Children and families worker jobs

Job Purpose

This role sits within our crisis alternative service, Safe Space, which is a core and out of hours service providing a safe and welcoming space for people who are feeling distressed and experiencing crisis. Our aim of the service is to keep individuals well in the community and prevent readmission into hospital. The service operates 365 days a year from 14:00-22:00pm across all of our boroughs.

Staff within the service will provide person-centred, practical and emotional support, face to face or via telephone or virtual on a one-to-one basis to individuals experiencing mental health crisis or preventing crisis.

The objectives of the service include:

• To improve the mental wellbeing of people experiencing mental health and social crisis in HFEH.
• To proactively work with keeping people well in the community to reduce re-admitters into hospitals by working with WL NHS teams (e.g. discharge, LPS, CATT, MINT and SPA)
• To provide a true alternative to A&E via a non-clinical drop-in service to support clients
• To provide support to clients accessing the service- for instance: signposting, de-escalation and crisis recovery planning.
• To contribute to an improvement in individual mental wellbeing.
• To remain a source of independent support for all clients.
• To treat service users with respect, dignity and personalised support
• To raise awareness of mental health services available with the goal to improve long term mental health and reduce social isolation
• To increase self-management skills of those accessing the service
• To reduce the use of police, ambulance and statutory mental health services whilst experiencing crisis via a drop-in service.
• To reduce the use of statutory crisis services by people experiencing mental ill health without positive outcomes for the individual.

 

 

The Role

The role of the support workers will be to support the rest of the team in delivering interventions on a one-to-one. The role will also involve triaging and assessing all clients accessing the service, signposting and delivering collaborative self-management plans with clients to improve mental wellbeing.

Key Responsibilities

• Providing a person centred and recovery orientated approach in all aspects of the roles and responsibilities.
• Promoting people’ rights and responsibilities
• Considering each person as an individual
• Working collaboratively with clients to understand their needs and developing flexible and realistic crisis support packages/person centred plans
• Understanding of safety planning
• Experience with de-escalation, recognising and mitigating risks.
• Experience of working with challenging behaviour
• Listening to clients and encouraging positive steps towards self-management of crisis and recovery
• Good time keeping skills – Essential
• To attend all mandatory training including safeguarding and GDPR
• To work autonomously in a fast-paced environment and under pressure
• Providing advice, information, practical and emotional support to clients
• Proactively recognising the indicators of deteriorating mental health and facilitate appropriate action, whilst liaising with relevant agencies e.g. CATT, Emergency Duty Teams, CMHTS, etc
• Engaging with clients to show empathy, inspire hope and promote recovery
• Establishing supportive, empowering and respectful relationships with clients and carers/ family
• Maintaining accurate records, detailing interventions
• Ensuring that outcomes, outputs and impact are recorded
• Providing administrative support to the team
• Attend reflective practice, clinical supervision, peer supervision and line management supervision
• Create and maintain good working relationships with partner agencies
• Follow workplans and actively participate in training and development
• Provide and manage resources for clients and staff

 

Person Specification

• Minimum of 1 year working in mental health services and with clients experiencing mental health distress and crisis
• Experience of managing challenging behaviour and dealing with clients with complex needs
• Experience of managing safeguarding risks and understanding legal requirements for safeguarding adults and children
• Evidence of continual professional development
• Understanding of the Recovery Model in mental health
• Understanding of the principles of trauma informed care
• Understanding of suicide prevention and safety planning
• Understanding of the relationship between mental health and social issues and how these issues may impact on physical, mental and emotional wellbeing
• Understanding of relevant legislation and policies
• Experience of working with vulnerable individuals
• Creative and flexible approach to working with individuals
• Ability to deal with stressful and difficult situations in a calm manner and de-escalate challenging situations
• Awareness of issues in mental health service provision
• A good understanding of mental health conditions
• Experience of working with vulnerable individuals
• Creative and flexible approach to working with individuals
• Ability to deal with stressful and difficult situations in a calm manner and de-escalate challenging situations
• Ability to prioritise and manage workload
• Ability to involve clients and carers in all aspects of work
• Empathy and non-judgemental approach
• Good communication skills
• Capacity to work within an agreed shift pattern
• Experience of delivering information and advice (housing, benefits, debt etc)
• Experience of non-clinical, therapeutic interventions like psychoeducation
• Good IT skills including Word, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint, with proven ability to input and extract information and produce reports
• Car driver with sole ownership of a vehicle and willingness to travel to locations would be desirable.
• Ability to work out of hours and on weekends

We are looking for someone who can support people to take positive steps to improve the way they manage their mental wellbeing and day-to-day lives, based on what matters most to them.

Taking referrals from GP practices, you’ll work with adult mental health patients to identify what is affecting their health and wellbeing. You’ll then work with them to create a personalised support plan to improve resilience, health and wellbeing. You’ll find services and activities that offer practical, social and emotional support, working as a team with other healthcare professionals who may provide more traditional medical interventions. 

This might mean connecting people with art classes, walking groups or gardening clubs, or it could be signposting to more practical support, such as services providing advice on debt or housing issues. It’s essential that you can listen carefully, build relationships, and motivate people to make choices and changes about the things that matter to them.

The position is based in Sheppey and applicants must have experience of working with adults in a medical or social care setting, and of providing mental health support. Additional experience of providing mental health support to children and young people would be an advantage as a small number of referrals are from this group.

You should be organised, self-motivated and able to work as part of a team and on your own. Car driver essential.

Don’t wait. Apply today.

 

We offer our employees:

· Inclusive values-based environment

· Competitive remuneration package

· Workplace pension scheme

· Generous annual leave entitlement plus bank holidays

· Opportunities for hybrid working

· Benenden Health Care

· Death in Service Benefit

· Cycle to Work Scheme

· Employee Supported Volunteering scheme

· Development opportunities

· and more

Imago is committed to Safer Recruitment practices, and the post is subject to references and an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check.

Please either submit your CV with a short covering note or visit our website for full details.

Imago recognises that many people in our society experience discrimination or lack of opportunity for reasons that are not fair. We aim to create a culture that respects and values each other’s differences, and see these differences as an asset, as they improve our ability to meet the needs of the organisations and people we work with. We proactively seek to increase opportunities for inclusion, and celebrate diversity across our organisation and within communities.

Imago recognises its duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of the children, young people and adults at risk who access its services or with whom it comes into contact.

We are seeking to recruit a highly skilled Key Worker for our Key Worker Service in East Berkshire. The role will be diverse and service user centred and would suit someone with significant experience in supporting young people and young adults with Autism and Learning Disabilities and their families.

The day to day work will involve a flexible approach to coordination and direct support for the young person and their family, as well as providing responsive communication at times of increased need. This is an exciting role which allows for the Key Worker to support families to navigate the system whilst advocating for them and ensuring that their voice is heard.

There will be opportunities for collaboration and co-production and our vision is to provide young person and family centered support, whilst influencing system change to achieve better outcomes for more children,  young people and adults under the age of 25.

