Therapeutic residential support worker jobs
Location: Loughborough, England (Travel required to all Baca Services locations)
Contract Type: Permanent
Salary: £24,754 - £28,454 per annum FTE
Working Hours: 37.5 hrs per week (including evening and weekend hours on a rota)
Start Date: February 2026
About Us
Baca is dedicated to providing support and care to 16 to 18 year old unaccompanied asylum seeking children who are newly arrived in the country, helping them rebuild their strength, dignity, and hope for the future. We work closely with social workers and representatives from other agencies to benefit the young people in our care.
Role Overview
As a Support Worker, you will be a key worker for several young people in Baca's care, providing high-quality holistic and therapeutic support for their transition to adulthood. You will deliver services in line with Baca’s Theory of Change, ensuring the highest quality outcomes in physical and emotional wellbeing, education, employment, training, social engagement, and personal safety.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide high-quality support and care to young people, ensuring their holistic development.
- Work proactively to safeguard young people and resolve any issues that arise.
- Be a role model, offering care and compassion without discrimination.
- Support young people in developing essential life skills and preparing for independent living.
- Engage young people in education, vocational training, and hobbies.
- Foster positive relationships within the community and support social engagement.
- Plan and participate in day trips and annual residential weeks.
- Develop partnerships with social workers, solicitors, teachers, volunteers, and other partners.
- Maintain excellent communication and keep accurate records.
Requirements
- Alignment with Baca’s values and mission. Ability to respond to change and work as part of a diverse team.
- Self-motivated, proactive, and able to take initiative.
- Knowledge of safeguarding practices and issues faced by unaccompanied asylum-seeking young people.
- Relevant training or willingness to complete essential training within the first year.
- Experience working with young people, especially in cross-cultural settings.
- Excellent communication, organizational, and ICT skills.
- Driving licence and access to a car.
- Enhanced DBS check required.
Personal Attributes
- Approachable, reliable, and a strong team worker.
- Supportive, responsible, and personable.
- Flexible and able to work occasional evenings and weekends.
Holidays And Benefits
- 33 days’ holiday a year (pro rata for part-time staff) including bank holidays.
- Pension scheme
- Health & Wellbeing programme
- Free parking
- Casual dress
How To Apply
If you are passionate about making a difference in the lives of young asylum seekers and have the skills and attributes we are looking for, we would love to hear from you.
Please note: You must have the right to work in the UK for this role as Baca is not on the Home Office list.
It is our mission to serve young people who have been forced to flee their home country – offering safe homes, education, therapeutic care and support



Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Starting Salary: Up to £35,000 depending on experience
Specific Hours: 40 hours per week shift work- including evenings, weekends, bank holidays and sleep-ins.
(flexibility to work evenings and sleep-ins are for the Day position. Waking Night position requires staff to be awake for the entire night shift).
Sleep-ins: £50. Overtime / bank holidays paid time-and-a-half and alternative weekends off
Location: Croydon, CR2 - closest station is 1 stop after East Croydon | 10 minutes from Clapham Junction | 20 minutes from Waterloo.
Looking for fantastic career progression, excellent training and therapeutic support? Join our committed and professional team and make a difference to young people living in residential care, where no two days are the same!
About the role
As a Children’s Residential Worker, you will directly look after children and young people who have complex emotional and mental health needs due to trauma, loss and other adverse experiences.
You will be required to support children to regulate and understand their emotions. Working within a therapeutic framework, you will develop a direct programme of work aimed at developing authentic relationships with our children and young people (aged 12 – 17 years old on admission to the Children’s Home).
You will have a key role in making sure our children are safe and happy. You will also be required to work collaboratively with key professionals to ensure that information is recorded and shared appropriately, as well as to enable children to receive the multi-agency support that they require.
If applying for the Day position, you will be required to do sleep-ins paid at £50 each.
If applying for the Waking Night position, you will have the additional support of an on-call manager should there be any emergencies. Further to this, you will be involved in monthly team meetings and receive monthly supervision.
