Careers at Silver Lining Care
You’ll work in one of our three small children’s homes, in Ystradgynlais, Coelbren and Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, helping children and young people aged 5–18 feel safe, build trusting relationships and thrive. No experience needed: we give you full paid training and a funded qualification.
Living Wage Employer
£13.45 an hour from your first shift, rising to £15.50 with qualifications and experience — because consistency for young people starts with looking after our team.
Current vacancies
Apply now, or read the full job description first.
Residential Support Worker
£13.45–£15.50 an hour
Plus monthly and six-monthly performance bonuses
A 4 on / 4 off rota of 12-hour days and waking nights, averaging 42 paid hours a week, across our three homes.
No experience needed · Full UK driving licence required
Relief Residential Support Worker
£13.45 an hour
From your first shift
Flexible 12-hour shifts covering holidays, sickness and extra shifts across our three homes. At least 4 a month; beyond that, you choose.
No experience needed · Full UK driving licence required
Not the right role for you? Send an expression of interest and we’ll keep your details for future vacancies.
Job descriptions
Who you’ll be caring for, who does well here, and each role in full.
Who you’ll be caring for
Silver Lining Care is an independent, CIW-regulated provider with three small children’s homes, in Ystradgynlais, Coelbren and Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen. We care for children and young people aged 5–18. Many have experienced trauma or several moves between placements, or have neurodivergent or communication needs, such as autism, global developmental delay or communication difficulties. What they need most is calm, consistent adults who do what they say they’ll do.
60% of young people leaving our homes move on to less intensive placements in a planned, positive way.
Who does well here
You don’t need care experience. People who have worked in emergency services, health, education, youth work or the justice system often do well here.
What matters is staying calm under pressure, keeping your word, and holding kind, consistent boundaries.
A permanent role on our 4 on / 4 off rota. You’ll be contracted to work across all three homes, and placed where you’re best suited, based on vacancies, matching with the young people, and your experience, training, qualifications and location.
The rota
- 12-hour shifts: days 8am–8pm, waking nights 8pm–8am.
- Everyone arrives 15 minutes before their shift for handover, so you start every shift fully briefed.
- Four on, four off, including weekends, averaging 42 paid hours a week.
- Typically no more than 163 shifts a year after annual leave.
- Overtime paid at 125%. One extra day shift a month adds about £2,400 a year at the starting rate.
Pay and benefits
- £13.45 an hour starting, up to £15.50 depending on qualifications and experience.
- Employee of the Month bonus, awarded every month.
- A six-monthly high-performer bonus for our top scorers across the company, rewarding reliability, attendance, attitude, teamwork and good practice.
- A fully funded qualification, paid induction and mentoring through probation.
- We pay for your Social Care Wales registration and all required training, and reimburse your DBS check once you pass probation.
- Specialist training in safeguarding, de-escalation and physical intervention from our own training company.
- Regular supervision and reflective-practice sessions.
- 20 shifts’ annual leave, company pension, cycle-to-work scheme, discounted meals and free parking.
- Eligible for a Blue Light Card, with discounts at hundreds of retailers.
- Clear routes to Senior and Team Leader roles as we grow.
What you’ll do
- Build trusting relationships using PACE (playfulness, acceptance, curiosity, empathy).
- Run everyday life: routines, school, appointments and activities.
- Help young people through distress and keep them safe, including from exploitation, self-harm and going missing.
- Follow each child’s care plan and keep clear, accurate records.
- Work alongside families, social workers, CAMHS and schools.
- Use physical intervention only as a last resort, and only after full training.
Essential
- A full UK driving licence and reliable transport to any of our three homes (Ystradgynlais, Coelbren and Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen) for handover before 8am and 8pm shifts.
- The right to work in the UK. We can’t offer visa sponsorship.
- Able to work the full rota: days, waking nights and weekends.
- An Enhanced DBS check and our safer-recruitment checks.
- Registering with Social Care Wales within six months of starting, and working towards the recognised qualification.
Our relief team, sometimes called a bank team, covers holidays, sickness and extra shifts across all three homes. This isn’t agency work. You’ll be part of our team, paid directly by us, and you’ll work regularly with the same young people and staff so they can get to know and trust you. We’ll place you where you’re best suited, based on need, matching with the young people, and your experience, training and location.
It suits people who have another job or are studying, parents who want work around family life, people from care, health or emergency services who want to keep their hand in, and anyone who wants to try children’s residential care before committing to a permanent role.
