Most management roles in children's care ask you to run a ship that's already sailing, with all its problems built in. This is different: you get to build something from the ground up, leading a brand new home from day one and shaping its entire culture, standards and team. If you've got management experience, deep knowledge of home regulations, and a real commitment to trauma-informed care, this is your chance to lead with complete ownership
You'll be managing a new children's home in Stockton-on-Tees, initially caring for 2 young children. That means you're not inheriting years of embedded practice or trying to fix what's broken; you're creating something excellent from the first day. You'll lead a small, focused staff team, set the tone for how things work here, and build systems that put trauma-informed care at the heart of everything
Your job is to lead by example. You'll recruit your own team, shape their development, and ensure the home becomes known for care that genuinely exceeds the standards set out in the home regulations. You'll handle the day-to-day management of health and safety, record-keeping, compliance, and staff oversight, but you'll also be the person children and professionals turn to because they know you actually understand what they're going through
This is a role where you get to advocate fiercely for the children in your care, embed the home into the wider systems around it, and prove that you can build something that works. You'll work somewhere that values you as a person first, not just a manager, and where your expertise in understanding and supporting children who've faced real challenges is genuinely respected
What you will be doing
- Recruit, manage and develop your own staff team, leading by example and setting high standards for trauma-informed practice
- Ensure the home meets and exceeds home regulations and all health and safety compliance requirements
- Oversee the day-to-day care of young children, managing activities, wellbeing and safeguarding across the home
- Build strong relationships with children, staff, and wider professionals (schools, social services, health), embedding the home into local networks
- Maintain rigorous record-keeping, paperwork and documentation systems to ensure the home operates with full transparency and accountability
Why you will love working here
- The chance to build a new home from scratch and shape its entire culture, team and approach to care from day one
- A role that comes with genuine management ownership, where your decisions directly create the environment the children experience
- Work for an employer committed to making the council an exceptional place to work, with a People First strategy focused on helping you thrive and build your career
- A workplace built on diversity, equity and inclusion, where you're valued as a whole person and reasonable adjustments are genuinely supported
- The opportunity to work somewhere safeguarding is everybody's business, and where your commitment to protecting and nurturing children is the foundation of everything you do
Is this you?
- Are you a registered manager or experienced manager with deep knowledge of home regulations and residential children's care?
- Have you worked in a children's home environment and demonstrated the ability to lead and develop a team?
- Do you genuinely understand trauma and what children in care have been through, and do you have the energy to advocate for them every single day?
- Can you build strong, trusting relationships with children, staff and professionals, and show people you mean what you say?
- Are you someone who sets high standards, follows through on compliance, and isn't afraid to challenge things that don't work?
Applications close on 12 October 2026. Great roles like this are filled quickly, so the sooner you apply the better.
Safeguarding: We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. All roles are subject to an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references.