Community development worker jobs

Sutton Community Works (SCW) is a Christian charity in South London. Sutton Foodbank is one of our faith in action projects and we are looking for a dedicated manager to oversee the smooth delivery of this amazing project supported by almost 100 volunteers!

Our vision is for our faith in action projects to contribute to a safe and flourishing community in Sutton.

Our work focuses on areas including food poverty, young people, rough sleepers and homelessness. In all our work, our ethos is to love God and others in all we do and say, ensuring people feel seen, heard, understood, and helped.

Sutton Foodbank has been helping people in food crisis since 2009, and supported nearly 4000 adults and children in 2024. We are open 5 times per week across 4 different venues and people are referred to by referral partners across the borough. Details of our sessions can be found on Sutton Foobank website.

Sessions are run by our dedicated volunteers who come from local churches; and our dependable warehouse, restocking and transport volunteers always ensure food gets safely to where it is needed.

People visiting the foodbank come from a vast variety of backgrounds but all have faced difficult life experiences. Beyond food, we also want people to access support to improve their situation, so we commision Citizens Advice to come to the foodbank sessions to help people maximise their income and provide advice on topics such as housing, debt and benefits.

And as a Christian project we underpin everything with prayer, and actively offer prayer to our clients too. The genuine care and compassion from our volunteers helps to build trusting relationships so we can more effectively listen, pray and signpost people to other support. 

As our Foodbank Manager, you can use your leadership experience, excellent communication and organisational skills and Christian faith in a way that makes a real difference in people's lives.

Could you come and lead this amazing project?!

Salary: £32,000 per annum (plus 5% pension commencing from successful completion of probation period).

Hours: 37.5 hours per week

Working Pattern: Monday – Friday, 9am – 5:30pm. Occasional weekend or evening working required, depending on the needs of the Foodbank and of SCW.

Annual Leave: 28 days per annum, including bank holidays

Location: Work is expected to take place in a mixture of locations within London Borough of Sutton, including the office (Highfield Hall, 320 Carshalton Road, SM5 3QB), Foodbank venues and Big Yellow Storage (Kimpton Park Way, Sutton, SM3 9QS). There is also likely to be some travel across the borough. Other time may be worked from home, pending agreement with the Operations Manager.

Occupational Requirement: This role involves offering and participating in Christian prayer with members of the public and volunteers, leading devotions and group prayers, and providing pastoral care and faith-based leadership to Christian staff and volunteers. It is therefore an occupational requirement for the post-holder to be a practicing Christian.

Role purpose is to:

• Manage smooth and safe day-to-day delivery of Sutton Foodbank, supporting volunteers and clients and ensuring food stock is sufficient and managed safely (65%)
• Maintain and increase capacity of the service coordinating food drive activity, maintaining excellent relationships with food donors, volunteers and other external organisations, and assisting with onboarding new volunteers (25%)
• Contribute to the ongoing development of Sutton Foodbank, by delivering operational activity which aims to decrease people’s need to return to the Foodbank (10%)
• Keep Christ central to activities in the Foodbank (always)

We are looking for someone who:

• Shares the Vision, Values and Ethos of Sutton Community Works (see our accompanying ‘Who We Are’ document)
• Cares deeply for those in need and wants to put their Christian faith into action to serve them through addressing food insecurity
• Is hardworking and will enjoy a busy role based in the community
• Has experience supporting vulnerable people or people with complex social backgrounds
• Has experience leading a team
• Has experience working with or supervising volunteers
• Is comfortable using electronic systems and devices
• Is highly organised, flexible and adaptable
• Has excellent attention to detail
• Has excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Has some understanding of safeguarding, health and safety and confidentiality (training can be provided)
• Is a driver with their own vehicle, as this role involves travel across the borough and covering the collection/transport of food.

Please note aforementioned occupational requirement.

Closing date: Sunday 27th April

For fuller job description and tasks involved, please download the document 'Sutton Foodbank Manager - April 2025'

In your covering letter, please explain why you think you could be the person we are looking for, based on the information provided.

Please note that we are unable to sponsor visas for this position.

Family Support Worker (SHS School Practitioner)

Location: Haberdashers' Abraham Darby 

Hours: 5 days per week term time only - 35 hours per week

Salary: £22,274 - £24,796 per annum (This is the actual salary)

Contract type: Fixed term contract until August 2027

Closing date: Monday 04th April 2025

Interview dates: Interviews will be held online week commencing 28th April 2025

Please note: We reserve the right to interview candidates prior to the closing date, and as such we encourage you to submit applications early to avoid disappointment.

