What is it like working in a residential children's home?

[PrettyPleaseXo]

I have been working as a family support worker for three years but due to changes in the team and the environment, although I love my job, I have found myself dreading coming in and feel really unsettled here so I am looking elsewhere. I have got an interview for a residential children's home and I would really like an honest account of what it is like to work in one particularly with the team etc

I have worked in one for the last 3 years, and I absolutely love it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not for the faint hearted, but I get so much job satisfaction being a part of the children’s lives and watching them take positive steps. The hardest part is having to switch between different parenting modes, you can’t parent them like you would your own children, and if you go in with the expectation that you can then you will face disappointment every day. These children find it hard/ can be reluctant to build relationships out of fear of abandonment, and also due to the high turnover of staff in these companies. A lot of them have had some difficult experiences (abuse and neglect ) and with that comes a lot of challenging behaviours. Being able to show them that there are safe places in the world that they can strive for when they are older is one of the main things staff hope to achieve, as well as trying to keep them happy and healthy. I have had prison officers come into the role thinking it would be a doddle that have left due to not being able to cope. You also have to be very good at encouraging and sticking to set boundaries. It’s an industry that is crying out for good people that are willing to stay and in it for the long run. It’s one of the most amazing roles I’ve ever had.

Thank you lovely; what are the staff like? Is it a good team do you find?

All houses are different in regards to team dynamics. The houses are made up of a Regional Manager who oversees all houses in that area, a Home Manager, Deputy Manager, Senior support worker, support workers and night workers. There is a high staff turnover due to the complexities of the industry, but those who stay are usually lovely supportive people. You all have to share one common goal to be effective, and in most cases everyone understands this and are easy to get along with. Rotas are done fairly, and there is usually a good chance of progression ( due to the high staff turnover). Like I said before, it’s not an easy job, depending on what type of home you go into ( mainstream/ complex) you will find yourself dealing with self harm incidents, missing incidents, destruction of home property, refusal to engage in education, verbal assaults on staff (sometimes physical), and may find it frustrating that you can’t parent like you would usually parent, but there are reasons for this. You also have to celebrate and congratulate yourself on the ‘little wins’ as opposed to concentrating on obtaining ‘big wins’. I love it, I’ve never felt so ‘useful’ in all my life and like I’m really making a difference to someone life.

Dealing with some of the things together as a team brings you closer, definitely no time for bitchiness and nastiness.