The service will be provided across the entire East Berkshire footprint covering: Slough, Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Bracknell Forest.Although the team will be “virtual”, there will be frequent (weekly) travel within and across the East Berkshire area, therefore being a car driver with access to a car is essential, as well as being based near the local area. 

The Key Working Function has been developed as a response to the NHS England & NHS Improvement Long Term Plan (LTP) commitment that by 2023/24, children and young people with a learning disability, autism, or both, with the most complex needs will have a designated Key Worker, applying the recommendations made by Dame Christine Lenehan in ‘These are our Children'. The East Berkshire Key Worker Service has been established since 2023 and has developed and evolved over this time. 

We are looking for someone who:

• has significant experience of working with individuals with Learning Disabilities and/or who are Autistic and their families.
• has an understanding of mental health and how this may impact this service user group 
• Is tenacious and passionate about advocating for our families, whilst respectfully challenging professionals and working collaboratively with other agencies
• Able to complete frequent visits to service users and have the ability to be flexible to complete visits/meetings at short notice within working hours across the East Berkshire area

A Barnardo's Project Worker 3 job description and person specification is attached to the advert for this role. This is a generic role description in use throughout the organisation to cover all roles at the given salary band. The Additional Information Sheet outlines the specific responsibilities, skills and experience required and it is important that you read this carefully before you apply.

When completing your application form, please refer to the skills, knowledge and experience required as detailed in the Person Specification and also in the Additional Information Sheet. This should be done with an understanding of the context of the service described.

Please note due to the high volume of applications for some posts, this advert might close before the displayed closing date. We recommend that you apply for this role as soon as possible.

Pay & Reward Framework

We know that our colleagues go above and beyond in delivering our vital work, driven by their passion and commitment to Barnardo's values.  We also know that we can only realise our ambitions and achieve better outcomes for more children, thanks to the talent, hard work and creativity of our people. 

For all these reasons, we are committed to a new approach to pay and reward, to ensure it is fair, attractive and progressive, which was rolled out in April 2023. This is a positive change for the charity, and a part of our People & Culture Strategy. It will assist us in supporting colleagues to belong, thrive and grow in their colleague journey at Barnardo's and in time will offer clear routes of progression for colleagues in both their career and their pay. 

Whilst the full pay band and salary range is advertised, our approach to starting salaries is to appoint between the minimum to mid-point of the pay band – this ensures that pay steps are available to reward our colleagues annually based on their contribution to excellence and alignment to our values and behaviours.  More details on Barnardo's pay framework can be found upon application. 

Senior Palliative Care Nurse- Band 6

Location: Richard House Children's Hospice, Richard House Drive, E16 3RG
Department: Residential Care
Salary: £40,701-£45,201.52 (AFC) Plus unsocial hours supplements
Hours: 37.5hrs per week, rotational shift pattern
Job Type: Full time
Contract Type: Permanent

Are you looking to provide holistic, family-centred, quality care? 

Are you an RNC or RNA/RNLD with paediatric experience looking to work on a one to one care basis and build your experience in palliative and end of life care? 

We are recruiting for Senior Paediatric Palliative Care Nurse (Band 6) to help lead and be part of our Care Team at our peaceful, woodland hospice.

This is a wonderful opportunity to work in partnership with hospitals and community nursing teams to deliver care to a range of children and young people with a variety of complex health conditions. As well as providing clinical care, you will also develop play and recreational activities to provide appropriate stimulation to the children in your care. We will support you in your learning and development and there is the potential to gain experience in outreach work.

As a Senior Nurse you will be a team leader to a small group of nurses and HCAs (Play and Care Workers), taking responsibility for line management. You will lead your team in acting as key workers to a small caseload of service users and act in a link role allocated to the team, for example Infection Control or Clinical Audits. You will be managing shifts, providing leadership to the team to ensure that all care is delivered in accordance with Richard House policies and procedures.

We are looking for someone who is empathetic and resilient, can work under pressure, and can communicate sensitively with our families and colleagues. Experience managing junior nurses and leading shifts is essential. It would also be great if you have a mentorship qualification and experience dealing with children with challenging behaviour. 

Based in the multi-cultural borough of Newham, we operate a vital 24/7 service. Shifts are 11.5 hours across weekdays and weekends. We require applicants to be available to work weekday shifts as well as weeknights, weekends and bank holidays.

Richard House is committed to the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults. Successful candidates will be required to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

We practice a diverse and inclusive recruitment process that ensures equal opportunity for all we work with, irrespective of race, sexual orientation, mental or physical disability, age or gender. As an organisation, we encourage applications from all backgrounds.

Richard House is not authorised to sponsor overseas workers; you will need to have the right to work in the UK to be considered for this role.

Benefits: Annual holiday allowance of 27 days, increasing to 29 days after five years’ service, Pension scheme offering 7% employer’s and 3% employee’s contribution, Option to continue existing NHS pension (subject to meeting criteria)Employee assistance programme, Death in service scheme, Occupational sick pay scheme, Enhanced maternity pay scheme, Flexible working, A supportive team with a commitment to CPD, Unsocial hours benefit (certain Care positions only)

REF-221113

Believe: Positive Destinations Project Co-ordinator

Would you like to be involved in this new opportunity to support young people in Swansea develop the skills needed for the world of work?

Believe: Positive Destinations is a 12 week work readiness programme for young people aged 16 to 25.  The programme, part funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, has been developed specifically for young people who have little or no experience of the world of work. It is a holistic programme, it will support them to develop workplace skills, build their aspirations, increase self-confidence as well as providing them with strategies to manage their wellbeing. 

As the Project Co-ordinator you will assist the CSM with the development of this new service. This will include building a network of work placement providers and referral sources. You will be the main contact for placement providers and will provide direct support to participants to ensure they are achieving their potential. You will be responsible for delivering the programme to cohorts of up to 8 participants.

What does the job role involve:

• Promotion of the service at networking events and online.
• Establish a network of appropriate placement providers throughout Swansea and be the main contact for placement supervisors for the duration of the placement.
• Establish links with organisations who will be referring into the service, this will include Education, Leaving Care and NEET services.
• Delivery of a 12 week work readiness programme to cohorts of up to 8 participants including the delivery of Agored Cymru accredited units.
• Supporting young people to achieve their development goals.
• Responsibility for gathering and collating relevant data and contribution to report writing as per the request of the service manager and the commissioner of service.
• Tracking service user progress through the use of outcomes scoring over the duration of the programme and after exit, using a young person centred approach.
• Provide advice and guidance to PW1s in manager's absence.
• Standard service operating hours will be 9am to 5pm Monday to Thursday and 9am to 4.30pm Friday, however the role requires some flexibility around hours as we support young people around their needs.

Essential criteria

• Self-motivated and highly organised.
• Experience of working with young people aged 16 to 25 years in a one to one and group work context.
• Experience of working with young people who are NEET (not engaged in education, employment or training) in a relevant setting.
• Experience of delivering group work programmes.
• Assistance in the development of a service.
• Experience of keeping statistics and writing reports.
• Ability to network and establish strong positive working relationships with partner organisations.
• Experience of mentoring or taking on a leadership role.
• Desire to work towards positive outcomes for young people.
• Good ICT and presentation skills.
• Ability to travel to meet the requirements of the post.

