About Us:

Working as part of Children’s Services will provide a challenging and rewarding career. We have high ambitions for the children and young people of Kensington and Chelsea.  We have formed a bi-borough Children’s Services team with colleagues from Westminster City Council. Our services, which include education, family services and safeguarding, have been rated Outstanding by Ofsted, and our drive to be the best doesn’t stop there.  By working with us, you will have the opportunity to make a difference to young people in one of the world’s most diverse cities.

The Role:

Making a difference for young people in residential care

Kensington and Chelsea is a diverse, ambitious and innovative London Borough. We are committed to maintaining in-house residential care on a short, medium and long term basis for young people with EBD living in the Borough.

You will be part of building a strong multidisciplinary team within our children’s home, Olive House, to provide a high quality, holistic residential children’s service for vulnerable looked after young people aged 13-18.  Located in Ladbroke Grove, Olive House is a newly built, high spec unit which has been operating since May 2014 and has been consistently rated as “Good” by Ofsted. Our most recent inspection highlighted the excellent relationship between staff and young people and the tailor made support we provide. One resident fed back that she feels loved and cared for  by staff in Olive House.

Olive House provides a consistent and thoughtful approach to meeting the range of care needs of children and young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties EBD,  to help them make sense of their lives to date and move successfully into adult life.  In order to achieve this, you will be well supported through training opportunities within the team and Kensington and Chelsea’s corporate extensive training opportunities, including our mandatory training in systemic practice.

In this key position you will help create a secure and stimulating environment for young people, provide sensitive care and support and act as a key worker for individuals, including developing clear and creative support plans for them. The support plans may require you to work with extended family members in order to promote positive contact or the opportunity for the young person to return home.

For more infomration on the role, please see the Job Description

About You:

Naturally you must enjoy working with adolescents and have significant experience of working in this field. We expect you to have the required NVQ level 3, or CWFD level 3 or equivalent, and some experience in residential child care. Knowledge of good childcare practice will be essential as well as patience, resilience and the ability to cope under pressure. This role involves working shifts, including weekends and sleep in duties evenly distributed amongst 8 residential workers.

We are committed to equal opportunities and diversity and are looking for candidates which reflect the diversity of the young people we work with.

This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and an enhanced DBS will be undertaken on the successful person before an appointment is confirmed.

As well as being supported by good training and development opportunities we offer excellent staff benefits including travel allowances and a final salary pension scheme.

Please tell us in your application how you fit into Olive House.

Role Requirements:

We expect you to have the required NVQ level 3, or CWFD level 3 or equivalent, and some experience in residential child care. Knowledge of good childcare practice will be essential as well as patience, resilience and the ability to cope under pressure. This role involves working shifts, including weekends and sleep in duties evenly distributed amongst 8 residential workers.

We work in partnership with Hampshire County Council (HCC) who deliver many transactional services on our behalf. Although most communications will be from HCC, all selection and appointment decisions will be made by RBKC. Certain services are shared across more than one Council area to nearby neighbouring Authorities. This enhances delivery and reduces costs. Your recruitment information will advise if your remit extends beyond RBKC.

We will primarily contact candidates by e-mail throughout the recruitment process, please monitor your email junk / spam folder as our system generated emails may be allocated to these folders by your email settings.

We engage our staff with a variety of learning types including face-to-face and virtual learning because we want to ensure our staff understand our values and behaviours, grow their skills and develop their careers.

Additional information

RBKC is currently inclusively reviewing its pay, reward and benefits framework.

This post is covered by the Fluency Duty, as outlined in the Code of Practice on the English language requirements for public sector workers.

We are committed to promoting equality and respecting diversity and welcome applications from all sections of the community.

We are a Disability Confident Employer – committed to ensuring that our recruitment and selection process is inclusive and accessible.