Night Child Support Worker (Crook / North)

Night Child Support Worker | Crook, County Durham | Full Time, Permanent | 4 On, 4 Off | £29,120 per annum

Be the calm, caring presence a young person needs.

Could you be the person a young person can rely on when they need someone most?

Working in a children’s home at night is about much more than staying awake until morning. It’s about safety, stability and reassurance during the hours when a young person may feel most vulnerable. We’re looking for a caring, resilient and dependable Night Child Support Worker to join our residential childcare team in Crook, County Durham.

The young people we support may have experienced trauma, instability or difficult circumstances, and may have complex emotional and behavioural needs. They need adults who are patient and dependable, and who can look beyond behaviour to understand the individual.

Role details

• Location: Crook, County Durham
• Contract: Full time, permanent
• Salary: £29,120 per annum (£16.00 per hour)
• Hours: 35 per week on average
• Pattern: 4 nights on, 4 nights off
• Shifts: 10 hours, 21:30 to 07:30, awake and actively working throughout
• Induction: 3 to 4 induction day shifts, paid at the same rate and normally on your start date

The role

You’ll stay awake and alert throughout your shift, helping keep the home calm, safe and welcoming while providing consistent support in line with each young person’s needs. You might be the person who offers reassurance after a difficult moment, helps a young person settle, or simply gives them the comfort of knowing a trusted adult is there. Every shift is a chance to help someone feel a little safer and more secure.

Key responsibilities

• Support children and young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD)
• Create and maintain a safe, stable and nurturing environment overnight
• Carry out regular welfare checks in line with care plans and risk assessments
• Respond appropriately to incidents, safeguarding concerns and emergencies
• Provide emotional support, reassurance and positive role modelling
• Encourage positive behaviour through consistent boundaries and relationship-based care
• Complete security and fire safety checks
• Keep accurate night records, reports and handovers
• Complete light household duties and support morning routines where required
• Communicate effectively with colleagues, managers and external professionals
• Follow safeguarding procedures, the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and organisational policies

Requirements

What you’ll need

Essential

• Experience working with children or young people
• A calm, patient and resilient approach
• The ability to stay awake, alert and attentive throughout a night shift
• The ability to work independently and confidently on waking nights
• A strong understanding of safeguarding, child protection and professional boundaries
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Good written record-keeping skills
• A proactive, flexible and child-centred approach
• The right to work in the UK
• Willingness to undergo an Enhanced DBS check, including the children’s barred list, and the other pre-employment checks below

Desirable

• Children’s residential care experience
• Experience with EBD, SEN or SEMH settings
• A relevant qualification, such as a Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare, or willingness to work towards one
• A full UK driving licence

We welcome people from children’s residential care, children’s support work, youth work, social care, care work, behaviour support, SEN or SEMH settings, foster care and supported accommodation. Great support workers come from a range of backgrounds, and what matters most is your ability to build positive relationships, stay calm under pressure and put young people first.

Benefits

What we offer

• £29,120 per annum for an average 35-hour week
• A fixed 4-on, 4-off rota with long blocks of time off
• Paid induction at the same rate of pay
• A supportive and inclusive working environment
• Ongoing training and professional development
• Opportunities to develop specialist skills and progress your career
• Valuable experience within residential childcare
• The chance to make a real and lasting difference to children and young people

Why this role matters

The young people we support may have faced things no child should. They don’t need adults who expect perfection. They need adults who are consistent, compassionate and dependable. Some nights will be calm. Some nights, a young person will need someone to listen. And sometimes the most important thing you can do is simply be there.

You don’t need to have all the answers. You just need to care, be willing to learn and keep showing up, night after night.

Safeguarding and safer recruitment

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Appointment is subject to safer recruitment checks in line with Schedule 2 of the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015, including:

• An Enhanced DBS check, including the children’s barred list
• Verification of identity and right to work in the UK
• A full employment history, with any gaps explained
• Two satisfactory references, including your most recent employer
• Verification of relevant qualifications
• Satisfactory health and fitness information

Shortlisted candidates will be asked to disclose all convictions and cautions that are not protected under current filtering legislation.

Ready to make a difference?

Bring your compassion, your patience and your resilience, and become someone a young person can count on. Apply today.