Desirable Criteria

• Ability to speak and write in Welsh

Additional Information:

Your office base will be at the Barnardo's Swansea premises, Penlan although you will be required to travel within the locality. At the core of all Barnardo's Swansea Services we recognise the importance in building children and young people's self-confidence, resilience and emotional wellbeing. 

Our services include:

• Youth Homelessness Prevention – advice and support for those at risk of homelessness
• Bloom  - Life coaching and befriending
• Supported Lodgings – providing supported accommodation with a host family
• Transition and Training Flats Service – independent living experiences and life skills support

You must demonstrate in your application that you currently use the skills outlined above, and those in the Job Description/Person Specifications, or have used them previously in employment, education, training, volunteering etc.

Although this contract has a permanent status, please be aware that this post is subject to funding currently to 31 March 2027 and therefore should this funding not be extended further, you may be subject to a redundancy consultation or a TUPE arrangement. This contract is due to expire on 31 March 2027.

For further information or should you wish to engage with the recruitment process for this post in Welsh please contact the service manager, Rachel Cooper (email address can be found on our website using the vacancy link).

Hoffech chi gymryd rhan yn y cyfle newydd hwn i gefnogi pobl ifanc yn Abertawe i feithrin y sgiliau sydd eu hangen arnynt yn y byd gwaith?

Mae ‘Believe: Positive Destinations' yn rhaglen 12 wythnos o hyd sy'n paratoi pobl ifanc rhwng 16 a 25 at y gweithle. Mae'r rhaglen, sydd wedi'i ariannu'n rhannol gan Gronfa Gymunedol Y Loteri Genedlaethol wedi ei dylunio a'u datblygu ar gyfer pobl ifanc sydd gydag ychydig neu ddim profiad o'r byd gwaith. Bydd y rhaglen gyfannol hon yn cynorthwyo pobl ifanc i ddatblygu sgiliau a fydd yn werthfawr iddynt yn y gweithle, meddwl am eu dyheadau, gwella eu hunanhyder a darparu strategaethau i'w helpu i reoli eu llesiant.

Fel Cydlynydd y Prosiect byddwch chi'n cynorthwyo'r Rheolwr Gwasanaethau Plant i ddatblygu'r gwasanaeth newydd hwn. Mae hyn yn cynnwys creu rhwydwaith o leoliadau gwaith a ffynonellau cyfeirio. Chi fydd prif bwynt cyswllt y lleoliadau gwaith a byddwch chi'n rhoi cymorth uniongyrchol i'r rhai sy'n cymryd rhan er mwyn sicrhau eu bod yn cyflawni eu potensial. Byddwch chi'n gyfrifol am ddarparu'r rhaglen i grwpiau o hyd at 8 o bobl ifanc.

Beth yw'r swydd?

• Hyrwyddo'r gwasanaeth mewn digwyddiadau rhwydweithio ac ar lein. 
• Sefydlu rhwydwaith o leoliadau gwaith addas ym mhob rhan o Abertawe, a bod yn brif bwynt cyswllt ar gyfer goruchwylwyr y lleoliadau yn ystod y cyfnod lleoliad gwaith.
• Creu cysylltiadau gyda mudiadau a fydd yn cyfeirio pobl ifanc at y gwasanaeth. Mae'r sefydliadau hyn yn cynnwys Addysg, Gadael Gofal, a Gwasanaethau NEET.
• Darparu'r rhaglen paratoi at y gweithle, sy'n 12 wythnos o hyd i grwpiau o hyd at 8 o bobl ifanc, mae hyn yn cynnwys darparu unedau achrededig Agored Cymru.
• Cynorthwyo pobl ifanc i gyflawni eu nodau datblygu.
• Cyfrifoldeb dros gasglu a chrynhoi gwybodaeth berthnasol a chyfrannu at ysgrifennu adroddiadau yn unol â gofynion y rheolwr gwasanaeth a chomisiynydd y gwasanaeth.
• Tracio cynnydd defnyddwyr y gwasanaeth drwy sgorio canlyniadau trwy gydol y rhaglen ac ar ôl i'r rhaglen ddod i ben gan ddefnyddio dull sy'n canolbwyntio ar yr unigolyn.
• Rhoi cyngor ac arweiniad i'r PW1s pan fydd y rheolwr yn absennol.
• Oriau gweithredu arferol y gwasanaeth fydd rhwng 9yb a 5yp ddydd Llun i ddydd Iau a rhwng 9yb a 4:30yp ar ddydd Gwener, ond bydd angen i ddeiliad y swydd fod yn hyblyg o ran oriau gan ein bod ni'n cefnogi pobl ifanc ac yn gweithio o amgylch eu hanghenion nhw.

Meini prawf hanfodol

• Yn gallu cymell eich hun ac yn drefnus iawn.
• Profiad o weithio gyda phobl ifanc rhwng 16 a 25 oed mewn cyd-destunau un i un a gwaith grŵp.
• Profiad o weithio mewn cyd-destun perthnasol gyda phobl ifanc sydd ddim mewn addysg, cyflogaeth na hyfforddiant (NEET).
• Profiad o ddarparu rhaglenni gwaith grŵp.
• Profiad o gynorthwyo i ddatblygu gwasanaeth.
• Profiad o gadw cofnodion ystadegol a llunio adroddiadau cywir.
• Y gallu i rwydweithio a sefydlu cysylltiadau gwaith cadarnhaol gyda sefydliadau partner.
• Profiad o fentora neu arwain.
• Awyddus i weithio er mwyn cyflawni canlyniadau cadarnhaol i bobl ifanc.
• Sgiliau TGCh a chyflwyno da.
• Gallu teithio er mwyn bodloni gofynion y swydd.

Meini Prawf Dymunol

• Y gallu i siarad ac ysgrifennu yn y Gymraeg

Gwybodaeth ychwanegol:

Bydd eich swyddfa yn adeilad Barnardo's, Abertawe, Penlan, ond bydd disgwyl i chi deithio o fewn yr ardal leol.  Rydym ni'n cydnabod pwysigrwydd meithrin hunanhyder, gwytnwch a lles emosiynol plant a phobl ifanc, ac mae'r pethau hyn wrth galon holl Wasanaethau Barnardo's Abertawe. 

Mae ein gwasanaethau yn cynnwys:

• Atal Digartrefedd ymysg Pobl Ifanc – cyngor a chefnogaeth i'r rhai sydd mewn perygl o fod yn ddigartref
• Bloom - Hyfforddiant bywyd a chyfeillio
• Llety â Chymorth – darparu llety â chymorth gyda theulu sy'n cynnig llety
• Gwasanaeth Fflatiau Pontio a Hyfforddi – profiadau byw'n annibynnol a chymorth gyda sgiliau bywyd

Rhaid i chi ddangos ar eich ffurflen gais eich bod yn defnyddio'r sgiliau sy'n cael eu hamlinellu uchod a'r rhai yn y Disgrifiad Swydd/Manyleb y Person, neu eich bod wedi eu defnyddio mewn swydd, addysg, hyfforddiant, cyfleoedd gwirfoddoli ac ati yn y gorffennol.

