Registered Manager, Therapeutic Children's Home (Muswell Hill, North London)
Lead a small therapeutic children's home in Muswell Hill, North London, established in 2015 and registered for up to five children and young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. Our care is informed by Dyadic Developmental Practice (DDP) and PACE, with a dedicated waking night team rather than sleep-ins, and the home has its own registered school on site.
£60,000 to £80,000, depending on experience. Full-time and permanent: Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, with management on-call. Experienced interim managers who can commit to at least six months are also welcome.
Closing date: 12.11.26. Interviews: 04.11.26 and 05.11.26, then on a rolling basis. We may appoint before the closing date.
About us
We were founded on a clear belief: children in residential care deserve more than containment, compliance or survival. They deserve relationships that change the direction of their lives, and a way out of the cycle of placement breakdown, criminalisation, homelessness and substance misuse that too often follows care.
We understand behaviour as communication. Many young people in care have learned to survive in a world that has not kept them safe, and are frightened, hyper-vigilant and mistrustful of adults, with good reason. Our response is consistency, empathy and unconditional positive regard, not control, punishment or emotional distance, so that everyday relationships offer the reliability and safety of family.
Education is part of this: our school is integrated with the home and built for young people who have been failed by mainstream provision, to help them re-engage with learning and experience success. Therapy is too: in-house therapy is part of our model, and the therapist post is currently vacant. A central aim is for care, education and therapy to work together and support each other, so that every child receives comprehensive care.
This is not easy work. We want people who understand the depth of what is being asked of them, who can sit with distress, stay curious under pressure, and lead with compassion as well as boundaries.
The role
This is a senior leadership appointment with real influence over how the home develops. We are looking for a registered manager who can turn our values into consistent practice.
You will not be starting from scratch: core policies and a digital care recording system are already in place, and you will review them and make sure they are used well, shaping the tools you need for your own oversight. Your time goes on leading the home and the quality of its care, not on administration.
Duties
Your first responsibility is to make sure every child is safe, settled and making progress. You will:
- set and hold high standards of care with the staff team
- make sure recording and reporting are accurate, timely and of a high standard
- lead the home's work with local authorities, social workers, CAMHS, the Regulation 44 independent visitor and other professionals
- act as the home's designated safeguarding lead and promote an open safeguarding culture
- hold oversight of quality and compliance without becoming reactive
- keep standards consistent when you are not in the room
- lead a culture in which children can grow and staff feel valued and supported, with the whole team committed to each child's progress
- develop and retain a stable staff team and future leaders
- create stability for children through calm, consistent leadership
What we offer
- Reporting to and supervised by the responsible individual
- Systems and administrative support: a systems lead draws up the rotas, runs systems such as ClearCare, and handles pay and annual leave administration
- Tools built around the role to make it manageable: the administration of training, payroll and rotas is largely automated and is not part of your role, and a manager's dashboard is being introduced that brings the key areas of care into one place, so you can see at a glance what needs your attention. We set the tools up and support you with them; they support your professional judgement rather than replace it
- A supernumerary post: no requirement to work care shifts
- A phased approach: fewer children at first, so the focus can be on the highest quality of care and a strong team culture, building up to fill more places over time. We will explain the full plan at the next stage
- Support with your registration with Ofsted
How to apply
Apply with your CV by 12.11.26. For a confidential conversation before you apply, email admin@uniquechildrenshome.org. If your experience matches what we are looking for, we will call you for an initial confidential conversation.
Shortlisted candidates will complete our application form, which asks about any family, close personal, household, business or financial connection with anyone working at or connected to the home; you and each interviewer sign off that declaration at interview. The job description and person specification are below.
Job description
Reports to: the responsible individual. Purpose: to manage the home day to day and lead the care of children, so that every child is safe, settled and making progress, in line with the home's statement of purpose, the Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the quality standards.
Main responsibilities:
- Apply to Ofsted to be registered as the home's manager, with a complete application, promptly after appointment
- Lead therapeutic, relationship-based care, with each child's plans built with the child and their professional network
- Act as the home's designated safeguarding lead, making referrals and notifications without delay
- Review the home's policies with the responsible individual, and make sure they are understood and followed
- Make sure staff are recruited safely, with every check the regulations require, and that conflicts of interest are declared and managed
- Supervise staff every four to six weeks, appraise them each year, and plan and check their training
- Make sure recording and reporting are accurate, timely and of a high standard
- Work with placing authorities, social workers, CAMHS and other health services, the school, the LADO and the Regulation 44 independent visitor, and contribute to the Regulation 45 review
- Lead an open, reflective staff team focused on children's experiences and progress
Person specification
Essential:
- The Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare (England), or an equivalent qualification, held
- Within the last five years, at least two years in a position relevant to the residential care of children
- At least one year supervising and managing staff working in a care role
- Experience as the registered manager of a children's home
- Knowledge of the Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015, the quality standards and Ofsted's inspection framework
- Safeguarding leadership and safer recruitment
- Clear, accurate written records
- Integrity and good character, and physically and mentally fit to manage the home
Desirable:
- Currently or recently registered with Ofsted
- Leading improvement in a children's home
- Experience with children with emotional and behavioural difficulties
- Therapeutic models such as DDP and PACE
- Preparing a home for an Ofsted inspection or visit
- Subscribed to the DBS update service
Safer recruitment
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, and it is an offence for anyone barred from regulated activity with children to apply.
Any offer depends on safer recruitment checks, including an enhanced DBS check with the children's barred list, two written references including your most recent employer, a full employment history with any gaps explained, verification of why any previous work with children or vulnerable adults ended, and proof of identity and qualifications.
The person appointed, including any interim manager, applies to Ofsted to be registered as the home's manager. We welcome applications from everyone; please tell us about any adjustments you need. Our privacy notice for job applicants: https://uniquechildrenshomeuk-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/personal/kuval_sutton-patel_uniquechildrenshome_org/IQApUGGNu8tzQIcDE3EO8SdnAWuk5gw7teU2ssZ9ZtjyoWQ?e=wqeBxq
This is a role for a leader who wants to build something meaningful, with young people at the centre of every decision. If you recognise yourself in this description, we would welcome a conversation.