Our mission at School-Home Support is simple. We get children and young people back in school ready to learn, whatever it takes. 

Is this a mission for you? Yes? Then read on. 

We are looking for a Family Support Worker to join our team and to make a difference in children's lives every single day. As a Family Support Worker, you will work in close partnership with families and school staff to deliver a programme of casework to promote and improve educational outcomes for the children we support. 

You will also focus your support to help improve attendance, punctuality, engagement in learning, improved behaviour in school and the local community as well as improving social and emotional regulation and well-being.

You will have excellent relationship building and communications skills with a proven ability to communicate with a wide group of people. 

You’ll have previous experience of: 

• working and engaging with parents, carers or guardians, children or individuals through individual and/or group-based support

• working in an educational or outreach environment 

• working effectively with social and emotional factors affecting a child’s capacity to learn

• Delivering family support

• working with families from diverse communities

We are committed to maximising staff wellbeing and creating an inclusive, safe environment where everyone feels comfortable bringing their authentic selves to work. To find out more about our current initiatives and offerings, please view our EDI & Wellbeing initiatives document which you can find here.

As an employer we offer:
 

• Perkbox membership 

• Employee assistance programme

• Life assurance 

• Pension scheme

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all sections of the community.

School-Home Support​ ​takes very seriously the duty of care to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and is committed to ensuring that our safeguarding practice reflects statutory responsibilities, government guidance and complies with best practice. Our safeguarding policy recognises that the welfare and interests of children are paramount in all circumstances. All roles at SHS are subject to an Enhanced DBS Check.

Our day centre service is currently open three days per-week offering respite, food and somewhere safe to be for anyone facing street homelessness. It provides advocacy and casework services to those who are vulnerably housed or homeless, supporting them to address their individual crisis and the underlying causes. We also provide a small year-round night shelter provision. 

APAP works in close partnership with a number of key agencies locally including drug and alcohol teams, street outreach services, local authority housing teams and the wider VCS. We are a gateway service in the community through which our clients can access a range of support. 

This role will require a keen interest in homelessness and the devastating impact this can have on people. This is a new role which would suit someone with experience of recruiting and managing volunteers. The role will entail expanding our volunteer base, developing processes and procedures to effectively support them and managing them on site. The role will report to the Senior Project Worker.

We are currently offering a rewarding opportunity for a motivated and proactive self-starter to join our friendly and dynamic team.

Advice Worker

Salary: £35,000

Full Time (35 hours per week)

Benefits of working for Wandsworth Carers’ Centre:

• Friendly team and working environment
• Annual leave starts at 26 days increasing to 31 days plus bank holidays 
• Contributory company pension,
• Ongoing training and development opportunities 
• Employee assistance program.

Our Charity:

We are a busy, ambitious charity operating at the heart of the Wandsworth community since 1995, helping thousands of people across the borough in unpaid Caring roles. We give information and advice, organise respite, offer complementary therapies, deliver training, provide peer support, arrange fun events and much more.  In short, we are the Carer's friend and advocate, often helping Carers through difficult times.

Are you passionate about supporting Carers and making a real impact in their lives? We're looking for a dedicated individual to join our busy team providing welfare benefits advice & guidance to those who need it most.

As the successful candidate, you'll bring your knowledge and expertise to provide vital support to Carers, with a comprehensive and up-to-date knowledge in welfare benefits and recent experience of managing a case load.

You will manage your own caseload while also providing supervision and support to another advice worker. 

Your excellent communication skills will help you connect with and support Carers, while your IT proficiency will enable you to provide effective, efficient assistance.

Key Responsibilities Include:

• Providing advice & advocacy on welfare benefits and housing. 
• Managing your own case load
• Supervision of another advice worker
• Offering guidance and support to colleagues
• Maintaining accurate case records, adhering to AQS standards. 

Essential Requirements:

• Experience of providing benefits advice, guidance and support
• Experience of managing a case load
• Experience of representing clients with external bodies / organisations
• Experience of supporting with benefit appeals through to tribunal stage.
• Knowledge of or ability to understand and use relevant legislation.
• Ability to work across the borough and provide home visits

If you're committed to working in the voluntary sector and want to be part of a dynamic team that makes a real difference, this role is for you!

Unfortunately, we are unable to sponsor candidates. 

Wandsworth Carers’ Centre is an inclusive employer, committed to the continued development of a diverse workforce.

Could you become a vital part of our collaborative and innovative team to make a lasting difference to families?

We are looking for a Social Worker or Senior Social Worker to join our Reading team.  Full time or part time applicants are welcomed to apply.

