Registered Manager
21 hours ago
Carlisle
Check out the role overview below If you are confident you have got the right skills and experience, apply today. Imagine Care is opening its second children’s home in England — and we are looking for a leader with the courage, conviction and compassion to set the standard. Our mission, Believe in a Better Tomorrow, isn’t a slogan. It’s the bar. We create environments where high expectations and high care come together, because that’s where young people truly heal, grow and thrive. We are recruiting a world-class, trauma-skilled leader to become Registered Manager of our exceptional new home in Cumbria. This isn’t a role where you inherit someone else’s problems — you will shape a home from the ground up, supported by a senior team that backs your ambition and removes barriers so you can focus on what matters most: changing lives. Imagine Care launched in 2022 with a clear purpose: to raise the standard of children’s residential care. In a short space of time, we have grown to six services — not because we rushed, but because our values, quality and outcomes demand it. We empower leaders to lead and practitioners to practise. When brilliant people are trusted, supported and developed, young lives change. That’s why so many of our team have progressed into senior roles — ambition isn’t just allowed here, it’s expected. Our commitment has been recognised by the Care Inspectorate in Scotland, who flagged our staff-development and trauma-informed practice as major strengths. Care Inspectorate And on behalf of the national The Promise initiative, we were featured for our “bravery, attunement and love” in creating a home where young people reduced restrictions, grew in confidence and felt truly seen. You are a leader who believes fiercely in what young people can become — and you’ll do whatever it takes to help them get there. You have: • At least 2 years’ leadership experience in children’s residential care, • Ideally experience as a Registered Manager — or you’re an exceptional Assistant Manager ready to step up and own a home, • A deep understanding of trauma, attachment and child development, and how to turn theory into practice, • Outstanding safeguarding knowledge and confidence making complex decisions, • Accountability, not excuses, • High challenge + high support for your team, • The resilience to stay steady in moments of crisis, • Conflict resolution and problem-solving skills that keep children safe and staff confident, • Deliver excellence in safeguarding, wellbeing and protection, • Lead a team who care like it matters, using supervision and coaching to build high performance, • Make trauma-informed practice visible in every action, working closely with our Assistant Psychologist, • Treat education as non-negotiable — collaborating with our Education Manager to achieve real progress, • Own risk management and placement matching so children feel understood, not “managed”, • Use data smartly — outcomes tracking, reviews, and audits that actually drive improvement, • Build strong relationships with Ofsted, Local Authorities and other key partners, • Drive health & safety standards that protect children and staff without creating fear or restriction, • Guide young people towards independence and confidence — preparing them for adulthood, not just today, • Lead positive behaviour support using TCI principles — building safety through connection, not control, • Understand and advocate that culture and recruitment are intertwined, • Champion our ethos Believe in a Better Tomorrow every single day, • Take ownership of culture — reflective, open, ambitious and united, • Real authority — you shape the home, the culture, the standards, • A provider that backs your decisions, not one that second-guesses them, • Performance recognition — bonus opportunities and rewards linked to outcomes you’re proud of, • Private medical and life insurance — because we look after our people properly, • Career progression as we grow our English provision, • Company events, • Company pension, • Life insurance, • On-site parking