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We are building an experienced team for children aged 9-17, with a vision of continued support into adulthood. We value warm, reliable people who listen, respect difference and put safeguarding first. Our care approach combines everyday belonging with qualified clinical guidance and CBT-informed support.
Benefits for every role
All advertised roles share this package. Final written terms explain eligibility, insured cover and benefit administration.
Pension
Employer contribution of 8%. The pensionable-pay basis, scheme rules and any employee contributions will be stated in the contract and scheme documents.
Annual leave
32 paid days plus applicable bank holidays for full-time staff. Part-time and other patterns receive fair pro-rata entitlement; rota staff receive equivalent bank-holiday arrangements.
Family healthcare
Private medical and dental cover for a family group of up to seven people, potentially including parents, children and siblings. Insurer eligibility, underwriting, age limits, exclusions and the confirmed benefit schedule apply.
Sickness and protection
Sick leave includes mental health needs. The package includes critical illness cover, life insurance and up to 12 months of job-loss cover under the selected insurance policy. Sick-pay rates, insured amounts, qualifying events and exclusions are specified in the offer and policy documents.
Annual bonus
5% of annual base salary on achieving agreed targets. Objectives must prioritise safe care, quality and staff wellbeing; reporting concerns or necessary care expenditure must never reduce a reward.
Cycle support
A £1,000 credit towards an approved cycle purchase, under the employer benefit rules. This is not a claim of tax-free treatment.
Travel benefit
Choose the annual fuel-cost benefit of 3% or company-vehicle provision valued at 10% of annual base salary. The vehicle option is non-cash and cannot be exchanged for pay. The written offer specifies the fuel calculation basis, approved costs, eligibility and tax treatment.
Learning allowance
An education and training allowance for approved development, with the amount, study time and any repayment terms agreed in writing.
Working day
Each shift is limited to eight hours, including a one-hour paid, uninterrupted break with competent cover. Staff can switch off, eat, rest or sleep during that protected break. Safe staffing and statutory rest must be maintained; break time is not on-call time.
Wellbeing and progression
Reflective supervision, induction, mandatory training, fair reviews, internal opportunities and support following difficult incidents. All roles share responsibility for child and colleague wellbeing within their competence.
Safer recruitment
Safeguarding and suitability
Children's welfare comes first. All employees must act on concerns promptly, follow the home safeguarding and allegation procedures, cooperate with the designated lead and relevant authorities, and use whistleblowing routes if concerns are not addressed. Staff must never promise secrecy or investigate a disclosure themselves.
Vetting before a final contract
Astha requires completed, satisfactory safer-recruitment checks before a final employment contract is issued. These include identity and right to work; full employment history and written gap explanations; two written references including the most recent employer where applicable; relevant reasons for leaving; qualifications and professional registration. Overseas checks are pursued where relevant. Recruitment staff verify evidence and record the suitability decision.
Criminal record checks
The legally appropriate DBS check is required for each role, with enhanced checks and a children barred-list check only where eligible. Criminal information is assessed lawfully, including filtering rules and the Rehabilitation of Offenders framework. A criminal record is not treated as an automatic rejection in every case; a person barred from regulated activity cannot be appointed to that activity. No employee starts unsupervised duties before the required clearance and approval.
Driving and adjustments
The employer requests a full clean driving licence with zero penalty points for every role. This is an Astha criterion, not a universal Ofsted rule. HR must assess its relevance and proportionality for the actual duties and consider reasonable adjustments or equivalent practical arrangements where required by law. Applicants can discuss adjustments confidentially.
Experience and fair selection
The advertised years of experience are employer criteria rather than statutory minimums. Selection must assess relevant competence and evidence fairly, including career breaks and part-time experience. HR must review any rigid criterion that cannot be objectively justified; no age, health or protected-characteristic assumptions may be used.
Apply or ask about a role
Contact hr@astha.org, quoting the role reference. HR will provide a secure application route and discuss location, hours, start dates and adjustments. Do not email child records or sensitive identity documents to a general inbox.
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