Deputy Manager – Residential Children’s Home

Location: Exeter

Salary: £40,000–£44,000 (Depending on experience)

Job Type: Full-time, Permanent

Hours: Primarily Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm, with occasional sleep-ins and on-call duties when required

About Inspired Living

At Inspired Living, we believe every child deserves a safe, supportive, and nurturing environment where they can thrive. Our children’s homes provide stability, care and guidance for young people who have experienced trauma or challenging circumstances.

We are passionate about helping children build confidence, develop life skills, and create brighter futures.

The Role

We are seeking an experienced, motivated and child-centred Deputy Manager to join our residential children’s home. You will support the Registered Manager with day-to-day operations, staff development, and ensuring the highest standards of therapeutic care.

While the role is mainly office-hours, flexibility is essential. You will participate in the on-call rota and may need to cover sleep-ins or provide support outside of core hours when required.

Key Responsibilities

  • Support the Registered Manager in the operational management and leadership of the home
  • Lead, mentor and supervise staff, ensuring consistent and high-quality practice
  • Oversee and contribute to care plans, risk assessments and placement progression.
  • Ensure full compliance with Ofsted regulations, safeguarding standards and organisational policies
  • Promote trauma-informed, child-centred approaches through our Model of practice (PACE)
  • Contribute to rota planning, staffing oversight and task delegation
  • Take part in the on-call management rota, providing guidance and support to staff out of hours
  • Build and maintain positive relationships with children, families and professionals
  • Assist with audits, quality assurance and continuous improvement processes
  • Complete and quality-check accurate logs, reports and regulatory documentation
  • Act as a positive role model, upholding Inspired Living’s values and professional standards

About You

You are a confident and emotionally intelligent leader who balances professional authority with genuine empathy. You demonstrate resilience, reflective practice and calm, solution-focused decision-making, even in high-pressure situations.

You model and promote the principles of PACE (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy) in your daily practice, supporting children through relational and trauma-informed approaches that build trust and emotional safety.

You possess strong safeguarding knowledge and understand your responsibility in protecting children from harm. You are confident in recognising signs of risk, following statutory guidance, escalating concerns appropriately, and maintaining accurate, defensible records.

You are comfortable mentoring and guiding colleagues, managing challenges constructively, and playing a key role in creating a stable, structured and therapeutic home environment where children feel safe, supported and able to thrive.

Requirements

Essential:

  • Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare or Level 3 Health & Social Care (Children & Young People)
  • Significant residential childcare experience
  • Strong safeguarding and regulatory knowledge
  • Leadership ability, including supervising or guiding staff
  • Excellent communication, organisational and problem-solving skills
  • Commitment to trauma-informed, child-centred practice through the PACE model.
  • Flexibility to take part in on-call duties and occasional sleep-ins
  • Full Uk driving license
  • Successful completion of enhanced DBS

Desirable:

  • Previous supervisory or Deputy Manager experience
  • Level 5 Diploma (or willingness to achieve this)
  • Additional training (e.g., Team Teach, First Aid, leadership development)

What We Offer

£40,000–£44,000 Basic salary depending on experience

  • Bonus Opportunities
  • Pension Contributions
  • 28 Days Holiday increasing annually to a maximum of 35 days
  • An extra day off for your Birthday
  • Flexible Benefits package chosen by you to support your and your family’s needs
  • Mobile Phone as being ‘on call’ is integral to this position
  • Employee Assistance Program
  • Blue Light Discount
  • Cycle to work scheme
  • Free Meals on shift
  • Comprehensive induction and ongoing professional training
  • Support to achieve Level 5 in Leadership & Management
  • Regular supervision (no less than monthly)
  • Clear progression pathways and professional development opportunities
  • Supportive, friendly and values-driven team environment

Personal Information

Contact Information:

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Employment History

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General Comments

Please detail here your reasons for this application, your main achievements to date and the strengths you would bring to this post. Specifically, please detail how your knowledge, skills and experiences meet the requirements of this role (as summarised in the person specification).

Cautions, Rehabilitations & Criminal Records

The amendments to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (2013 and 2020) provide that when applying for certain jobs and activities, certain convictions and cautions are considered ‘protected’. This means that they do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account. Guidance about whether a conviction or caution should be disclosed can be found on the Ministry of Justice website. Because of the nature of the work for which you are applying, this post is exempt from the provisions of Section 4(2) of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, by virtue of the Exceptions Order 1975 as amended by the Exceptions (Amendment) Order 1986, which means that convictions that are spent under the terms of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 must be disclosed, and will be taken into account in deciding whether to make an appointment. Any information will be completely confidential and will be considered only in relation to this application. In addition you are required to submit to a Disclosure and Barring check. Any disclosure made by the Disclosure and Barring Service will remain strictly confidential. Have you ever been convicted in a Court of Law and/or cautioned in respect of any offence? YES/NO (delete as required). If YES, please give details.
Have you ever been convicted in a Court of Law and/or cautioned in respect of any offence?

Special Requirements (Children’s Home)

Because this position involves the care of children and/or vulnerable adults employment is dependent on
the following:

  1. Provision of a Disclosure and Barring certificate from the Disclosure and Barring Service.
  2. Such disclosure being acceptable to us.
  3. Proof of identity – birth or marriage certificate (where appropriate) and passport (if available).
  4. Two satisfactory written references including one from your most recent employer (this is a Legal Requirement).
  5. That you will supply a recent photograph of yourself for retention in your records (this is a Legal Requirement).
  6. Evidence of physical or mental suitability for your work.
  7. Documentary evidence of any qualifications relevant for the position (this is a Legal Requirement).

Data Protection

  1. We are aware of our obligations under data protection legislation, including the obligation to collect only the data that is required for our specific purpose. The information collected in this application form is specific to our recruitment exercise and necessary for the performance of the role that you have applied for. If you are recruited for the role you have applied for, or any other role you are offered by us, the information provided will then be used for the purposes of your employment with us, together with further information collected upon recruitment for those purposes.
  2. We will treat all personal information about you with utmost integrity and confidentiality. Our data protection policy sets out our approach to ensuring that your data is processed in line with the data protection principles within current data protection legislation.
  3. Our privacy notice for job applicants gives you information on, amongst other things, the data we will hold about you during the recruitment exercise and what we use it for.

Declaration (please read this carefully before signing this application)

  1. I confirm that the information provided in this application is complete and correct and that any untrue or misleading information will give my employer the right to terminate any employment contract offered.
  1. Should we require further information and wish to contact your doctor with a view to obtaining a medical report, the law requires us to inform you of our intention and obtain your permission prior to contacting your doctor. I agree that the organisation reserves the right to require me to undergo a medical examination.
  1. I agree that should I be successful in this application, I will, if required, apply to the Disclosure and Barring Service for a Disclosure and Barring Certificate. I understand that should I fail to do so, or should the disclosure not be to the satisfaction of the company any offer of employment may be withdrawn or my employment terminated.
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