Children social worker jobs

We’re looking for a kind and compassionate person to join our Family Support team supporting families whilst they are in hospital in London and Surrey. You’ll support families whose child has cancer or a life challenging condition offering emotional and practical support when it’s most needed – helping families feel less alone during some of their most difficult times.

As a Hospital Family Support Worker, you’ll split your time between a number of families, visiting them whilst they are inpatients on the ward or as an outpatient, along with keeping in touch with them when they are not in hospital via phone, email or text. Whether sitting with a parent at their child’s hospital bedside, supporting a teenager on the ward, along with collaborating with hospital teams and Momentum community colleagues to deliver a seamless and impactful service, ensuring continuity of support beyond hospital stays... you’ll make sure families know they’re not facing this journey alone.

Ideally, your hours will be spread across five days, we are open to discussion on this. You will also have regular peer support, clinical supervision, and opportunities to develop your skills. You’ll be part of a small, friendly, and passionate team who look out for each other just as much as we look out for the families we support.

The role is about being calm, empathetic, building trust, being there when it matters, and making sure families know they’re not alone.

Kentown Family Support Worker

£24,000 pa + Company Car (with an approx. retail value of £23,000-26,000, taxable benefit in kind of £6-£8K) and other excellent benefits

To Cover East Lancashire

Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity is going through an exciting time where we are growing, with the aim of reaching more families in need.

About the role:

'We are looking to appoint a Family Support Worker on a full-time basis (35 hours, 5 days per week) to deliver a high-quality family support service as part of our Kentown Team Team to families in the local area, at a time where they need it most.

Reporting to the Family Support Manager of the Kentown Team and working in partnership with health, education and social care professionals, you will take responsibility for providing needs-led emotional, social and practical support to families where a child or young person has a life threatening or terminal illness. You will enjoy responsibility for managing your own schedule, remaining flexible to the needs of the families on your caseload.

Having worked in a demanding and emotional environment you have a genuine interest in building supportive relationships and helping people; and having provided bereavement support to families, you understand processes of grief, loss and change - and how best to help others deal with its impact.

What we’re looking for:

·An experienced child health, education or social care professional - applications will be particularly welcome from those who have worked in a community environment and those with a recognised qualification in education, health or social care.

·A warm, inclusive approach to achieving goals quickly and correctly.

·Practiced in child protection, information sharing and the rules around data protection - you lead by example, drawing on your own professional experience and working within established guidelines.

·Practical and people-oriented - you will thrive working at a fast pace whilst maintaining accuracy and be a confident user of IT (including MSOffice)

·A persuasive and open communicator, you will work collaboratively with your team and volunteers to ensure delivery of a high-quality service and support fundraising colleagues by writing case studies and family updates

·A practical knowledge of diversity issues affecting children, young people, and their families – aware that being responsive to others needs and concerns, is essential.

What we offer:

We are proud to be a Best Companies Two-Star rated organisation, an outstanding place to work! As a Top 10 Charity, we have a range of fantastic benefits that we offer our employees, including:

• Control over your own schedule, based on the needs of families on your caseload, to balance home and working life

• Company car for front line care posts (car P11D value of £23,000-26,000, taxable benefit in kind of £6-£8k)

• Pension scheme where we contribute 5% of your salary and you contribute at least 3%

• 25 days of annual leave plus public holidays – rising to 26 days after 1 year, 27 days after 5 years and 30 days after 11 years, with an additional 5 years to use in your 10th or 20th year of service (pro rata for part time)

• The option to buy/sell annual leave, as well as additional leave for your birthday, wedding/civil ceremony and an extra half day off for Christmas shopping

• Time off in Lieu

• Family friendly policies, focused on employee wellbeing, and an active cross-organisational wellbeing group running a number of initiatives throughout the year

• Employee Assistance Programme with access to remote GP, counselling, physiotherapy, resources to support your mental health and financial wellbeing, as well as a 24/7 helpline via Help@Hand

• Access to the Blue Light Card Scheme, and other rewards and discounts

• Bike to work, season ticket loan and payroll giving schemes

• A recommend a friend recruitment bonus scheme

• Robust training and development programmes to support your learning and growth.

If you’d like to find out more about these benefits and working with us, please visit our why work with us page on our website.

More information about us and our recruitment process can be found in our Candidate Pack on our website.