Applicants should have
- Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare or equivalent (i.e. Level 3 Diploma Children and Young People Workforce with the children's social care pathway) as per Children’s Homes Regulations 2015 (England).
- Minimum of 2 years’ experience working and supporting children and Young People to achieve their full potential.
- Genuine commitment to working with and supporting children and Young People to achieve their full potential; with the ability to build and promote trusted relationships while maintaining professional boundaries.
- An understanding of the issues facing children and Young People and a basic understanding of safeguarding Regulations and Procedures.
- The ability to cope effectively with challenging behaviour.
- Good communication and team working skills.
- Flexibility to work shifts, including weekends and bank holidays, and if applicable, sleep-in’s.
- Commitment to undertake any mandatory training (outside of working hours) and continuous learning to ensure a high level of service.
- Creativity, enthusiasm and energy to inspire and encourage young people to achieve their goals.
What you should expect from us
- Salary: Up to £35,000 depending on experience
- Sleep-ins: £50. Overtime / bank holidays paid time-and-a-half and alternate weekends off
- A friendly working environment, a fun, open and honest culture.
- 25 days holiday rising to 27 days after 3 years’ service, plus Bank Holidays, pro-rata.
- Industry leading training programme including access to level 3 qualifications, children’s right and participation, CSE, empowerment, mental health and social pedagogy.
- Contributory pension scheme, enhanced maternity and company sick scheme.
- UK Life Assurance (Death in service) to the value of 3 times your annual salary.
- BUPA employee assistance programme, offering counselling, financial advice and legal support.
- Cycle to work scheme.
- Bluelight card; discount shopping scheme at hundreds of retailers across the UK.
- Discretionary funded training programs.
- Employee awards based on performance and length of service.
- Fantastic opportunities to develop your career within our range of services.
Recruitment Process
At St Christopher’s we are committed to the safeguarding of all children and young people in our care. During the recruitment process you will be expected to complete an online application form to ensure we capture essential information to meet legislation, best practice and vetting requirements. Applicants will ideally already be on the DBS Update Service; if this is not the case St Christopher's will carry out a DBS (police) check prior to starting.
Your Online application must include a supporting statement addressing the criteria stated in the Person Specification.
For the full Job Description and Person Specification please see our website. CV’s will not be accepted.
For more information or assistance during the application process, please visit our website.
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend an interview at our Head Office
Second Stage Interview
Successful candidates will then attend the second stage interview at one of St Christopher's residential homes.
Our Children and Young People are looking forward to hearing from you
We advise you to apply as soon as possible as applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Please note:
- This post has a minimum age restriction of 21 year for roles working directly with children and young people in our residential and supported accommodation Homes in line with the Equality Act ‘occupational requirement’.
- It is illegal to apply for any role that involves working with children and young people under the age of 18, if you know you are barred from working with children.
- All shortlisted candidates invited to interview will be asked to submit a Self-Declaration and Disclosure form which will need to be returned prior to an interview being booked.
We are a leading charity for children and young people, providing fostering, children's homes and leaving care services across the UK and Isle of Man



The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
We're looking for a kind, empathetic and resilient female Refuge Children's Worker to join our Homelessness and Complex needs Service in Tower Hamlets.
£14,000.00 per annum, working 20 hours per week.
Want to feel like you have an exciting future? You'll feel at home here.
Making you feel at home here means helping you thrive in every way. That's why we offer a wide range of benefits, award-winning Learning & Development and a culture that welcomes all. These aren't token gestures - we've thought long and hard about how best to support our team. After all, our people are doing something amazing: helping to transform lives every day.
Our benefits include:
* Annual leave increasing up to 30 days with length of service
* Free DBS
* Exclusive discounts and cashback via Reward Gateway® and opportunity to buy a Blue Light Card
* Fully paid induction programme and further training
* ILM courses and Apprenticeship Programmes
* Cycle to work scheme
* Employee Assistance Programme for 24-7 confidential support
* Online wellbeing resources
* A generous pension - we will contribute up to 4% and life assurance cover up to £10,000 (T&Cs apply)
* Quarterly Staff Awards to reward & recognise our amazing staff's commitment and contribution
All applicants must be legally eligible to work in the UK by the start of employment as Look Ahead are not able to offer sponsorship.
