Children's Homes Caretaker

Overview

Are you passionate about making a difference in the lives of children? Join our team as a Children's Homes Caretaker!

As the Caretaker for a children’s home, you’ll play a crucial role in maintaining a safe, welcoming, and well-presented environment. This is a behind-the-scenes role that focuses on ensuring the home is safe and compliant with all health and safety regulations. You’ll be responsible for the upkeep of the property, performing routine maintenance, and keeping the facilities in excellent condition.

This position does not involve direct interaction with the children but is pivotal in providing them a safe and comfortable home. Your daily tasks will involve conducting safety inspections, overseeing minor repairs, managing external contractors, and ensuring the home adheres to all regulatory standards. You’ll also work to keep the property’s aesthetic quality high, attending to painting, decorating, and minor adjustments as needed.

In this role, you’ll be part of a team dedicated to creating a positive environment for children in care. Your attention to detail and commitment to safety standards will help foster a secure setting for the children and staff.

Apply now and be a part of a team that values your dedication and passion!

This position is being advertised for Buckinghamshire Council internal and agency employees only.

About us

At our Children's Homes, we are committed to providing a safe, caring, and stimulating environment for children. Our team is made up of compassionate professionals who work tirelessly to ensure the well-being and development of every child in our care. We believe in fostering a sense of community and belonging, and we are proud of the positive impact we have on the lives of the children and families we support.

You will be working closely with the homes managers to ensure the homes are of a high standard.

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. 

Buckinghamshire is an ambitious, rapidly growing county, and our economy is one of the strongest in the country. It is an area of outstanding natural beauty and ranks as one of the top rural areas to live in the UK and yet it is incredibly well connected– only an hour from London on the train. The county has a rich history and heritage and is the birthplace of the international Paralympic movement.

We are looking for motivated, ambitious and inspiring people to join us on our journey. You will be entitled to a range of different benefits to make sure you are happy both at work and at home.

About the role

As a Children's Homes Caretaker, you will play a crucial role in maintaining the day-to-day operations of our homes. Your duties will include:

Conduct regular safety checks throughout the property to ensure compliance with health and safety regulations.

Monitor and manage risk areas, reporting and addressing hazards promptly.

Perform minor repairs in areas like plumbing, electrical fixtures, and general wear-and-tear to keep facilities functional.

Paint, decorate, and make minor cosmetic adjustments to maintain an inviting appearance.

Maintain logs for health and safety checks, repairs, and maintenance schedules.

Keep records of contractor visits, completed repairs, and maintenance activities for auditing and reporting.

Ensure waste is disposed of properly and in accordance with local environmental regulations.

Work closely with senior staff to report on maintenance needs, safety concerns, and upcoming tasks.

Maintain a supportive and cooperative relationship with other staff to minimize disruption during maintenance activities.

Mobile:

A ‘mobile’ role gives you the flexibility to schedule your own diary, so you can meet with colleagues and clients in a variety of locations. You’ll access digital folders and resources on your laptop and be able to use the network wherever you are based. Working from home will be common, as well as meeting your team in the office where necessary.

About you

You’re practical, reliable, and good at spotting things that need fixing. You know how to keep buildings safe and up to standard, with some experience in handling basic repairs, cleaning, and general maintenance. You understand the basics of health and safety rules and can keep things running smoothly by planning tasks and keeping records.

You work well with others, including other staff and outside contractors, and can communicate any issues that need attention. If you’re someone who takes pride in keeping things safe, clean, and looking good, this role could be a great fit.

We are looking for someone who is compassionate, patient, and dedicated to making a positive impact on the lives of children. The ideal candidate will have:

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• A proactive and flexible approach to work.
• A commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.

If you are ready to make a difference and join a team that values your dedication and passion, we would love to hear from you. Apply now and help us create a brighter future for the children in our care.

Other information

For further information on this role please see the attached job summary.

Number of positions available: 1

Closing date: 28.11.2024

Interview-type / process: In person

If you would like to have an informal conversation with the recruiting manager, please contact: Sandra Carnall [email protected]

Laura Armstrong [email protected]

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 convictions and conditional cautions
• All spent convictions and adult cautions 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 and 2023).

For further information on filtering please refer to Nacro guidance and the guidance published by the Ministry of Justice (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. 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/