Residential Youth Worker

Salary: £32,946.42 per annum (plus opportunities for additional earnings through extra shifts)

Contract: Full Time

Location: Downpatrick and Dungiven, Northern Ireland

Join a Charity Where Relationships Change Lives

At Safe Places, it's all about the young people.

Everything we do is centred around helping children and young people who have experienced significant trauma feel safe, valued and supported to reach their full potential. We believe every young person deserves the opportunity to heal, build positive relationships and create a brighter future.

Our mission is simple: to provide children and young people with safe places, trusted relationships and therapeutic care that empowers them to recover from trauma, build resilience and achieve positive lifelong outcomes.

As a growing charity, Safe Places provides therapeutic residential care through nurturing, trauma-informed homes where compassion, consistency and meaningful relationships are at the heart of everything we do. We believe that positive relationships change lives, and we are committed to creating environments where children and young people feel safe, respected and empowered to succeed.

We are looking for passionate, resilient and committed Residential Youth Workers to join our dedicated teams. If you're looking for a rewarding career where every day makes a genuine difference in the life of a young person, we'd love to hear from you.

About the Role

As a Residential Youth Worker, you will play a vital role in supporting children and young people within our therapeutic two-bed children's homes.

Your responsibilities will include:

Building positive, trusting relationships with children and young people.
Providing therapeutic, child-centred care within a safe and nurturing home environment.
Supporting young people's emotional, social and practical development.
Working as part of a small, consistent team using trauma-informed practice.
Responding confidently and professionally to complex and pain-based behaviours.
Helping young people develop resilience, independence and positive life experiences.

This is a full-time, shift-based position and includes sleep-in duties within a registered children's home.

Working Pattern

Average of 38 working hours per week, plus an average of two sleep-in duties per week.
Rotating rota consisting of three shifts one week and two shifts the following week.
Each shift is 24 hours, comprising 16 hours working time and an 8-hour paid sleepover period.
Opportunities are available to work additional shifts and increase your earnings.

Why Join Safe Places?

At Safe Places, we recognise that our staff are our greatest asset. We are committed to supporting your wellbeing, investing in your professional development and providing clear opportunities for career progression.

Our benefits include:

Competitive salary of £32,946.42 per annum
Opportunities to increase your earnings through additional shifts and sleepovers
Clear career progression to Key Worker positions
Three-week paid induction programme
Comprehensive training including Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI), Trauma and Attachment, Safeguarding, Medication Management, Health & Safety and Fire Safety
Ongoing professional development, reflective supervision and coaching
Individual Professional Development Plans following successful completion of probation
24/7 therapeutic on-call support from trained TCI Post Crisis Response staff
Triple Tier Employee Wellbeing Programme, including confidential external counselling
Planned and structured rotas designed to support work-life balance
Hours Bank System to help promote healthy work-life balance
33 days annual leave
Annual Leave Loading
£250 loyalty bonus every six months following successful completion of probation
The opportunity to help shape the future of therapeutic residential care across Northern Ireland and the UK

Who We're Looking For

We're looking for people who are:

Compassionate, caring and emotionally intelligent.
Resilient and able to remain calm under pressure.
Passionate about improving the lives of children and young people.
Committed to delivering trauma-informed, relationship-based care.
Positive team players with excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
Motivated to learn, develop and build a rewarding career within therapeutic residential care.

If this sounds like you, we'd love to hear from you.

Essential Criteria

Applicants must have:

A minimum of one year's experience supporting children, young people or adults who present with challenging behaviours.
A Level 3 qualification in Health & Social Care, Youth Work, Social Care or another relevant discipline.
A full UK or Irish driving licence held for at least one year, with no more than three penalty points.
Eligibility to obtain an Enhanced Access NI check
Willingness and able to register with the Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC) or already be registered.

Desirable Criteria

A degree in a relevant discipline subject.
Experience working within children's residential care.
Experience supporting traumatised children and young people using trauma-informed approaches.

Compulsory Induction Training

Successful candidates will attend a paid three-week induction training. Dates will be confirmed at interview for shortlisted candidates. The induction programme must be completed in full before candidates take up their role on a full-time basis.

Closing Date

Friday 31 July 2026 at 12.00 noon

Ready to Make a Difference?

If you are passionate about helping children recover from trauma and want to join an organisation that values, develops and supports its staff, we would love to hear from you.

How to Apply

Please complete an application form via our website.

A full Job Description can be downloaded from:

https://safeplacesforchildren.co.uk/vacancies

Safer Recruitment

Safe Places is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. All appointments are subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks, including Enhanced Access NI clearance, NISCC registration, employment references and all other relevant safer recruitment requirements.

Safe Places is proud to be an Equal Opportunities Employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

Please note that applications may be retained for up to six months to fill future Residential Youth Worker vacancies, unless you request otherwise.

Safe Places for Children UK

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