Support Worker – The Lodge

About the job

Key information

• 25 days’ annual leave (plus 8 bank holiday days)
• You’ll be joining a stable team where you’ll feel supported and valued.
• 2 permanent opportunities for 37 hours and 25 hours per week
• We’re as flexible as we can be with shifts and will do what we can to support you to manage your work-life balance.

We’re rated OUTSTANDING by Ofsted in overall experience and progress of children and young people – “children enjoy their short breaks and make exceptional progress because their needs are prioritised by the adults who care for them” (their words, not ours…but we do agree!). Where better to develop your career?

What will I be doing?

The Lodge, located in Taunton, offers care and support to children with complex health needs and learning disabilities. We provide a short break service and play an important part of Children’s Social Care in Somerset. We focus on promoting independence, social inclusion and choice to provide individual support to children and young people with complex health needs and learning disabilities.

We are proud to offer an environment that is supportive and rewarding, within a team who are passionate about the work that they do to improve the lives of people in Somerset. Our Support Workers benefit from great learning and development opportunities, along with a supportive leadership team.

Our current opportunities are for 37 hours and 25 hours per week and will include sleep-ins and every other weekend working. You’ll be paid £41.78 for each sleep-in and an extra £1.88 for each hour worked on Saturday and Sunday.

As a Support Worker, you will be working with children to support them in all aspects of their life. This will include:

• Supporting children with personal care, emotional support, and assistance with routine tasks.
• Monitoring, advising and assisting with children’s health needs.
• Supporting and promoting children’s education.
• Working closely with the child’s family and support network.
• Keeping the child’s written and electronic records and files up to date.
• Encouraging and maintaining the child’s links with their community.
• Working in a child centred manner, gaining the child’s wishes and feelings and promoting their rights.
• Ensuring effective safeguarding and well-being of children.
• Navigating and using IT equipment and internal online systems.

What kind of experience or qualifications do I need?

We are looking for the right people who are looking to make a difference in a child’s life and to bring job satisfaction to their own life. Ideally, you will:

• Have experience of working with children in either a residential setting, childcare setting, teaching or youth work capacity. We also welcome applicants who have experience supporting adults with complex health needs and learning disabilities.
• Enjoy working with a variety of people
• Be able to use a variety of communication methods to effectively support our children and promote their rights and choices.
• Hold a full UK driving licence, or provisional with the intention of gaining their full licence.
• Be supported to complete a mandatory fully funded Level 3 Diploma in children and young people. This is not a requirement if you already hold an equivalent or higher-level qualification specifically with children and young people.

We are looking for individuals who have a passion and commitment for working in a caring environment with children.

As this is a customer-facing role, you’ll need to be able to speak and write fluent English.

We welcome applications from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences to enrich our team. You can always contact the hiring manager for a chat if there’s anything you want to talk about before you apply.

What is in it for me?

What we can offer you…

• Generous annual leave and flexible working options
• Great career development opportunities, including various supported routes into social work
• Local Government pension scheme
• Optional pension enhancement through our additional voluntary contribution scheme
• Employee assistance and support offering a variety of wellbeing services to support a healthy work/life balance and lifestyle
• A flexible benefits platform including cycle to work and health screening schemes
• ‘My staff shop’ which offers excellent discounts at a variety of retailers including cinemas, restaurants, clothing stores and insurance providers
• Gym discounts.

DBS check

This post requires a criminal background check via the Disclosure procedure.

Supporting documents and information

The salary range for this role is £29,183 – £31,269 per annum pro rata (remuneration package includes a £4,000 recruitment allowance per annum pro rata until 23/07/2026)

As above, you will be paid an extra £1.88 for each hour worked on Saturday and Sunday and £41.78 will be paid for each sleep-in.

For further information or an informal discussion about this exciting opportunity, please contact: Karen Hill, Registered Manager, or Hannah Kearney, Deputy Manager on 01823 354604.

It’s important that you understand the role of a Support Worker at The Lodge so, if you are shortlisted, you will be offered an initial Teams discussion to explore the role and responsibilities of the position in more detail and how your knowledge and experience would fit. This will help us determine if you will be offered a face-to-face interview.

If you have all the information you need, just hit the apply button – we can’t wait to hear from you.

When completing your application/CV please provide your full employment history and ensure that any gaps in employment are explained. Please start with your current or most recent employment.

Apply on the Somerset Council website

Apply now