We recruit the leadership team that every Ofsted-regulated children's home depends on — Registered Managers, Deputy Managers and Team Leaders who hold overall responsibility for the quality of care, safeguarding culture and regulatory compliance of the service. Our consultants understand the fit-person requirements, Regulation 28 expectations and therapeutic-model nuances that decide whether a candidate is right for your home. Browse current children's residential vacancies or get in touch for a free consultation.
Children's homes run 24/7 and the shift rota does not forgive a gap. We provide Residential Childcare Workers, Senior Residential Childcare Workers, Therapeutic Care Workers and Waking Night Support Workers on permanent, fixed-term and agency contracts across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Every candidate is screened for enhanced DBS, Safer Recruitment compliance, right-to-work and relevant Level 3, 4 or 5 qualifications before they reach your shortlist.
Opening a new children's home, registering a new manager with Ofsted or scaling a therapeutic provider? We coordinate the full staffing mobilisation — Registered Manager first, then the leadership layer, then the care team — so your service is ready for its Ofsted registration visit with a credible, vetted workforce in place. Submit a children's residential vacancy and we will build the plan with you.
We start by understanding your service model — therapeutic framework, Statement of Purpose, location, shift pattern and the culture of your team. From there, we shortlist candidates from our UK children's residential network, verify qualifications (Level 3, 4 or 5 Diploma as relevant), screen enhanced DBS, right-to-work and references, and coordinate interviews. For Registered Manager roles we also support you through the Ofsted fit-person process.
We recruit the full staffing structure of an Ofsted-regulated children's home: Registered Managers, Deputy Managers, Team Leaders, Senior Residential Childcare Workers, Residential Childcare Workers, Therapeutic Care Workers and Waking Night Support Workers. We place across solo, dual, therapeutic, EBD and emergency-provision homes throughout the UK.
Agency and waking-night cover can often be arranged within days. Permanent Residential Childcare Worker roles typically fill within two to four weeks once candidate references and DBS are clear. Registered Manager and Deputy Manager searches are more bespoke and can take four to eight weeks, depending on the fit-person and therapeutic-model requirements.
For permanent placements we offer a warranty period that includes a replacement search at no additional cost should the placed candidate leave within the agreed timeframe. We treat this as a shared commitment — reducing turnover in children's services protects children and young people, not just budgets.
Yes. Every candidate we present has been screened against Safer Recruitment standards — enhanced DBS (with children's barred-list check), right-to-work, full employment-history gap analysis, and a minimum of two professional references. Where the role requires it, we also verify relevant Level 3, 4 or 5 qualifications and therapeutic-model training.
We recruit for the full range of Ofsted-regulated roles: Registered Manager, Deputy Manager, Team Leader, Senior RCCW, Residential Childcare Worker, Therapeutic Care Worker and Waking Night Support Worker. Roles are available on permanent, fixed-term and agency contracts across the UK. Find out more about our process for care professionals.
No, our service is free for care professionals. All recruitment fees are paid by the hiring service. Our consultants will also negotiate the best possible package on your behalf — pay rate, sleep-in or waking-night premium, training budget and progression route.
Your enquiry is treated in strict confidence. We will never send your CV or personal details to a children's home without your explicit consent and confirmed interest in that specific role. You remain in control of where your information goes.
Entry-level Residential Childcare Workers are expected to hold (or be working towards) the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare. Senior and Team Leader roles typically need the Level 3 completed and often Level 4. Deputy Managers and Registered Managers are expected to hold or be working towards the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare, as required for Ofsted fit-person assessment in England, and equivalent qualifications in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Our consultants aim to respond within 24 to 48 hours. If your experience closely matches a live vacancy — particularly for agency or waking-night cover — you will often hear from us sooner.
Gorilla Jobs' mission in children's residential care recruitment is simple: put the right people in the homes that look after children who have been through the hardest starts.
We work with Ofsted-regulated children's homes, therapeutic providers, local-authority commissioners and independent groups across the UK. Our model is candidate-first, outcome-led and Safer-Recruitment compliant — because in this sector, the quality of the adult on shift is the quality of the care a child receives.
Whether you are a children's home looking to hire or a care professional seeking your next role, Gorilla Jobs can help. Fill in the contact form and one of our consultants will be in touch for a free, no-obligation conversation.