Social Welfare Jobs

Hours: 20 hours per week – Monday to Friday

Citizens Advice Milton Keynes is a local charity that helps people to resolve their legal, money and personal problems. We have been providing free, confidential, and impartial advice since 1972 and helped over 8000 local people last year.

We are looking for an enthusiastic, reliable and confident person to join us in delivering a new project based in local GP Surgeries. The ideal candidate will provide a Social Prescribing Link Worker service, to patients of Ascent Primary Care Network (Ascent PCN) in Milton Keynes, working to support patients and staff at each of their 3 medical centres across the area.

The Link Worker will take referrals from the PCN’s practices, and from a wide range of external agencies, and through self-referrals. They’ll work with people to identify issues that affect their health and wellbeing and co-produce a simple personalised care and support plan that connects them to non-medical community-based activities, groups and services that meet practical, social, and emotional needs.

This is a challenging role, managing a demanding caseload, working to strict quality standards and playing a full part in multi-disciplinary team of health and social care professionals. Successful candidates will be able to ensure that all work is compliant with our contract funder – Ascent PCN, and Citizens Advice standards.

Applicants need to be –

• Computer-literate, although training on our case recording systems will be given.
• Able to travel between each of the 3 surgeries in Milton Keynes.
• Confident in working to performance targets.
• Able to show good communications skills, both written and verbal. These are essential in the role, as are excellent customer service skills with a non-judgemental approach.
• Prepared to work independently and from a variety of community-based locations.

A minimum of 12 months’ experience in a social prescribing role or an agency providing advice, support and signposting (or similar setting) is desirable.

The successful Applicant/s will be asked to undergo an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Closing date: Thursday 6 December 2024Interviews:To be confirmed in December 2024

Please note interviews will be held face to face in Acorn House

We are seeking a highly committed, proactive and professional Registered Service Manager to lead the operational management of a specialist supported living service located in Witham, Essex. The service has been developed to meet the needs of people who have a learning disability and/or physical disability support needs, including epilepsy and dysphagia.

The service supports 18 people in three bungalow homes. The accommodation has been carefully designed to meet the 24 hour needs of individuals with a range of needs and special requirements. The service is currently rated as Good by CQC.

All tenants (including current residents) need well planned, personalised support to allow them to make a successful transition to supported living and to become more confident and independent. The care provided includes aspects of personal care and medication administration including moving and handling, eating and drinking etc.

As the Registered Manager you will ensure that the service remains of the highest quality, meeting all CQC and contract requirements and that this can be demonstrated through comprehensive quality and monitoring/auditing processes. You will ensure that the service works in a cohesive and coordinated manner and that clients experience a fully integrated and seamless care, support and housing experience.

You will ensure that the personalized care and support delivery is in accordance with agreed care plans, enabling clients to continue to enjoy wellbeing, quality of life and community connections. You will promote and re-inforce a culture of responsive, person-centered practice and active support across the service, with relationships based on respect and unconditional positive regard.

Creative Support is a not-for-profit organisation which provides high quality, person-centred support to people with physical disabilities, learning disabilities, mental health needs and dementia. The support we offer is tailored to the individual client’s needs and encourages independence and community engagement. 

Significant practitioner or management experience in services for older people, people with dementia, memory loss, mental health needs, physical or learning disabilities is essential alongside a warm, person centred and respectful approach. You should ideally have a relevant professional qualification (e.g. Diploma in Social Work, RMN/RGN, NVQ 4/5) and/or a degree level or post- graduate qualification. Creative Support is committed to your continuous professional development and you will have the opportunity to discuss your training and development needs.

Vacancy Reference Number: 80921

Applications for this role must be submitted via the Creative Support website using the above vacancy reference number

Benefits of working with Creative Support include a probationary bonus, pension contributions, 33 days Leave and company paid enhanced DBS.

We are a passionate, inclusive, and anti-racist organization - Stonewall Diversity Champion, Disability Confident Employer who have recently received Investors in People Gold award.