Ar hyn o bryd, mae hwn yn gontract cyfnod penodol tan 31 Mawrth 2027.  Pe na bai'r cyllid yn cael ei ymestyn wedyn, mae'n bosib y byddai'n rhaid i chi gael ymgynghoriad ynghylch cael eich diswyddo neu drefniant TUPE.

I gael rhagor o wybodaeth neu os hoffech chi gymryd rhan yn y broses recriwtio ar gyfer y swydd hon trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg, cysylltwch â Rachel Cooper, ein rheolwr gwasanaeth drwy anfon e-bost 

Please note due to the high volume of applications for some posts, this advert might close before the displayed closing date. We recommend that you apply for this role as soon as possible.

Pay & Reward Framework

We know that our colleagues go above and beyond in delivering our vital work, driven by their passion and commitment to Barnardo's values.  We also know that we can only realise our ambitions and achieve better outcomes for more children, thanks to the talent, hard work and creativity of our people. 

For all these reasons, we are committed to a new approach to pay and reward, to ensure it is fair, attractive and progressive, which was rolled out in April 2023. This is a positive change for the charity, and a part of our People & Culture Strategy. It will assist us in supporting colleagues to belong, thrive and grow in their colleague journey at Barnardo's and in time will offer clear routes of progression for colleagues in both their career and their pay. 

Whilst the full pay band and salary range is advertised, our approach to starting salaries is to appoint between the minimum to mid-point of the pay band – this ensures that pay steps are available to reward our colleagues annually based on their contribution to excellence and alignment to our values and behaviours.  More details on Barnardo's pay framework can be found upon application. 

Job Title: Fostering Supervising Social Worker

£38,717 per annum (£36,467 salary + £750 homeworking allowance + £1,500 out of hours allowance) + an additional £4,184 London weighting allowance if living in a London borough.

Hours & Contract: 35 Hours per week - Permanent Role 

Location: Homebased with travel required across Kent including Maidstone, Gravesend and Northfleet

As a ‘not for profit’ organisation, TACT puts the needs of our children and carers first and look to appoint individuals who are as passionate about fostering as we are. We are a homeworking organisation, and we pride ourselves on our flexible working opportunities, available from day one, an extensive wellbeing programme and our benefits package, all curated to nurture a healthy work life balance for all our employees so they can give an excellent service to our carers and the young people and children we care for.

As a foster care charity, TACT invests all surplus income into services, staff, carers, and child development. This means that we have been able to invest unique projects like TACT Connect, our unique and ground-breaking scheme for TACT care experienced young people and adults,  as well as our expanding Education and Health services. All our activities are built on our commitment to becoming a fully trauma informed organisation, in line with our key values and ethos.

In 2024 TACT became one of the top 5 charities to work for in the UK, placing 5th in the UK Best Companies Work For survey results , and a top 25 mid-sized company to work with across the whole of the UK.   97% of our people feel proud to work with TACT and think that TACT cares about their wellbeing, while 92% of our people would say they “ love working for TACT”.

This is an exciting opportunity for a Fostering Supervising Social Worker to join our growing team, developing new services and support for our carers in Kent. The Supervising Social Worker will use a therapeutic parenting skills, alongside our trauma informed approach to support and advocate for our carers and the young people and children they look after. The Fostering Supervising Social Worker will be an essential presence in our recruitment and retention of carers events and must be willing to travel regularly as part of their duties.

If you want to be valued as a professional, be appreciated at work and contribute to better outcomes for the children and young people connected with TACT,  apply now.  

Overall Duties of the Fostering Supervising Social Worker will include:

• Provision of regular support and supervisory visits to Foster Carers using a trauma informed approach
• Ensuring children are visited, listened to and are able to participate in TACT's activities
• Identifying the professional development of foster families and provide therapeutic support where appropriate
• Use therapeutic parenting skills and facilitate support groups as needed
• Ensure regulatory requirements are met and exceeded in line with TACT's policies and procedures
• Adhere to child protection and safeguarding procedures and practice
• Participate in activities to develop and grow TACT's presence in the region

 TACT offer an excellent employee benefits package including:

• 31 days paid holiday plus 8 annual bank holidays.
• Progression to salary target rate upon completion of 18 months service.
• 45p per mile for business travel.
• Flexible working arrangements (including compressed hours, flexibility around core hours, volunteer days policy).
• Family friendly policies.
• Homeworking ‘bundle’ including annual allowance, IT equipment and a loan for home office set up.
• Help@Hand Employee Assistance Programme (including CBT counselling, 24/7 remote GP appointments, physiotherapy, mental health support and second opinions on serious diagnosis).
• An hour a week of live, expert led activities through the Annual Employee wellbeing Programme.
• Menopause Policy and free Menopause Clinician Appointments.
• Stakeholder Pension Scheme (salary sacrifice).
• Fantastic learning and development opportunities for all roles.

The Fostering Senior Supervising Social Worker will be required to travel throughout Kent as outlined and to London at least once a month and on other occasions for training and team wellbeing events.

An Enhanced DBS clearance is required for this role and will be processed by TACT on your behalf.

Closing Date: Monday 5th May 2025

Interview Date: Monday 12th May 2025 (via Microsoft Teams)

Safeguarding is everyone’s business and TACT believes that only the people with the right skills and values should work in social work.  As part of TACT’s commitment to safeguarding, we properly examine the skills, experience, qualifications, and values of potential staff in relation to our work with vulnerable young children.  We use rigorous and consistent recruitment approaches to help safeguard TACT’s young people.  All our staff are expected to work in line with TACT’s safeguarding policies.

We reserve the right to close a vacancy earlier than advertised if the volume of applications is excessive, you are therefore advised to apply at your earliest convenience.

TACT does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies, nor the fees associated with them.

Start date:  Mid-August 2025 (subject to Enhanced DBS Check and satisfactory references).

Salary: £36,411 - £38,261 per annum, pro rata.

Hours: 35 hours a week, with some flexibility possible.

Contract: This is a 9 month maternity cover contract, with possibility of extension to 12 months

Place of work: To work flexibly at CARA premises across mid and north Essex, including Braintree, Chelmsford, Clacton, Colchester, Harwich and Dunmow, with some remote home working.

Holiday: 25 days per year pro-rata, plus additional closure days between Christmas and New Year.

To apply: Please complete the application form, which can be downloaded from our website, explaining how your skills and experience relate to the person specification. 

Applications must specifically address each essential and desirable criteria, giving evidence from previous experience or qualifications.

Application deadline:  10am, Monday 2nd June 2025 

Interviews:  Monday 9th June 2025 

Start date: Mid-August, subject to receipt of satisfactory references and enhanced DBS check.

Mandatory Training Dates: To be confirmed.

This post is restricted to women applicants under the Equality Act 2010, Schedule 9, Part 1.

Job Description

The role of CARA’s Child and Young Person’s Practice Manager is to lead CARA’s teams of Young Person’s Practitioners and Child and Family Practitioners and manage the provision of specialist sexual violence counselling for young people, play therapy and support for parents and carers.  The post holder may hold a small caseload of clients and undertake some assessments, but the main emphasis of this role will be on the management, support and coordination of the team.