Development opportunities:

As part of our learning and development Anne Harris Skills Development Programme, we aim to provide a high level of training and development opportunities for all staff, so you are able to perform to the best of your ability, achieve individual and team objectives aligned to Rainbow Trusts strategic plan, supporting staff to be their best and feel a valued member of a high performing organisation.

We also have a fantastic learning and development programme - the Anne Harris skills development programme - in which we aim to provide a high level of training and development opportunities for all staff, so you are able to perform to the best of your ability, achieve individual and team objectives aligned to Rainbow Trusts strategic plan, supporting staff to be the best they can be, and feel a valued member of a high performing organisation.

Our Family Support Workers are given the opportunity to complete a number of diverse training courses in their first 12 months, including but not limited to: Mental Health First Aid, Makaton, counselling skills, and Introduction to Play.

The programme aims to provide a building block for you to individually tailor your own learning and development needs, with all family support workers having a foundation level of skills within their first year.

About us:

Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity enables families who have a child with a life-threatening or terminal illness to make the most of their time together, providing expert practical and emotional support where they need, it for as long as it is needed. For families living with childhood illness, time is everything. Right now, there are too many families coping alone with no support, no time to think, no time to make memories and no time for each other. We believe that no family should go through this alone, so we are here to change that.

How to apply:

To apply please visit our website via the link and apply online.

Please disclose on your application form if you have used AI for any part of your job application.

Early application is encouraged as we will review applications throughout the advertising period and reserve the right to close the advert early.

Additional information:

Interviews will take place via Teams or in person with a date to be confirmed. We will only contact those applicants who have been successful.

There will be a requirement for flexible working and a full current driver’s licence to accommodate the team and family need. An enhanced DBS disclosure will be required for this post.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and we expect all employees to share this commitment.

Rainbow Trust is an equal opportunities employer and we welcome applications from all backgrounds. We are a Best Companies One-Star rated organisation.

We are recruiting for a Children's Support Worker to join our team in Lewisham; the scope on this job involves….

Job Title: Children's Support Worker

Location: Athena, Lewisham
Salary: £29,701.36 per annum
Contract type: Full-time, Fixed term (1 year)

Hours: 37.5

We are looking for kind, empathetic, and dedicated individuals to join Refuge as a Children’s Support Worker within the Athena service. The Athena service delivers specialist support to women and children experiencing domestic abuse. As a Children’s Support Worker, you will play a key role in supporting children to recover, build resilience, and feel safe in a nurturing environment.

The scope of this role involves: Providing direct support to children and young people who have experienced domestic abuse, Delivering age-appropriate one-to-one and group support sessions, Supporting children’s emotional wellbeing, safety, and development, Working closely with mothers to support positive parenting and family relationships, Developing and implementing support and safety plans tailored to individual needs, Liaising with external agencies including schools, social services, and health professionals, Maintaining accurate, confidential case records and reports, Promoting a safe, inclusive, and child-centred environment within the refuge.

This is a rewarding opportunity to provide high-quality practical and emotional support to survivors of domestic violence and their children who are living in refuge accommodation.

Closing date: 9.00am on 16 June 2026

Interview date: 30 June 2026

Benefits

Refuge offers a variety of exciting opportunities to learn, develop and grow in your career. We recognise the value everyone brings to the organisation to achieve our aims and are dedicated to developing and rewarding our staff. More details of our benefits can be found in Job Information Pack.

We are looking for two Domestic Abuse Prevention Workers to support the delivery of services across Greater Manchester.

The role
The Domestic Abuse Prevention Worker will undertake individual and group sessions with men and women who are participating in our Domestic Abuse Prevention Programmes (DAPP) or Domestic Abuse Interventions. The purpose of this role is to deliver sessions that support a perpetrator to address and change their behaviour, ensuring they develop their understanding of domestic abuse, as well as it’s impact on others. You will conduct comprehensive needs and suitability assessments. You will support the delivery of face-to-face and online sessions, including two evening group sessions per week. 

As a Domestic Abuse Prevention Worker, you will work with people on awareness raising, developing their motivation to change, ensuring accountability, and prioritising the safety of their partners/ex-partners and any children involved. The Domestic Abuse Prevention worker will work closely with the victim/survivor integrated service to review risk, develop safety plans, and improve outcomes for all parties involved. 

About you
You’ll have a deep understanding of the nature of domestic abuse and its effects on clients and children, as well as the reasons behind abusive behaviours towards intimate partners.

