Residential Support Worker

Residential Support Worker – Compass House, Dudley

£27,000–£30,000 a year (depending on experience), plus £70 for each sleep-in, paid separately
Full-time, permanent · 40 hours a week · Two extended duties a week (7:00am to 7:30am the next morning, including a sleep-in)

Residential experience is not required. Training and Level 3 support provided.

The role

Help children feel safe through everyday care, steady relationships and familiar routines. You'll work alongside a Senior, with training and support to develop your practice.

The job isn't to control a child's day. It's to help make their home feel safe enough to live in.

Could this suit you?

You don't need to have worked in a children's home before. We're looking for:

• A genuine interest in working with children, and the ability to explain why it matters to you
• Warmth with professional boundaries
• Patience when a child is distressed, angry or rejecting support
• Clear communication and accurate written records
• Openness to feedback and reflection
• Willingness to achieve the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare if you don't already hold it
• Availability for the rota, including weekends, bank holidays and sleep-ins

No residential experience? Apply anyway. We look for character, judgement and the capacity to learn, not just a CV that knows the right words.

Why Inkfish

A small home. Compass House is our first home: small by design, for up to two children. We're planning a second home nearby, subject to registration, with no more than four children across both.

Shifts led by people who know the children. Every shift is led by a Senior, Deputy or Registered Manager. You'll work alongside a Senior who supports you on shift.

Training from day one. Full induction and shadowing, Level 3 qualification support, and monthly supervision and reflective practice.

Everyday work

Relationships and practice

• Building safe, consistent, respectful relationships with the children in the home
• Providing care through everyday life: mornings, meals, school, appointments, activities, evenings and sleep-ins
• Using a trauma-responsive, PACE-based approach, with full training and support. PACE stands for playfulness, acceptance, curiosity and empathy, used alongside clear professional boundaries.
• Trying to understand what behaviour is communicating rather than just stopping it
• Holding clear, kind, predictable boundaries and following agreed plans

Safety and accountability

• Safeguarding children and reporting anything that concerns you immediately
• Writing accurate, respectful daily records
• Working closely with your Senior while still speaking up when something doesn't feel right

Home life and independence

• Supporting school routines, health appointments, family time, friendships and interests
• Helping children build independence through cooking, shopping, budgeting, travel and self-care
• Sharing responsibility for the home: cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping and transport

Working pattern

Two staff stay with the children through the day, evening and overnight. Each extended duty starts at 7:00am and finishes at 7:30am the next morning. Waking duty runs until 10:30pm, followed by a sleep-in until 7:00am and a short handover.

Full-time roles are 40 hours a week on a rolling 7-week rota that's planned in advance, with weekdays and weekends shared across the team. Each sleep-in is paid an extra £70.

Pay and development

• £27,000–£30,000 base salary, depending on experience
• £70 for every sleep-in, paid separately on top of your salary
• Full induction and shadowing
• Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare support
• Monthly supervision and reflective practice
• A progression route to Senior
• Company pension
• Free on-site parking

How to apply

1. Answer three everyday scenarios in your own words. This is the first stage of our selection process. There are no trick questions and no right jargon. We want to see how you think about supporting children and working with a colleague.

2. Add your details and CV, then review your application before you submit it.

3. If shortlisted, meet us. You'll meet the Registered Manager and a senior leader for the Inkfish Conversation.

We complete safer recruitment checks before anyone starts.

More information

Not required, but valued: experience in residential care, education, youth work, fostering, SEND or mental-health support; a Level 3 qualification; an understanding of trauma, attachment or PACE.

Recruitment checks: all appointments are subject to safer recruitment checks: identity, enhanced DBS, references, full employment history with gaps explained, qualification verification and right to work.

About our approach: children don't experience Inkfish through policies. They experience the adults around them. They notice whether you remembered what mattered to them, whether you still made the toast after a difficult evening, whether you kept your word, and whether you came back tomorrow. That's the work.

Full role and person specification (PDF)