Night Residential Support Worker
Salary: £27,100 per annum
Location: Ayr, Ayrshire, Scotland
Contract/Hours: Permanent / Full Time – 37 hours per week (12-week rolling rota, with night shifts arranged in blocks of 2 or 3 consecutive nights. This structure provides consistent cover across all 7 days, including weekends)
Closing date for applications is midnight of Monday 19th October and interviews are provisionally scheduled for 27th and 28th October
Benefits:
- Over 7 weeks inclusive paid leave and the option to buy or sell leave
- Cycle to work scheme
- Excellent training and the opportunity to undertake professional training for some roles
- Flexible maternity, paternity and adoption packages
- Up to 7% employer contribution and life assurance cover
- Blue Light Card eligibility with discounts at 15,000 national retailers
- 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 a Night Residential Support Worker, you’ll provide safety, stability, and reassurance to young people throughout the night. You’ll be responsible for monitoring wellbeing, responding to any incidents, and maintaining a calm, nurturing environment that supports young people with complex social, emotional, and behavioural needs.
Your role will include completing night-time routines, carrying out welfare checks, recording observations, and ensuring the home remains safe and secure. You’ll work closely with the daytime team to ensure consistent, high-quality care, contributing to handovers and supporting young people to start their day positively.
This position requires a steady, compassionate presence, strong professional boundaries, and the ability to remain alert and responsive during overnight hours. Night shifts are essential to maintaining our 24-hour service and ensuring young people receive continuous support whenever they need it.
About the Service
Our residential service supports young people aged 13 to 20 who have complex social, emotional, and behavioural needs. Under the GIRFEC framework, we work collaboratively with families, professionals, and partner agencies to deliver high-quality, person-centred care that promotes safety, stability, and positive outcomes.
The service provides a nurturing environment where young people can build resilience, develop life skills, and access opportunities in education, training, and employment. Our therapeutic model of care ensures staff are supported to deliver trauma-informed, compassionate practice tailored to each young person’s needs.
With a strong focus on wellbeing, empowerment, and community connection, the service plays a vital role in helping young people move forward with confidence. As you gain experience and qualifications, you’ll be well-placed to progress to the next stage of your career within our team.
What you do could make a difference
- Leading nighttime care planning and risk management, including completing welfare checks, reviewing concerns, and responding calmly to any incidents that arise overnight.
- Coordinating tasks within the service during night hours, ensuring clear communication with the daytime team and contributing to accurate records, analysis, and written reports.
- Supporting multiagency work, preparing information for professionals and contributing to reviews, safeguarding discussions, and any required court-related documentation.
- Using creativity and a solution-focused approach to manage unexpected situations and maintain a stable, reassuring environment throughout the night.
- Applying your skills, knowledge, and experience to meet the changing needs of young people, offering consistency, safety, and emotional support during overnight routines.
- Understanding the challenges faced by vulnerable and careexperienced young people, and responding with empathy, professional curiosity, and strong safeguarding practice.
Let’s talk about you
Are you resilient, calm under pressure, and able to bring a positive approach to change and challenge? We’re looking for someone with a genuine ‘can-do’ attitude to join our night team. Ideally, you’ll bring:
- Experience working in a care setting, with the ability to build trusting, supportive relationships with young people.
- Confidence in managing challenging situations overnight, making safe, informed decisions when issues arise.
- An understanding of GIRFEC and outcomes-focused practice, and how these principles shape high-quality residential care.
- A solution-focused mindset, able to work independently during night hours while staying connected to the wider team.
- Strong emotional resilience, responding sensitively and professionally to the demands of a nightshift role.
- A Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare (or equivalent) – or a willingness to complete it within two years, with full support provided.
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?
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.
The difference is what you do. You can learn more about why we do it, by checking outour ‘Driven by Love’ video.
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