Residential Child Care Practitioner

We aspire for all our children and young people to have opportunities and experiences that enhance their lives. Our aim is to empower young people to achieve and develop skills that will give them a solid foundation to succeed. We further aim to promote social inclusion to access everyday opportunities and community participation.

You will already have a Level 3 in children and young people's residential care pathway or equivalent qualification or be able to demonstrate a willingness and ability to achieve this within the first 2 years of employment through an apprenticeship.
Experience in working with young people with disabilities in residential childcare or in a similar caring environment is preferred. Ongoing development and training will be provided.
You will be passionate in providing care to children and offer a child-centred approach and have an understanding of the needs of children and young people with disabilities. You will be enthusiastic and creative and be able to work effectively as part of a team and also use your own initiative when required within the policies, procedures and guidelines. You will be expected to have good written and verbal communication skills, basic IT skills and produce clear legible reports.
The ability to provide individualised care to young people and to communicate and foster positive relationships with children, staff, families and other professionals is essential., Disability Confident
About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.

Cressingham is an expanding and thriving short break service offering overnight support, independence clubs, and after school visits to children and young people aged 8-18 years with complex needs and learning disabilities. We provide a home from home setting where children can make friends and feel safe., Our organisation, Brighter Futures for Children is a not-for-profit company, owned by, but independent of, Reading Borough Council. Although we are independent, we are very much part of the Reading Family. Our people enjoy all of benefits as other Council employees including membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme and continuous service.

We work closely with partners in the local community and key organisations including Reading Borough Council, policy, public health and voluntary groups. We are responsible for the delivery of children's social care, early help & prevention, education services (including SEND). This also includes fostering and adoption, the Youth Offending Service and traded services with schools.

Our main aim is to protect and enhance the lives of the children of Reading. We help families find long-term solutions to ensure children lead happy, healthy and successful lives.

We offer a supportive environment to grow and develop your career with the opportunity to put your ideas across. Innovation and ambition is strongly encouraged, and you'll get a great feel for that working in our friendly and collaborative environment. We offer work sponsorship for overseas applicants and a relocation package.

A competitive salary alongside a range of benefits including:

Local Government Pension Scheme - includes generous employer contribution.
Incremental holidays starting with 26 days plus public holidays (rising to 33 after 10 years' service)
Discounted Child Care (on site nursery)
Cycle to work scheme.
Season train ticket loans
Salary Sacrifice Car Lease Scheme
A range of local shopping discounts

Please note that these dates are indicative at this stage and may be subject to change.

Inclusion and Diversity

We want Brighter Futures for Children to be a great place to work and to ensure that our children, young people and families are represented in leadership roles and positions of power. A vital part of this is ensuring we are a truly inclusive organisation that encourages diversity in all respects, including diversity of thinking.

We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and those of Other Ethnicities, LGBT+, disabled and neurodiverse communities to make a real difference to our children, young people and families so that equalities and justice remains at the heart of everything we do.

Asking for Adjustments

Brighter Futures for Children is committed to making our recruitment practices barrier-free and as accessible as possible for everyone. This includes making adjustments or changes for disabled people, neurodiverse people or people with long-term health conditions.