Lead a service that gives families a break and children a brighter day
Are you an experiencedDeputy/Assistant Managerin children’s or learning disability services, ready to step up and help lead a growing, values-driven short breaks service?
Unicare is looking for a dedicatedAssistant Managerto support the delivery of ourShort Breaks Service for children and young people with autism, learning disabilities, and challenging behaviour, delivered in families’ own homes across Surrey under our contract withSurrey County Council.
This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who is as comfortable mentoring a support team as they are stepping in to support a child directly. You’ll help families get the respite they need, give children positive and enabling experiences, and ensure every hour of support we deliver is safe, person-centred, and outcome-focused.
About the service
Short breaks give parents and carers of disabled children essential time to rest and recharge, while the children themselves enjoy safe, engaging, individually tailored support in their own home and community. It’s some of the most rewarding work in the sector and it requires skill, patience, consistency, and strong leadership behind the scenes.
You’ll be supporting a team delivering this care, working closely with the Registered Manager, families, social workers, and the local authority to make sure every package works for the child at its centre.
About Unicare
Unicare Complex Care Specialist Ltd is a CQC-registered specialist care provider delivering high-quality supported living and complex care services to people with autism, learning disabilities, mental health needs, and complex behaviours. We operate across Surrey, Sussex, Berkshire, and South London, and we’re proud to deliver short breaks in partnership with Surrey County Council.
What you’ll be doing
Leadership & team management
- Support the day-to-day running of the Surrey children’s short breaks service
- Supervise, mentor, and support a team of support workers, including supervisions and spot checks
- Help with rotas, allocations, and ensuring continuity of care for each child
- Support recruitment, induction, and ongoing development of the team
- Participate in the on-call rota to support staff out of hours
Quality & safeguarding
- Champion safeguarding at all times and act as a point of escalation for concerns
- Ensure care is delivered in line with each child’s support plan, behaviour support plan, and risk assessments
- Carry out and review assessments, support plans, and risk assessments
- Maintain accurate, timely records in line with CQC and contractual requirements
- Support quality audits and continuous improvement
Working with families & partners
- Build trusted, respectful relationships with parents and carers
- Liaise with social workers, the local authority, and other professionals around each child
- Ensure family feedback shapes the support we provide
Hands-on support
- Provide direct support to children when needed, including during onboarding of new packages or staffing gaps
- Model best practice in positive behaviour support and person-centred care
What we’re looking for
Essential
- Experience supporting children and/or adults withautism, learning disabilities, and challenging/complex behaviour
- Experience in asenior, team leader, or supervisory rolewithin health and social care
- Strong understanding ofsafeguarding childrenand your responsibilities under it
- Knowledge ofperson-centred careandpositive behaviour support (PBS)approaches
- Confident producing and reviewingsupport plans, risk assessments, and care records
- Excellent communication skills with families, staff, and professionals
- Full UK driving licence and access to your own vehicle
- Willingness to participate inevening, weekend, and on-callcover as required
- Eligibility for anEnhanced DBS check including the Children’s Barred List
- Right to work in the UK on a permanent basis without sponsorship
Desirable
- NVQ/QCF Level 3 or abovein Health & Social Care (Children & Young People), or working towards Level 5
- Experience deliveringshort breaks / respiteservices
- Experience working within alocal authority contractframework
- Knowledge ofCQC standardsand regulatory requirements
- Training in PBS, MAPA/Team Teach, or similar
What you’ll get in return
- (£30,000 £33,000)salary depending on experience and qualifications
- Business mileagepaid at HMRC rate
- Funded training and development, including Level 5 support for the right candidate
- 28 days annual leaveincluding bank holidays
- Workplace pension scheme
- A genuine progression path within a growing organisation
- Supportive, values-led leadership and a real say in how the service develops
- The deep satisfaction of making a tangible difference to disabled children and their families
Who this role IS for
- ASenior Support Worker or Team Leaderin children’s, LD, or complex care ready to step up into management
- Anexisting Assistant/Deputy Managerlooking for a more rewarding, specialist service
- Someone who genuinely enjoys bothleading a teamandrolling their sleeves upto support children directly
- Someone who lives within sensible reach of Surrey and can cover the patch
Who this role is NOT for
- Someone seeking a purely office-based or 9-to-5 role with no flexibility
- Someone without a driving licence and own vehicle
- Someone unwilling to undergo enhanced child workforce vetting
- We are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role
Safeguarding statement
Unicare Complex Care Specialist Ltd is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all staff to share this commitment. This post isexempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974and is subject to anEnhanced DBS check including the Children’s Barred List, full reference checks, and satisfactory completion of our safer recruitment process. The successful candidate’s appointment will be conditional on these checks.
How to apply
ClickApply Nowand submit your CV with a short covering note telling us:
- Your experience supporting children or adults with autism and challenging behaviour
- Your supervisory/leadership experience
- Why this role appeals to you
Shortlisted candidates will complete a short pre-screening questionnaire followed by an interview at (location). We review applications on a rolling basis and may close the advert early if we receive strong interest so please apply promptly.
Unicare Complex Care Specialist Ltd is an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and are committed to building a diverse, inclusive workforce.
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