We can only accept applications from candidates who are located in and eligible to work within the UK. – This post will not be open to Sponsorship under the UKVI scheme

 

 

The Living Wage Foundation has an exciting opportunity to join our dynamic team as a Research Manager. We are looking for an individual with quantitative research expertise and a desire to influence positive social change to join our Research Team. Previous experience in conducting research on the UK labour market is desirable but not essential. Reporting to the Senior Research Manager, the Research Manager will: 

• Contribute to the design and management of our research programme on labour market conditions, low pay, in-work poverty, and insecure work. 

• Conduct rigorous quantitative and qualitative research (mainly quantitative) to understand how existing working conditions such as low pay and insecure work - and potential improvements - affect workers, businesses, and society. 

• Provide thought-leadership on areas relevant to LWF’s work, including on areas like low pay, insecure work and cost-of-living, and relevant policy developments.

• Communicate research findings verbally and in writing to influence employers to pay the real Living Wage, and to grow recognition and understanding of the Living Wage Foundation and the social policy issues it works on.

• Provide input into in-house research standards and quality assurance.

• Have direct line management responsibility for a researcher. 

• Build relationships with external partners, including commissioning and managing research conducted by other organisations. 

Living Wage Foundation 

The Living Wage Foundation was launched in 2011 by Citizens UK to tackle in-work poverty and ensure that workers earn enough to live on and participate in family and community life. Citizens UK is the home of community organising with diverse civil society alliances set up to develop leaders to work on the issues that matter to them, such as the Living Wage. Other projects include Parent Action and Sponsor Refugees to add depth to the impact of Citizens UK’s work.

The Living Wage is a movement of businesses, organisations and people who believe that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay. The real Living Wage is an independently-calculated hourly rate based on the cost of living and announced each October ahead of Living Wage Week, our annual celebration of a growing network of over 15,000 Living Wage Employers.

The Living Wage Foundation celebrates employers that voluntarily choose to pay the real Living Wage through an accreditation scheme that recognises a long-term commitment to fair pay and has secured pay rises for 475,000 low paid workers. Over recent years, the Living Wage Foundation has built on the success of the real Living Wage by creating new responsible employment standards – Living Hours and Living Pension – for those employers who want to go further and provide the security workers need now and in the future.

The Living Wage Foundation is part of Citizens UK – a community organising charity which works with a broad base of institutions across the political spectrum. At the Living Wage Foundation, we take a deliberately broad-based approach and accredit all organisations who pay the real Living Wage to their directly and indirectly employed staff and are committed to tackling in work poverty.  As a team we work across a range of industries and sectors to achieve this mission. We seek pragmatic coalitions in order to progress specific campaigns, and partnership around a particular issue such as Living Wage, does not imply an endorsement of broader purpose and policies.

Citizens UK

Citizens UK is the biggest, most diverse and most effective people-powered alliance of local communities working together for the common good. Our mission is to develop leaders, strengthen civic organisations and make change. Our 550 member communities are deeply rooted in their local areas and connect every day to the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Through the method of community organising we enable people experiencing powerlessness to develop their leadership and come together with the power and strategy to make change.

This leads to hundreds of neighbourhood improvements - from zebra crossings outside primary schools to renovated public toilets in cemeteries. And it leads to some of the biggest campaign impacts in the UK, such as winning over £3 billion of wages through the UK Living Wage campaign, securing a legal cap on the cost of credit to control exploitative lending, and ending the detention of children for immigration purposes. We enable local campaigns to grow into large-scale social change projects such as the Living Wage Foundation, Parent Action and Sponsor Refugees that form an integral part of our theory of change. The most prominent of these is the rapidly growing Living Wage Foundation with a network of almost 15,000 accredited Living Wage Employers across the UK. 

