Head of Home - Children's Residential Homes

Overview

We are looking for a passionate and experienced Registered Manager/Head of Home to lead our brand-new 2-bed children’s residential home in High Wycombe. This is a unique opportunity to lead a service that truly makes a difference in the lives of children and young people. As Head of Home, you’ll play a pivotal role in shaping a safe, nurturing, and inspiring environment where every child can thrive.

In addition to the advertised salary, you’ll receive a Golden Hello payment of £2,125 after one year’s service, and if you’re looking to relocate to Buckinghamshire for this role, we offer relocation packages of up to £8,000.

Take a look at our Children's Residential Candidate Pack to learn more about working in Residential at Buckinghamshire Council.

About the role

As the Registered Manager, you’ll be responsible for the overall leadership and management of the home, ensuring compliance with Children’s Homes Regulations, Ofsted requirements, and our Statement of Purpose. You’ll lead a dedicated team, driving high standards of care and safeguarding, while fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

Key responsibilities include:

• Managing day-to-day operations and ensuring the highest quality of care.
• Leading, supervising, and developing staff to achieve outstanding outcomes.
• Overseeing budgets and resources with strong financial management.
• Working collaboratively with internal teams and external agencies to promote positive outcomes for children.
• Ensuring compliance with all legal and regulatory requirements.

This pivotal role requires not only strong leadership but also a deep passion for making a positive difference in the lives of children and young people.

Follow the link below to hear from one of our current Heads of Home.

From New Starter to Leading a Home: Dan’s Journey in Children’s Residential Care

About you

We’re looking for a passionate and experienced leader who shares our commitment to improving the lives of children and young people. You’ll bring:

• Level 5 Children’s Residential Management qualification and at least two years of residential management experience.
• Strong knowledge of current legislation, regulations, and best practice in children’s residential care.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and problem-solving skills.
• A ‘can-do’ attitude, resilience, and the ability to inspire and motivate others.
• Flexibility to work unsocial hours when required and the ability to travel across the county.

Access to a vehicle and a full driving licence are essential.

Ready to make a real difference? Join us in creating a home where children can feel safe, valued, and supported to achieve their full potential. Apply today and be part of something truly special.

Other information

For more information or for an informal discussion please contact Stephen Colley, Operational Manager - [email protected]

Closing Date: Midnight on the 25th of January 2026.

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.

Buckinghamshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk.

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

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

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/