Change Communications Manager Jobs in Farringdon, Greater London
2 posts available
35 hours per week (Requests for flexible or part time working arrangements will be considered).
£29,394.04 per annum if London-based / £26,269.74 if based outside London.
Location: The Children's Society's national office at Whitecross Studios, Old Street, London, or one of our regional offices (currently in Birmingham and Greater Manchester), with hybrid working options available. Alternatively, home-based by arrangement with the ability to travel to the national office as required.
The Children's Society has been helping children and young people in this country for over 140 years. We run local services that support children when they are at their most vulnerable and in desperate need of help. We're there for children, every step of the way.
Our Research, Evidence and Impact Team is recruiting two new Research, Evidence and Impact Officers to support our work across an extensive portfolio of projects. As well as doing innovative and original research, we collaborate with colleagues to develop the evidence to drive policy and systems change, and with practitioners and managers in our services to support them with independently commissioned evaluation and learning from practice activities. We're also developing new ways to understand, demonstrate and increase the impact of everything The Children's Society does.
OUR TEAM
The Research, Evidence and Impact Team has a vital role in ensuring that The Children's Society retains a clear and authentic understanding of young people's lives, with a focus on what is most important to building or preserving wellbeing. Our charity has been at the forefront of research on children's wellbeing for 20 years, alongside conducting child-centred studies on adolescence, risk and vulnerability (e.g. on Child Exploitation), and child poverty, exploring the issues that jeopardise young people's safety, health and opportunities. We have a track record for innovation (e.g. developing a validated and widely used 'Good Childhood Index') and work with academic partners and other organisations who share our vision of a society built for all children.
Our collaborative culture at The Children's Society means that we often work with colleagues who lead lobbying and campaigning activities, bringing together compelling evidence to drive change - in public awareness and attitudes, and in policies and systems - that can improve young people's lives. We also work closely with colleagues in our services across the country - sometimes to study the issues they see in their frontline work with young people and families, and sometimes to support them when they commission independent evaluations or learning exercises.
The Research, Evidence and Impact Team's work is also pivotal to two flagship reports that The Children's Society publishes every year - 'The Good Childhood Report' and our Annual Impact report.
THE TYPE OF PERSON WE ARE LOOKING FOR
We are currently looking for two early career researchers / evaluators who can make a key contribution to the delivery of research, evaluation and impact projects for The Children's Society. You will be joining a team of experienced researchers to work across a varied and exciting range of projects. You will be involved where your input is most needed - and there will be opportunities to develop fresh skills and knowledge.
If you already have strong research/ evaluation skills and the energy and motivation to learn and develop in a supportive, multidisciplinary team in a leading children's charity we would love you to join us.
To be successful in this role, you must have:
-Knowledge and understanding of research and/ or evaluation methodologies, including young person-centred approaches - and an interest in exploring and understanding impact.
-Experience of conducting research and/ or evaluation, from project design through to reporting, whether through a paid or unpaid role or academic studies (ideally both).
-Qualitative and quantitative analysis skills - and demonstrable experience of applying these to research/ evaluation projects.
-Excellent written and verbal communication skills and the confidence to work with a range of stakeholders including professionals in external organisations and, importantly, young people and parents/ carers.
-An understanding of ethics and safeguarding related to research with young people and families.
INFORMATION ABOUT THE CHILDREN'S SOCIETY
The Children's Society runs more than 70 local services that help thousands of young people who desperately need our support, and we lobby and campaign to get laws and policies changed to make children's lives happier and safer. Every day we're changing the lives of children in this country for the better - you can find out more by reading our 'Impact Report' https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/what-we-do/our-impact
The Children's Society is committed to safeguarding and protecting the children and young people that we work with. As such, all posts are subject to a safer recruitment process, including the disclosure of criminal records and vetting checks. We ensure that we have a range of policies and procedures in place which promote safeguarding and safer working practices across our services.
Therefore, candidates will be required to complete an “Employment history template” document prior to interview. The fully completed document should be loaded by the candidate at the point of uploading your CV.
The closing date for applications is 23:59pm on 12th of January, 2025. If after 14 days, we have received enough applications we reserve the right to close this vacancy from the 3rd January 2025 onwards.
Interviews will be held during the week commencing 27th of January, 2025.
DOCUMENTS
Applicant pack
Job description
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
The basics
Location: Agile working
Contract: Permanent, subject to funding
Hours: 32 hours over a 4-day week
Starting salary: £27,445
Who we are
Safer London is a charity working with young Londoners and families who are affected by violence and exploitation. We believe that when a child or young person comes to us, they are just that – a child or a young person: we don’t define them by the issue that has brought them to us. By working alongside young Londoners, their families and peers in the places where they spend their time, we can create a safe London not just for them but for everyone.
Who you are
You are committed, resilient with the expertise and specialist knowledge to work alongside Young Londoners who have been exposed to or are at risk of exploitation or violence. Within your role as a Specialist Caseworker, you will provide support to young Londoners to secure the safety and positive outcomes they want.
What the role involves
In this role, you will work alongside Girls and Young Women who have been exposed to or are at risk of exploitation or violence. Within your role as a Specialist Caseworker, you will provide support to young Londoners to secure the safety and positive outcomes they want. You will be expected to provide robust risk and needs assessments that reflect the contexts within which harm has occurred, and to work collaboratively with partnership agencies to reduce risk and secure services and support.
Additional Information
Safer London is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and we expect anyone who works and volunteers with us to share this commitment. As part of this commitment, we will request a DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) check, as well as references covering the last five years, for the successful candidates.
We value diversity and encourage and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds. We know that in order to make London a safer place for the young people that live here we need a diverse range of perspectives, experience, and knowledge.
What we offer
Safer London continually reviews its pay and we currently offer the following benefits package to all our employees:
- 4-day/32-hour work week. Since 1st April 2024, Safer London has transitioned to a 4 day working week with no impact on pay. This means that you will have a regular day off in the week with no impact on your pay.
- Agile working. This means you have will have the flexibility to work in different locations including from home, our office in Southwark and/or community locations (libraries/co-working spaces) when you are not delivering face to face work in the community.
