Childrens Support Worker apprentice
FIRST 4 CARE LTD
DONCASTER (DN4 6TP)
Closes on Wednesday 30 September 2026
Posted on 28 August 2026
Contents
Summary
Be the person who makes a child feel safe, valued and loved
This is more than a job — it’s a chance to make a real difference in a child or young person’s life while gaining a recognised qualification in Residential Childcare.
- Wage
-
Competitive
Competitive wage offered
- Training course
- Children, young people and families practitioner (level 4)
- Hours
-
This is a shift-based role, including a mixture of day shifts, evenings, weekends and sleep-in shifts, including weekends and bank holidays where required. Shift patterns will vary depending on the needs of the home.
40 hours a week
- Start date
-
Thursday 1 October 2026
- Duration
-
2 years
- Positions available
-
12
Work
Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.
What you'll do at work
- Support children and young people with their daily routines, including getting ready, meals and bedtime.
- Help with school runs, appointments and other daily activities.
Build positive, trusting relationships with children and young people. - Support children to take part in hobbies, activities and community outings.
- Encourage independence and develop life skills such as cooking, tidying, budgeting and making choices.
- Provide emotional support and reassurance, particularly during difficult or challenging moments.
- Use therapeutic approaches to understand behaviour and respond to individual needs.
- Support with personal care where required, always maintaining dignity, privacy and respect.
- Help children develop confidence, resilience and independence.
Celebrate progress and achievements, including small steps forward. - Complete daily records, observations and other relevant documentation.
- Work closely with colleagues, families and other professionals to provide consistent care.
- Help maintain a safe, welcoming, clean and homely environment.
- Take part in team meetings, training and reflective practice.
- Follow safeguarding, health and safety and care plans at all times.
- Learn from experienced colleagues while working towards a recognised Residential Childcare qualification.
Where you'll work
313 GOODISON BOULEVARD
DONCASTER
DN4 6TP
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
ACORN TRAINING LTD
Training course
Children, young people and families practitioner (level 4)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Communicates in way that enables the voice of the child, young person or family members to be heard
- Encourages individuals to engage positively with their community and relevant agencies and actively participate in the way their care and support is delivered
- Actively promotes respect, equality, diversity and inclusion
- Works together with children, young people and families to keep them safe and manage risk and promoting the development of skills the family need to successfully manage risk themselves
- Works with and supports other professionals to respond to safeguarding concerns
- Identifies the influences on the individual and the family and supports them to make informed choices
- Leads on the development and recording of holistic plans, delivery of interventions and evaluates their effectiveness
- Identifies and addresses barriers to accessing resources
- Identifies and manages evidence-based approaches and evaluates their effectiveness
- Contributes to the development of a resilient, consistent and persistent approach to practice
- Models clarity of purpose, clear expectations and a professional approach to decision making
- Appropriately challenges and/or offers alternative perspectives with the children, young person or family
- Contributes to own professional development
- Applies knowledge of legal, economic and social justice systems and implements policy frameworks in support of positive outcomes for children, young people and families
- Demonstrates critical evaluation of practice and insight into own emotions, behaviour and feelings, and uses these insights to challenge own practice
- Takes an active part in continuous professional development
- Sharing and agreeing goals and outcomes when building relationships with partner organisations, other workers, children, young people and families, to ensure appropriate and timely support
- Assumes the role of professional parent
- Contributes to creating and reviewing placement plans based on individual need
- Is able to support traumatised children and young people to live together and make progress
- Develops and promotes the ethos of the home
- Models collaborative team working and the ability to support and appropriately challenge each other
- Engages effectively with child, young person and/or family members
- Supports children, young people or vulnerable adults to identify and take action to deal with safeguarding risk
Training schedule
Your qualification will be delivered by Acorn Training. You will be expected to attend and engage in your online sessions. Your assigned subject specific tutor will visit your workplace to assess you.
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
- English (grade 4)
- Mathematics (grade 4)
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- IT skills
- Attention to detail
- Organisation skills
- Problem solving skills
- Team working
- Creative
- Patience
- Physical fitness
About this employer
First 4 Care provides warm, nurturing residential homes for children and young people who need a safe and supportive place to live.
They support children and young people who may have experienced trauma or who have learning disabilities, autism or complex emotional needs. Their approach is relationship-led and therapeutic, helping our teams understand what sits behind a child’s behaviour and respond with patience, empathy and consistency.
After this apprenticeship
Your earnings can increase over time with an apprenticeship. Find out about potential future pay (opens in new tab).
This apprenticeship provides a strong foundation for a rewarding long-term career in children’s residential care, with opportunities to take on greater responsibility and make an even greater difference to the lives of young people.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
ACORN TRAINING LTD
Rachel Juniper
rachel.juniper@acorntraining.co.uk
07983529954
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000050504.
Apply now
Closes on Wednesday 30 September 2026