Deputy Manager – Children’s Home

Company Description

Lighthouse Pedagogy Trust is a charity creating children’s homes where children can thrive. We believe every child deserves the chance to achieve great things and lead fulfilling lives.

Our first home opened in Sutton in February 2022, supporting up to six children aged 11–18 with emotional and behavioural needs. Our children’s home is an award-winning building that has set a new standard for UK children’s homes. You can learn more about the home and even take a virtual tour on our website.

Key details:

• Location: London Borough of Sutton, SM2
• Salary: £39-43k depending on experience
• Contract: Permanent contract, 40 hours

What this role offers:

• Backing from an experienced and supportive leadership team and RI
• Competitive salary and benefits, including:
  • Starting holiday allowance of 28 days (plus bank holidays on top of that), increasing to 30 days at 2 years and 33 days at 5 years
  • Employer pension contributions, life insurance, enhanced maternity, paternity, and adoption pay
  • Employee assistance programme, discounted shopping, cycle-to-work scheme and lots more benefits

Why work for LPT?

• We have an annual staff retention rate of 94%. This is significantly above the sector average, reflecting our commitment to employee wellbeing, development and job satisfaction.
• LPT is a charity, so any surplus revenue generated is reinvested into improving experiences and outcomes for children in care
• We are a values-driven organisation grounded in Social Pedagogy, prioritising relationships, empowerment, and wellbeing
• LPT has partnered with Kingston University to develop a Level 6 Diploma in Residential care, and offers fully funded places on the course for our team – Read more about it in this article
• We have won several awards for the therapeutically informed and high-quality design of our home, including the Innovation in Care Award at the National Children’s Homes Awards and the Stephen Lawrence Prize

Job Description

As the Deputy Manager of our 6-bed home, you will:.

• Be part of creating a home where children feel safe, valued and able to thrive, building real, meaningful relationships that make a lasting difference.
• Support young people to explore who they are, discover what they want from life, and take steps towards their goals and ambitions.
• Play a key role in leading and shaping a dedicated team, helping to create a warm, reflective culture where everyone can grow and do their best work.
• Build your leadership confidence by working closely with the Registered Manager and stepping up to lead when needed, including during key visits and inspections.
• Develop your skills in coaching and mentoring, supporting colleagues through supervision, reflection and ongoing learning opportunities.
• Work in a genuinely collaborative way with families, schools and partner agencies, creating joined-up, holistic support around each child.
• Contribute to something bigger by helping us grow and develop our innovative approach, influencing practice beyond our home and into the wider sector.
• Grow your career with us. With plans to open more homes, there are real opportunities to progress into Registered Manager roles and take on leadership of your own home over time.

Click here to see the full job description and person specification.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will be:

• Experienced in managing and supervising staff in a children’s home (deputy/senior level experience).
• Experienced working with teenagers with emotional, social and behavioural difficulties
• A reflective leader who can contribute to a positive, relationship-focused culture
• Warm, consistent and able to build trust with children, families and colleagues
• Resilient, adaptable and committed to continuous learning and improvement
• A strong advocate for children’s safety, wellbeing and voice
• Eager to grow and progress into a Registered Manager role as we expand
• Hold the Level 3 Diploma or equivalent and be willing to work towards the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management

Click here to see the full job description and person specification.

Additional Information

Application Process

Please upload your CV and submit a cover letter in the ‘Message to Hiring Manager’ box that outlines:

• Why you are interested in working for Lighthouse Pedagogy Trust.
• How you meet the requirements in the person specification.

Interviews will be arranged as suitable candidates are identified, so early application is strongly advised.

Safer Recruitment

At Lighthouse Pedagogy Trust, we safeguard all children and young people in our care. As part of our recruitment process, we conduct rigorous checks and vetting of all applicants, in line with legal and regulatory requirements and best practices. Everyone who works in our homes will be responsible for safeguarding young people and putting their safety and wellbeing first.

This role is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (police records) check, including overseas police checks where necessary. Please note that this post is exempt from the limitations of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, and as such, all previous cautions and convictions will need to be disclosed as part of any application.

For further information about the process, please go to: https://www.gov.uk/dbs-check-applicant-criminal-record

See the benefits of working for Catch22 here.

See the benefits of working for Catch22 here.

Unless otherwise stated, interviews will be arranged as suitable candidates are identified, so early application is strongly advised.

We aim to review applications as quickly as possible. However, due to the volume of interest we receive, we may not be able to contact all applicants individually. If you have not heard from us within two weeks of the closing date, please assume that your application has not been successful this time.

At Catch22 we value equality, diversity and inclusion. We are wholeheartedly committed to the principle of equality of opportunity, both as an employer and as a provider of services. Diversity and Inclusion is part of what we do every day, working to deliver our vision to build a strong society where everyone has good people around them, a purpose, and a good place to live.

Catch22 is committed to rigorous safeguarding and safer recruitment practices; ensuring that every individual within the organisation has been safely and appropriately checked.

Please note, we will conduct an online search as part of our due dilligence checks for successful candidate(s). This will involve a search of all publicly available information online and in social media.

Catch22’s Commitment to Ban the Box

Catch22 is proud to have “Banned the Box”. This means that we do not ask for candidates to disclose criminal convictions at the application stage. Instead, we invite disclosures at interview stage, and encourage them at the offer stage. Please see our statement of commitment on hiring people with convictions for more information.

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