- Flexible Working: our Flexible Working Policy allows requests to work flexibly from the start of your employment.
- A contributory Pension Scheme.
- Interest-free Season Ticket Loans.
- A Cycle to Work Scheme.
- A Mental Health Helpline.
- Death in Service Benefit.
- Opportunities to develop and progress your career, including an extensive programme of courses and acting up/additional responsibilities roles.
- An initial Annual Leave allowance as a full-time employee, of 179 hours’ holiday in each annual leave year plus bank holidays and other statutory holidays occurring during the leave year. Pro rata for part time staff. This rises to 192 hours after 3 years’ service and 211 after 5 years’ service.
Sound good? Here’s how to apply
To apply, please complete the online application form and submit it as soon as possible: Safer London runs a rolling recruitment process which means that applications are shortlisted and invited for interview within one week of receipt. As soon as a suitable candidate is found no further applications will be considered.
As part of the online application, you will be required to confirm you have read our Privacy and Cookie Policy and Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy.
Please make sure you find the Job Description on the left-hand side of the Webrecruit page after you click ‘Apply Now’ or find it on Safer London’s Website.
Should you need any adjustments to the recruitment process, at either application or interview, or experience any technical issues when trying to access and/or complete
the online application form, please find our contact information in the Job Pack.
Please note that we don’t accept CVs.
Safer London is not a sponsoring organisation for foreign nationals and you must be able to show proof that you have permission to live and work in the UK in order to be considered for this role.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Anna Freud is a world-leading mental health charity for children, young people and their families. Our mission is to close the gap in wellbeing and mental health by advancing, translating, delivering, and sharing the best science and practice with everyone who impacts the lives of children, young people and their families. More information about Anna Freud is available on our website.
We value diversity and aim to have diverse workforce that reflects the community and our service users, in line with our vision, values and inclusion commitments. We encourage applications from all sections of the community.
The Educational Mental Health Practitioner (EMHP) programme is a one-year postgraduate diploma course and is part of the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Psychological Training Programmes (formerly CYP IAPT). The programme trains graduate entry mental health practitioners to work in educational settings offering help for common difficulties in children and young people including anxiety, low mood and behavioural difficulties, primarily with a focus on CBT-informed evidence-based guided self-help interventions. The programme is a key part of the Green Paper proposals to establish mental health workers in schools to increase the workforce set out by the government in 2025.
In collaboration with University College London (UCL) as the degree awarding body, Anna Freud is recruiting a Course Tutor to support the delivery of the EMHP Programme.
The Course Tutor will lead and be responsible for teaching a significant proportion of three of the programme’s six modules in compliance with relevant University regulations. These will include topics such as low intensity guided self-help cognitive behaviour therapy (GSH CBT) for anxiety and low mood in young people, parenting interventions for challenging behaviour and, depending on experience,
teaching on delivering group interventions and psychoeducation workshops in school settings as well as whole school approaches to emotional wellbeing.
The ideal candidate will have a recognised qualification in a core mental health profession of Clinical Psychology, Child Psychotherapy, Family Therapy or Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and/ or have specific training in CBT. The post-holder will also need to have experience working with children, young people, and families with psychological/emotional difficulties in a mental health service and/ or educational setting.
Location
Hybrid (a mixture of home/onsite working), the delivery of teaching and Practice Tutor Groups facilitation by the post-holder is almost all face-to-face. For face-to-face work, the post-holder will be required to attend in person at our London office (4-8 Rodney Street, London N1 9JH).
Contract duration
Permanent
Closing date for applications
Midday (12pm), Monday 6 January 2025.
Please note that due to high application volumes, we may close this advert early. We encourage you to apply promptly and to keep an eye on our future vacancies for more opportunities.
Notification of interview
Shortlisted applicants will be notified no later than Thursday 9 January 2025. During shortlisting, applicants are anonymously assessed using the criteria visible in the Job Profile. Please note: due to the high volume of applications received, we will not be able to provide feedback to unsuccessful applicants.
Interviews
Interviews are planned for Wednesday 15 January 2025.
How to apply
Please click on the 'Apply now’ button. We are unable to accept CVs and kindly request no contact from agencies.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
The basics
Location: Agile working
Contract: Permanent, subject to funding
Hours: 32 hours over a 4 day week
Starting salary: £27,445
Who we are
Safer London is a charity working with young Londoners and families who are affected by violence and exploitation. We believe that when a child or young person comes to us, they are just that – a child or a young person: we don’t define them by the issue that has brought them to us. By working alongside young Londoners, their families and peers in the places where they spend their time, we can create a safe London not just for them but for everyone.
Who you are
You are committed, resilient with the expertise and knowledge to work alongside young Londoners who have been exposed to or are at risk of exploitation or violence. Within your role as a Specialist Caseworker, you will provide support to young Londoners to secure the safety and positive outcomes they want.
What the role involves
In this role, you will work alongside children and young people who have been exposed to or are at risk of exploitation or violence. Within your role as a Specialist Caseworker, you will provide support to young Londoners to secure the safety and positive outcomes they want. You will be expected to provide robust risk and needs assessments that reflect the contexts within which harm has occurred, and to work collaboratively with partnership agencies to reduce risk and secure services and support.
Additional Information
Safer London is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and we expect anyone who works and volunteers with us to share this commitment. As part of this commitment, we will request a DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) check, as well as references covering the last five years, for the successful candidates.
We value diversity and encourage and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds. We know that in order to make London a safer place for the young people that live here we need a diverse range of perspectives, experience, and knowledge.
What we offer
Safer London continually reviews its pay, and we currently offer the following benefits package to all our employees:
- 4-day/32-hour work week. Since April 1st, 2024, Safer London has transitioned to a 4 day working week with no impact on pay. This means that you will have a regular day off in the week with no impact on your pay.
- Agile working. This means you have will have the flexibility to work in different locations including from home, our office in Southwark and/or community locations (libraries/co-working spaces) when you are not delivering face to face work in the community.
- Flexible Working: our Flexible Working Policy allows requests to work flexibly from the start of your employment.
- A contributory Pension Scheme.
- Interest-free Season Ticket Loans.
- A Cycle to Work Scheme.
- A Mental Health Helpline.