We believe that every child deserves a loving and supportive home and we are committed to providing the highest quality services to help make that a reality, and we are proud of our three successive outstanding ratings with Ofsted.

Position: Social Worker or Senior Social Worker

Location: Based in Reading with hybrid working.  Service delivery in Berkshire and surrounding areas including West London

Contract: Permanent.  Full time 37 hours per week Monday to Friday. Part time hours will also be considered.

Salary:  Full time starting salary in the range of £34,053 to £41,620 per annum for Social Worker depending on skills and experience (pro rata if part time)

Full time starting salary in the range of £39,291 to £48,022 per annum for Senior Social Worker depending on skills and experience (pro rata if part time)

About the role:

The Social Worker or Senior Social Worker’s role is a pivotal one within our Adoption service.  Some of your responsibilities will include:

· taking part in recruitment activities and training for prospective adopters

· undertaking ‘home study’ assessments (PARs) and present these to the adoption panel

· support families throughout the matching process and once children are placed, up until the Adoption Order

About you:

As a Social Worker, you’ll bring a minimum of 2 years post qualification experience in childcare social work and an understanding of child development and the impact on behaviour of interrupted development.

As a Senior Social Worker, you’ll bring a minimum of 3 years post qualification experience in childcare social work, and previous experience of completing adoption assessments (or similar), or family finding/supporting children in their adoptive families.

If this sounds like you then visit our website to apply today to join a dedicated team who are part of something truly meaningful.

Early applications are encouraged as we may close this vacancy on an earlier basis if a successful candidate is found.

Closing date: Noon, Friday 25 April 2025

Interview dates: Wednesday 23 April and Tuesday 06 May 2025

Other roles you may have experience of could include: Adoption Social Worker, Adoption Senior Social Worker, Adoption Support Social Worker, Independent Social Worker, Fostering Social Worker, Independent Reviewing Officer, Supervising Social Worker, Children’s Social Worker, Child Protection or Safeguarding Hub Social Worker, Looked After Children’s Social Worker, etc.

Safeguarding is at the heart of everything we do at PACT. We have robust measures and best practices in place to safeguard and protect the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and we take pride in maintaining outstanding safeguarding standards.  

Anyone joining our team is subject to PACT’s safer recruitment pre-appointment enquiries, including a Disclosure Barring Service (DBS). The role description provides information on what our safer recruitment enquiries include and the level of DBS required to work in the role.

All opportunities with PACT are based in the UK.

Beyond the Streets is a UK charity with over 20 years’ experience of partnering with women in the sex industry, to see them safe from coercion, violence and abuse. We deliver trauma-informed, person-centred support, provide training, and create resources and reports informed by research, lived experience, and practitioner experience.

Our ‘Direct Work’ is central to the organisation, and we are looking to recruit a new Women’s Support Worker.

Taking a woman-centred approach, your role is to provide phone-based holistic support for women with complex needs who want support or to exit the sex industry.

We are looking for someone with energy, motivation and experience of working with vulnerable adults; someone who a highly developed sense of self-awareness who can work in a gender and trauma informed way.

This role will be part of a small team of support workers, and a service manager, who deliver a call and email-based case work system. You will have frontline experience of working with individuals who experience multiple disadvantage. This might be in the VAWG sector, domestic abuse, substance misuse, mental health or counselling or direct experience of women in the sex industry. You will have a good understanding of working with vulnerable people and be aware of the need and processes around Safeguarding adults and children.

You’ll be…

• Compassionate – communicate well with women using their chosen methods to support individuality
• Encouraging – promote empowerment and independence where possible & encourage women to achieve personal goals
• Supportive – provide support to ensure the safety & wellbeing of women using our services
• Observant – monitor & report any changes in health or circumstances of women as part of safeguarding their well-being
• Engaging – support women to engage in the local community where possible

You’ll enjoy…

· Competitive pay

· Flexible working

· Career opportunities – develop yourself and your career with a reputable national organisation in the VAWG sector

· Personal development allowance – to further your work-based skills and knowledge

· Cycle to work scheme – tax free allowance to buy

· Tech Buying Scheme – spread the cost of personal technology equipment and homeware across 12 months via payroll

· Travel season ticket loan scheme – an interest-free loan to enable team members to purchase a season ticket for travel between their usual place of residence and their usual place of work

· Clinical supervision – all staff are entitled to clinical supervision on request. A place to discuss work issues and challenges, and their emotional impact, on a regular basis

· Blue light discount – a well-recognised national discount card scheme. For only £4.99 for two years’ membership, the discounts are large, and widely accepted

· Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) – a confidential and independent service designed to help you deal with personal and professional issues that could be affecting your home life, work life, health, and general wellbeing. EAP is available to you and to your immediate family

• You’ll need…

• Good understanding of working with individuals with a variety of support needs, including social, emotional, physical and practical
• Commitment to providing quality, women-lead support
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills including listening, reflecting, summarising and agreeing actions
• Patience, compassion, non-judgemental and motivational attitude
• Resilience to work with women who have often experienced trauma
• A responsible, dedicated and flexible approach to work
• Competent IT knowledge and computer skills

When you join, you’ll receive a structured induction and training plan, including access to all our in-house paid training.

