Reception Centre Operations Manager - Cypress House (UAS Children's Service)

Kent County Council's Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking (UAS) Children's Service provides accommodation and support to newly arrived UAS children in Kent. The Service is developing as a centre of excellence for social work practice nationally and we are seeking passionate individuals to join our service. This is an exciting opportunity to join the Service's Reception Centre team. The Reception and Safe Care Services are Kent County Council owned, Ofsted regulated, children's homes and supported accommodation, collectively termed Reception Centres. The Reception Centres, and the services they provide to children, are run by a diverse team of managers and workers, who are all committed to ensuring children are protected and supported to take the first steps in their journey to a more permanent home elsewhere in the UK. This role is for Cypress House. Cypress House is based in Gravesham, Kent and is named after the Mediterranean Cypress Trees of Persian Iran. Cypress House provides supported accommodation for UAS children aged 16-17 years old, with a capacity of up to 36 children. Cypress House is one of Kent's newly established Reception Centres, opening in October 2024. Based in a residential area within the diverse district of Gravesham, Cypress House is well-located for children to be able to access a variety of activities and experiences in the local community. Ahead of opening, the centre is already establishing links with local organisations to offer a variety of opportunities for children. This Reception Centre is subject to Ofsted regulations for Support Accommodation 2023. We are seeking experienced Residential setting managers who can coordinate day-to-day operations across the reception centre, ensuring that all UAS children begin their resettlement journey with the support they need. We a looking for managers who can motivate and inspire centre staff to meet high standards for UAS children during their stay, so they are prepared when they move on the NTS. We are looking for managers who have the commitment to lead staff in delivering high support and care to UAS children. If you have the skills to coordinate, quality assure practice and inspire staff through day-to-day operations and provision of supervision, please apply., This post is considered by KCC to be a customer-facing position. The Council therefore has a statutory duty under Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016) to ensure that post holders have a command of spoken English/Welsh sufficient for the effective performance of the job requirements. The appropriate standards are set out in the Job Description/Person Specification.

Work that works for you and us - let's talk flexibility! KCC is committed to building a workforce which reflects the diversity of the county's working residents, encouraging applications from people of all ages, abilities, genders, sexual orientations, ethnic backgrounds, faiths and those with caring responsibilities, and aspires to create an inclusive workplace where everyone can be themselves at work. Please note - if you are interested, please apply as soon as possible as the closing date for this advert may be earlier than stated should a number of suitably qualified candidates apply.

• Full induction
• Training and development opportunities
• Basic salary of £50,239 and £58,491
• Annual leave allowance of 27 to 29 days
• Excellent local government pension scheme
• Opportunities to develop in your career
• The opportunity to expand and develop your knowledge and skills of working with children seeking asylum