 Your knowledge extends to the range of statutory and voluntary agencies that clients and their children may encounter, and you are aware of the impact of domestic abuse on children and parenting, including the additional needs of clients from BMER communities. 

You will have experience in working with clients on issues of domestic abuse, providing one-to-one and group support and advice, managing your own workload and administration, and assessing the risk and safety of your clients and those connected to your client. You will have handled safeguarding disclosures and referrals, and you communicate clearly with a range of people both over the telephone and in person. 

You will be organised, able to use your initiative, and work effectively as part of a multi-service team. Your administrative skills are strong, and you are adept at using a computer to maintain effective systems. 

Flexible and willing to work evenings, you can travel independently. Additionally, you will have an understanding of trauma-informed practices, risk mitigation, and safeguarding. Experience liaising with social workers and other professionals, and in related areas such as substance misuse, child protection, or family support, is desirable. 

Fluency in an additional language and skills in group work are also advantageous. You stay updated with best practices and new initiatives. 

We want you to feel empowered to bring your authentic self to this role, so we encourage flexible working around core hours. We offer an annual continuous Professional Development allowance, generous annual leave entitlement and Birthday leave.

About us
We want to make working at TLC an enjoyable and rewarding experience.
It takes a dedicated, passionate, and flexible team to deliver the range of services we provide. We’re lucky to have over 150 people on our teams and 12 Trustees who believe in what we do. We are looking for enthusiastic, experienced, engaged and highly motivated people to join our team.

We aim to encourage a culture where people can be themselves and be valued for their strengths. We seek to attract and employ the best people from the widest pool, reflecting the diverse range of people we support.

We want to make our recruitment processes accessible to everyone, so if there is any way that we can support you to be the best you can be, please contact us. 

This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check.

Please note: we will be shortlisting applications on an on-going basis so we encourage applicants not to wait until the closing date to submit an application where possible.

Do you have experience working with families and children aged 0-13, a good understanding of the needs of vulnerable families and a relevant vocational or academic qualification?

Welcare is recruiting an experienced Family Support Worker to deliver a broad-based preventative and responsive support service for families with children up to the age of 13 in partnership with schools, churches, the local authority and other agencies, in the London boroughs of Bromley and Greenwich.Local knowledge of Bromley and Greenwich areas would be an advantage.

You will be delivering practical and emotional support to enhance the lived experiences of children and families through one-to-one support and group work programmes.  The post requires working with families in person and online remote working.  The office base is in Community House, Bromley.

Please refer to the job description and person specification for further details.

Registered Manager – Jarvis House a home which is rated good aspiring to be outstanding

Salary: £51,275 - £58,927 per annum (Pay Grade B) at time of writing

Additional allowances are paid for on-call duties.

Please contact Karen Ciantar for an informal chat - karen.ciantar @ barnardos. org. uk 

Create Safety. Build Belonging. Help Children Grow.

Barnardo's is looking for a compassionate, values‑driven Registered Manager to lead Jarvis House, a small, nurturing residential home supporting children at a time when safety, stability, and kindness matter most.

Jarvis House supports up to three children through short‑ to medium‑term placements, including emergency admissions when no suitable alternative is immediately available. It offers a therapeutic, trauma‑informed environment where children can begin to feel safer, happier, healthier, and more hopeful, and where they are supported to heal, grow, and thrive.

This is not just about running a home. It's about creating a calm, structured space where relationships come first, experiences are understood with compassion, and children are supported to prepare for what comes next.

What Jarvis House Offers Children

Each child's time at Jarvis House is shaped by a sensitive, holistic assessment that helps us understand their experiences, strengths, and needs. Our team works closely with children to help them recover from trauma, build emotional resilience, and develop vital life skills. When children move on, whether to a foster family, a longer‑term placement, or back home, they do so with stronger foundations and greater confidence in themselves.

As one colleague put it:

“Jarvis House gives children breathing space. We slow things down, really listen, and help them believe in themselves again.”

Your Role

As Registered Manager, you will:

• Lead a small, committed team with warmth, clarity, and consistency
• Create a therapeutic, trauma‑informed environment where children feel safe and supported to thrive
• Hold the balance between structure and nurture, especially during emergency and transition placements
• Ensure high‑quality care, safeguarding, and regulatory compliance
• Embed relational, child‑centred practice in everyday decision‑making
• Support staff through reflective supervision and development
• Work collaboratively with families, social workers, and partner agencies

One of our managers describes the leadership culture at Barnardo's like this:

“You're trusted to lead in a way that feels human. You're supported, challenged, and never expected to do it alone.”