Are you looking for a rewarding role working with families who have fled domestic abuse? We are looking for friendly and diligent individuals to join our refuge team.
This is a fixed term contract until May 2026 with possibility of extension
What you'll do:
* To ensure that the needs of children and young people in the refuge are assessed as part of admission and the duration of their stay
* To plan and implement a programme of therapeutic and recreational activities for children and young people living both at the refuge and in the community, as well as play-work and activity trips
* To provide individual, age-appropriate key working sessions for children of all ages. With a focus on safeguarding, including risk and safety planning, emotional & physical health & wellbeing, education and social & family networks
* To encourage and support mothers to build loving and consistent relationships with their children
This is not an exhaustive list of all the duties and responsibilities that may be required from time to time and is subject to change in accordance with the needs of Look Ahead
About you:
* Exudes a warm friendly presence and open behaviour
* Prefers working as part of a group or team
* Is fundamentally calm and resilient, does not let emotion adversely affect them or obscure their judgement
* Flexible
* Open to feedback and self-development
* Has a practical and logical mind and is naturally well organised
* Thrives on change and enjoys dynamic diverse environments Mission & Values 'Working with people to make choices, achieve goals and take control of their live through high quality care, support and housing'
What you'll bring:
Essential:
* A recognised qualification in childcare such as NVQ level 3, NNEB/DCE,
* Experience of working with children of all ages
* Experience of working with children who've experienced domestic abuse
* Ability to communicate effectively with children of different ages and backgrounds, and help them communicate their experiences
* Experience of planning, facilitating, evaluating and recording group play
* Experience of writing Reports
* Ability to work flexibly around working hours
Desirable:
* Experience of working with children in a residential setting
* Experience of delivering domestic abuse recovery programmes
* Experience of coproducing delivery outcomes and gathering evidence in accordance with them
About us:
Look Ahead is a leading, not-for-profit care and support provider in London and the South East. Our vision is to build better lives through social care and housing in local communities. As an organisation we deliver over 100 services, providing support to thousands of customers each year. Our mission is to co-design and deliver services that offer innovative social care solutions and support people to thrive. We work across mental health, homelessness and complex needs, young people and care leavers and learning disabilities so there are plenty of opportunities to grow and progress your career with us.
We have a strong social purpose and we live and work by our values:
We focus on Excellence and innovation.
We are Caring and Compassionate.
We are Inclusive and Trusted.
We work in Partnership and are One-Team.
Look Ahead is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk, and expects all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment.
If your application for this role is unsuccessful, but we feel that you would be suitable for another role, we may contact you to discuss alternative opportunities. If this occurs you would not need to submit another application for the alternative role.
We reserve the right to close this advert early if we are able to appoint to the vacancy before the advertised closed date.
We are committed to diversity and inclusion at work and are accredited with Silver in the Inclusive Employers Standard 2021. We are a proud member of the Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant and encourage applications from a diverse range of applicants of all backgrounds.
Please see our website for full Job description
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Positive Behaviour Support Practitioner - Children’s Home - Croydon
Location: Children's Homes, Croydon.
Contract Type: Permanent/ Part time/15 hours a week.
Salary: Equivalent of £ 40,000 per annum for full-time (40 hours per week). Part-time role of 15 hours per week will be paid pro rata at £ 15,000 per annum.
Specific Hours: Flexible (Mondays to Fridays).
Looking for fantastic career progression, excellent training and therapeutic support? Join our committed and professional team and make a difference to young people living in residential care, where no two days are the same!
About Us
Our vision is for every child and young person to be safe, loved and happy, to achieve their potential and have a bright future.
St Christopher's is a leading charity for children and young people. We are proud of our history of providing fostering, children's homes and innovative leaving care services across the UK & Isle of Man. We have a passionate commitment to our young people, placing them at the centre of everything we do. We provide positive life experiences for young people who are unable to sustain a placement in their parental or foster home.