- Death in Service Benefit.
- Opportunities to develop and progress your career, including an extensive programme of courses and acting up/additional responsibilities roles.
- An initial Annual Leave allowance as a full-time employee of 179 hours holiday in each annual leave year plus bank holidays and other statutory holidays occurring during the leave year. Pro rata for part time staff. This rises to 192 hours after 3 years’ service and 211 after 5 years’ service.
Sound good? Here’s how to apply
To apply, please complete the online application form and submit it as soon as possible: Safer London runs a rolling recruitment process which means that applications are shortlisted and invited for interview within one week of receipt. As soon as a suitable candidate is found no further applications will be considered.
As part of the online application, you will be required to confirm you have read our Privacy and Cookie Policy and Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy.
Please make sure you find the Job Description on the left-hand side of the Webrecruit page after you click ‘Apply Now’ or find it on Safer London’s Website.
Should you need any adjustments to the recruitment process, at either application or interview, or experience any technical issues when trying to access and/or complete the online application form, please find our contact information in the Job Pack.
Please note that we don’t accept CVs.
Safer London is not a sponsoring organisation for foreign nationals, and you must be able to show proof that you have permission to live and work in the UK in order to be considered for this role.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Who we are
Our mission is to shape a fairer future through better work. Our goal is a good society in which everyone can flourish through this new technological revolution. Our belief is that creating and sustaining good work is the best way to achieve this goal and ensure that innovation and social good advance together.
Through delivering and convening research which informs the development of practical, policy, and regulatory solutions, we seek to address three core challenges:
- Changing Work: The risks and rewards of transition are not evenly spread meaning that structural inequalities are increasing.
- Shifting Power: New technologies are driving big shifts in power and challenging traditional mechanisms of governance and accountability at work.
- Prioritising People: People’s lived experience, values and agency are being neglected in shaping futures of work.
We believe good work can be an outcome of technological change, if, and when: government prioritises and creates; regulators steer and intervene; industry develops and models; civil society is engaged and informs; academia carries out research; and industry prioritises and requires.
Role Overview
This role will co-create, develop and evaluate different governance tools, frameworks, methods and metrics for promoting Good Work through technological disruption and the innovation lifecycle. This will include approaches which involve, anticipate, mitigate and evaluate systems ‘in the wild’.
Working with the wider team the Researcher will deliver action-research projects which evaluate the impacts of algorithmic systems, supporting industry Learning Partners using a range of methodologies.
The successful candidate will have enthusiasm to work at the intersection of social, legal, technical and economic questions. Strong oral and written communication skills, and an ability to maintain respectful, mutually beneficial relationships with industry partners is essential.
Key Responsibilities
- Advance the mission, goals, and ethos of our organisation
- Understand the importance of Good Work as an ethical and legal framework guiding the implementation of responsible AI
- Establish and maintain professional relationships with industry partners through action research projects
- Support, collaboratively conduct and lead high quality research, including survey research and analysis and action research projects
- Undertake and participate in additional research projects on workplace impacts of AI and AI governance
- Write blogs, research papers and reports and deliver presentations with an understanding of different audience needs
- Develop, lead and deliver training to professionals working in AI governance where appropriate
- Support the wider team in identifying potential funding opportunities and developing funding proposals and meeting funders
- Respond to relevant items of public policy, and engagement of our network at events
- Supporting and/or coordinate meetings, workshops, roundtables and parliamentary activities relating to workplace governance of AI
- Support the establishment and development of the Sandbox architecture through the drafting and revision of key governance documents and agreements
- Tracking and reporting to the relevant team/people on individual work that contributes to the impact of IFOW’s work
Knowledge, Skills and Experience
- Knowledge of policy and practices relating to governance of algorithmic systems
- Applied or academic experience researching the social, economic, legal and ethical impacts of algorithmic systems
- An interest in the relationship between governance, political economy and job quality
- An understanding, through academic or professional training, of the basic workings of algorithmic technologies
- Good face-to-face communication and the ability to be at ease with people from a wide range of backgrounds
- A strategic mindset and the ability to offer and receive constructively critical feedback
- The ability to work both collaboratively and independently, comfortable with making decisions at pace and sometimes in a changing and uncertain environment
- Strong organisational skills and the ability to stay on top of many large and small tasks simultaneously, as well as a commitment to quality and attention to detail
- A strong commitment to the goals and ethos of IFOW
Location: London, hybrid. One day per week the team co-work at Somerset House.
Salary: £40,000-£45,000 per annum
Closing date: Wednesday 15th January 2025 at 23:59
Start Date: March 2025 (exact date TBC)
Contract: 1 year with a view to renew
Hours: Full-time 37.5 hours per week. IFOW offers flexible ways of working, and up to two months fully remote working each year, one of which must be in August.
Leave: 28 days + 3 days shutdown over the Christmas period
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Fundraising Lead
Job reference: REQ002405
Salary: £40,000 per annum (FTE, pro rata)
Contractual hours: 22.5
Basis: Part Time
Region: National
Job category/type: Support Staff
Closing date: 17 January 2025 at Midnight
Job description
Join United Communities: Supporting Schools to be Good Neighbours.
Are you passionate about making a difference in communities and adept at securing sustainable funding? United Communities is seeking a Fundraising Lead to play a vital role in driving our fundraising efforts and ensuring the sustainability of our community hubs and development initiatives.
About United Communities:
United Communities is an ambitious initiative developed by United Learning, a leading national group of local schools. Our mission is to support schools in becoming community anchor organisations— place-based hubs that bring people together and drive positive change on a neighbourhood level. Over the past three years, we’ve been developing and growing this impactful work, creating 26 community hubs that are already transforming neighbourhoods and building stronger connections between schools and their wider communities.
This is an exciting time for United Communities as we are about to establish a new charity to lead this work into the future. To help us achieve our vision of sustainability and growth, we are seeking a passionate and experienced Fundraising Lead to join our team.
As part of United Communities, you will play a key role in the development of our fundraising strategy and securing vital funding to expand our reach and maximise the incredible potential of our school-based community hubs. This is an opportunity to be at the heart of an innovative movement that is having a tangible impact on communities across the country.