Genuine Occupational Requirement (GOR)

Due to nature of this role in working alongside women with lived experience of violence against women, this post is restricted to female applicants under Section 9 of the Equality Act 2010. 

All roles are subject to proof of eligibility to work in the UK, satisfactory references and an enhanced DBS check.

Are you ready to join The King's Trust and step into a vibrant role where you'll build meaningful connections and nurture relationships with our extraordinary external delivery partners and volunteers, all in the pursuit of connecting with the young hearts and minds we're devoted to supporting? If the answer is yes, read on!

Take the lead in welcoming, training, and expertly managing a group of delivery partners and volunteers. Your mission will be to ensure that our young people have an exceptional experience and achieve those positive outcomes that change lives. You will also be kept engaged as you’ll be required to travel within your local area to support the delivery of programmes as well as programme visits.

Assist and support our delivery partners and volunteers in bringing The Trust's programmes to life. They'll rely on you for access to training, resources, qualifications, and guidance in adhering to our top-notch quality standards. You’ll also be our compliance hero, ensuring that our delivery partners and volunteers are up to speed with all the necessary policies that keep things running smoothly. You'll be our go-to person, ready to tackle any minor concerns or issues that come our way.

Your knack for precision will shine through as you meticulously record information and data on young people, volunteers, or partners. It's all about ensuring that each step of their journey is accurately documented in our systems and aligns perfectly with the requirements of our funding contracts and is at the forefront of championing Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion. Your sheer enthusiasm and commitment will ignite some transformative action, sparking real change as we put those local plans into play and excel in achieving our EDI goals!

Do you have the creativity to facilitate best practice sharing, energise networking sessions, and throw sensational end-of-programme parties? Are you ready to step up and lead sessions with young people when the moment calls? Having a background in education or an understanding of the education system could be an advantage when joining some of our teams, it's like having an ace up your sleeve, whether you're familiar with the intricacies of the school year or you've walked in the shoes of a teacher.

If you are a strong communicator with sharp problem-solving skills and can transform ordinary moments into unforgettable events, you could be just the person we are looking for.

Expect the unexpected and embrace it. Come and be a part of our mission!

We're looking for a kind, compassionate and resilient Night Support Worker to join our Young People service in Tower Hamlets.

£27,352.00 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 (take this out if BSW advert)
* 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
* Healthcare Cashplan through our partner Healthshield
* 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.
A waking Night Support Worker will help to provided support to the Young People in the service through the night. You will report to the team leader who will supervise your engagement and support of our Young People through the night. This is a great opportunity for a Waking Night Support Worker, wanting to gain exceptional experience in a Young People's service.

What you'll do:
- Undertake key-working responsibilities for a caseload assigned by the Team Leader/ Manager.
- Undertake initial and continuous assessment of needs and potential risks and agree levels of support and actions.
- Create support/action plans for providing appropriate services based on the assessment and reflecting the services and resources available.
- Support customers to undertake all domestic tasks wherever possible, including practical assistance where they have not yet developed the skills, to ensure customers enjoy a high quality of accommodation.
- Develop and maintain links with all key agencies and service providers in the local community.
- Empower customers to ensure they receive the service and benefits they are entitled to
- Undertake all administrative work and keep accurate and comprehensive tenant/customer records to professional standards.
- Encourage and enable tenants to pay their rent and to ensure that rent accounts are managed effectively in conjunction with the Housing Management team.

This is not an exhaustive list of all the duties and responsibilities that may be required from time to time and is subject to change in accordance with the needs of Look Ahead

About you:
- Enjoys social interaction and the company of others, joins in local activities to encourage customer involvement.
- Approachable and open behaviour.
- Prefers working as part of a group or team.
- Is fundamentally calm and resilient, does not let emotion adversely affect them or obscure their judgement.
- Has a practical and logical mind and is naturally well organised and flexible.
- Open to feedback and self-development.
- 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.

