Children's Home Deputy Manager

- Suffolk County Council
- Address : Brandon and Shotley Children's Homes, Suffolk, On-site working across both locations
- Salary: £42,123 - £48,607 per annum (pro rata for part time) plus 10% Residential Enhancement Allowance. In addition to your salary, you will receive payment for any on call duties performed as management cover
- Hours : 37 hours per week
- Contract: Permanent

At Suffolk County Council, every role is a chance to create positive change for young people in our care. As a Deputy Manager , you will support the Registered Children’s Home Manager across two one-bed children’s homes, one based in Brandon and one in Shotley.

This is an opportunity to help lead two small, dedicated teams and ensure both homes provide safe, nurturing and stable environments where children and young people can feel valued, build positive relationships and achieve the best possible outcomes.

Reimagine the possibilities.

Your role and responsibilities

You will work alongside the Registered Children’s Home Manager to provide day-to-day leadership and management across our two one-bed children’s homes in Brandon and Shotley. You will help maintain consistently high standards of care, safeguarding, staff practice and regulatory compliance, and lead across both homes in the Manager’s absence.

Each home provides a nurturing, safe and stable environment for one child or young person aged 11-17, enabling the teams to build strong relationships and provide individualised care tailored to their needs.

You will:

- support the Registered Manager in the effective day-to-day leadership of both one-bed children’s homes in Brandon and Shotley
- lead and support residential childcare staff across both homes, acting as a positive role model and promoting good practice
- provide management oversight in the Registered Manager’s absence, helping to maintain safeguarding, risk management and compliance with the Children’s Homes Regulations and Quality Standards
- help take forward service priorities and improvements that support positive outcomes for children and young people
- support staff supervision, development and wellbeing, creating a strong team ethos across both homes
- encourage and support children and young people to make positive changes and fulfil their potential
- work flexibly across both locations and participate in the evening and weekend on-call system as management cover.

Our residential homes are open 365 days a year. Shift work, weekend working and bank holidays are therefore a core part of the role.

You will need

- experience of working with children in a residential setting within the last 5 years
- good knowledge of the Children Act, the Quality Standards and the Children’s Homes Regulations
- experience of acting as a role model when working with children or young adults
- the ability to work effectively as part of a management team and lead without constant supervision
- good communication skills, a strong team ethos and a commitment to staff training and development
- experience of using solution-focused approaches in practice
- a suitable practitioner-level qualification at Level 5, equivalent experience in a relevant area, or a commitment to achieve the qualification within 2 years of employment
- a full UK driving licence with access to your own transport
- a strong commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.

To support your development, you will have access to regular training and supervision, helping you to feel supported and confident in your role.

Take a look at what makes our Ideal Worker (pdf) , shaped by the voices of young people.

We welcome applications from people looking to develop and progress their career within Social Care.

If you believe you can succeed in this role, apply. Even if you do not meet all requirements, we would appreciate the opportunity to consider your application.

The Team

This is your chance to join a brand-new team and help shape a children’s home from the very beginning.

Our newly renovated homes in Shotley and Brandon are ready for their next chapter, and we’re looking for fantastic people to be part of it. From a team of Youth Support Practitioners and Senior Youth Support Practitioners through to the Deputy Manager, Home Manager and Handyperson every member of the team will play an important part in creating a home where children and young people can feel safe, supported and valued.

You’ll have the opportunity to grow together as a team, share ideas, learn from each other and create the kind of positive, supportive culture you’d be proud to be part of. It’s an exciting opportunity to make your mark in a new team while making a real difference to the lives of the children and young people you support.

Empowering Everyone

We’re big believers in potential, possibility and the power of different ideas. We’re always searching for ways to encourage, respect and enable everyone to be the best they can be. We want to represent the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all individuals, especially those from groups that are currently underrepresented in the organisation, as shown in our Workforce Equality Report .

For more information

For an informal discussion about this role, please contact Beth Fletcher , Residential Service Manager, by calling 07732603793 .

You will be required to attend a Warner Interview for this position as part of the recruitment process.

How to apply

Step 1 - Read the Job and Person Profile (Word) .

Step 2 - Click ‘Apply Now’ to start your online application.

Step 3 - Upload a supporting statement answering the following questions below (no more than 400 words per question). You should use the   Supporting Statement template (Word) .

- Can you describe a time when you supported or led a team through a period of change or improvement in a residential childcare setting? What did you do to maintain good practice and positive outcomes for children and young people?
- Tell us about a time when you identified and responded to a safeguarding concern or significant risk involving a child or young person. What action did you take and what was the outcome?
- Can you give an example of how you have supported, motivated or developed staff to improve their practice and provide consistently high-quality care?
- Tell us about a time when you had to take responsibility and make an important decision in the absence of a senior manager. How did you assess the situation, what action did you take and how did you ensure appropriate standards were maintained?

Step 4 - Upload a CV (without name and personal details).

Please note: Without a supporting statement, your interest will not be progressed. Any supporting documents must be in either PDF or MS Word format.

We would like to make you aware that priority consideration for this post may be given to current employees who are at risk due to restructure within the organisation or are in a redeployment position.

For guidance on completing your application, please see our How to Apply page .

Planning to use Artificial Intelligence (AI)? Please ensure your application still reflects your own skills, experience and ideas. If used inappropriately, your application may not be processed. Please read our guidance for using AI to understand what’s acceptable.

Do you need any reasonable adjustments to help you to apply? If you are disabled and/or have additional support needs, you can request reasonable adjustments. You can do this by contacting our Recruitment Team at   [email protected]   or   03456 014412 . You can find examples of possible adjustments on our Reasonable Adjustment pages .

Closing date:   11.30 pm, 5 November 2026

Interview and Warner Interview date: 18 or 20 November 2026

Please note: If you are successful in securing a position, you will be required to provide a full 10-year employment and activity history as part of our pre-employment checks. This includes details of all employment, periods of education, and any gaps, along with referee contact details for each role where applicable. To help avoid delays in the recruitment and onboarding process, we recommend gathering this information in advance.

This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks or police vetting will be required for relevant posts.   #LI-Onsite