We are an equal-opportunity employer keen to develop an inclusive workforce where people feel they belong.We hope to attract applications from under- represented groups, including people from different cultures, nationalities, socioeconomic backgrounds, ages, disabilities, religions, faith, sex, orientation, childcare responsibilities, and gender-diverse identities.
St Christopher’s Academy
At St Christopher`s we can provide more than just a care job. We can offer you a career where you can develop your skills and knowledge while making a difference to young people’s lives.
When you join St Christopher’s, we will set you up in your career with a tailored development plan. Whether you want to move across to a different service, become a Manager or just explore further your current role, we will support you to map out your career trajectory and help you achieve your professional ambitions.
We are proud that 84% of all our Team Leaders, Deputies and Managers are internal promotions.
About the role
As a Positive Behaviour Support Practitioner, you will play a key role in supporting and guiding our staff teams to deliver high-quality, person-centred behaviour support for the children in our care. You will carry out functional assessments, develop tailored PBS plans, and deliver both direct and indirect interventions to ensure each child’s individual needs are met. In addition, you will provide advice, coaching, and training to staff and carers, working collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team to promote consistent, safe, and effective support.
Applicants should have
- A higher-level qualification (university degree) in a relevant field such as Psychology, or a Health and Social Care vocational qualification.
- Do you have a recognised qualification/training in Positive Behaviour Support (PBS), or be willing to undertake this training.
- Strong knowledge of Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) theory and its practical application.
- An understanding of current best practices and guidelines for managing challenging behaviour, including approaches that promote restraint reduction.
- A basic understanding of safeguarding regulations and procedures.
- Previous experience supporting children and young people to reach their full potential.
- Proven experience working with children with learning disabilities, autism, and complex behavioural needs.
- Experience implementing physical interventions appropriately and safely and using PBS in practice.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with experience of working within multidisciplinary teams.
- The ability to respond professionally and effectively to challenging behaviour.
- A genuine commitment to supporting children and young people, with the ability to build trusting relationships while maintaining professional boundaries.
- Strong teamwork skills, flexibility, creativity, enthusiasm, and energy to inspire and encourage young people to achieve their goals.
- Flexibility to work outside office hours where applicable.
- A commitment to undertaking mandatory training (via e-learning or in-person courses) and to ongoing continuous professional development.
- Willingness to attend regular supervision.
What you should expect from us
- Competitive Salary.
- A friendly working environment, a fun, open and honest culture.
- 25 days holiday rising to 27 days after 3 years’ service, plus Bank Holidays, pro-rata.
- Industry leading training programme including access to level 3 qualifications, children’s right and participation, CSE, empowerment, mental health and social pedagogy.
- Contributory pension scheme, enhanced maternity and company sick scheme.
- UK Life Assurance (Death in service) to the value of 3 times your annual salary.
- BUPA employee assistance programme, offering counselling, financial advice and legal support.
- Cycle to work scheme.
- Bluelight card; discount shopping scheme at hundreds of retailers across the UK.
- Discretionary funded training programs.
- Employee awards based on performance and length of service.
- Fantastic opportunities to develop your career within our range of services.
Recruitment Process
At St Christopher’s, we are fully committed to safeguarding all children and young people in our care. As part of the recruitment process, you will be required to complete an online application form so we can gather the information needed to meet legislative, best practice, and vetting requirements. Applicants will ideally already be on the DBS Update Service; however, if this is not the case, St Christopher’s will carry out a DBS check prior to your start date.
Your online application must include a supporting statement addressing the criteria outlined in the Person Specification. CVs will not be accepted.
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend an interview at our Head Office in Putney, SW London.
Please note:
- Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.
- This post carries a minimum age requirement of 21 for roles working directly with children and young people in our residential and supported accommodation settings, in line with the Equality Act’s occupational requirement provisions.
- It is illegal to apply for any role involving work with children or young people under 18 if you are barred from working with children.
- All shortlisted candidates invited to interview will be required to complete a Self-Declaration and Disclosure form, which must be returned before an interview can be scheduled.
We are a leading charity for children and young people, providing fostering, children's homes and leaving care services across the UK and Isle of Man



The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.