What you'll bring:

Essential:
- Up to NVQ Level 2/3 or equivalent or experience in the social care/charity sector

Desirable:
- Experience working in mental health.

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

Direct Marketing Manager-Retention at the Disasters Emergency Committee is pivotal when we launch an appeal. They will shape and deliver new and existing supporter journeys for the DEC’s individual, community and legacy donors, and lead a programme of improvement across all major contact points between the DEC and the public.

The purpose of the role is to:

• Contribute to and develop DEC direct marketing strategies, including the refreshing, implementation and analysis of the DEC’s segmentation, to maximise future income and continually improve the retention of individual supporters for future emergency appeals,
• Lead on the production of retention and reporting back materials for individual and community supporters,
• Manage the development and maintenance of specific supporter journeys,
• Develop and oversee the materials and supporter positioning for a light touch and mainly reactive legacy marketing programme for the DEC.

The role will deliver responsibilities for strategy and planning, fundraising, networking and building relationships. You must have strong direct marketing experience with a focus on high volume donor acquisition and demonstrable knowledge of direct marketing techniques such as direct mail, email, SMS and SMS content management systems.

A proven track record of developing effective digital and direct marketing strategies, which resulted in significant growth of income and retention of a charity’s individual supporters. Experience of managing complex budgets and proven ability to manage a complex operational plan within very short timeframes and within budget.

You must have excellent understanding of donor motivations, managing donor relationships, supplier relationships and negotiating contracts.

Ideally you will have experience of working in the international humanitarian aid sector, have excellent understanding of current trends within charity direct marketing and have used Salesforce and Salesforce Marketing Cloud and Google analytics.

An ability to work under extreme pressure during appeals and to very tight deadlines with excellent attention to detail is a key driver for success in this role.

You will join a collaborative team, department and organisation that excels in maximising their fundraising effort in response to disasters that keeps donors and recipients of funds updated and engaged throughout and beyond the journey of an appeal.

Please download the job description for full details of the responsibilities and expectations of the role.

Hospital Liaison Worker

Location: Sheffield

Salary: £24,020 - £30,790 per annum

Waythrough's vision is to break down the barriers that stop people getting the support they need to live a life they value. They tackle poverty and disadvantage in communities, through mental health, drug and alcohol, housing and related support.

They have almost 200 services around England – and nearly 3,500 amazing staff and volunteers who run them. Every year their services support around 125,000 people.

The Role

Using a caring, compassionate and trauma informed approach you will be engaging with individuals who have been admitted to hospital and have a substance use support need. You will deliver a range of interventions including advice, harm reduction and structured psycho-social interventions. You will work closely alongside colleagues within the hospital to ensure that appropriate support is offered to all those in need.

The post will work within the Likewise alcohol and other drug service to establish a high quality hospital liaison service for patients; ensuring and providing appropriate assessments, interventions and co-developing multi-agency discharge plans and pathways to reduce relapse and hospital readmission. 

Based within the local hospitals, the post will ensure effective communication with relevant hospital departments (e.g. Mental Health, Hepatology & Gastroenterology, A&E, Maternity) and externally with Together and other community services (e.g. GPs, outreach, housing and community justice services). 

The post will provide advice, guidance and training to healthcare professionals in recognition, treatment & management of alcohol and other drug related problems, including the delivery of brief interventions. 

As a Hospital Liaison Worker, you will be responsible for:

• Attending hospital ward rounds and maintaining good communication with hospital staff.
• Responding to hospital liaison referrals from within the hospital.
• Delivering interventions to clients face-to-face and over the phone.
• Working autonomously to manage a caseload of their service users, including delivering a range of psychosocial interventions. 
• Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team to undertake ongoing assessments, risk assessments, and appropriate referrals within the community 

Skills and Qualifications

• A knowledge and understanding of substance misuse and recovery 
• Experience of managing, planning, and prioritising your own workload, delivering work of a high standard 
• An understanding of safeguarding 
• Excellent communication, organisation and time management skills 
• The ability to work well in a team environment alongside a range of people and organisations 

Benefits

• Generous annual leave entitlement (27 days, plus bank holidays, increasing to 32 after 1 years’ service)
• Annual leave purchase scheme
• Enhanced occupational sick pay
• Enhanced employer contribution to your workplace pension
• Death in service benefit
• Free Will writing
• Eyecare vouchers
• Blue light card discount
• Fantastic learning and development opportunities, including free training courses
• Work-life balance- flexible working and family-friendly policies
• Happy, Healthy You! – their wellbeing offers for their workforce
• Employee Assist Programme and Support Networks

To Apply

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

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 Community Key Worker

Salary: £22,000 - £26,000

Location: Hampshire, Portsmouth

Contract:  Fixed Term until 31st March 2026

Hours a week: 35 Hours per week

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:

Are you an excellent relationship builder who can work with women and a diverse range of delivery partners to ensure that she meets her potential and successfully progresses through and beyond her probation supervision? Can you meet a women wherever she is at in her journey and work with her to create an individualised support package that gives her the best chance of breaking the cycle of offending?