What Children Tell Us Matters

“I need people who don't leave when things get hard.”
 “Feeling safe helps me think about what comes next.”

As Registered Manager, you will keep these voices at the centre of your leadership.

What We're Looking For

You'll be someone who:

• Has experience leading or managing within residential children's services
• Understands trauma, attachment, and emotionally informed care
• Holds (or is working towards) a Level 5 Leadership and Management qualification
• Leads with curiosity, compassion, and emotional resilience
• Believes that strong relationships are the foundation of great care
• Wants to make a genuine difference in children's lives

Why Join Barnardo's?

At Barnardo's, values are more than words on a page. They shape how we lead, how we support staff, and how we care for children.

“I stay because the care is real, for the children and for us as staff.”
 “We're encouraged to reflect, to learn, and to keep getting better.”

You'll be part of an organisation that invests in its people and believes that when staff feel supported, children thrive too.

Job Title: Refuge Worker

Location: This is an onsite role, located within the London Borough of Hounslow, there may be a requirement to occasionally work in the London Borough of Hillingdon.
Salary: £17,314,27 per annum (Inclusive of London Weighting, which may not be applicable depending on your home location)

Contract type: Part Time, Permanent 

Hours: 22.5 hours (days to be discussed) - As part of this role, you will be required to participate in an out-of-hours on call rota.

This is an opportunity to join Refuge as a Refuge Worker to provide high quality practical and emotional support to survivors of domestic violence and their children living in our refuges.

The post holder will provide high quality practical and emotional support to survivors of domestic violence and their children living in our refuges. This includes safety planning and enabling women to access housing, welfare, benefits, and legal advice. A key requirement is to provide personal welfare support and to ensure that women are provided with a safe, supportive, and welcoming environment in accordance with Refuge’s philosophical principles.

This is a rewarding role where your work has a direct impact every day. In return, we offer a supportive team environment, opportunities for training and development, and the chance to be part of a cause that truly matters.

As part of this role, you will be required to participate in an out-of-hours on call rota.

This post is restricted to women due to the nature of the role. The Occupational Requirement under Schedule 9 (part 1) of the Equality Act 2010 applies.

Closing Date: 09:00am 29 June 2026

Interview Dates: 14 and 15 July 2026

We're looking for a kind, empathetic and resilient Support worker to join our Homelessness and complex needs Service in Kensington & Chelsea.

£30,784.00 per annum, working 40 hours per week.

Our benefits include:
* Annual leave increasing up to 30 days with length of service
* Free DBS
* Exclusive discounts and cashback via Reward Gateway® and opportunity to buy a Blue Light Card
* A generous pension - we will contribute up to 8% and life assurance cover up to 3x pensionable salary (T&Cs apply)

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.

There are 5 hostels in the cluster ranging from high, medium to low support which are all based in the borough of RBKC. The Heaney Cluster an intensively supported housing scheme for the most challenging customers in the borough.

Staff are expected to work 8 hours daily on a shift rota basis. This will include weekend working. Shifts are 7.30am to 3.30pm and 2.00pm to 10pm.

The fixed term contract is for 6 months.

What you'll do:
* If a need arises, deliver all aspects of support to enable a customer to develop independent living skills as appropriate to the individual needs of the customer.
* Support customers to maintain their tenancies.
* Support to budget and prevent rent arrears.
* Assess their practical and emotional needs to incorporate in their support plan.
* To develop support plans and risk management plans.

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:
* 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
* Flexible
* Open to feedback and self development
* Has a practical and logical mind and is naturally well organised
* 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
* Enjoys social interaction and the company of others, joins in local activities to encourage customer involvement
* Ability to cope positively with challenging and diverse behaviour

What you'll bring:

Essential:
* NVQ Level 2 or equivalent or experience within charity/social care sector

Desirable:
* Relevant specialism 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 100 services, providing support to thousands of 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 and complex needs, young people and care leavers 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.

We’re an award-winning charity running local learning centres in the heart of the communities where the young people we support live. Our centres provide a high-impact education programme which includes practical learning support, pastoral care, and motivational and confidence-building activities for young people aged 7-18. Our aim is to enable students from the least advantaged neighbourhoods to realise their ambitions and achieve their wonderful potential.