If you are driven by purpose and eager to make a lasting difference, we’d love to hear from you.
If you don’t fully meet the criteria outlined in the job description for this role, but the opportunity excites you and you think you could bring a lot to the role, please do apply.
The Role:
As the Fundraising Lead, you will:
· Implement and develop our national fundraising strategy to support community hubs and broader organisational goals.
· Support local fundraising efforts by providing expert advice, developing pipelines, and aiding in bid writing.
· Prepare compelling funding proposals to secure grants and donations aligned with our mission and objectives.
· Build and manage donor relationships, ensuring excellent stewardship and impactful communication.
· Monitor and report on fundraising activities, aligning progress with financial goals.
· Stay informed on philanthropic trends and incorporate innovative approaches into our fundraising strategies.
About You:
We’re seeking a dynamic individual with:
· Proven experience in philanthropy and fundraising, particularly with trusts and foundations.
· Success in developing and implementing fundraising strategies, especially for core costs.
· Strong bid writing and proposal development skills.
· A strategic mindset with the ability to establish funding pipelines and partnerships.
· Excellent communication, negotiation, and relationship management skills.
· Knowledge of the UK’s fundraising landscape and philanthropic trends.
· An entrepreneurial spirit, with innovative ideas to enhance our approach.
Rewards and Benefits:
· Competitive salary.
· Contributory pension scheme.
· 26 days holiday.
· Occupational sick pay, protecting you and your family.
· Competitive maternity, paternity, and adoption benefits.
· Group Life Insurance Scheme
· Extensive range of employee benefits through our partner Perkbox.
· Westfield Health cash plan for eligible staff
· Continuous Professional Development options that will be tailored to your needs.
· A supportive team across the country.
· We are open to requests for flexible or part-time working; we encourage open and regular conversations about work-life balance.
United Learning is a large, and growing, group of schools aiming to offer a life changing education to children and young people across England.
Central Office staff work closely with schools, offering a wealth of expertise to underpin schools' own knowledge. Our specialist departments, including HR, finance, technology, strategy and performance, estates, and marketing, work alongside dedicated school improvement teams. By joining us, you will provide ongoing support to schools, ultimately improving the outcomes of our pupils.
United Learning is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All positions are subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring check from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and shortlisted candidates will be subject to an online check.
We always appoint on merit, and we are open to discussing flexible working options.
United Learning comprises: UCST (Registered in England No: 2780748. Charity No. 1016538) and ULT (Registered in England No. 4439859. An Exempt Charity). Companies limited by guarantee. VAT number 834 8515 12. Registered address: United Learning, Worldwide House, Thorpe Wood, Peterborough, PE3 6SB.
Using Anonymous Recruitment
This organisation is using Anonymous Recruitment to reduce bias in the first stages of the hiring process. Submit your application as normal and our system will anonymise it for you. Your personal information will be hidden until the recruiter contacts you.
Who we are looking for:
We are seeking a dedicated and creative resource writer with a strong educational background to join our team. The successful candidate will be instrumental in developing content for online and face to face workshops for adults and children across Ygam’s portfolio of programmes. The candidate will also scope and develop new digital educational materials and updating existing resources to enhance our educational outreach. This role is pivotal in ensuring our content is engaging, informative, and up-to-date, reflecting the latest trends and research in the fields of gaming and gambling. The role will suit a dynamic, collaborative individual who enjoys working with multiple stakeholders.
Main Role & Responsibilities:
The Programme Resource Lead will be responsible for creating high-quality educational resources, tailored for digital delivery, which focus on gaming and gambling awareness. They will conduct thorough research, as well as reviewing and updating existing resources, to ensure all learning materials are factual, engaging and relevant. Thie role will work collaboratively with subject matter experts and teams across Ygam, managing briefs and projects effectively to meet deadlines and expectations.
At Ygam, we are committed to safeguarding and protection of children and vulnerable people in our work. We will do everything possible to recruit only suitable people to work with children or vulnerable people.
Ygam is an equal opportunity employer. It is Ygam’s approach that all employees have a working environment which promotes dignity and respect and where individual differences, and the contributions made are recognised and valued. We welcome the unique contributions that you can bring and encourage people from underrepresented backgrounds to apply to join our team, including people with lived experience of gaming and gambling harms, people with disabilities, people from minority ethnic groups, LGBTQ+ people, neurodiverse people and armed force veterans.
Please submit your CV and a covering letter (maximum of two sides) via Charity Jobs by 12:00pm on Friday 10th January 2025.
Your covering letter should include:
• Your motivations for applying to Ygam.
• How you meet the Person Specification.
• How this role fits into your wider career plans.
• Any experience (professional, voluntary, lived, or other) relevant to this role in line with the criteria outlined in the person specification.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
We're looking for a kind, compassionate and resilient Waking Night Support Worker to join our Homelessness & Complex Needs service in Kensington & Chelsea.
£27,352.00 per annum, working 40 hours per week. Benefits include 25 days Annual Leave, pension schemes, staff discounts, healthcare and career progression.
Want to feel like you're making a difference? You'll feel at home here.
Night Support Workers enable people with particular needs to manage their tenancies and live independent lives of their choosing in the community. Night Support Workers are responsible for ensuring continuity of a support service at night and for keeping customers and the building safe.
On a rota basis 4 on and 4 off and will work with security
please note that the shift pattern can change when being reviewed
All applicants must be legally eligible to work in the UK by the start of employment as Look Ahead are not able to offer sponsorship.
What you'll do:
Building supportive, trusting relationships with customers and creating a positive atmosphere
Working proactively with other members of the team to handle the service caseload and administrative responsibilities
Conducting key work sessions as required, that are innovative and engaging in order to achieve Support Plan goals
Ensuring ongoing assessment and management of risks associated with customers within an attitude of 'positive risk taking'
Providing support with daily living activities, including practical assistance to support customers to independent living e.g. budgeting, cooking, establishing a night time routine
Supporting customers to maintain a healthy environment and where appropriate assisting them to clean their accommodation and maintain good personal hygiene
Report any observations relating to customers welfare.
Assisting in the recording and reporting of customer incidents
Updating the database on each customer when necessary.