This is a varied and interesting role, giving the post holder opportunity to lead a talented and committed team of practitioners.   As well as overseeing day-to-day operations of the team, the post holder will be part of CARA’s management team and will have the opportunity to play a key role in CARA’s wider development, working closely with the CEO and Deputy CEO.   The post holder will work with our sister centres, SERICC and SOS Rape Crisis to gain an understanding of Child and Young Person’s services across Essex and coordinate these as appropriate.   

Main Responsibilities

Leadership and Management

• To manage all operational aspects of CARA’s Child and Young Person’s Practice, including overseeing the delivery of our specialist young person’s counselling service, play therapy and support for parents and carers.    This may also include managing any new Child and Young Person’s Practice projects that CARA develops.

• To work in accordance with CARA’s policies and procedures and embed a feminist approach in CARA activities.

• To co-ordinate, review and develop effective processes within the Child and Young Person’s Practice, working closely with the Deputy CEO, the Young Person’s Practitioners and the Child and Family Practitioners.

• To line-manage a team of Young Person’s and Child and Family Practitioners, providing day-to-day support, monitoring performance and identifying training and development needs.   This will include keeping up to date notes of line management meetings and conducting and recording annual staff appraisals.

• Work with our Adult Practice Manager to oversee the work of a wider team of sessional counsellors, including supporting Practitioners in line managing sessional and volunteer counsellors and identifying training needs. This will include helping to co-ordinate a monthly sessional and volunteer counsellor meeting. 

• To support practitioners and sessional counsellors in maintaining up-to-date client records and ensure that gaps in data are proactively addressed, as required.

• To work with CARA’s Deputy CEO to recruit and train new staff and sessional and volunteer counsellors, as required.

• To lead regular Young Person’s Practice and Child and Family Practice meetings, producing notes to share with team members and with senior management.

• To maintain an overview of waiting lists, working closely with practitioners and with the Deputy CEO and CEO to ensure that staff and resources are deployed effectively.

• To keep up to date with relevant legislation, policy and practice issues, including BACP and child safeguarding guidance and ensure the practitioners are aware of changes.

• To liaise with CARA’s other teams and more widely with Synergy Essex teams, resolving problems and ensuring good communication and mutual understanding of respective roles and ways of operating.

• To liaise with external agencies, including children’s mental health and social care, ensuring CARA is represented at meetings as required and developing effective relationships to ensure our services co-ordinate with statutory and voluntary services.

• To be part of the CARA management team and attend regular management team meetings, contributing to CARA’s ongoing development.

Counselling and client support

• To oversee client work within the teams, working closely with all team members to resolve client issues and ensure high quality service provision.

• To undertake client assessments and make appropriate arrangements for support.

• To provide specialist counselling for young people and/or play therapy for children and support for their parents, holding a small caseload of clients.

• To keep client records up to date. 

• To work flexibly at CARA centres across mid and north Essex, providing face-to-face and remote sessions, as required.

General

• To work flexible hours, including some evening work and occasional weekends.

• To participate in CARA team meetings, supervision, training and development.

• To provide specialist advice to other workers and agencies, including participation in delivery of training sessions.

• To raise awareness of sexual violence and its impact in the community and within other agencies.

• To keep appropriate records in accordance with CARA policies and procedures.

• To adhere in full to all CARA’s organisational policies and procedures, including safeguarding procedures.

• To be administratively self-servicing.

• To report to the Deputy CEO, CEO and Trustees as required, including the production of regular written reports and verbal reports.

• To undertake any other related activities as required by the Deputy CEO, CEO or the Chair of the Board of Trustees.

About CARA 

CARA (Centre for Action on Rape and Abuse) works with victims and survivors of sexual violence and child sexual abuse, providing independent, specialist support and promoting and representing their rights and needs.

CARA is a registered charity working with adults of all genders, young people and children from across mid and north Essex.  We have a head office in Colchester and outreach premises in Braintree, Chelmsford, Clacton-on-Sea, Great Dunmow and Harwich. We also provide remote services.

CARA seeks to be an inclusive organisation that actively encourages, supports and values diversity amongst both our service-users and our workers.  We wish to create a culture in which discrimination, in all its forms, is recognised and addressed.

You can read more about CARA’s commitment to diversity and inclusion here.   We encourage and welcome applications from candidates from diverse backgrounds.

About Synergy East

CARA is part of Synergy East and we work closely with South Essex-based SERICC and Southend-on-Sea Rape Crisis (SOS Rape Crisis) to deliver the contract for the Office for the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex for services for victims and survivors of sexual violence and child sexual abuse across Essex.

ID: 1435 FOOD Club Assistant, Family Action FOOD Clubs

Service: FOOD CLUBS

Salary: £27,320 FTE per annum, inclusive of Inner London Weighting (£16,392.00 pro-rata per annum, inclusive of Inner London Weighting)

Location: Tower Hamlets and Aldgate (multiple sites) 

Hours: 22.2 hours per week (part-time) – 3 days per week (Weds 9-5pm, Thurs 8-5pm, Friday 1-8pm)

Contract: Fixed term till 31 March 2026, with possibility of extension. 

Family Action & the Role’s Impact:

At Family Action we support people through change, challenge or crisis. It’s what we’ve done for over 150 years. We protect children, support young people and adults and offer direct, practical help to families and communities. 

We see first-hand the power of family to shape lives, for better or worse, so we speak up for the 

importance of family in national and local policymaking, amplify family voices and represent the changing needs of families in the UK today. 

FOOD Club Support Worker will support all aspects of the day-to-day running of the programme, to ensure the clubs have high standards of service delivery. 

You will have previous experience in at least one of the following environments: retail, health & safety, environmental health, education and/or previous work with families 

You will have an enthusiasm for delivering high quality customer service and have a clear understanding of food hygiene standards and procedures.

Main Responsibilities:

Our FOOD (Food On Our Doorstep) programme aims to: provide regular access to a sustainable supply of food to people at risk of food insecurity; encourage families to access local support services and be signposted to other agencies; increase disposable income for local families to improve life chances and wellbeing; reduce the amount of food being sent to landfill in the UK by utilising surplus food. 

Key tasks and responsibilities:

1. Supporting all aspects of the day-to-day running of the programme to ensure the clubs have high standards of service delivery.

2. Supporting the FOOD Club Coordinator to carry out regular compliance checks to ensure the quality and safety of the service, in order to protect service users and Family Action. 

3. Ensuring all aspects of the role are carried out in line with food safety/hygiene standards.

4. Ensure volunteers are using up-to-date allergies forms to prevent any risk to service users.

5. Support the FOOD Club Coordinator with financial checks, stock control, recruitment, induction and training of volunteers.

6. Recording accurate data to enable the FOOD Club Coordinator to report on KPIs, including uptake of the scheme, service user income, and the positive financial impact on families. 