Are you looking for a dynamic and rewarding role working for a feminist organisation who understand that supporting women in the criminal justice system requires a specialist and gendered approach? Do you believe in our values; to listen and support, to empower and respect, collaborate, innovate, and take accountability?

In your role as a Community Keyworker, you will be working with women involved in the Criminal Justice System; those on Probation in the Community and those women being released from Prison as part of their Post Sentence Supervision; providing some in-reach and ‘Through the Gate’ support. You will be working in a team of Community Keyworkers in your region. Each Keyworker will provide holistic one to one community support to women with a variety of needs.

About You:

To be successful as the Community Key Worker you will need the below experience and skills.

You will need to hold a UK driving licence with access to car that can be used for work purposes. A creative self-starter who will support the service and look for innovative solutions to support clients with complex needs. You are confident professional relationship builder with have good awareness of Safeguarding procedures. Strong Administration skills and understanding of compliant behaviours also, experience of supporting. With good knowledge of the criminal justice system and awareness of other support provisions within the Hampshire area.

*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 any additional needs please email talent and we 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.

In 2024, Tower Hamlets received Trailblazer funding to develop and implement new models of community-based mental health care that integrate clinical and voluntary sector provision, in line with  The Community Mental Health Framework.

The Tower Hamlets Mental Health Alliance (THMHA) was formed two years ago to create a bold new community-based mental health support service for Tower Hamlets residents. THMHA consists of 18 Voluntary, Community, Faith, and Social Enterprise Sector (VCFSE) service providers that have come together in partnership. The primary criterion for membership is that the organisation either specialises in mental health support or has a significant and growing focus on mental health in its work. Mind in Tower Hamlets, Newham, and Redbridge is a member of this alliance.

Alongside THMHA members, Look Ahead, and East London Foundation Trust, we are implementing a new community-based, 24/7 mental health care system that prioritises the tailored needs of individuals facing mental health challenges. The goal is to provide support in a non-hospital setting, preventing the need for more intensive interventions in the future.

Coproduction and Community Engagement (CCE) Coordinator will play a vital role in ensuring the services at the Barnsley Street Project are designed and delivered in true partnership with the local community. This role is particularly focused on minoritised and underrepresented groups, ensuring their voices are central to service development. The ideal candidate will be passionate about inclusive service design, community engagement, and mental health equity. You will work closely with clients, carers, and community partners to create a responsive and culturally competent service that meets the needs of Tower Hamlets' diverse population.

Do you have the ambition to make a meaningful impact on the lives of autistic children and young people?

At St. John's, we've been making a positive difference in the lives of children and young people for nearly 140 years. We are now looking for an incredible Residential Support Worker to help us continue making that difference!

As a Residential Support Worker, you will work under the supervision and guidance of the Care Management Team, Senior Residential Support Workers, and Therapy Teams. You will support learners in both residential houses and the community, assisting with social and academic activities.

Our aim is to ensure all learners have equal opportunities to develop their independence and social skills, preparing them for adult life.

What will you be doing?

• Supporting learners with self-care and independence skills such as eating, drinking, washing, bathing, using the toilet, managing incontinence, dressing, mobility, and medication administration.
   
• Ensuring learners' care files are kept up to date and accurate.
   
• At the start of each shift, reviewing communication and log books, and liaising with staff at handover to ensure learners' needs are well documented and addressed.
   
• Establish supportive relationships with learners and encourage the development of stable relationships.
   
• Promote the emotional health and self-esteem of learners and support them through changes in their living situation and personal circumstances.

In return, we offer a fantastic working environment, generous holidays, career development opportunities, and more!

Ambitious about Autism is fully committed to equality of opportunity and diversity and we warmly welcome applications from all suitably-qualified candidates. We welcome applications regardless of race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, disability, or age. All applications will be considered solely on merit.

Ambitious about Autism is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and successful candidates will be subject to an Enhanced DBS check. As part of our Safer Recruitment checks, an online search maybe carried out in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education.

The Safeguarding responsibilities of the post as per the job description and personal specification.
Whether the post is exempt from the rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendment to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2021. This means that when applying for certain jobs and activities certain spent convictions and cautions are ‘protected', so they do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account. Further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS Filter Guidance.

