Founding Registered Manager – Children’s Residential Home

Founding Registered Manager – Children’s Residential Home

Location: Enfield, North London
Service: New 3-bedroom children’s home for up to 2 children and young people
Contract: Full-Time, Permanent
Salary & Benefits: Competitive and flexible – candidates are invited to discuss their preferred package
Recruitment: Daytime Healthcare is recruiting on behalf of a new children’s residential care provider

About the Opportunity

We are seeking an experienced and ambitious Registered Manager to help establish and lead a new children’s residential care service in Enfield.

The property has already been identified and benefits from the appropriate C2 planning permission. It will operate as a small, therapeutic home for up to two children and young people, with a strong focus on stability, individualised care and positive outcomes.

This is more than a standard Registered Manager role. As the organisation’s first RM, you will have significant input into how both the home and the wider company are developed.

You will help shape the Statement of Purpose, therapeutic approach, staffing structure, recruitment, policies, systems, referral criteria and overall culture of the service.

The organisation has ambitious but considered growth plans, and the successful candidate will have the opportunity to grow with it. How broad the role becomes will depend significantly on your capability, ambition and contribution.

The Role

You will lead the home through Ofsted registration, mobilisation and opening, before taking full responsibility for its day-to-day operation.

You will recruit and develop the initial staff team, establish high standards of practice and create a safe, nurturing and therapeutic environment where children can thrive.

Once operational, you will maintain strong oversight of safeguarding, care planning, risk management, staff performance, quality assurance and regulatory compliance.

You will work closely with social workers, commissioners, families, education providers, health professionals and other members of the multidisciplinary team to ensure care is coordinated and focused on achieving meaningful outcomes.

Placement matching will be central to the service. The aim is not simply to fill beds, but to accept children whose needs can be safely and effectively met within a small-home environment.

Building Something New

A key attraction of this opportunity is the ability to influence how the organisation itself develops.

We want a Registered Manager who will bring ideas, challenge where appropriate and help create systems and standards that can eventually be replicated across future services.

The organisation’s vision is to become a provider of choice, recognised not simply for regulatory compliance but for the positive outcomes achieved by the children and young people it supports.

For the right candidate, this role could develop beyond management of the first home into wider operational, quality or senior leadership responsibilities as the organisation grows.

About You

We are looking for a well-rounded residential childcare professional with a proven leadership track record.

Previous experience as an Ofsted Registered Manager is strongly preferred, although an exceptional and experienced Deputy Manager who is clearly ready for registration may also be considered.

You should have strong experience supporting children with emotional and behavioural difficulties, trauma and associated complex needs.

You will need an excellent working knowledge of the Children’s Homes Regulations 2015, Quality Standards, safeguarding, care planning, risk management and quality assurance.

Experience setting up a new home, managing Ofsted registration or developing a new service would be advantageous.

You should hold the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare, or an appropriate equivalent, and meet the experience requirements for Ofsted registration.

A full UK driving licence is required.

Above all, we are looking for someone ambitious, commercially aware and passionate about delivering excellent residential childcare.

Remuneration & Progression

We recognise that the right candidate may value different elements of their employment package.

Rather than prescribing a rigid package, shortlisted candidates will be invited to discuss their preferred salary, benefits and performance-related arrangements.

The role also offers genuine scope for progression. Someone who successfully establishes and leads the first home and demonstrates the ability to take broader responsibility will have the opportunity to grow alongside the organisation.

There is no predetermined ceiling on how significant the role could become.

Why Join?

You will be joining at the beginning rather than inheriting somebody else’s established service.

You will have direct access to the organisation’s leadership, genuine influence over how the home is developed and the opportunity to build the team and culture you want to lead.

The ambition is simple: to create a small therapeutic home that delivers exceptional outcomes for children and use that foundation to build a highly regarded children’s residential care organisation.

If you are an experienced Registered Manager who wants the opportunity to do more than simply run another home, we would like to hear from you.

Please submit your CV together with a short supporting statement outlining your experience, key achievements and what you would want to bring to a new children’s residential care organisation
Only candidates based in UK and eligible to work in UK are allowed