Shift leader, Social Work

We're recruiting a Shift Leader to join our Residential Children's Homes service at Milton Keynes City Council. This is a rewarding role where you'll help provide a safe, supportive and caring environment for children and young people. You'll lead colleagues during your shift and take responsibility for making decisions that support the safety, wellbeing and individual needs of the children and young people in our care.

Our service operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so you'll work as part of a dedicated team providing consistent support to children, young people and their families. You'll work closely with children, families, colleagues and other professionals to help achieve the best possible outcomes. You'll also support and develop colleagues, model good practice and help ensure the service maintains high standards of care.

Work Pattern You'll work a fortnightly rota across weekdays and weekends. Week One - you'll work Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Week Two - you'll work Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Shifts vary between early, afternoon and evening working, with start times from 7am and finishes up to 10pm. Site-Based role This is a Site-Based role, and you'll be expected to work from the designated workplace.

Interviews for this role will be held on 26th November 2026 Please note, interviews are held in person. At Milton Keynes City Council, we aim to make a difference every day. We're dedicated, respectful and collaborative. We act as one council, and we work hard to create cleaner, safer and healthier communities while tackling inequalities and supporting people to thrive.

• Lead the service during your shift, making well-informed decisions to keep children and young people safe and support their wellbeing.
• Take the lead when managing challenging behaviour, using risk assessments, debriefs and appropriate physical intervention skills to keep children and colleagues safe.
• Make sure care plans and risk assessments are followed, reviewed and updated, working collaboratively with families and other professionals.
• Maintain accurate and timely records, making sure important information is clearly shared with colleagues and managers.
• Coach and mentor new or less experienced colleagues, model good practice and provide constructive support and feedback.
• Support children to develop their skills and independence, adapting your approach to their individual communication, care and support needs. Qualified to Level three Diploma for the Children and Young People's Workforce, or willing to start the qualification within three months, you may alternatively bring at least one year's experience in residential childcare, together with paid or voluntary experience supporting children and/or people with learning disabilities.
• Confident and calm in your approach, you'll be able to make considered decisions, manage risk and respond appropriately when behaviour becomes challenging.
• A thoughtful communicator, you'll understand that children have different communication needs and be able to adapt your verbal and non-verbal communication accordingly.
• With strong observational and written communication skills, you'll be able to maintain clear records and write, monitor and review risk assessments.
• Committed to safe and respectful care, you'll be physically able to support moving and handling requirements and use specialist equipment safely where required.
• Reliable and collaborative in the way you work, alongside the flexibility needed to support a 24-hour residential service.
• Full UK Driving Licence and access to a vehicle To be successful in this role, you'll need a full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle. If we offer you the role, we'll ask you to provide evidence of your driving licence and vehicle insurance, including cover for business use. We're unable to confirm an appointment until these documents are received.
  
  Milton Keynes City Council is a large, modern and financially stable employer with around 2,500 people working across our eight areas. Together we provide local residents and businesses with a wide range of important round-the-clock services and aim to make our city a better place to live. We work hard because of the demands placed on us, like protecting children from harm or preventing homelessness.
  
  However, working for the city is always rewarding and everyone has the opportunity to make a real difference. We're very proud of our diversity and are committed to having a workforce…