Documents

• Residential Support Worker - Day St J (002) - 2024.pdf (452.44 KB)

Justlife’s Vision

Making people's experience of temporary accommodation be short, safe and healthy.

About this role

We are looking for a motivated individual with an understanding of homelessness to fulfil this exciting role gathering people, exploring challenges and considering solutions related to temporary accommodation (TA).  The role will be responsible for pioneering, supporting and facilitating the delivery of a number of Temporary Accommodation Action Groups (TAAGs), primarily in the North West, that feed into national discussions and policy recommendations through Justlife’s campaigning work. Could this be you?

You will be comfortable leading cross-sector meetings and navigating conflicting priorities to move towards change. You will also be enthusiastic to represent an organisation which puts people with lived experience at the heart of everything they do. You will be a self-starter with great communications skills and a dedication to supporting people with current or lived experience to engage in the change making process.

We currently run TAAGs in London, Bristol, Brighton and across Sussex but this work is new to the North West. You will need to be a strong networker with lots of initiative. You will be able to sell the benefits of TAAGs to participants, and with the persistence to see through the establishment of these groups. The role requires a flexible, pro-active and open approach to work, working within Justlife’s values - People before Programmes, Collaboration before Competition and Innovation before Institutions.

We strongly believe in the power of collaborative working, and you will be joining a small team of network development workers working across the country. We are currently growing this team in order to not just increase the amount of network work we can do, but also with the aim of offering more support, share best practice and help make this change happen on a wider scale.

This role will be based out of our Manchester office (minimum 2 days per week in office) but will also require regular travel, including some national travel and occasional overnight stays.

Why do we exist

Justlife is in existence because we know thousands of people struggle to manage in poor and unsuitable temporary accommodation. Their stay isn’t temporary, they are likely to be suffering with deteriorating mental and physical health, becoming victims of crime, losing control of their life and even dying prematurely. We are working towards making their stays as short, safe and healthy as possible.

How do we operate?

Our values guide our work and are very important to us:

• Collaboration before competition
• People before programmes
• Innovation before Institutions

What do we do?

Justlife delivers impactful services in Greater Manchester and Brighton & Hove, supporting and empowering people experiencing homelessness in temporary accommodation. We also drive positive system change across the national temporary accommodation sector, convening those with a common interest; people with lived experience, landlords, charities, local and national government, and carrying out research and gathering insights.

We aim to grow our impact and reach, supporting more people in temporary accommodation and to build a movement that brings about lasting positive change.

Why work for us?

Here at Justlife, we're committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. We want to be an organisation that's representative of the communities we serve, which is why we strive for diversity of age, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, ethnicity and perspective.

Perks of working at Justlife

• Great holiday package! Starting at 27 days annual leave entitlement, plus bank holidays (increasing to 29 days after 5 years’ service and 30 days after 10 years’ service)
• Additional 5 days annual leave purchase scheme through salary sacrifice
• Enhanced pension contribution scheme, 5% Justlife contribution (correct at time of print)
• Cycle to work scheme
• 2 Volunteering days per year

Employment Terms and Conditions

Job Title: Network Development Worker

Hours: Full time, but open to part-time hours for the right candidate

Contract Type/Term: Permanent

Normal hrs. to be worked: Monday-Friday 9am-5pm

Location: Manchester - minimum 2 days per week in the office. This role will also require regular travel, including some national travel and occasional overnight stays.

Salary: £29,894

Closing date for applications: Midnight on Wednesday 23rd April.

Application Process
To apply, please upload a covering letter addressing how you meet the person specification, together with an up to date CV.

In-person interviews are planned to take place in Manchester on either Wednesday 30th April or Thursday 1st May.

You will receive an automated email receipt of your submitted forms. If you do not hear from us by the end of Friday 26th April, please assume your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion. Unfortunately we are unable to provide feedback on unsuccessful shortlisting.

Job Summary

The Justlife Network Development Worker will have a desire to see systemic change for individuals and families experiencing temporary accommodation (TA) across the north and a commitment to doing so with the voice of lived experience at its heart. The TA situation across the country is acute and it is increasingly being recognised as the central issue of the housing crisis.

This role will involve working in partnership with local authorities, charities, accommodation providers and people who live in TA or have lived experience, to support and run a number of Temporary Accommodation Action Groups (TAAGs). While Justlife works in Manchester and has some existing work to build upon in Manchester, this role will be pro-actively involved in starting a TAAG in Manchester, as well as in other locations in the North-West. This role may also support and facilitate some or all the work of the Bristol TAAG. Over the contract period, the post holder will support TAAGs to test proposed solutions to local challenges of TA, continuity plan beyond Justlife’s support, and gather impact learning.