As the UK’s leading university access organisation, our staff team is helping over 60,000 young people each year at its 46 learning centres and extension projects across England and Scotland, and we plan to scale-up our provision to 50 centres over the coming years.

We are looking for graduates who will enjoy working each day with young people and who will thrive in a frontline, community-based, fast-paced and rewarding role. You will be taking up a permanent role as an Education Worker on IntoUniversity’s Graduate Scheme, helping to change the lives of young people.

We believe that our Graduate Scheme is one of the most exciting in the charity sector, an excellent career opportunity with exceptional training and hands-on experience, opportunities for promotion, and the chance to work with young people and colleagues who will challenge and inspire you.

Contract

Full-time, permanent 

Start date

24th July 2026

Working hours

Mon and Thurs: 09:30-18:00

Tues, Weds, Fri: 09:00-17:30

(Some out-of-hours work will be required from time to time - for example, early starts to deliver workshops in schools.)

Education Workers are based at one of our IntoUniversity learning centres and work directly with young people, schools and families on a daily basis. It is therefore not a hybrid role and is based full-time in our centres.

Salary

£28,250 per annum

Location

We have positions available in Hull and Grimsby. We also have a cross-centre position based at both centres.

Annual leave

33 days (inc bank & public holidays) + 3 closure days (two in December and one in July) + additional length of service entitlement (one day per year of service, up to 5 days) 

Application deadline

9am Thursday 25th June 2026

Interview Day (online)

Wednesday 8th July 2026

Please ensure that you are available on these dates

We're looking for a kind, compassionate and resilient Support Worker to join our Young people Service in Bracknell. No personal care or experience is required, just the right values.

£30,784.00 per annum, working 40 hours per week.

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.

Our benefits include:
* Annual leave increasing up to 30 days with length of service
* Free DBS
* Exclusive discounts and cashback via Reward Gateway® and opportunity to buy a Blue Light Card
* Fully paid induction programme and further training
* ILM courses and Apprenticeship Programmes
* Cycle to work scheme
* Employee Assistance Programme for 24-7 confidential support
* Online wellbeing resources
* A generous pension - we will contribute up to 4% and life assurance cover up to £10,000 (T&Cs apply)
* Quarterly Staff Awards to reward & recognise our amazing staff's commitment and contribution
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.

This is a fixed term contract for 1 year.

What you'll do:
* Undertake key-working responsibilities for a caseload assigned by Management staff
* Meet customers regularly for support sessions, providing emotional and practical support
* Undertake initial and continuous assessment of needs and potential risks and agree levels of support and actions
* Develop support plans with customers to identify their goals, ensuring a person centred approach, enabling the customer to establish positive change
* Support customers to take care of their living environment, providing emotional and
* practical support to ensure customers enjoy a high-quality accommodation

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, join in local activities to encourage customer involvement
* Approachable and open to others
* Enjoy 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 organised
* Flexible in work roles
* Open to feedback and good insight into self development

What you'll bring:
Essential:
* Good Listening and Communication skills
* Good organisational skills § Ability to learn and develop within your role
* Up to NVQ Level 2/3 or equivalent or experience in the social care/charity sector
* Good standard of English and Maths
* Good standard of IT skills

Desirable:
* Experience working in mental health customer group
* Experience of working within supported housing environment
* Experience of working as a support worker or similar role
* Experience of working with multi disciplinary teams

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 100 services, providing support to thousands of 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 and complex needs, young people and care leavers 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.

Please see our website for full job description

Join us and use your skills, knowledge, passion and energy to help us achieve a future free from arthritis.

Are you passionate about improving the lives of children, young people and their families?
Are you experienced in creating inspiring programmes and offering life-changing one-to-one support?
Are you committed to putting children and young people at the heart of decision-making?

About the role

We are looking for a dynamic, creative, innovative team player to join our Young People and Families Service. This role will be based in Scotland, in our Glasgow office. This role will also support service delivery across the UK.

As a Young People and Families Worker you will work with colleagues, partners, healthcare professionals, schools, volunteers, and - most importantly - young people and families to co-plan, deliver and evaluate a high quality, holistic support offer locally and nationally.

You will help young people living with arthritis to build their confidence, make friends and achieve their personal goals. This will be achieved by providing one-to-one support, linking young people and families to a community of peer support and working with volunteers to co-deliver self-management activities.

