Help shape Nestra from the start
We’re building Nestra around a simple belief: giving children great care starts with valuing the people who provide it.
As we develop our solo and dual homes across the North West, we’re looking for people who want to help shape our culture, build strong teams and create homes where children can thrive. Joining us at the beginning means your experience, ideas and ambition can influence how we grow.
Whether you’re an experienced registered manager, taking your next step in residential care or exploring a new career, we want to hear from people who share our values and are ready to put them into practice.
Leadership that understands the job
Our Managing Director and Responsible Individual, Sam, is a registered social worker with more than 20 years’ experience across children’s care. She has worked on the floor in children’s homes, managed services, commissioned placements and helped develop homes that achieved outstanding Ofsted ratings.
That experience matters when you need advice, a difficult decision needs making or a child’s plan isn’t working as expected. We want managers and staff to feel able to ask questions, raise concerns and talk honestly about what support they need.
We’re building a company you can trust, where expectations are clear, leaders take responsibility and our values guide everyday decisions.
Small homes. Meaningful work.
Working in a solo or dual home gives you the opportunity to get to know children closely and see the difference consistent care can make.
You’ll notice the first time a child asks for help, begins to trust you or feels confident enough to try something new. You’ll also be there on the difficult days, when progress feels slow and patience matters most.
Our homes will be beautifully designed, comfortable and nurturing for children and the people working alongside them. We want you to feel proud of the place you work and the care you help create.
Training that helps you care with confidence
We will invest in training that prepares you for the responsibilities of residential care and helps you understand the children behind the care plans.
Alongside the core training required for your role, our programme will include:
- PACE, using playfulness, acceptance, curiosity and empathy to build trust.
- Restorative practice, helping repair relationships and work through difficulties.
- Trauma-informed practice, understanding how experiences can shape a child’s responses and needs.
- Writing to the child, creating records that are personal, respectful and meaningful.
- Safeguarding and putting care plans into practice, so you understand how to provide safe, consistent support.
We want learning to carry through into daily life in our homes. There will be space to ask questions, reflect on experiences and develop your practice with your team.
Grow as we grow
Our plans for new homes will create opportunities for greater responsibility, leadership and career development.
You may want to become a senior practitioner, step into a deputy or registered manager role, or deepen your skills in direct care. We want to understand your ambitions and help you prepare for opportunities as they develop.
Joining Nestra early gives you the chance to help establish our homes and build a career alongside the company. Your commitment, learning and contribution will matter as we grow.
Your ideas can make a difference
The people closest to the day-to-day work often have the best ideas for improving it. Our monthly ideas forum will give staff a regular opportunity to suggest changes, solve problems and help shape Nestra.
Selected ideas will be taken forward for staff to present directly to the board. Where an idea is implemented, the person or team behind it will receive a financial reward.
We want you to feel part of the Nestra family, with a voice that reaches beyond your own home and a real opportunity to influence what happens next.
We invest back into you
Care work asks a lot of people. We want our benefits and rewards to recognise that commitment and give you reasons to build your future with us.
Our offer will include:
- Generous annual leave, giving you time to rest and recharge.
- Your birthday off, with an alternative chosen day if your birthday falls at Christmas.
- Salary increases linked to successful probation, completion of training and continued commitment to Nestra.
- Bonuses linked to our homes’ inspection gradings, recognising the team effort behind high standards.
- Rewards and recognition for the contribution you make.
- Financial rewards for staff ideas that are implemented.
- Ongoing investment in training and development.
The salary, benefits and eligibility details will be clearly set out for each role, so you know what to expect.
Bring your warmth, patience and passion
We’re looking for people who can be patient when trust takes time, curious when a child’s behaviour is difficult to understand and dependable when things get tough.
People who can hold a clear boundary, share a laugh, recognise their own mistakes and keep learning. People who believe children deserve adults who will stay interested, keep trying and notice their progress.
If that sounds like you, we’d love to start a conversation. You don’t need to wait for the right vacancy to appear. Get in touch and tell us about yourself, your experience and where you’d like to go next.