Managing customer referrals, completing assessments and obtaining and maintaining all relevant paperwork
Developing productive relationships with partner organisations to improve service outcomes
Carry out security duties through locality checks to ensure the safety of the customers and premises.
Adhering to lone working protocols and maintaining high levels of awareness in relation to the health and safety of yourself and colleagues
Involving customers in the design, development and delivery of the service
Ensuring Look Ahead Health and Safety policies and local protocols are adhered to at all times e.g. fire risk assessments, fire alarm checks etc.
Taking on shift leading responsibilities by coordinating and leading shifts in the absence of a manager.
Be the lead person on a delegated task.
Being responsible for the handover of key information between shifts
For the full list please see our website.
This is not an exhaustive list of all the duties and responsibilities that may be required from time to time and is subject to change in accordance with the needs of Look Ahead
About you:
Enjoys social interaction and the company of others, joins in local activities to encourage customer involvement
Exudes a warm friendly presence and open behaviour
Prefers working as part of a group or team
Is fundamentally calm and resilient, does not let emotion adversely affect them or obscure their judgement
Has a practical and logical mind and is naturally well organized
Able to apply the right balance of care and support dependant on the needs of the customer
Thrives on change and enjoys dynamic diverse environments
Is confident with high levels of self-esteem
Is respectful, articulate and sensitive in style of communication
Is motivated towards excellence and improvement of personal performance with a can do attitude
Ability to cope positively with challenging and diverse behaviour
Ability to adhere to Look Ahead's professional boundaries policy
What you'll bring:
Essential:
NVQ Level 2/3 or equivalent with some previous relevant sector work experience
About us:
Look Ahead is a leading, not-for-profit care and support provider in London and the South East. Our vision is to build better lives through social care and housing in local communities. As an organisation we deliver over 120 services, providing support to around 6000 customers each year. Our mission is to co-design and deliver services that offer innovative social care solutions and support people to thrive. We work across mental health, homelessness, young people and learning disabilities so there are plenty of opportunities to grow and progress your career with us.
We have a strong social purpose and we live and work by our values:
We focus on Excellence and innovation.
We are Caring and Compassionate.
We are Inclusive and Trusted.
We work in Partnership and are One-Team.
Look Ahead is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk, and expects all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment.
If your application for this role is unsuccessful, but we feel that you would be suitable for another role, we may contact you to discuss alternative opportunities. If this occurs you would not need to submit another application for the alternative role.
We reserve the right to close this advert early if we are able to appoint to the vacancy before the advertised closed date.
We are committed to diversity and inclusion at work and are accredited with Silver in the Inclusive Employers Standard 2021. We are a proud member of the Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant and encourage applications from a diverse range of applicants of all backgrounds.
Do you want to play a part in supporting people with mental health issues?
Are you calm, non-judgemental and able to work effectively with people experiencing distress?
If you can embody our values of Hope, Courage, Togetherness, and Responsiveness, and want to help others build resilience and manage their wellbeing, we’d love to hear from you.
Job title: Talking Therapies Administrator (NHS)
Reference number: 252
Salary: £22,308 to £23,809 per annum, pro rata.
Contracted hours: 30 hours per week - (4hrs per day between 9-5, Tues-Fri)
Working base: Watford
Reports to: Team Lead for NHS Counselling
We have a vacancy for a Counselling Administrator (NHS Talking Therapies) to join our team.
Hertfordshire Mind Network is a leading countywide provider of wellbeing services. This is a position offering someone with the appropriate values and experience, the opportunity to play a pivotal role in our Counselling service. The role is responsible for administratively supporting the NHS Talking Therapies Counselling service, booking counselling sessions and assisting with the smooth running of the service.
As a Mental Health Support Administrator, you will be responsible for ensuring a smooth process for people accessing the NHS Talking Therapies Counselling services, delivering effective administrative support for the NHS Talking Therapies Counselling service with an emphasis on maintaining records on the database.
As a Counselling Administrator, we would expect you to have strong administration and communication skills, with the remit of processing referrals and providing effective administrative support to the counselling team. Accuracy, record keeping, co-ordination skills and a compassionate manner are essential.
We offer:
- Annual leave entitlement of 25 days per year pro rata, rising in increments to a max. of 29 days after 5 years employment (plus 8 days Bank Holidays)
- An additional day of leave each year for your birthday following completion of probation period.
- Ongoing training relevant to your role.
- An Employee Assistance Programme.
- Eligibility for blue light card.
- Health cover (after 6 months employment) – compensation payment for Optical, Dental, Chiropody and Therapy Treatments.
Being able to drive and having access to your own vehicle (or equivalent) is essential for this role.
Closing date for receipt of applications is Friday 10th January 2025.
Interviews to be held on Thursday 16th January 2025.
Please note we may close the advert early if sufficient applications are received.
Interested?
If you would like to find out more, please click the apply button. You will be directed to our website to complete your application for this position.
Equal Opportunities
We welcome applications from all suitably-qualified candidates, irrespective of gender, disability, marital or parental status, racial, ethnic or social origin, colour, religion, belief, or sexual orientation. In addition, during the various stages of recruitment, specific measures can be taken to ensure equal opportunities for candidates with disabilities or special needs.
Hertfordshire Mind Network is committed to the Disability Confident and Mindful Employer charters. We actively recruit staff who have a lived experience of mental ill health. We recognise and value the unique combination of skills, knowledge and perspective that employing people with a lived experience, at all levels across the organisation, brings. We create an environment where the sharing of experiences and vulnerabilities to support others and create positive change is welcomed and work towards breaking down the ‘them’ and ‘us’ culture. The organisation is committed to nurturing peer relationships that allow all staff to thrive.
No agencies please.
Role Details & Staff Benefits
Salary: £75,000 - £85,000, depending on experience
Duration: Permanent contract
Hours: Full time
Location: Hybrid – attendance at the NASP office at London’s Royal Festival Hall will be
required up to 2 days per week, as well as travel for site visits, staff days, and external
meetings as required.
