Registered Manager

• As part of our commitment to staff wellbeing, you’ll receive a paid annual Wellbeing Day to use however you choose, supporting a healthy balance between work and life.

At Action for Children, we offer more than just a job. Join us and you’ll be part of a team dedicated to giving children safe and happy childhoods. See how your skills can make a real difference, helping solve the problems children and young people face every day.
A bit about the role
As the Registered Manager, you’ll lead a high‑quality residential service that supports children and young people who have experienced trauma and adversity. You’ll ensure the home is safe, nurturing, and centred around each young person’s needs, rights, and voice.
You’ll provide strong, compassionate leadership to the staff team, promoting reflective practice, accountability, and continuous improvement. Your guidance will help the team deliver trauma‑informed, child‑centred care that supports stability, wellbeing, and positive outcomes.
Working closely with families and multi‑agency partners, you’ll coordinate personalised support and ensure young people receive consistent care across all areas of daily life. You’ll uphold safeguarding, meet regulatory standards, and maintain a welcoming home where young people can develop stability, independence, and a strong sense of belonging.
About the Service
Ayton Villa is a trauma‑informed residential home dedicated to providing a safe, stable and nurturing environment for children who have experienced early adversity or trauma. Our approach is rooted in understanding how these experiences can shape a child’s emotions, behaviours and development, and ensuring that every interaction supports healing, trust and positive attachment.
The home itself is warm, welcoming and truly centred around the children who live there. Recently rated Ofsted Outstanding, Ayton Villa is recognised for its exceptional commitment to putting children first. The team consistently goes above and beyond to create a sense of belonging, predictability and emotional safety, tailoring care to each child’s needs and working at their pace.
Being a trauma‑informed home means we prioritise relationships, empathy and consistency. We focus on helping children feel understood and valued, supporting them to build self‑confidence, develop emotional regulation and lay the foundations for a brighter, more hopeful future.
What you do could make a difference
Some key responsibilities for our Registered Manager are;

• Championing positive outcomes for children and young people, ensuring they receive high‑quality care, meaningful support, and opportunities to grow, achieve, and thrive.
• Leading, motivating, and developing the staff team, building a culture of accountability, reflective practice, and continuous improvement.
• Creating and maintaining a safe, nurturing, and welcoming home, where children and young people feel secure, valued, and able to build positive relationships.
• Overseeing personalised care and support, ensuring each young person’s needs are met, their rights upheld, and their voices heard in all aspects of their care.
• Promoting positive experiences for young people living away from home, supporting them to build stability, confidence, and independence.
• Ensuring young people receive consistent support across all areas of daily life, promoting their health, wellbeing, happiness, and overall development.

Let’s talk about you

• Possess the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare, or an equivalent Level 5 Diploma recognised under the DfE Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations 2015.
• Proven experience leading and managing a staff team, driving high performance and delivering positive outcomes for children and young people.
• Experience supporting children and young people who have experienced trauma or adverse life experiences, including those with social, emotional, and behavioural needs.
• A strong understanding of residential childcare practice, with the ability to create and sustain a safe, nurturing, and child‑centred environment.
• Experience working collaboratively with families and multi‑agency partners, ensuring coordinated support and the best possible outcomes for young people.
• Experience supporting young people with complex health, emotional, or behavioural needs is desirable and would be an advantage in this role.

Why Action for Children?
Every child should have a loving home, food, warmth, the chance to grow and learn - the support to cope with life’s challenges. But too many children don’t. By bringing your passion and unique skills and experience, you’ll help us change that where it really matters.
We've been driven by love to take action for children for over 150 years, giving them the protection and practical help they need. A lot’s changed since 1869. But what children really need, hasn’t. So as long as children need us, we’ll be here.
Will you join us?
Contact: Please submit an application via our careers page. If you have any further questions, you can contact Laura McCarthy at [email hidden] quoting reference 13792
Our Commitment to Equity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism
At Action for Children, we are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels respected, valued, and able to thrive. We know that racism and discrimination create barriers, and we are taking active steps to challenge these inequalities in our organisation and in the communities we serve.
We strongly welcome applications from people who are Black, Asian, or from other racialised and ethnically marginalised communities, as well as disabled people, who are currently under-represented in our workforce. We are committed to removing barriers in our recruitment processes and ensuring fair access to opportunities.
We also encourage applications from men, who are under-represented in our Children’s Services roles. We recognise that people hold multiple identities, and we value the richness this brings to our team
Want to get to know Action for Children better?
Job description
Action for Children Employee Benefits
AfC Commitment Statement
Management Competency Framework
Make a Difference - A Career in Residential Services
Find out more about Action for Children here: Action for Children and on LinkedIn, Facebook or YouTube to get to know us better.
The difference is what you do. You can learn more about why we do it, by checking out our 'Driven by Love' video.