You'll also co-design an exciting programme of online and in-person events, youth voice opportunities and digital content. You will act as the bridge between young people, their families and professionals - especially in healthcare settings where you will play a unique role working collaboratively with multidisciplinary team partners to meet a range of needs. You will support young people during the pivotal transition from paediatric to adult services, making sure it is a time of empowerment and growth.

About you
If your knowledge, skills and experience include the following then we'd love to hear from you:

• Experience of working with the third sector, preferably within the fields of youth/community development work and/or health and social care - with a passion for improving the lives of both children and young people as well as their families.
• Experience of delivering interventions to people living with long term conditions, understanding the importance of self-management.
• Experience of taking a person-centered approach when providing support.
• Experience of using a community development/youth work approach to co-design and deliver a quality service /project that is inclusive, inspiring and makes a difference. Engaging colleagues, funders, supporters and partners to make it happen.
• Knowledge and experience of safeguarding and safe working policies and procedures.

Location (UK): Home-based with travel as detailed below.
Hours: Full-time, 35 hours per week, occasional weekend and evening work.
Salary: £30,635 per annum (rest of UK)
Benefits: Read more about the excellent benefits we offer on our profile page.
Contract type: Fixed term maternity cover until September 2027.
Travel: Regular travel into Manchester as well as occasional travel across North West England (e.g. Liverpool), North Wales, North East England (e.g. Newcastle), and the UK for meetings, residentials and events as needed.
Closing date: 23:59 hours, Sunday 28 June 2026

Join us and use your skills, knowledge, passion and energy to help us achieve a future free from arthritis.
Are you passionate about improving the lives of children, young people and their families? 

Are you experienced in creating inspiring programmes and offering life-changing one-to-one support? 

Are you committed to putting children and young people at the heart of decision-making?

About the role
We are looking for a dynamic, creative, innovative team player to join our Young People and Families Service.This role will be based in the North West, as a homeworker, but will also support service delivery across the UK.

As a Young People and Families Worker you will work with colleagues, partners, healthcare professionals, schools, volunteers, and - most importantly - young people and families to co-plan, deliver and evaluate a high quality, holistic support offer locally and nationally. 

You will help young people living with arthritis to build their confidence, make friends, and achieve their personal goals.This will be achieved by providing one-to-one support, linking young people and families to a community of peer support, and working with volunteers to co-deliver self-management activities.

You will also co-design an exciting programme of online and in-person events, youth voice opportunities, and digital content. You will act as the bridge between young people, their families and professionals - especially in healthcare settings where you will play a unique role working collaboratively with multidisciplinary team partners to meet a range of needs. You will support young people during the pivotal transition from paediatric to adult services, making sure it is a time of empowerment and growth. 

About you
If your knowledge, skills and experience include the following then we would love to hear from you:

• Experience of working with the third sector, preferably within the fields of youth/community development work and/or health and social care, with a passion for improving the lives of both children and young people as well as their families. 
• Experience of delivering interventions to people living with long term conditions, understanding the importance of self-management.
• Experience of taking a person-centered approach when providing support. 
• Experience of using a community development/youth work approach to co-design and deliver a quality service /project that is inclusive, inspiring and makes a difference.Engaging colleagues, funders, supporters and partners to make it happen. 
• Knowledge and experience of safeguarding and safe working policies and procedures.

Our Youth and Play Practitioners will play a pivotal role in the Children, Young People and Families (CYPF) team, working as a core team of practitioners to ensure the smooth running of our programmes and services. In this role you will be part of a small and dynamic team which delivers a wide range of programmes and activities, both from Tulse Hill Adventure Playground and in conjunction with local schools. The work of the Children, Young People and Families team is diverse and varied. Our current services include open access adventure play and youth activities at our Adventure Playground, school holiday programmes with off-site trips and activities, mentoring, a Young Leaders programme offering paid work experience to young people, and working together with our youth partnerships Building Young Brixton and Lambeth Peer Action Collective.

We are in an exciting time of development for the team. To support our range of children and young people, our team will be made up of specialist Youth Workers and Play Practitioners bringing in relevant skills and experience. Whilst you will work across all of our Children, Young People and Families services you will have a specific focus:

As a Youth Worker you will:

• Focus on supporting our secondary age cohort
• Plan and run appropriate and engaging activities
• Provide structured interventions to support vulnerable young people
• Work with referral partners to provide additional support and activities
• Foster relationships with families and local schools

As a Play Worker you will:

• Focus on our primary age cohort
• Use your knowledge of Playwork Principles to plan and run appropriate and engaging
  activities
• Foster relationships with families and primary local schools

Both roles will include an element of mentoring, relevant training will be provided to give you the necessary skills to deliver this.

