Internal Job: Team Leader – Garden House

Job Title: Maternity cover Team Leader – Garden House

Location: Garden House
Salary: Operational Band 3

Hours: 40 hours per week

Who are Fair Ways and what do we stand for?

Fair Ways is a leading children’s services charity based in the Solent, delivering Fostering, Education, Residential, Mental Health and Family services and cares for over 400 children, families, young people and vulnerable adults each year. Fair Ways is a great place to work. We are a team. We care about each other and are all committed to making a change to the lives of the young people and service users in our care. We will not apologise for calling our staff great, the best, or world-class. Our staff are at the core of our organisation and we celebrate them by shouting it from the rooftops!

Where and when do we need you?

Garden House is a residential children’s home that can accommodate up to 6 children aged between 6 and 14. The home provides a structured, homely, and nurturing environment for children who benefit from clear boundaries and structure, and we believe this is the starting point to enable the children to achieve their potential supporting our overall aim of a transition into long term foster care. This position focuses on leading a team supporting the development of independent life skills within a therapeutic caring environment. Our Staff will be involved in a range of exciting activities which our children enjoy, this could include things like, quad biking, high rope courses, camping, rock climbing, horse riding, canoeing and more, as well as engaging day trips and accompanying the children on exciting holidays!

As a Team Leader for our Children’s Home, you will be involved exciting and rewarding things like: 

• Building Brighter Futures – Working as part of the Management team to support handovers, shift planning and to have oversight of the shift ensuring that all required daily tasks are completed appropriately and accurately facilitating the smooth running of the home. Taking responsibility for the running of the shift and giving appropriate support and direction to the staff team whilst working proactively to ensure that young people are afforded opportunities and experiences that will allow them to thrive. 
• Leading and supporting a fantastic team – Taking an active lead, as part of the Management team of the home alongside any relevant external agency, in the monitoring and assurance of safe working practices within Child Protection, whilst ensuring that all staff on your team engage and build positive working relationships with the young people and have an understanding of group dynamics to keep children safe from harm for the duration of their placement with Fair Ways.
• Ensuring accuracy and detail – Completing formal assessments of the needs of young people, in conjunction with colleagues and other professionals, to promote and safeguard the welfare of the young people in placement. Ensuring daily tasks are completed (either directly or through delegation) and are consistent with the smooth running of the home
• Supporting Positive Outcomes – Providing trauma informed responses through the individualised use of therapeutic and, where appropriate, physical intervention to ensure our children are supported appropriately during times of crisis. To take an active role in understanding the risk assessments and individual behavior support plans for children, using appropriate systems and procedures to ensure the children are provided with a safe and nurturing environment.
• Managing performance – Providing high quality supervision to individual members of staff as directed by the Registered Manager and conduct appraisals in line with the Company appraisals process.  This is to ensure that performance issues are identified at an early stage and all staff are offered the opportunity to improve and address any issues through relevant training, support and development ensuring a secure, skilled and supported workforce.

This role is offered on a full time/fixed term basis. This is a maternity cover position from April – January. Working a 4 on / 8 off shift pattern with 2 sleep-ins a month– this averages 1 sleep per each block of 4 days worked. Days start at 07:30 and finish 22:00 and during this time you will have the opportunity to have all meals provided as part of your role will include mealtimes with the children and other staff.

All candidates must have a full driving license and have access to the use of a car. Successful candidates will be required to provide an enhanced Disclosure (DBS). This disclosure cost will be met by Fair Ways.

Desirable…. but not Essential

Whilst we value the knowledge and understanding that experience and qualifications can bring we also know that some of our best people have come to us from unrelated backgrounds. These people already held our core values at heart, and with the dedication of our amazing in house training and development team, we have supported the rest!

• Demonstrable experience in working with children and/or young people will be required with additional line management experience beneficial.
• A Level 3 qualification Level 3 in CYPW Diploma in childcare or equivalent
• The ability to lead a team effectively by promoting a positive culture, demonstrating good interpersonal skills and having the ability to work well as part of a team.

Let us look after you!

Looking after our employees is important to us, and whilst our culture is central to our identity, we also offer a great set of benefits to ensure we are striving to provide the best support to our employees available in the sector.

• Free Staff lotteries (including prizes such as £1000 holiday vouchers, weekends away, luxury hampers and vouchers)
• Holiday Accrual Scheme and additional Holiday Purchase (up to 5 days)
• Health Shield (Health cash plan)
• Early Pay – The ability to withdraw an amount of your salary early each month to assist with any unforeseen circumstances.
• Employee Assistance Scheme (Application based emergency financial assistance for employees)
• Education Grant – (funding up to master’s level accreditation)
• Wellbeing Initiatives – Team Building Days, Summer Festival, Wellbeing boxes
• Employee Assistance Programme (24/7 counselling service)
• Highstreet discount platform, Discounted Gym Membership
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Leadership Courses
• Free Parking
• Annual Staff Awards/ Long Service Awards
• Pension Scheme
• Eligibility for a Blue Light Card
• £250 Refer a Foster Carer Scheme

Find your happy place – we can’t wait to meet you!

Apply today and be a PART of something amazing – We encourage a diverse workforce and welcome applications from all communities.