Assistant Team Manager – Childrens Residential – Steeple Claydon

Overview

Help Us Open the Doors to Something Special

This is an exciting opportunity to join Buckinghamshire Council as we prepare to open a brand-new children's residential home in Steeple Claydon.

We are looking for an experienced and compassionate Assistant Head of Home who is passionate about improving outcomes for children and young people. As part of the leadership team from the outset, you will play a key role in shaping the culture, values and day-to-day operation of the home, creating a safe, nurturing and therapeutic environment where young people can thrive.

This is more than a management role. It's an opportunity to help build a home from the ground up, develop a highly skilled team and make a lasting difference to the lives of children and young people who need stability, support and someone who believes in their potential.

Take a look at our Children's Residential Worker Candidate Pack to learn more.

About us

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 Assistant Head of Home, you will work alongside the Head of Home to establish and lead a high-quality residential service that puts children at the heart of everything we do. You will help create a positive and supportive environment where young people feel safe, valued and empowered to achieve their goals.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Supporting the day-to-day leadership and management of the home.
• Leading, coaching and developing a residential staff team to deliver outstanding care.
• Promoting trauma-informed and child-centred practice throughout the home.
• Safeguarding children and ensuring the highest standards of care and protection are maintained.
• Working closely with social workers, education providers, health professionals and families to achieve positive outcomes.
• Monitoring the quality of care, implementing improvements and supporting regulatory compliance.
• Assisting with recruitment, staff development, supervision and performance management.
• Supporting Ofsted readiness and ensuring compliance with Children's Homes Regulations and Quality Standards.
• Stepping into the Head of Home role when required to ensure continuity of leadership and care.

As a newly opening home, you'll have the unique opportunity to influence its culture from day one, helping to create a service that delivers exceptional care and life-changing opportunities for young people.

About you

We're looking for an inspiring and resilient leader who is passionate about residential childcare and committed to achieving the best outcomes for children and young people.

You will bring:

• Experience in a management or senior leadership role within a children’s residential home.
• Strong knowledge of safeguarding, children's residential care legislation and current best practice.
• Experience of supporting, developing and motivating teams to deliver high-quality care.
• Experience of care planning, risk management and driving continuous service improvement
• Strong organisational skills, attention to detail and experience maintaining high-quality records and reports.
• A Level 5 Leadership and Management qualification in Children's Residential Care (or equivalent), or willingness to achieve this where applicable.

Most importantly, you'll be someone who genuinely believes that every child deserves a safe home, positive relationships and the opportunity to reach their full potential.

We understand that candidates may use AI tools to assist with their applications. While we welcome innovation, we expect all submissions to reflect your own experience, skills, and achievements accurately. Please ensure your application is truthful and demonstrates your personal capabilities, as this will be assessed during the selection process.

Other information

If you would like to find out more about this role, please contact Emma Matthews at [email protected]

Closing date: 23:59 Sunday 29th November 2026.

Interview date: Applications are shortlisted weekly, with interviews held each Thursday. 

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

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.

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/