Assistant Head of Home - Pineview

Overview

Buckinghamshire Council Residential Services are pleased to announce an exciting opportunity. We are now hiring an Assistant Heads of Home for our brand new Children’s Home opening in Amersham.

As an Assistant Head of Home you will form part of the existing Children’s Home Team developing a new home situated within Amersham, Buckinghamshire and will care for young people with a range of diverse emotional needs. This new venture will need you to be registered with Ofsted which requires you to collaborate with the Children’s Homes Regulations 2015 and the Quality Standards.

Benefits

• Salary - £36,002 - £37,732 (Plus Sleep-in Allowance)
• Local Government Pension Scheme 24.60%
• Generous Annual Leave entitlement 25 days increasing to 30 days after 5 years service
• Training and development including Level 5 Diploma in Management for Residential Childcare and ongoing training with CAMHS and other agencies.
• Discounts on local cafes and restaurants, shops and leisure centres. Health and beauty, days out, hotels and theatre.
• Travel Choice Card with discounts on public transport.
• Personal car and bicycle Salary Sacrifice Scheme*
• Enhanced maternity leave, depending on the length of Service.

About us

Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively new organisation that combines the strengths and expertise of the previous five councils in the county to create positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally. 

Our residential homes provide a safe and nurturing environment for our young people with adverse childhood experiences to be supported to flourish. This will often include children who demonstrate a behaviour of concern. We provide them with a safe, caring community in which they can learn how to build positive relationships and support them in becoming successful adults.

Quotes from OFSTED:

“Staff understand and manage the safeguarding issues relating to the children’s behaviours extremely effectively”.

“The registered manager expertly demonstrates excellent practice. This creates a culture of high expectations and aspirations for children and staff”.

“Children have gained qualifications and skills in employability, tiling and functional skills. They have also gained certificates recognising their educational progress since living in the home”.

About the role

Main Responsibilities and Duties:

• To be responsible for the management, development, supervision and appraisal of a team of residential workers, and the services they provide both inside and outside the establishment.
• To be aware of all in-house procedures, principles and guidelines and all departmental guidelines and procedures.
• To share responsibility for the care and welfare of all children and young people using the services offered by the resource and to ensure policies, philosophies and practice are such as to keep their best interests paramount.
• To carry out all duties and responsibilities with reasonable care for the health and safety of you and any other persons who may be affected by your acts or omissions at work and to co-operate fully with the Council in Health and Safety matters.
• To be involved in the training and supervision of students and volunteers.
• To be aware of the Council's aims, organisational values and behaviours and their impact on this post.

About you

Requirements for Assistant Head of Home:

• Recent or previous experience in an OFSTED regulated Children’s Residential establishment.
• Must possess Level 5 Diploma in Management for Residential Childcare or equivalent or commitment to work towards this qualification.
• Previous experience in mental health ideally but not essential.
• Ability to work long days, weekends and bank holidays.
• Full UK Driving Licence

Quotes from our Staff:

“There are many reasons why I love working in a residential home for Buckinghamshire Council. I go home at the end of each day knowing I have made a difference to a young

person’s life and their future. At Bucks, I know there are many opportunities to be able to develop in my role, I am recognised for the hard work I do which gives me a great sense of achievement.”

Other information

If you would like to find out more about this role, please contact Michelle Desouza at [email protected]

Closing date: Midnight on Saturday 4th May 2024

Interview date: TBC

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent cautions and convictions cautions
• All adult cautions and spent convictions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020). For further information on filtering please refer to Nacro guidance, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) guidance or Ministry of Justice (MOJ) guidance (see, in particular, the section titled ‘Exceptions Order’).

Our values and culture

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

About the Business Unit

Buckinghamshire is a successful, growing place with fantastic natural assets, a highly productive economy and many resourceful and thriving communities. However, we are far from complacent and our new and ambitious unitary authority is well placed to tackle the challenges associated with growth, an aging population, climate change and inequalities in both opportunities and outcomes – particularly for our children and young people.

Children’s Services is on an improvement journey and as our very recent Ofsted report shows, we have continued to improve despite the pressures of the pandemic and have built solid foundations for future success. Relationships with partners are strong and our collective response to the pandemic has strengthened and deepened our work together.

We have a big, ambitious agenda for Buckinghamshire, and our teams work collaboratively and at pace to make a positive difference to the lives of children and young people across the county.

We are looking for talented and driven individuals to help us achieve the best outcomes for our children, young people and families in Buckinghamshire. Our key priorities include continuing to protect vulnerable children and young people from harm, whilst sustaining an environment where social work practice can thrive. Through our vital work with our partners, including The Buckinghamshire Safeguarding Childrens Partnership, we continue to improve our collective response to children and young people who have been exposed to domestic abuse, exploitation, substance misuse and mental health issues.

No matter what role you take on in our Children’s services, you will be part of a team who is dedicated to supporting children and their families to achieve their full potential.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. We also offer a salary sacrifice personal car lease scheme to those who are eligible and have passed their probation period. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.

https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/