NASP offer a range of core benefits for staff on payroll, including:
• 30 days paid annual leave per annum, plus Bank Holidays
• An additional day of paid leave per year on your birthday
• Opportunities for Volunteering & CPD days each year
• Opportunity to request flexible working arrangements, including compressed hours
• Contribution to annual eye test, eyeglass purchase, and flu vaccination
Purpose of This Role:
NASP is a highly ambitious charity, founded by government and working across diverse
sectors to improve healthcare in England and across the world through the development of
social prescribing. This is a senior leadership role to shape our future strategy and develop
existing and new partnerships with government departments, national agencies, charities,
business, the NHS and others to deliver this.
We are seeking an experienced senior leader, an optimist with strategic vision and a high
degree of intellect who can collaborate with other leaders to design and deliver solutions to
our most pressing problems in health and wellbeing. The postholder will navigate highly
complex systems and networks and need to be very politically astute, diplomatic and excel
at building relationships with trust and integrity.
The Executive Director for Strategy and Partnerships is the second most senior role in
NASP, with a remit for leadership across the organisation and responsibility to deputise for
the CEO. The core purpose of the role is to form strong relationships and partnerships with
leaders from diverse sectors and co-produce strategies and programme plans for joint work.
Existing formal partnerships include agreements with national ‘arm’s length’ bodies such as
Sport England and Natural England, and charities such as Independent Age. It includes line
management responsibilities for staff seconded by partners or employed directly by NASP,
to deliver partnership plans and priorities. The role includes the strategic leadership of multi
million-pound programmes reporting to government departments (for example working
closely with DEFRA to lead the Treasury-funded ‘Tackling and preventing mental ill health
through green social prescribing’ programme). Therefore, a focus on delivery and achieving
outputs and outcomes is just as important as strategic vision.
NASP also works internationally and there will be opportunities to travel regularly, for
example supporting our network of global contacts with events (most recently the Canadian
International Social Prescribing Conference).
The ideal candidate will be highly articulate, a persuasive public speaker, with a proven track
record of delivering complex high impact partnerships which make a measurable impact.
You will need to be comfortable advocating for social prescribing at the highest level; to
government ministers and officials, CEOs of large organisations and global partners such as
Movember, Amazon and the World Health Organization.
Please read the full job description and complete the application form below (also available on NASP's Careers page). Submit your application to the email specified in JD by 9am, Monday 20th January 2025.
NASP have the right to bring the application deadline forward as they deem fit.
We support communities and organisations through social prescribing so that more people across the UK can enjoy better health and wellbeing.
We're looking for a Head of Assurance to join our Governance & Assurance team our Head Office in Islington.
£65,000.00 per annum, working 35 hours per week. Benefits include 25 days Annual Leave, pension schemes, staff discounts, healthcare and career progression.
Want to feel like you have an exciting future? You'll feel at home here.
Making you feel at home here means helping you thrive in every way. That's why we offer a wide range of benefits, award-winning Learning & Development and a culture that welcomes all. These aren't token gestures - we've thought long and hard about how best to support our team. After all, our people are doing something amazing: helping to transform lives every day.
Working with the senior leadership team, Board and CEO office functions to ensure that the organisation has a high standard of compliance with regulatory and legal frameworks, risk management and assurance. This role will also deputise for the Director of Governance and Assurance and Company Secretary.
All applicants must be legally eligible to work in the UK by the start of employment as Look Ahead are not able to offer sponsorship.
What you'll do:
Manage and develop, as appropriate, systems for identifying, checking and demonstrating effective controls and compliance with all legal and regulatory responsibilities relating to the governance and management of Look Ahead's services; including health and safety, data protection and security, and financial and regulatory reporting.
Be the Association's expert on compliance and business assurance, working collaboratively with Directors and Senior Managers to provide support and advice.
Keep up to date with legislative, regulatory, and best practice requirements and changes, assessing the risks and potential impact on Look Ahead and advising staff and Board members as appropriate.
Lead and maintain the Association's Risk Registers and Risk Maps and conduct the regular review and development of those registers/maps.
For the full list please see our website.
This is not an exhaustive list of all the duties and responsibilities that may be required from time to time and is subject to change in accordance with the needs of Look Ahead
About you:
Positive and proactive approach with a friendly, flexible and approachable manner.
Diplomatic and works co-operatively with others to get things done, willingly giving help and advice to colleagues
Able to work on own initiative and as a member of a team
Professional and consistent approach to work and maintenance of standards
Able to perform under pressure
Treats people with respect and dignity, dealing with them fairly regardless of their background or circumstances
Able to work outside normal office hours if required and to attend evening meeting
What you'll bring:
Essential:
Qualifications:
Educated to degree level
Good knowledge of compliance and business assurance processes
Knowledge and Skills:
Knowledge of the housing sector and its statutory and regulatory environment
Experience of managing or working with a risk and assurance function
Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to interpret and present complex data
The ability to develop good working relationships with a wide range of people
Ability to research and prepare succinct briefings and reports appropriate to the identified audience
Ability to influence and challenge appropriately
High level written skills
Good organisational skills
Calm under pressure and comfortable working in a busy environment
High levels of IT literacy including Word, Excel and bespoke reporting databases
Strong attention to detail
Experience:
Compliance and business assurance, or related experience such as business improvement, internal audit or legal
Experience of working in a regulated environment
Working and communicating with a wide range of stakeholders
Working in a Housing or Supported Housing organisation
Desirable:
Relevant qualification relating to compliance or years of senior job related experience
About us:
Look Ahead is a leading, not-for-profit care and support provider in London and the South East. Our vision is to build better lives through social care and housing in local communities. As an organisation we deliver over 120 services, providing support to around 6000 customers each year. Our mission is to co-design and deliver services that offer innovative social care solutions and support people to thrive. We work across mental health, homelessness, young people and learning disabilities so there are plenty of opportunities to grow and progress your career with us.
We have a strong social purpose and we live and work by our values:
We focus on Excellence and innovation.
We are Caring and Compassionate.
We are Inclusive and Trusted.
We work in Partnership and are One-Team.
Look Ahead is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk, and expects all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment.
If your application for this role is unsuccessful, but we feel that you would be suitable for another role, we may contact you to discuss alternative opportunities. If this occurs you would not need to submit another application for the alternative role.
We reserve the right to close this advert early if we are able to appoint to the vacancy before the advertised closed date.