7. Encourage regular attendance at FOOD Clubs to ensure income is maintained and to prevent food wastage. 

8. Provide regular feedback to the FOOD Club Coordinator on the quality of food and resources from suppliers. 

Main Requirements (for details check the job description and person specification):

Appointments are subject to Family Action receiving a satisfactory disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service – Enhanced level. 

Benefits: 

- an annual paid leave entitlement that commences at 25 working days, rising each April by one day, subject to a maximum of 30 working days plus bank holidays pro rata. 

- up to 6% matched-pension contributions

- flexible working arrangements and new starters have the right to make flexible working requests from day one of employment

- enhanced paid sick leave and paid family leave provisions

- eye care and winter flu jabs vouchers

- cycle to work scheme

- investing in your professional development with ongoing quality training and career development opportunities

We are forward looking, ambitious and committed to continuous improvement. We are a people focused, can-do organisation, which strives for excellence in all we do and operates with mutual respect.

To Apply:

• Click the “Apply Now” link below and fill out our digital application form

• Closing Date: Wednesday 30th April 2025 at 23:59

• To learn more about Family Action: Careers

• To help us fulfil our commitment to diversity and promoting equal opportunities: complete our anonymous Equality & Diversity Monitoring Information survey

For direct queries or if you would like to discuss any aspect of the selection process or flexible working requests, please email Ayla Buruyan (full email available on the advert on our careers page)

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion:

We are happy to consider any reasonable adjustments that candidates may need during the recruitment process and you will be asked whether you require any adjustments if shortlisted for interview. We also make reasonable adjustments on the job, where required.

We are committed to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion in all that we do and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Intersectionality is important to us and we particularly welcome applications from ethnically diverse communities, LGBTQIA+ candidates and disabled candidates because we are committed to increasing the representation of these groups at Family Action. We know that greater diversity will lead to even greater results for families and children and strive for our workforce to be truly representative of the diverse communities we support. We offer a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the role, and will reimburse your travel cost if you attend an interview.

*Ordinarily Family Action appoints new starters at the starting point of the salary scale (with subsequent annual pay progression), unless you have experience that would justify appointment further up the salary scale or there are any other exceptional reasons.

Job Title: Fostering Form F Assessing Social Worker

Salary: £37,088 per annum + £750 Homeworking Allowance per annum

Hours: 35 Hours Per Week

Contract: Fixed Term Contract - 12 Months

Location: Homebased in Yorkshire region but must be willing to undertake assessments across the Yorkshire, North East and North West region. 

As a ‘not for profit’ organisation, TACT puts the needs of our children and carers first and look to appoint individuals who are as passionate about fostering as we are. We are a homeworking organisation, and we pride ourselves on our flexible working opportunities, available from day one, an extensive wellbeing programme and our benefits package, all curated to nurture a healthy work life balance for all our employees so they can give an excellent service to our carers and the young people and children we care for.

As a foster care charity, TACT invests all surplus income into services, staff, carers, and child development. This means that we have been able to invest unique projects like TACT Connect, our unique and ground-breaking scheme for TACT care experienced young people and adults,  as well as our expanding Education and Health services. All our activities are built on our commitment to becoming a fully trauma informed organisation, in line with our key values and ethos.

In 2024 TACT became one of the top 5 charities to work for in the UK, placing 5th in the UK Best Companies Work For survey results , and a top 25 mid-sized company to work with across the whole of the UK.   97% of our people feel proud to work with TACT and think that TACT cares about their wellbeing, while 92% of our people would say they “ love working for TACT”.

If you want to be valued as a professional, be appreciated at work and contribute to better outcomes for the children and young people connected with TACT, apply now.

Whilst being homebased, the Fostering Form F Assessing Social Worker will be required to travel to undertake assessments across the Yorkshire, North East and North West region. There is also a requirement to be able to travel to Team meetings, wellbeing days, TACT away days and other in person events across the UK as and when required. 

Core Fostering Form F Assessing Social Worker Tasks include: 

• Preparing applicants for the fostering role
• Promoting and supporting the development of trauma informed foster care / therapeutic parenting
• Assessment of prospective foster families
• Contributing to the continuous improvement of fostering assessments and applicant preparation

The main role requirements for this role include:

• BA or Master’s in Social Work or Dip SW, CSS or CQSW qualification
• Social Work England Registration
• Post qualifying experience including relevant family placement work or post qualifying experience in other child-care settings which must include statutory childcare work
• Experience of assessing foster families and preparing them for the fostering tasks
• A proven track record in working with and on behalf of children and foster families, using a trauma-informed therapeutic approach
• A passion for ensuring children receive the highest quality care from their foster family
• Knowledge of relevant child-care and fostering regulations, legislation, and best practice
• Good IT skills including Office 365

TACT offer an excellent employee benefits package including:

• 31 days paid holiday plus 8 annual bank holidays.
• Flexible working arrangements (including compressed hours, flexibility around core hours, volunteer days policy).
• Family friendly policies.
• Homeworking ‘bundle’ including annual allowance, IT equipment and a loan for home office set up.
• Help@Hand Employee Assistance Programme (including CBT counselling, 24/7 remote GP appointments, physiotherapy, mental health support and second opinions on serious diagnosis).
• An hour a week of live, expert led activities through the Annual Employee wellbeing Programme.
• Menopause Policy and free Menopause Clinician Appointments.
• Stakeholder Pension Scheme (salary sacrifice).
• Fantastic learning and development opportunities for all roles.

An Enhanced DBS clearance is required for this role and will be processed by TACT on your behalf.

Please see the Job Information Pack, Job Description and TACT website for more detailed information.

Closing Date: Monday, 8th May 2025
Interview Date: Monday, 19th May 2025 (via Microsoft Teams)

Safeguarding is everyone’s business and TACT believes that only the people with the right skills and values should work in social work.  As part of TACT’s commitment to safeguarding, we properly examine the skills, experience, qualifications, and values of potential staff in relation to our work with vulnerable young children.  We use rigorous and consistent recruitment approaches to help safeguard TACT’s young people.  All our staff are expected to work in line with TACT’s safeguarding policies.

We reserve the right to close a vacancy earlier than advertised if the volume of applications is excessive, you are therefore advised to apply at your earliest convenience.

TACT does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies, nor the fees associated with them.

Youth Worker - Central Bedfordshire Youth Support Service

16 hours per week 

£26,100.00 per annum / £11,931.43 pro rata for 16 hours a week

Location: Across Central Bedfordshire



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. 

This role sits within our Youth Impact Domain, which provides direct services to children young people and families who need support.  Your role will be to help us develop innovative youth practice across Central Bedfordshire.

Youth work is life-changing for young people, and we're excited to be expanding our services across Central Bedfordshire.  We want to empower young people through impactful and transformative youth work, and we are looking for dedicated professionals to join our dynamic and ambitious team during this exciting period of service mobilisation.

We are seeking a dedicated youth worker with direct experience of working with children and young people, either in a professional or voluntary capacity.  As a youth worker, you will play a crucial role in providing support and in empowering young people as they transition into adulthood. You will deliver a range of services to young people, which will include working as part of a team in the youth centres, activity based sessions, carrying out detached work in the community, providing support within schools alongside structured one to one support.