To be successful in this role, you will act as a trusted practitioner in all our service delivery, advocating for children’s right to play throughout our programmes. You will work as part of the team on the delivery and planning of all sessions, ensuring that the children’s and young people’s ideas are central to the construction of a varied and engaging play environment. You will understand the wide-ranging challenges facing young people and will be flexible in adjusting your practice to meet these needs. While practitioners may have a primary focus (primary or secondary age), all staff are expected to work flexibly across all age groups, programmes and delivery model including open access play, targeted youth work, mentoring and school link sessions.

37.5 hours per week / permanent / working on a four‑on, four‑off shift pattern across a seven‑day rolling rota, including evenings, weekends, and bank holidays.

A full, valid UK driving licence is essential, as this is a mobile role; a vehicle will be provided.

YMCA DownsLink Group is the leading charity for children and young people across Sussex and Surrey. We offer safe homes, mental health support and trusted advice.

We believe that every child and young person has the right to be safe, heard and to shape their own future. We work alongside them to make that happen.

We are here for children and young people, many of whom face multiple challenges and need our support.

Our Values - we do what’s right, we work with heart, and we build real connections – guide us in all our actions.

Our services provide supported housing for young people aged 16–25, offering both high (24 hour supported) and medium/low supported levels of housing including young families. We take a trauma informed, and psychologically informed approach, supporting residents to build essential life skills, identify personal goals, and work towards their aspirations, enabling them to move on to fully independent living.

We are looking for a Housing Mobile Night Worker to provide floating support across our housing services. You will play a key role in ensuring our properties remain safe, secure, and welcoming throughout the night.

Your primary responsibility will be to undertake mobile duties across our Brighton, Hove and Worthing sites. You will start and finish each shift in Brighton, where the organisation’s works vehicle is based. As part of the role, you will provide break cover for static night staff and may be required, on occasion, to cover a static shift at one of our 24‑hour staffed properties.

During each shift, you will visit all properties and help maintain a safe, secure and supportive environment. This includes demonstrating strong communication skills, maintaining accurate records, carrying out building checks, monitoring CCTV, reporting and responding to safeguarding concerns, and ensuring all health and safety requirements are met in line with organisational policies and procedures.

The role also involves working proactively to minimise the impact of antisocial behaviour on residents and neighbouring communities. This may include one‑to‑one interventions with young people, including those experiencing a mental health crisis or requiring medical assistance.

This role is primarily lone working, so you will need to be confident in decision making and in following procedures. As part of your induction programme, you will have the opportunity to get to know the different teams and services, complete the required training, and undertake shadow shifts to ensure you feel confident, supported, and well prepared.

This is a dynamic and varied role for someone who is organised, self-motivated and is happy to lone work for most of their shift.

Ideally, you will have experience working with young people, those considered vulnerable, or individuals with multiple and complex needs, and be able to demonstrate a genuine passion for working with young people. You will have an understanding of the needs of single homeless clients aged 16–25, along with the ability to engage, motivate, and inspire others, and a strong commitment to making a positive difference to people’s lives.

You will have clear verbal and written communication skills, good IT and keyboard skills, and the ability to work independently and self-motivate. You will be an effective communicator, able to deliver robust and clear handovers and build strong working relationships with colleagues. In addition, you will have the ability to deescalate volatile situations and manage challenging behaviour in a calm and appropriate manner.

CLOSING DATE: Sunday 5 July 2026 at midnight. If we find the right candidate sooner than expected, we may close the advert early - so early applications are strongly encouraged.

PLEASE NOTE: We are unable to provide work permits or visa sponsorship for this role, so applicants must already have the right to live and work in the UK independently.

An inclusive workplace We are committed to policies and practices of equity, diversity, and inclusion and to supporting our people to make sure our culture is consistent with this commitment. 

Accessibility If you require assistance or have questions regarding the application process, please do contact us.

YMCA DLG requires all staff and volunteers to be committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and to respond proactively to safeguarding concerns. 

Successful applicants will undergo a thorough background screening process, conducted by an accredited third-party provider. This includes an Enhanced DBS check (with Children’s and Adults’ Barred Lists) as well as comprehensive reference and activity check.