We are committed to diversity and inclusion at work and are accredited with Silver in the Inclusive Employers Standard 2021. We are a proud member of the Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant and encourage applications from a diverse range of applicants of all backgrounds.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Role Title: Strategic Funding Specialist
Salary: £40,778 to 41,949 (Pro-rata)
Location: London-Hybrid
Tenure: 6 month Fixed term (14 hours a week until end of June 2025)
ActionAid UK is a member of the ActionAid Federation, an international charity that works with women and girls living in poverty. As part of the ActionAid Federation, we work with women and girls, our partners, and dedicated staff in 43 countries to end violence and fight poverty so that all women, everywhere, can create the future they want.
Are you a keen advocate of women and girls’ rights in emergencies?
Are you ready to use your creativity, communication skills, and strategic thinking to secure funding that drives global change?
Then we'd love to hear from you!
ActionAid UK is looking for a Strategic Funding Specialist to join our dynamic Philanthropy and Partnerships team. This is your opportunity to make an impact by supporting transformational projects that promote social justice, gender equality, and community resilience in over 45 countries.
Why This Role is Exciting
• Inspiring Global Impact: You’ll play a key role in securing funding for some of the most vital areas of our work, including emergency responses, institutional donor co-financing, and unrestricted funding that empowers communities to thrive.
• Creative Storytelling: Design and deliver compelling funding proposals, concept notes, and cases for support that resonate with high-net-worth individuals, corporate partners, and trusts. You’ll bring ActionAid’s stories to life, inspiring new partnerships and strengthening existing ones.
• Cross-Cultural Collaboration: Engage with colleagues and country teams worldwide to create powerful donor materials, ensuring our global programmes achieve sustainable, meaningful outcomes.
Your Key Responsibilities
• Compelling Fundraising: Craft high-quality proposals, donor updates, and emergency appeal materials tailored to the interests of philanthropic donors, corporate partners, and foundations. Translate complex programme information into inspiring communications that spark action.
• Strategic Grant Management: Manage and deliver reporting for key strategic grants, ensuring financial and programmatic accuracy. Collaborate with global teams to meet donor expectations and deadlines with efficiency and professionalism.
• Innovation and Knowledge Building: Innovate new systems and processes to improve team efficiency. Monitor trends in donor engagement and international development to ensure ActionAid remains a leader in securing transformative funding.
Who We’re Looking For
- You’re a skilled communicator and relationship builder with:
- A proven ability to produce persuasive, accurate, and inspiring written materials for donors, including successful funding proposals.
- Strong analytical skills to interpret financial information and present it in an engaging, donor-friendly way.
- Exceptional organisational and project management skills, with the ability to balance competing priorities and deliver high-quality work to deadlines.
- Ability to communicate well across a range of people both in the UK and internationally.
- Ability to review existing team systems and processes and innovate to improve team efficiency.
- A commitment to feminist principles, anti-racism, and decolonisation – values that underpin everything we do at ActionAid UK.
Why You’ll Love Working Here
• Be part of a bold, innovative team that values creativity, collaboration, and impact.
• Gain the opportunity to work closely with country programmes, learning from and supporting initiatives that drive long-term change.
• Grow professionally through diverse responsibilities, international collaboration, and ActionAid’s commitment to fostering talent.
• Make a tangible difference by helping secure funding that supports women, girls, and marginalised communities across the globe.
If you’re passionate about international development, skilled at building relationships, and ready to deliver bold ideas that fund ActionAid’s mission, this is your chance to join us in creating a more just and equitable world.
Apply today and help us make change happen!
Due to the nature of this role, the successful candidate will be asked to participate in criminal records checks at the point of offer.
Additional Information:
Diversity, Equality, Inclusion and Belonging:
Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging are key to our organisational culture. We are on a journey to become not only an anti-racist organisation but one that proudly
celebrates the diversity of all applicants and employees. We look forward to you bringing your full self to work, proudly sharing your unique perspective and helping us to shape our combined future. We especially welcome applications from those from underrepresented/marginalised communities.
AAUK is a disability Confident Committed organisation and as such any candidate that declares a disability will be shortlisted for interview if they meet the essential criteria for the role.
Referencing and Safeguarding:
All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include safeguarding, criminal records and terrorism
finance checks. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.
ActionAid UK is committed to preventing any form of sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse (including child abuse and adult at-risk abuse) and responding robustly when these harms take place. We expect all ActionAid UK Staff and ActionAid UK Representatives to share this commitment. We will not tolerate our Staff or other representatives carrying out any form of sexual harassment, exploitation or abuse towards anyone we come into contact with through our work.
Working practices:
ActionAid is committed to supporting flexible working. If you would like to discuss flexible working options, including the possibility of a job share for this role, there will be space to do so during the interview process.
ActionAid UK has a hybrid working policy for many of our roles. The requirement will vary from team to team and the responsibilities of individual roles. As a minimum, all colleagues are expected to attend the office 12 days per year, plus additional time for induction, training, and “Company Connection days.” Some roles may require in- office attendance on all days and if so, these will clearly be marked as in-office
roles.
Please note that ActionAid UK does not offer fully remote working
options. We encourage you to discuss hybrid working expectations at interview.
Recruitment Processes:
Please note that ActionAid UK may review, shortlist and interview candidates prior to the closing date so we encourage all candidates to apply as soon as possible.
If we receive a very high response, we may close the vacancy early and will not accept further submissions.
We’re looking for a Site Reliability Engineer with drive, intellectual curiosity and technical capability to join our small but dynamic team.
The role will work in both our Azure Native environment and co-location data centre. A significant proportion of our line of business applications remain hosted on Hyper-V based Private Cloud and will need to be “fed and watered” until they are moved to new platforms or technologies, a task that this role will assist with. These migrations offer the role holder learning and development opportunities.
Our Azure environment is almost exclusively “Azure native” primarily hosting our Digital Product using technologies including Azure App Services, Azure SQL, Application Insights, Sentinel, Log Analytics, Azure Data Factory, with “as code” Bicep pipelines tied to Azure DevOps. This role will support the Head of Environments, Platforms and IT Security to ensure that our technology infrastructure is reliable, safe and future-proofed. As required, the role holder will also support project implementation within the Technology Operations remit, having a direct impact in moving us forward in realising our vision and mission.