In order to be successful in this role, you must have: 

-Direct experience working with children and young people on a one-to-one basis and in group work settings in a professional or voluntary capacity

-Ability to build relationships and maintain appropriate professional boundaries

-Strong understanding and experience of the challenges faced by vulnerable young people and those with complex needs

-Commitment to the values and mission of youth work, as well as safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people

-Experience of working independently and as part of a team in the field of youth work

-Experience of developing inclusive practice

-Experience in a relevant area of work e.g., Youth Work, Social Care, Family support, Youth Offending, Education or equivalent

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 applying for work in our Children and Young People's Directorate will be required to complete an “Employment history template” document prior to interview. The fully completed document should be uploaded by the candidate alongside uploading your CV.

Benefits 

Enhanced Annual Leave 28 days-length of service extra 2 after 2, 5 and 7 goes up to 36 days.

Free eye test-claim back via my finance-take form to dentist-eye test form can also claim for glasses.

Pension-match contribution up to 8% can opt out, have to auto enrolled every 2 years do get money refunded if opt out you contribute 4% and will be matched to 8%

Life assurance - death in service, 4x salary gets paid to nominated person.

Cycle to work 39% off bike cost can be spread across the year.

770 retailers discounts offered with YouStar App.

The closing date for applications is midnight on 1st May 2025. If after 14 days, we have received enough applications we reserve the right to close this vacancy on the 17th April onwards.

Interviews will be held TBC.

This post will involve irregular hours, including late evenings, and occasional weekend working.  There will be travel primarily within Central Bedfordshire, therefore access to own transport will therefore be required.

IN1

Mind in Camden has the exciting permanent opportunity to recruit people to work on our leading Hearing Voices Projects.

The Hearing Voices Projects Support Worker will play a vital role in ensuring that those who need our services receive kind and compassionate support. The role involves a mix of frontline support work, administrative support, and working closely with the rest of the team to build and further develop our services. Therefore, the ideal candidate will have excellent communication and organisation skills.

Within the Hearing Voices Projects, lots of opportunities arise for networking, collaboration, and professional development, which can lead to some fun and interesting pieces of work. We are looking for someone with knowledge of peer support and a range of perspectives on mental health to join our Hearing Voices Projects team and to help us support the people who need our services.

The Hearing Voices Projects have a global reputation for offering compassionate, person-centred support that avoids pathologising experiences, especially those that are often highly stigmatised.

Among other tasks, you will be required to:

• Work with partner organisations to establish hearing voices peer support groups in addition to organising and facilitating existing groups.
• Offer support to a range of people who hear voices and/or have other sensory experiences or difficult beliefs (at the moment, primarily young people and their families) in a variety of ways (email, Zoom, phone, face-to-face).
• Deal with enquiries and offer information to interested stakeholders.
• Facilitate focus groups and support young people’s involvement in a range of areas.
• Support relevant data monitoring and evaluation on the projects.

We particularly welcome applications from people from under-represented groups, as well as those who have lived experience of mental distress and are able to use this to inform their work.

For more information and to apply, please visit our jobs page.

Closing date: 5.00pm on 7th May 2025.
First interviews: w/c 14th May 2025.
Second interviews: w/c 19th May 2025 (TBC).

Are you looking for a dynamic and rewarding role working for an organisation with the feminist agenda at the core of its ethos? Then Advance Charity could be the career choice for you!

We are looking for a Benefits and Debt Worker

Salary: £28,000 - £32,000

Location: Hammersmith

Hours: 35 Hours per week

Contract: Permanent

This post is open to female applicants only as being female is deemed to be a genuine occupational requirement under Schedule 9, Paragraph 1 of the Equality Act 2010.

Please note: Any offer of employment will be made subject to references, confirmation of the right to work in the UK, and satisfactory enhanced DBS check. This role is also subject to Police Vetting.

About us

Advance is an award-winning and innovative women-only organisation, established in 1998, providing emotional and practical support to women and girls survivors of domestic abuse and supporting women with short-term sentences to reduce offending. We believe in empowering women and girls to lead safe, non-violent, equal lives so that they can flourish and contribute to the community.

We are a community-based organisation who lead in best practice approaches to supporting women in their local community. We achieve this by being available to meet and support women in local settings and at our women’s centres, and by working in close partnership with other agencies.

Our values are to listen and support, to empower and respect, collaboration, innovation, and accountability.

About the role:

We are recruiting for a talented Benefits and Debt Worker who has a background in supporting women or children who have experienced domestic violence to make a genuine difference to the lives of survivors. We believe in empowering women and girls to lead safe, non-violent, equal lives and you will play a key role in helping us deliver vital services to those who need them the most. As a Benefits and Debt Worker you will provide service users with advice and support on finance and debt. Carrying out comprehensive assessments, via phone and face-to-face, and you will provide advocacy and support that empowers survivors primarily during crises and in the short term. You will also proactively work with other agencies on the service users’ behalf. You will hold a caseload of survivors and work as part of our duty team on a rota basis which will involve completing intake assessments and providing crisis intervention support.

About You:

To be successful as the Benefits and Debt Worker you will need the below experience and skills:

You will have the ability to encourage user engagement with the service through proactive contact. Maintain project logs and collate data from the logs for Team Managers. Proactively assess the needs and safety of any children that women using the service may have. Bring your experience of providing benefit, and debt advice and successfully, managing high numbers of calls and/or cases and have a solid understanding (possibly experience) of supporting women who have experienced domestic violence, forced marriage or ‘honour-based violence.

How to apply:

Please submit your up-to-date CV with a supporting statement. Please note that only applications made via the job advert on the Advance careers page, and those that include a cover letter will be considered.

Closing Date for Applications: 4th May 2025

Interviews are taking place on a rolling basis

*Advance reserves the right to close the advert early, or on the appointment of a candidate.

What we can offer you - Employee Benefits:

A 35-hour working week

An exceptional 30 days of paid holiday per year (pro rata for part time), PLUS public holidays on top (that's nearly 40 days paid holiday per year!)

Additional days off to celebrate International Women’s Day, and for religious observance and moving home

Perkbox - an employee discount platform where you can receive free rewards as well as take advantage of savings on clothes, groceries, travel, leisure and more

Pension scheme

Enhanced maternity/adoption provision

Access to our Employee Assistance Programme

Employee eye-care scheme

Clinical supervision for front line staff and first line management roles

Refer a Friend Scheme - £250 for each referral who passes probation

Organisation wide away days

Thorough induction and training

Career development pathways

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Under the Equality Act 2010, we are required to make any reasonable adjustments. If you have a disability as defined under this act and/or have special needs, please email the Talent Acquisition Team via the Advance website and will aim to make the necessary arrangements to accommodate your needs.

Diversity, Inclusion and Equal Opportunities

We are committed to providing equality of opportunity and actively seek to recruit people from groups underrepresented in our current team. We have policies and processes in place to ensure that all employees are offered an equal opportunity in recruitment and selection, promotion, training, pay and benefits.

