Residential Worker

The team at Aycliffe Secure Centre provide a caring, therapeutic and motivational environment for young people aged between 10 and 18 who are a risk to themselves or others. Our young people have faced difficulties such as neglect, trauma and some have been involved with the Youth Custody Service. We help to give them the skills needed to make good choices for their future. We are rated Good overall by Ofsted and Outstanding in Children's Health and Wellbeing. Find out more about our exceptional facilities and testimonies from our team at: Hear from our team about what it's like to work at Aycliffe Secure Centre : NOT JUST A JOB Joining us as a Residential Worker at Aycliffe Secure Centre is one of the most rewarding career choices you could make. The role is challenging both physically and mentally but is extremely rewarding when you get to witness first-hand the positive impact you can make to a young person's life just by giving your care, compassion and time. This is a very varied role where no two days are the same. You will hold a unique position where you will be able to understand each young person as an individual to help provide the support and care that's right for them In this role you will have the opportunity to :

• Be a positive role model for vulnerable young people by supporting them within a residential setting.
• Help young people make progress towards positive outcomes in relation to health and wellbeing.
• Set outstanding standards of practice outlined within the Children's Homes regulation 2015.
Your life and works experiences are valuable to us but what we're more interested in is you as a person and what you can offer our service to take it forward. If you possess resilience, determination, and an intrinsic desire to help, we want to hear from you. NOT A NORMAL 9 to 5 Our young people are cared for 24/7 so working shift patterns that include weekends and bank holidays are an essential part of the role. Early shifts are 7.30am to 2.45pm and late shifts are 2.15pm to 11pm. Shift patterns will be a mixture of early and late shifts, but you will only work a maximum of four consecutive days. An average of one or two sleep in duties per month will also be required. NOT JUST TRAINING Your role will start with a four-week induction programme which includes a range of formal and informal learning opportunities so you can carry out your role safely and effectively. But it doesn't stop there as the first six months in the role you will also receive specific on the job training and development to enable you to deliver the role with confidence. There are also excellent ongoing training and development opportunities as well as dedicated one-to-one time to reflect upon workplace practice and access to specialist support via our independent on-site psychologist. Our Residential Workers are required to hold a Level 3 Diploma in Child Care (or equivalent) so if you have not already got it, we will support you to achieve it within the first 18 months in the role. NOT JUST A SALARY The difference we make to the lives of our young people is extremely valuable and we want everyone who contributes to that to feel appreciated. As a valued member of the team you can expect, We are a proud equal opportunities employer and recognise that a diverse, talented workforce brings new ideas and new perspectives, which will facilitate growth and improvements to services. We are committed to ensuring that our employment policies and processes are fair and equitable to all. We welcome job applications from everyone, and successful candidates are considered only on their skills and ability to do the job. As a Disability Confident Leader, we encourage applications from disabled people and provide support throughout the recruitment process.


• Competitive salaries and 27 days holiday per year, plus bank holidays, rising to 32 days after five years continuous local government service.
• Option to purchase up to 10 additional days annual leave per year.
• Excellent work/life balance
• Excellent contributory career average Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). Plus, top up options - Salary Sacrifice Shared Cost AVC scheme and standard AVC scheme for members of the LGPS.
• Wellbeing Portal and access to an Employee Assist Scheme.
• Wide range of learning and development opportunities including professional qualifications, coaching and mentoring.
• Employee Benefits Portal and Lifestyle Savings Scheme (discounts across a host of major retailers).
• Discounted DCC gym membership.
• Staff networks run by staff for our staff, including Race Equality and Diversity, Disability, LGBT+, Armed Forces, Carers, Menopause.
• Trade Union membership.
• A range of other salary sacrifice schemes such as car leasing.
• Staff based at Aycliffe Secure Centre also benefit from free on site parking.