Youth Support Worker (Crook / North)

Youth Support Worker | Crook, County Durham | Full Time, Permanent | £33,488 per annum

Be the person a child remembers for the right reasons.

Some jobs are about earning a living. Others give you the chance to change a life.

As a Youth Support Worker, you could be the person who listens when a young person feels nobody else will. The calm voice at the end of a difficult day. The trusted adult who keeps showing up and helps them see that their past doesn’t have to define their future.

We’re looking for a compassionate, resilient and committed Youth Support Worker to join our children’s residential team in Crook, County Durham. You’ll support children and young people who may have experienced trauma, instability, emotional difficulties or challenging circumstances.

This isn’t always an easy job. There will be days that test your patience. But there will also be moments that make it all worthwhile: a young person beginning to trust you, achieving something they didn’t believe they could, or simply feeling safe enough to smile.

Role details

• Location: Crook, County Durham
• Contract: Full time, permanent
• Salary: £33,488 per annum (£16.00 per hour)
• Hours: 40.25 per week on average
• Pattern: Two to three 15-hour shifts a week, on rotation
• Shift times: 07:15 to 22:00
• Breaks: No deduction from pay for breaks
• Sleep-in: One per week, 22:15 to 07:00, paid at £70 per sleep. This is paid separately through the overtime sheet and is not included in your salary.

Your role

Working in a specialist children’s residential home, you’ll help create a place where young people feel safe, valued, listened to and cared for. You’ll build genuine, trusting relationships and give the consistency and encouragement that can make such a difference to a child who has known uncertainty. Day to day, you will:

• Support children and young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD)
• Provide emotional support, reassurance and positive role modelling
• Create a safe, warm and nurturing home environment
• Build trusting relationships based on respect, patience and consistency
• Encourage positive behaviour while maintaining clear and appropriate boundaries
• Carry out welfare checks in line with care plans and risk assessments
• Respond calmly and appropriately to incidents, safeguarding concerns and emergencies
• Support morning routines and the everyday rhythm of family life in the home
• Keep accurate records, reports and handovers
• Complete safety, security and fire checks
• Help keep the home clean, welcoming and comfortable
• Work closely with colleagues, managers, families and external professionals
• Follow care plans, 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, including after challenging days
• A good understanding of safeguarding, child protection and professional boundaries
• The ability to hold boundaries with kindness, and to understand that behaviour is often communication
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Clear, accurate written record-keeping
• The ability to work independently and as part of a team
• The stamina and flexibility for long shifts, including a weekly sleep-in
• 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 Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare or equivalent, or a willingness to work towards it
• A full UK driving licence

You don’t have to have the perfect CV. What matters most is who you are and how you treat people. 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.

Benefits

What you’ll receive

• £33,488 per annum for an average 40.25-hour week
• An extra £70 for each weekly sleep-in, paid through the overtime sheet
• No deduction from pay for breaks
• Ongoing training and professional development
• Opportunities for career progression
• Support from an experienced care team
• A rewarding career in residential childcare, and the satisfaction of knowing your work genuinely matters

The reality of the role

This is a full-time position that includes weekends and bank holidays, long shifts and a weekly sleep-in. Occasional rota changes may be needed to give the young people stability.

This work asks a lot of you, so we want people who understand that care is more than a job title. It’s about turning up, being dependable, and staying compassionate when things are difficult.

Safeguarding and safer recruitment

The safety and wellbeing of children and young people is at the heart of everything we do. 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.

Could you make a difference?

If you want to clock in, do your hours and go home, this probably isn’t the job for you. But if you want a career where your patience, compassion and presence can genuinely change the direction of a young person’s life, we’d love to hear from you. You don’t need all the answers. You just need to care, be willing to learn, and keep showing up. Apply today.

Job type: Full time, permanent | Work location: In person