The shifts
- 12-hour shifts: days 8am–8pm, waking nights 8pm–8am.
- Everyone arrives 15 minutes before their shift for handover, so you start every shift fully briefed.
- A minimum of 4 shifts a month, including some weekends. Beyond that, you choose how much you work.
- 4–6 shifts a month earns about £645–£970.
- Shifts across Ystradgynlais, Coelbren and Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen.
Pay and benefits
- £13.45 an hour from your first shift.
- A fully funded All Wales Induction Framework (AWIF) and Level 3 Health and Social Care (Children and Young People) qualification.
- Specialist training from our own training company: Physical Intervention delivered by NFPS-accredited instructors, and safeguarding up to Level 3.
- We pay for your Social Care Wales registration and all required training, and reimburse your DBS check once you pass probation.
- A full induction, mentoring, and regular supervision and reflective-practice sessions.
- Company pension, cycle-to-work scheme, discounted meals, staff events, a wellbeing programme and free parking.
- Eligible for a Blue Light Card, with discounts at hundreds of retailers.
- A route into permanent roles. Many of our permanent staff started on our relief team, and as a growing company we’re creating more opportunities to progress.
What you’ll do
- Build trusting relationships using PACE (playfulness, acceptance, curiosity, empathy).
- Run everyday life: routines, school, appointments and activities.
- Help young people through distress and keep them safe, including from exploitation, self-harm and going missing.
- Follow each child’s care plan and keep clear, accurate records.
- Work alongside families, social workers, CAMHS and schools.
- Use physical intervention only as a last resort, and only after full training.
Essential
- A full UK driving licence and reliable transport to any of our three homes (Ystradgynlais, Coelbren and Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen) for handover before 8am and 8pm shifts.
- The right to work in the UK. We can’t offer visa sponsorship.
- Available for at least 4 shifts a month across days, waking nights and weekends.
- An Enhanced DBS check and our safer-recruitment checks.
- Registering with Social Care Wales within six months of starting, and working towards the recognised qualification.
Already on the DBS Update Service?
With an Enhanced (child workforce) check on the Update Service, you could start much sooner. Tell us on the application form.
What it’s like to work here
From our 2025 staff feedback, and what we offer in return.
4.86/ 5
Overall experience
90%
Feel valued and recognised
100%
Find leadership approachable
100%
Feel included and respected
In their own words
Swipe or drag to read more.
What we offer
Training you can rely on
- A fully funded All Wales Induction Framework (AWIF) and Level 3 Health and Social Care (Children and Young People) qualification
- Specialist training from our own training company: safeguarding (up to Level 3), de-escalation, and Physical Intervention delivered by NFPS-accredited instructors
- We pay for your Social Care Wales registration and all required training, and reimburse your DBS check once you pass probation
Support for you
- A paid induction, and mentoring through your probation
- Regular supervision and reflective-practice sessions
- A management team you can actually talk to, with our Responsible Individual and Managing Director involved day to day
- A stable team: we don’t use agency staff, and our relief team are our own staff too
Rewards & wellbeing
- £13.45 an hour from your first shift; permanent roles rise to £15.50 with qualifications and experience
- Employee of the Month and six-monthly high-performer bonuses, and overtime at 125% (permanent roles)
- Company pension, cycle-to-work scheme, discounted meals, staff events, a wellbeing programme and free parking
- Eligible for a Blue Light Card, with discounts at hundreds of retailers
The voice of the child
Our young people help shape our recruitment, because you’ll be working in their home.
Interview questions written by young people
“Our children have participated in interview preparations and got their own question they would like us to ask in the interview stage — this captures the voice of the child as you will be working in their home. They do not live in our office.”
What young people asked for in new recruits
“I want a staff member that can speak with me rather than at me.”
“I want staff that have lived different life experiences rather than having a qualification ‘on a piece of paper’.”
“I want staff that are a mixture of religion, gender and backgrounds.”
“I want staff that are resilient — come back after an incident without looking at me differently.”
“I want people that are kind, caring and empathetic.”
Apply
Your application and CV come straight to our recruitment team.
Application form
Five short sections, about 20 minutes. Your answers are kept in your browser tab until you send them, so you can go back and check each one.
What happens next
Safeguarding
Silver Lining Care is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. Appointment is subject to an Enhanced DBS check, satisfactory references, a full employment history, right to work and our safer-recruitment process.
Our roles are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.
Inclusion
We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, religions, genders and lived experiences, as our young people asked.
Welsh speakers welcome. Croesewir ceisiadau yn Gymraeg.