Youth Practitioner (Nights)

Posted on 10 March 2026
Applications close on 29 March 2026

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All Locations:

Wimborne

Salary Details:

Not Specified

Vacancy Type:

Permanent

Function:

Health and Social Care - Children's

Employer:

Dorset Council

Job Working Pattern:

Variable

Closing time of advert

Not Specified

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Youth Practitioner (Nights)

About the role

Dorset is committed to creating environments for our children and young people to thrive. This is an exciting opportunity to join our new service offering short breaks for children who are disable, as a Night Youth Practitioner based in the Wimborne area. You will be providing care and support to children and young people in a residential setting working with a dedicated staff team to improve the lives of our children.

The priorities for our Dorset children are; that they stay in Dorset, which is the best place for them to live, that they are given the best start in life through good care provision and the best education and training opportunities, which enable them to thrive and be the best they can be.

The role of Night Youth Practitioner is to ensure a safe and nurturing environment in which children and young people with disabilities are supported to reach their potential. The work will include weekday nights and weekend nights. We are a flexible employer and would welcome a discussion on a variety of hours to be mutually agreed.

What you can expect to be doing:

You will be a kind and caring person with a passion for improving lives, be ambitious for our children and flexible and creative in approach.

Ability to achieve QCF level 3 Health and social care or equivalent
Numeracy and literacy skills
Recording and report writing skills
Experience and resilience working with children and young people who are disabled
Ability to work flexibly
Experience of direct work with families
Be solution focused
Have good skills in forming and maintaining relationships with children
To advocate for children and young people in their day to day lives
Have good communication skills
Be skilled in forming and maintaining relationships with young people
Understand key childcare legislation
Be able to work as a team member to get the best outcomes for children
Have effective IT skills to use the recording systems
Be excited about learning and want to develop your skills to promote exceptional practice
Be an excellent role model for children and young people with disabilities

Personal care

Domestic duties

About you:

You will be passionate and aspirational in supporting young people, share our core values and celebrate differences. You will support young people with their day to day lives, activities and promote community participation and social inclusion, as well as helping children develop life skills.
You will be a naturally caring person who can form and maintain positive relationships with our children, young people and families, as well as partner agencies and allocated social workers who form a team around the child.
You will be ambitious for our children, creative and passion to ensure children and young people who are disabled are supported to achieve the best outcomes and provide them with the opportunities to flourish.
You will be able to work independently and as part of a team and are flexible in the approach so we can creatively individually support to each child, as well as work together to find solutions.
We are aspirational for our staff team as well as our children and you will be joining a supportive and inclusive council who will provide nurture and invest in you to enable you to thrive in your job. Dorset has a comprehensive training programme which supports your professional growth and development.

Further Information

You must be able to work weekday and weekends nights and bank holidays. As a 24hr service we are a flexible employer and would welcome a discussion around a variety of hours to be mutually agreeable, be it weekend only, part-time, full time etc.

Hayeswood is a new service within Dorset Council, and therefore has a new forward thinking, fun and dynamic team. Adults within the home support a home from home environment, with a reflective approach, supporting a healthy challenge of practice to ensure each of us put the Young People at the centre or our work and support their best interests.

ou must also hold, or be happy to work towards the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare, to be completed within two years of employment.

This post requires significant travel. You must have a vehicle (or transport we deem suitable) available for use as needed.

This post involves working with children and/or vulnerable adults and/or having access to significant information about them. It will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service check. See our policy on the employment of ex-offenders.

See our policy on safeguarding children and young people.

See our adult safeguarding policy

If appointed, the personal information we collect from you will be shared with Cifas who will use it to prevent fraud, other unlawful or dishonest conduct, malpractice, and other seriously improper conduct. If any of these are detected, you could be refused certain services or employment. Your personal information will also be used to verify your identity. Further details of how your information will be used by us and Cifas, and your data protection rights, can be found at https://www.cifas.org.uk/fpn.

This role is UK based and we will need to establish your Right to Work as part of the appointment process.

We use generic job descriptions and person specifications. This means the job title on any attachments may differ from the job title in the advert. We may provide specific information in a context statement if relevant.

Find out more about how to apply.

About Us

At Dorset Council, it's not just about the work we do, it's about how we do it. Hear directly from our employees about what makes Dorset Council special in this short video:

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At Dorset Council, we are working together to create a fairer, more prosperous, and more sustainable Dorset for everyone, now and in the future.

We:

provide essential services that support over 300,000 residents
work in partnership to make a real difference
value every role and the impact it has on our communities
support our employees to grow, develop, and thrive

You will:

be part of a team that works together for a better Dorset
have access to a range of benefits and support
receive training and development opportunities to help your career progress

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation where different skills, perspectives, and backgrounds strengthen both our council and the communities we serve.

We welcome applications from everyone and are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. If you declare a disability and meet the essential criteria for the role, we will offer you an interview. We also want our recruitment process to be accessible, if you need any reasonable adjustments, just let us know on your application.

This role is UK-based, and we will need to confirm your Right to Work as part of the appointment process. We use generic job descriptions and person specifications, so the job title in any attachments may differ from the advert. If needed, we will provide additional details in a context statement.

If you’re passionate about making a difference, we’d love you to join us.

Find out more about how to apply.

Apply

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