Safeguarding

Advance is committed to safeguarding and creating a culture of zero-tolerance of harm and expects all staff, including volunteers to share this commitment. We believe all individuals have the right to live their life free from violence and abuse and the right to feel and be safe. We have a suite of safeguarding policies, procedures and practice guidance, accessible to all staff, which promotes safeguarding and safer working practices across all our services and activities. When we recruit staff, we follow rigorous safer recruitment practices, this involves carrying out pre-employment checks including references, Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks, and identity checks. We ensure all staff undertake mandatory safeguarding training relevant to their role and responsibilities, to empower them to be competent and feel confident in recognising and responding appropriately to safeguarding issues and promote wellbeing.

About the role

We are delighted to have received three-year funding from the Aviva Foundation to fund this brand-new Grants Officer role based in London.

You’ll be part of our Programmes team supporting kinship carers in London to access grants which will help reduce financial stress. This could be grants to buy things like white goods and uniforms or accessing Buttle grants to support children growing up in kinship care.

As Grants Officer you’ll talk to kinship carers, discuss their needs, their priorities and then write charitable grant applications on their and their family’s behalf. 

You will oversee and deliver the grants process, including co-ordinating the purchase of items (such as children’s clothes, beds or washing machines), collecting receipts for items as required by the funders and liaising with all teams to ensure timely receipt of funds within the charity and to the kinship carers.

Building relationships with funders is core, sharing the impact of the grants and insight about the lives of kinship families in London. You’ll work closely with Programmes, Peer Support, Training and Advice colleagues who work with kinship families in London.

You will also create and run online and face-to-face workshops and clinics, helping kinship carers to understand how to apply for other grants, thereby encouraging resilience and confidence to apply for grants themselves.

You will be a proactive and persuasive relationship builder, able to create partnerships with a range of organisations and peer support groups that support kinship families.

You’ll build trusting and respectful relationships with kinship carers who you will work one-to-one with in community settings. And you’ll build relationships with a range of grant giving organisations across London.

We’re looking for someone who can really deliver impact and demonstrate how embedding this role into the community helps to unlock funding and support for kinship carers at a local level.

The type of person we’re looking for

Kinship carers are at the heart of all we do. This role could be the difference between a kinship carer being able to dress their child for school properly, being able to buy a fridge, take a first holiday to the seaside… or going without.

We are looking for someone who is really organised and who is able to capture and present information clearly in a persuasive grant application. The successful applicant will be compassionate, empathetic, and organised. We are looking for someone who understands the needs of kinship families.

Key responsibilities include:

• Delivering our new grants service across London.
• Meeting performance targets and KPIs as directed.
• Working with kinship carers and their families across London to gather information to complete and submit grant applications.
• Administering grants we secure for our kinship carers and carry out all the necessary administration related to grants.
• Undertaking research to identify funders and build excellent relationships with local grant making charities in order to increase support for kinship families.
• Delivering grant workshops at peer support groups sharing information about locally available grants and providing advice and support on making a successful application.
• Running face-to-face grant clinics within peer support groups or community venues in London, working directly with kinship carers to write and submit requests for grants.

Essential criteria includes:

• Experience of speaking to vulnerable people on the telephone, face-to-face and online, and gathering information with empathy and understanding.
• Experience of working with socially excluded or marginalised people and their families in face-to-face and community settings.
• Experience of running online and face-to-face workshops. 
• An understanding of budgeting, managing money, income and expenditure.
• Proven understanding of the importance of confidentiality and a non-judgmental approach.
• Evidence of awareness of safeguarding issues and good practice. 
• Experience of organising and prioritising a busy workload without close supervision.
• Proven clear understanding of the need to keep grants records and communication with kinship carers and funders up to date.
• Excellent research and writing skills. 

How to apply

In place of a cover letter, you will be asked to answer the following four questions, alongside providing your CV. Please keep your answers to a maximum of 250 words.

1. Tell us why you’re interested in working for Kinship in this role and what experience you bring that would make you successful? This is an opportunity to tell us about you, your experience and your values.
2. This role requires writing persuasive and accurate grant applications for kinship families. What steps did you take, and how did you ensure the application was compelling and met the funder's criteria?
3. This role requires balancing administrative tasks (like tracking grants and recording data) with direct support work. How do you prioritise your workload and ensure deadlines are met without compromising service quality?
4. Please describe your experience of supporting vulnerable individuals or families in a community or face-to-face setting. What approach did you take to build trust and gather information sensitively?

Key Dates

• Application deadline: Tuesday 6 May, 5pm
• Interview: Online – Monday 12 May

About Kinship

We are Kinship. The leading kinship care charity in England and Wales. We’re here for kinship carers – friends or family who step up to raise a child when their parents aren’t able to.

We are made by and for our community of kinship carers. Like family, relationships run deep. And we hear their experiences; for too long they have been isolated without the help they need.

We support, advise and inform kinship carers. Connecting them so they feel empowered. Because a child needs the love and warmth of a thriving family.

We develop research, campaigns and policy solutions. Creating positive change across society. Because for kinship families, love alone is not enough.

Through our work we harness frustrations to fuel passion for change. And tough experiences to inspire ideas that transform lives.

And as we see momentum building, we keep using evidence to demonstrate the value of kinship care. Helping kinship carers navigate challenging circumstances. Believing in a child’s potential.

Join us. Together, let’s commit to change for kinship families.

Support Worker - Community Connector - Assessment and Engagement Team - 3 (Buckinghamshire)

Location: Buckinghamshire

Salary: £24,242 - £24,848 per annum

Job Type: Permanent, 37 hours per week

You have a good understanding of the harm caused by alcohol and drug use to adults, young people, children, families and society and a sympathetic approach to people who misuse them.

All you need is the perfect environment to put your skills to great use. Welcome to Aquarius as a Support Worker (Community Connector – Assessment and Engagement Team)

Aquarius is a charity that helps people and communities overcome the harm caused by alcohol, drugs and gambling. We are part of ‘One Recovery Buckinghamshire’ (ORB), a partnership between Inclusion (MPFT NHS Trust), Aquarius, and Build on Belief providing support for alcohol and drug issues across Buckinghamshire.

We are looking for three Support Workers (Community Connectors – Assessment and Engagement Team) to join our team. We have three positions available in Aylesbury.

Your challenge? To provide advice, support, advocacy and key work for recovery plans and undertake elements of assessment and case management as directed. And, all the while, we’ll expect you to operate in a way that recognises and values diversity and understands the functional model of substance use, the Recovery Agenda and the problems caused by alcohol and drug misuse.

Preferably with a NVQ 2/3 in Social Care, or willing to attain this, you are used to working to policy and procedural requirements that include child protection, vulnerable adults, confidentiality and health & safety. We’ll also be looking for good written and verbal communication skills and the ability to maintain accurate records and fulfil data requirements. A flexible approach is important too, as is a commitment to taking a client centred approach to providing services and working in a way that recognises and values diversity.

To Apply

If you feel you are a suitable candidate and would like to work for Waythrough, please click apply to be redirected to their website to complete your application.

We are committed to increasing our diversity and we would welcome applications from those with lived experience and/or anyone from a Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic group.

This is a rolling recruitment process; shortlisted candidates will be interviewed as and when they apply.