This will include coming alongside local organisations working with people in TA, building their connections and capacity to bring about change in the sector. The role will convene regular steering group meetings bringing partners together to share learning across the TAAGs and enabling the them to feed into national discussions and policy recommendations through Justlife’s campaigning work including the Households in Temporary Accommodation All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) and our Alliance.

The role will amplify the voices of those with lived experience of TA connecting them with others and enabling them to advocate, lobby and influence for meaningful change, positively impacting the circumstances of those living in TA, both in the areas where running TAAGs and nationally. This will be carried out working alongside existing lived experience forums providing a safe method of engagement, to actively promote the involvement of those with lived experience.

The role will gather good practice examples from the groups and the wider TA sector, monitor and evaluate the groups, report on their effectiveness and support continued learning within Justlife. Working alongside the wider Justlife team the role will consider solutions to the issues faced in TA that can be tested by Justlife or partner organisations.

This post is a fixed term contract, however Justlife is committed to the continued development of this work beyond June 2026, resource dependent.

The role will include:

• Work within the network and TAAGs team to support the existing work of TAAGs, including possibly taking on a leadership/facilitation role in Bristol.
• Explore the possibility for new TAAGs across the North West and get new TAAG groups started.
• Supporting TAAGs to work with existing lived experience forums locally in order to ensure effective and safe lived experience engagement in the TAAGs.
• Developing learning around TA and building potential solutions through issues raised.

Responsible to: Head of Research, Policy & Communications

Responsible for: No direct reports

Role Description

Key Responsibilities

• Working in partnership with local authorities, charities, accommodation providers and people who live in TA or have lived experience of TA, to support and facilitate a number of TAAGs to thrive and achieve their aims.
• Supporting TAAGs to work alongside existing lived experience forums in order to ensure effective and safe lived experience engagement
• Convening and supporting regular steering group meetings bringing partners together to share learning across the TAAGs and enabling the TAAGs to feed into national discussions and policy recommendations through Justlife’s campaigning work including the Households in Temporary Accommodation All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) and our Alliance.
• Proactively engaging with local organisations working with people in TA, strengthening their voice, building their connections and capacity to bring about change in the sector.
• Gathering good practice models and developing potential solutions with partners to issues relating to TA that can be tested by Justlife frontline services and partner organisations.
• Being part of Justlife’s Research, Policy & Communications team, attending weekly virtual team meetings, contributing to reports, presentations and communications to share learning.
• Contribute to the TAAGs team to support other Network Development Workers and share learning and best practice.
• Being part of and contributing to the Justlife team, attending meetings as appropriate and to be involved in appropriate staff development and training and be committed to team events

This hybrid role will be based in Manchester, where we would ask you to work out of Justlife offices at least two days a week. It will require regular travel, including some national travel and occasional overnight stays.

This job description is intended as an outline indicator of general areas of activity and will be amended in light of the changing needs of Justlife. It is expected that the post holder will be as positive and flexible as possible in using this document as a framework, and in performing other duties commensurate with these responsibilities, the band of the post and skills and qualification of the post-holder.

Person Specification

Experience & Knowledge

• Experience of engaging with a wide variety of stakeholders in a variety of environments and across sectors
• Experience of working in multi-disciplinary environments where competing priorities are represented
• Experience of working/volunteering with, or research involving, people facing multiple disadvantage (such as those experiencing homelessness)
• Desirable: Experience of initiating networked approaches to working or pioneering innovative work that works in partnership with diverse stakeholder groups.
• Understanding of systems thinking approaches, including systems mapping and stakeholder analysis
• Understanding of co-production and other user lived experience engagement models

Skills

• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to build relationships, influence and communicate effectively with a range of people
• Ability to Interpret and analyse data to make convincing arguments and capture people’s interest
• Group Facilitation skills
• IT skills (Office suite, online cloud-based tools)
• Flexibility, adaptability and an ability to think creatively
• Excellent communication skills, verbally and written, including ability to write content and engage in social media

Personal attributes

• A strong commitment to drive change for people living in TA
• Commitment to diversity and anti-oppressive practice in all areas of work
• Self-motivation, able to prioritise workload and operate without close guidance from a manager
• Willingness to travel across North-West and, from time to time, further afield.
• Commitment to the values of Justlife:
  • Collaboration before competition
  • People before programmes
  • Innovation before Institution