Responsible Individual

South West

Posted 2 days ago

Responsible Individual (Children’s Residential Services) South West England

Salary: £65,000 – £70,000 DOE + Mileage + Benefits

Location: South West (Axminster, Exeter, Taunton, Bridgwater & Topsham)

Job Type: Full Time | Permanent

Responsible Individual Jobs | Children’s Residential Care | South West

Idem Living has an ambitious, values-led, Children’s residential care service, looking to recruit an experienced Responsible Individual (RI) for its growing portfolio of homes across the South-West.

This is an exciting opportunity to join an organisation that genuinely puts children and young people first. With four established Ofsted-registered homes in the South-West, and a fifth home opening in Topsham later this year, you’ll play a pivotal leadership role in ensuring the highest standards of care, safeguarding and regulatory compliance.

You’ll work alongside an experienced senior leadership team and Registered Managers who are passionate about creating safe, nurturing and therapeutic homes where children can thrive.

About the Organisation

We currently operates Children’s homes in:

Axminster
Exeter
Taunton
Bridgwater

with an additional home opening in Topsham later this year.

Every home has an experienced Registered Manager in place and provides high-quality care for children and young people up to the age of 18.

The homes support children and young people with a range of needs including:

Learning Disabilities
Autism
Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties
Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE)
Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE)
Trauma
Gang Affiliation
Complex Childhood Experiences

We are incredibly proud of the culture we have created and the exceptional commitment shown by every member of our teams.

The Role

As Responsible Individual, you’ll provide strategic leadership and operational oversight across the South-West region, ensuring every home consistently delivers safe, high-quality care while maintaining full compliance with Ofsted regulations.

You’ll support, coach and challenge Registered Managers whilst driving continuous improvement across the organisation.

This is a highly influential role where your leadership will directly improve outcomes for children and young people.

Key Responsibilities

As Responsible Individual, you will:

Provide strategic oversight across multiple children’s homes.
Complete monthly Regulation 44 quality assurance visits.
Monitor safeguarding practices and governance arrangements.
Support and mentor Registered Managers to achieve excellent outcomes.
Ensure ongoing compliance with Ofsted regulations and Quality Standards.
Lead quality assurance and continuous improvement programmes.
Prepare homes for Ofsted inspections and support inspection activity.
Monitor performance through KPIs, audits and compliance reporting.
Oversee policies, procedures and regulatory frameworks.
Ensure safer recruitment processes remain robust.
Manage significant incidents and provide senior leadership support.
Promote a positive culture centred around children, families and staff.

Supporting Growth

As we continue to expand, you’ll play a key role in:

Embedding organisational values and culture.
Maintaining consistency across all homes.
Driving safeguarding excellence.
Reducing operational risk.
Supporting new home openings.
Improving Ofsted outcomes.
Building strong relationships with Local Authorities.
Increasing occupancy through quality and reputation.
Supporting staff wellbeing and retention.

About You

We’re looking for an experienced Children’s residential care leader who is passionate about improving the lives of young people.

You’ll ideally have:

Experience as a Responsible Individual, Operations Manager, Regional Manager or senior leader within Children’s Residential Care.
Extensive knowledge of Ofsted regulations and Children’s Homes Regulations 2015.
A proven track record of supporting Registered Managers.
Excellent safeguarding knowledge.
Experience managing multiple services.
Outstanding leadership and coaching skills.
Strong quality assurance and compliance experience.
The ability to influence, support and challenge positively.
A genuine passion for achieving exceptional outcomes for children and young people.

Essential Requirements

Significant experience within Children’s Residential Care.
Strong understanding of Ofsted inspection frameworks.
Full UK Driving Licence.
Willingness to travel across the South West.
Enhanced DBS (or willingness to obtain one).

What You’ll Receive

Salary of £65,000 – £70,000 + Benefits
Mileage allowance.
Company pension.
Annual leave plus bank holidays.
Ongoing professional development.
Opportunity to shape a growing organisation.
Supportive and experienced senior leadership team.
The chance to genuinely improve the lives of vulnerable children and young people.

Why Apply?

This is much more than a compliance role.

You’ll be joining an organisation that believes every child deserves stability, opportunity and outstanding care. You’ll have the autonomy to influence standards, develop people, strengthen services and help shape the future of a growing provider with an excellent reputation.

If you’re an experienced Responsible Individual looking for your next challenge and want to work somewhere that truly values children, quality and people, we’d love to hear from you.

IND1

Pay: £65,000.00-£70,000.00 per year

Benefits: