Children's Residential Support Worker

Role overview

Ashdale Care is looking to add a Residential Support Worker to its children’s residential services in Drogheda, Ireland. The organisation operates homes in calm countryside settings and is growing its team. In this role, you will work within a residential care team to help build a secure, nurturing environment that addresses the needs of the children living in the home. The position is based on child welfare standards, childcare legislation, and Ashdale Care’s own policies and procedures.

The role reports to the Home Manager or Deputy Home Manager and is accountable to the Regional Manager.

Main purpose of the role

Your main responsibility is to support the day-to-day care of young people in a residential setting, ensuring they are safe, supported, and treated with dignity and respect. The role calls for a person-centred approach, with a strong emphasis on therapeutic care, positive relationships, and safeguarding.

Key duties

• Build trusting, respectful relationships with children and their families, while promoting unconditional positive regard.
• Help maintain a warm, stable, safe, and therapeutic home environment.
• Support the rights and responsibilities of each young person and encourage their physical, emotional, social, cultural, ethnic, and spiritual wellbeing.
• Protect young people from harm and promptly raise any safeguarding concerns in line with policy.
• Take children on outings and carry out everyday domestic tasks such as cooking and cleaning to model positive behaviour.
• Work as part of the therapeutic care model used in the home.
• Be able to physically support young people when challenging behaviour needs to be managed safely.
• Offer reassurance and emotional support during difficult periods and involve young people in care planning, placement planning, decisions, and service improvement.
• Apply learning from trauma-informed and attachment-based training into daily practice.
• Work closely with social workers, teachers, guardians, families, and other support networks.
• Communicate effectively with colleagues through handovers, meetings, reviews, and planning discussions, while giving and receiving constructive feedback.
• Ensure childcare plans are followed consistently.
• Prepare accurate records and reports for each young person in line with legal requirements and company procedures.
• Carry out key worker responsibilities, including managing petty cash, logging receipts, safeguarding money and valuables, and acting as a main contact for professionals, family members, and the young person.
• Support community involvement and build partnerships that broaden the experiences and opportunities available to residents.

Working pattern

This position includes sleepover shifts. Support shifts are typically 8 to 10 hours, such as 10:00am–8:00pm or 12:00pm–10:00am. Sleep-in duty is an 18-hour shift: starting at 10:00am, sleeping in the home from 12:00am to 7:00am, and finishing from 7:00am to 11:00am. Sleep-in hours are paid at a separate hourly rate in addition to contracted hours.

Compensation and benefits

Pay starts at €30,990 and can go up to €36,310 depending on experience. In addition, sleep allowances can reach up to €9,500 per year.

• Annual salary review
• Income protection cover
• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave support
• Strong internal and external training opportunities
• Flexible working options
• Paid annual leave with increased entitlement for long service
• Sick pay
• Education assistance programme
• Employee assistance programme
• Early access to career opportunities as the organisation expands across Ireland

About the organisation

Ashdale Care is a leading provider of specialised therapeutic residential care for children and young people in Ireland. The organisation supports young people with complex emotional and behavioural needs who cannot be appropriately cared for in a mainstream environment.

For more than 20 years, the company has focused on putting the child first. Its approach is child-centred, compassionate, and evidence-based, and is supported by an in-house Therapeutic Support Team made up of psychologists, occupational therapists, art therapists, teachers, and behaviour therapists.

The culture is centred on helping children build relationships, develop life skills, and grow in a safe environment. Team members are supported with training, career development, recognition, and opportunities to progress as the service expands.

Additional shift details

The role includes support shifts of 8 to 10 hours and 18-hour sleep-in shifts. Sleep-in hours are compensated separately from the standard contracted hours.

Closing date

Applications close on Friday, 10 July 2026.