As a result of our Christian ethos, this post is covered by an Occupational Requirement (OR) under Part 1 of Schedule 9 to the Equality Act 2010. The successful applicant will be expected to be a practising Christian and to clearly demonstrate a personal commitment to the mission, principles, values and practices contained in our Ethos Statement, by:
· Active membership of local church congregation.
An understanding of the faith aspects of the work of Christian charities, including the preparedness to pray with colleagues, where appropriate.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
The Royal Ballet and Opera continues to lead the way in opera, ballet, music and dance both live on stage and through multiple digital platforms, from live streaming to worldwide cinema screenings. Our Covent Garden theatre has been at the heart of London and British cultural life for three centuries. We are home to two world-class Companies: The Royal Ballet and The Royal Opera.
As a charity, we could not maintain our reputation, the range of our work, or our digital presence, without the support of our business partners, sponsors, philanthropists and members. The Development and Advocacy Department is seeking to recruit a Patrons Coordinator on a part time basis who will work with the team to provide an efficient ticketing and customer service to all Patrons by telephone, email and post, ensuring that all Patrons ticketing requirements are met. They will also ensure related records are processed, recorded and fulfilled accurately within the department`s quality of service and compliance standards.
The ideal candidate will be committed to providing excellent customer service with a consistent high level of customer care and responsiveness. They will also have high attention to detail, and the ability to prioritise tasks, especially given this is a part time position. They will be able to demonstrate:
- Solid experience in a customer facing environment
- Experience in a membership organisation and/or Box office environment (not essential but highly desirable)
- Understanding of legacy giving and administration (desirable)
- Experience of databases and MS Office (Access, Word and Excel); some working knowledge of Tessitura or other CRM systems or ability to learn
A working knowledge of our arts forms is not a pre-requisite but the ability to get up to speed on RBO membership products and services quickly is.
The Royal Ballet and Opera is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment in which everyone can thrive. We particularly welcome applications from those who are from a global majority background and/or those who are disabled, as they are under-represented within our organisation. As a Disability Confident Employer, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the essential minimum criteria for our vacancies.
Closing date for applications: 8am, Monday 6th January 2025
Applicants must have work authorisation for the UK. No agencies.
Our Covent Garden theatre has been at the heart of London and British cultural life for three centuries. We are home to two world-class Companies.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
We're looking for a kind, compassionate and resilient Team Leader to join our Homelessness service in Kensington and Chelsea.
£31,534.00 per annum, working 40 hours per week. Benefits include 25 days Annual Leave, pension schemes, staff discounts, healthcare and career progression.
Want to feel like you're part of one team? You'll feel at home here.
Making you feel at home here means helping you thrive in every way. That's why we offer a wide range of benefits, award-winning Learning & Development and a culture that welcomes all. These aren't token gestures - we've thought long and hard about how best to support our team. After all, our people are doing something amazing: helping to transform lives every day.
The post holder will be fully involved in all aspects of the day-to-day management of their designated service, including line managing the relevant front-line staff. You will lead and develop competence of direct reports as well as carry caseloads of customers requiring support. You will work closely with the Contract Manager to ensure that the service delivers on all targets, both financial and those around the quality of the service.
Heaney Hub implements and promotes the Psychologically Informed Environment (PIE) model. This is an approach to supporting people out of homelessness, particularly those who have experienced complex trauma or are diagnosed with a personality disorder. It also considers the psychological needs of staff: developing skills and knowledge, increasing motivation, job satisfaction and resilience.
All applicants must be legally eligible to work in the UK by the start of employment as Look Ahead are not able to offer sponsorship.
What you'll do:
Lead and motivate your team to ensure the championing of and maintenance of a positive local culture within your service
Deliver effective supervision, case work management and team meetings with staff and ensure that information, reporting and communication
Responsible for the personal development of staff, identifying high performers and feeding into the organisation's succession plans
Ensure that Key Performance Indicators (KPI's) required as part of the Contract are met and recorded correctly
Develop key business relationships with all appropriate relevant customers/external parties to ensure service delivery excellence and maximise new business opportunities in own patch
Participate in and monitor the initial and continuous assessment of needs and ensure that support planning is carried out in line with assessed needs of the customer
Carry out other administrative tasks as relevant to the service and directed by the Contract/Heads of Operations
Deliver an out of hours on-call service for region, where required
Ensure that all safeguarding cases are managed in line with safeguarding protocols and are reported to Contract Manager/Head of Operations, as appropriate
Ensure Look Ahead Health and Safety policies are adhered to at all times and to uphold all health and safety responsibilities within relevant policies and local protocols
Adhere to all the policies and procedures of Look Ahead Care, Support & Housing plus those specific to the project including any statutory requirements
This is not an exhaustive list of all the duties and responsibilities that may be required from time to time and is subject to change in accordance with the needs of Look Ahead
What you'll bring:
Essential:
Educated to degree level or equivalent
Desirable:
Other relevant professional memberships and/or specialist qualifications are desirable
About us:
Look Ahead is a leading, not-for-profit care and support provider in London and the South East. Our vision is to build better lives through social care and housing in local communities. As an organisation we deliver over 120 services, providing support to around 6000 customers each year. Our mission is to co-design and deliver services that offer innovative social care solutions and support people to thrive. We work across mental health, homelessness, young people and learning disabilities so there are plenty of opportunities to grow and progress your career with us.
We have a strong social purpose and we live and work by our values:
We focus on Excellence and innovation.
We are Caring and Compassionate.
We are Inclusive and Trusted.
We work in Partnership and are One-Team.
Look Ahead is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk, and expects all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment. If your application for this role is unsuccessful, but we feel that you would be suitable for another role, we may contact you to discuss alternative opportunities. If this occurs you would not need to submit another application for the alternative role.
We reserve the right to close this advert early if we are able to appoint to the vacancy before the advertised closed date.
We are committed to diversity and inclusion at work and are accredited with Silver in the Inclusive Employers Standard 2021. We are a proud member of the Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant and encourage applications from a diverse range of applicants of all backgrounds.