding understanding
• Clear, factual, respectful recording
• The ability to guide, support and challenge colleagues
• Availability for the rota, including weekends, bank holidays and sleep-ins

Why Inkfish

A small home. Compass House is our first home: small by design, for up to two children. We're planning a second home nearby, subject to registration, with no more than four children across both.

Leadership that stays close to the child. Every shift is led by a Senior, Deputy or Registered Manager. As a Senior you lead shifts and take delegated responsibility when the Deputy or Registered Manager isn't leading.

Development for leaders. Structured supervision, reflective practice and training, with a route to Deputy Manager or specialist practice.

Everyday work

Relationships and practice

• Building safe, trusting relationships through direct, everyday care
• Modelling trauma-responsive, PACE-based, DDP-informed practice. PACE stands for playfulness, acceptance, curiosity and empathy. DDP-informed practice is a trained approach; you're not expected to be a therapist.
• Staying curious about what behaviour may be communicating, while holding clear and predictable boundaries
• Supporting education, health, family time, identity, independence and community life

Safety and accountability

• Leading shifts safely, and taking delegated responsibility when the Deputy or Registered Manager isn't leading
• Safeguarding children, and recording, reporting and escalating concerns promptly
• Writing high-quality daily records, incident reports and key-work records
• Responding to incidents with the least restrictive approach, and prioritising de-escalation and repair
• Speaking up when something is unsafe or inconsistent with a child's plan, even when that's uncomfortable

Leading the shift and the team

• Coordinating the shift, allocating tasks and making sure actions are followed through
• Supporting and coaching the RSW alongside you

Working pattern

Two staff stay with the children through the day, evening and overnight. Each extended duty starts at 7:00am and finishes at 7:30am the next morning. Waking duty runs until 10:30pm, followed by a sleep-in until 7:00am and a short handover.

Full-time roles are 40 hours a week on a rolling 7-week rota that's planned in advance, with weekdays and weekends shared across the team. Each sleep-in is paid an extra £70.

Pay and development

• £32,000–£35,000 base salary, depending on experience
• £70 for every sleep-in, paid separately on top of your salary
• Structured supervision, reflective practice and training
• A route to Deputy Manager or specialist practice
• Company pension
• Free on-site parking

How to apply

1. Answer three everyday scenarios in your own words. This is the first stage of our selection process. Answer as the person leading the shift and supporting your colleague.

2. Add your details and CV, then review your application before you submit it.

3. If shortlisted, meet us. You'll meet the Registered Manager and a senior leader for the Inkfish Conversation.

We complete safer recruitment checks before anyone starts.

More information

Nice to have: a year or more in a children's home; Senior, Team Leader or shift-lead experience; PACE, DDP or attachment-aware practice; mentoring experience.

How we work: curiosity, regulation, warmth, consistency, courage, reflection, boundaries, humility and repair.

Recruitment checks: all appointments are subject to safer recruitment checks: identity, enhanced DBS, references, full employment history with gaps explained, qualification verification and right to work.

Full role and person specification (PDF)