Children's Home Deputy Manager

Service

Aspire Homes for Children operates therapeutic residential children's homes providing care and support to children and young people aged 7–17 with emotional and behavioural difficulties, mild learning disabilities and mental health needs.

The organisation provides nurturing, structured and trauma\-informed care that supports children to feel safe, develop positive relationships and achieve improved social, emotional, educational and psychological outcomes.

Aspire Homes for Children is committed to recruiting responsible, skilled and compassionate leaders who uphold the highest standards of safeguarding, professional practice, child\-centred care and continuous improvement.

Job Purpose

· To support the Registered Manager in the effective leadership and operational management of the children's home, ensuring children receive safe, nurturing, therapeutic and child\-centred care that promotes positive outcomes and meets their individual needs.

· The Deputy Manager will provide day\-to\-day leadership to the staff team, oversee the delivery of high\-quality care, promote excellent safeguarding practice, maintain regulatory compliance and lead by example through reflective, trauma\-informed and relationship\-based practice.

· The post holder will deputise for the Registered Manager in their absence, ensuring the home continues to operate safely, effectively and in accordance with the Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015, the Quality Standards, the home's Statement of Purpose and organisational policies and procedures.

General Duties

· Ensure implementation of statutory and home’s policies and provide feedback to senior leaders on the effectiveness of policies.

· Support the Registered Manager in maintaining positive relationships with Ofsted and ensure actions arising from inspections, monitoring visits and regulatory correspondence are implemented promptly and effectively.

· Review children's outcomes, feedback and service performance to identify strengths, areas for improvement and opportunities to enhance practice. Resolve complex operational and service\-based problems and conflicts raised through the home’s day\-to\-day running, complaints, and HR process.

· Prepare monitoring reports, statistical data, and evaluations in accordance with the policies of the home.

· Ensure the management team meets the home’s objectives and maintains information informing operational decision\-making.

· Build professional relationships with stakeholders around the child.

· Provide visible operational leadership across the home.

· Support the Registered Manager in delivering high\-quality care and achieving positive outcomes.

· Promote a culture of openness, accountability, reflection and continuous improvement.

· Ensure children experience a nurturing, homely and child\-centred environment.

· Support staff to implement children's plans consistently.

· Lead by example and promote professional standards.

· Make operational decisions within delegated authority.

· Escalate significant safeguarding, staffing or regulatory concerns appropriately.

· Support the Registered Manager with service improvement initiatives.

· Ensure children's wishes and feelings influence practice.

· Promote compliance with the nine Quality Standards.

Service Delivery \& Direct Support

· Support the Registered Manager in the day\-to\-day operational management of the home, ensuring high\-quality care is delivered consistently.

· Deputise for the Registered Manager during periods of absence, ensuring the home continues to operate safely, effectively and in accordance with legislation and organisational procedures.

· Lead the day\-to\-day operation of the home, ensuring children receive safe, nurturing, therapeutic and child\-centred care.

· Ensure children's Placement Plans, Care Plans, Behaviour Support Plans, Risk Assessments, Health Plans and Education Plans are effectively implemented and regularly reviewed.

· Monitor children's progress, ensuring care is outcome\-focused and promotes stability, independence and positive relationships.

· Oversee admissions, transitions and discharges to ensure children experience well\-planned and positive moves.

· Monitor staffing deployment to ensure children's assessed needs are consistently met.

· Lead responses to incidents, safeguarding concerns and emergencies, ensuring appropriate action, recording and management oversight.

· Ensure the home maintains a safe, welcoming and homely environment which reflects the home's Statement of Purpose.

· Promote children's participation in decision\-making and ensure their wishes and feelings influence care planning and service development.

· Monitor the delivery of care across all shifts. Ensure consistent practice, routines and expectations are maintained across all shifts to promote stability and positive experiences for children.

· Ensure the home remains inspection\-ready by maintaining high standards of care, recording, safeguarding and compliance at all times.

People Management

· Provide effective leadership, guidance and support to Senior Residential Support Workers, Residential Support Workers, bank staff and agency workers.

· Conduct regular supervision, probation reviews and performance discussions in accordance with organisational policy.

· Coach, mentor and develop staff to promote high standards of childcare practice and professional development. Support Senior Residential Support Workers to develop confidence in leading shifts, supervising colleagues and managing delegated responsibilities.

· Monitor staff performance, identifying strengths, development needs and areas requiring improvement.

· Promote reflective practice through debriefs, team discussions and learning following incidents.

· Support recruitment, safer recruitment processes, induction and onboarding of new employees.

· Ensure staffing levels remain safe and sufficient to meet children's assessed needs.

· Manage staff rotas, annual leave, sickness absence and staffing deployment to maintain service continuity.

· Support the Registered Manager with disciplinary, capability and absence management processes where appropriate.

· Promote staff wellbeing and create a positive, supportive and accountable working culture.

· Ensure staff complete mandatory training and maintain compliance with organisational training requirements.

· Identify future leaders and support succession planning within the service.

Resource Management

· Support the Registered Manager in managing the home's allocated budget and ensuring resources are used effectively and responsibly.

· Monitor staffing expenditure, overtime, agency usage and other operational costs, escalating concerns where appropriate.

· Ensure the home's environment, equipment and vehicles remain safe, well maintained and fit for purpose.

· Oversee health and safety compliance, including routine checks, maintenance reporting and environmental audits.

· Ensure medication systems, stock control and associated records comply with organisational policies and regulatory requirements.

· Monitor administrative systems to ensure statutory documentation and organisational records remain accurate and up to date.

· Promote value for money while maintaining high\-quality care and positive outcomes for children.

Business Development

· Support the Registered Manager in implementing the home's annual development plan and service improvement objectives.

· Contribute to the development of innovative practice that improves outcomes for children and young people.

· Build and maintain positive professional relationships with Local Authorities, education providers, health services and partner agencies.

· Promote the organisation positively and contribute to maintaining its professional reputation.

· Support occupancy planning and placement matching by contributing to referral and admission processes.

Quality and Service Development

· Lead the day\-to\-day implementation of the home's quality assurance framework.

· Complete regular audits of care records, medication systems, safeguarding practice, health and safety, the environment and children's files.

· Monitor compliance with the Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015, the Quality Standards, SCCIF and organisational policies.

· Review incidents, complaints, compliments, missing episodes, restraints and safeguarding concerns to identify trends and learning.

· Develop and implement action plans arising from audits, inspections, complaints and quality assurance activities.

· Support the completion of Regulation 45 reviews and ensure actions arising from Regulation 44 visits are implemented promptly.

· Ensure recommendations from Ofsted inspections and internal audits are embedded into everyday practice.

· Promote reflective practice and continuous improvement throughout the staff team.

· Monitor recording standards and provide constructive feedback to staff to improve quality and compliance.

· Benchmark practice against current legislation, research, guidance and sector best practice to support continuous service improvement. Ensure children, families and professionals have opportunities to provide feedback that informs service development.

Behaviour Support \& Therapeutic Practice

· Lead the implementation of trauma\-informed, attachment\-aware and relationship\-based practice throughout the home.

· Ensure Behaviour Support Plans, Risk Assessments and therapeutic strategies are consistently implemented by all staff.

· Provide leadership during complex incidents, ensuring decisions are proportionate, child\-centred and consistent with organisational procedures.

· Coach and support staff to develop confidence in de\-escalation, restorative practice and therapeutic interventions.

· Monitor behaviour support strategies to ensure they remain effective and reflective of children's changing needs.

· Revi

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