What if the things you’re studying now could help you change lives?
Whether you’re at college, university or returning to education - you might be surprised at the wide range of topics and interests that can play a key role in supporting children and young people, and lead to an exciting, varied and rewarding career.
Interested in learning and child development?
An interest in child development can bring valuable learning to all sorts of careers, from education to health and childcare. But in residential childcare, an understanding of child development, the impact of childhood experiences and trauma such as abuse or neglect, and the support that is necessary to help a young person move beyond negative life experiences, can be critical in helping a child or young person to achieve positive outcomes in their future. In a children’s home or residential childcare setting, this knowledge can be applied throughout every aspect of day-to-day life; helping children achieve a sense of safety and belonging and build trusting relationships, sometimes for the first time in their life. An interest in child development may also lead you to opportunities to specialise in fascinating areas of learning and therapy, from play therapy to life story work.
A career in residential childcare could be a way to build on your previous learning about childhood and child development, or it could be a key stepping stone towards further study or specialist careers.
Learning about psychology?
If you study, or have studied psychology, there are many ways your learning can be applied and built upon in a residential childcare setting as part of your career journey. Working in a children’s home can be an invaluable career step towards further training, as you will gain important practical care experience and work in a setting where psychologists, psychotherapists, social workers, counsellors and a wide range of specialists are often involved in a child or young person’s care plan, and where practitioners must consider what are often many complexities in a child’s background or among their wider family.
For many who have studied psychology at college or university, working in a children’s home provides a unique opportunity to build on that learning - working directly with children and young people from day one, and learning from others in professional roles that may interest you in future. It’s also an important opportunity to learn and be inspired about how your interest in psychology could develop, and where further study might take you.
Passionate about sports leadership, active life or inspiring new adventures?
Organising activities and encouraging new interests is an important part of work in residential childcare – after all, for children and young people, staying active and discovering new interests and activities is a key part of growing up happy and healthy. Many children and young people in residential childcare have not had the opportunity to pursue active hobbies at all. Keeping active and pursuing talents and interests can be a vital part of recovery for children who are overcoming trauma, or difficulties in their past. If you love team sports, leading activities and are great at inspiring people to push themselves and try new adventures, there’s no doubt you could apply those skills in a residential childcare setting in a seriously rewarding way.
Skills in leadership or teamwork are not only important in supporting children and providing the strength and consistency, sometimes discipline that they need, these skills are also very important to other team members in a children’s home. Working together, motivating and supporting eachother as a team is an essential part of any residential childcare career.
Serious about management skills and business, but don’t want to be stuck in an office?
If you have an interest in managing people or want to develop business and operational skills, residential childcare offers an excellent career pathway with the opportunity to progress quickly to management roles. Of course, a passion for improving the lives of children and young people always comes first. But in this career, you’ll never get stuck in the daily grind of 9-5 and no one day will ever be the same!
Running a children’s home requires all the skills of running any business - inspiring a team, developing relationships, communicating effectively, even managing budgets and investments, and developing services and strategies. It’s a career where making a difference is more important than money and profit, but where effective management is key to turning young lives around.
Getting started in residential childcare
You don’t need any qualifications to start a career in residential childcare, the most important thing is that you have the right personal qualities to support children and young people.
Roles, and career progression
Working in a children’s home is more than ‘just a job’ - it’s an career with clear pathways for progression. Find out how you could progress and learn about some of the key roles available.
Qualifications and training while you work
You can often start your career in residential childcare with no qualifications at, but as soon as you start, you’ll have opportunities to learn, train and gain key qualifications.