At Citizens UK, our organisers and project staff work within communities and ‘organise across difference’. There are various project roles and management, operational, communication, finance and HR roles that support the organisation and project staff and organisers to deliver on this mission and work. This work is rewarding and can be challenging; it requires a personal commitment to inclusion, a willingness to listen and disagree respectfully, and an interest in working in an organisation where our staff, member institutions and leaders will come from a diversity of backgrounds and often hold views that may be very different from our own. More information about how we operate within this context, and build trusted relationships across difference can be found on our website and is covered in induction. Onboarding and navigating this relational culture, and type of work, is supported by line managers and further training.

About the Application Process

We work within diverse communities bringing people together. In line with our Inclusion value, we would love to see applications from LGBTQIA+ people, people from racialised communities, people living with disabilities and people of faith, all to better represent the communities we work in. We want our employees to have the working conditions that allows them to fully participate, be able to be their best authentic selves and thrive doing so, and we have employee networks to support staff. Even if you don’t quite meet all the required criteria still consider applying, as we invest in our employees and support them to develop the skills and knowledge required to deliver their role.

For questions and reasonable adjustments regarding your application including information in a different format, or our recruitment process, please contact us. 

Got any more questions?

If you would like further information on the role, the organisation, or our commitment to addressing under-representation and the development and progression of all colleagues, we would be happy to answer any questions.

We will be holding a webinar on Tuesday 26th November, 1-1.30pm where anyone can attend to find out more about the role, all enquiries welcome. In the past, candidates have found this a helpful space for understanding whether the role is right for them.

Please register for the webinar via the application form.

If you’d like to know more but cannot attend the webinar, please contact us. 

Main Responsibilities 

This role sits within the communications team. Working as a Research Manager for the Living Wage Foundation, your main responsibilities will include:  

Strategy Development 

• Contribute to the design and management of a research strategy for the Living Wage Foundation, effectively planning a timeline of future projects that combines to grow the Foundation’s influence, intelligence and impact. 

• Work across the Foundation’s communications, programme and business development teams to understand and support research and intelligence needs around Living Wage accreditation and the diversification of the Foundation’s work. 

• Support the Foundation’s communications team to embed data and research findings across traditional media, social media and website communications, including by identifying external hooks to showcase new or existing LWF Research. 

Build and manage projects and achieve work targets effectively 

• Design and deliver high-quality research projects within the Living Wage Foundation’s research programme, focusing on the labour market, low pay and in-work poverty.

• Conduct quantitative analysis of secondary datasets, including the Labour Force Survey, the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, the Family Resources Survey and Understanding Society. 

• Commission, design and analyse primary polling of individuals and businesses. 

• Commission and manage research conducted for the Foundation by external organisations. 

• Conduct qualitative research, including interviews and focus groups with low-paid workers and employers. 

Reputational and risk management 

• Identify potential reputational risks related to research and proactively develop appropriate protocol, messages and standards to mitigate risks, including through appropriate quality assurance processes 

• Design and conduct evaluations of the Foundation’s programmes and impact, and build the evidence base on the benefits of the Living Wage to workers, businesses and society. 

Materials development and dissemination 

• Managing individual reports and projects, with full ownership of the planning, methodology, report writing, dissemination and evaluation. 

• Disseminate research findings through written reports, articles, blogs and presentations. 

• Plan and react to regular data releases from the ONS relevant to low pay, labour markets and in-work poverty. 

External Relationships 

• Build and manage relationships with research organisations, academics, think tanks and employer networks. 

• Identify and develop strategic partnerships with a range of stakeholders – including project partners and funders to support the Foundation’s work.

• Represent the Foundation at meetings and events, including speaking on panels and in roundtables on research- and policy-related issues. 

Internal Relationships 

• Support wider research and intelligence needs and projects across Citizens UK. 

• Provide research support to colleagues where required, including by responding to data-requests and providing input on project-specific research activity where required. 

• Work with Citizens UK community organisers, members and leaders to promote civic engagement with and ownership of the Living Wage campaign. 

Learning and Expertise 

• Become in-house expert on issues relevant to LWF’s diversification work.

• Monitor developments in public policy and develop appropriate proposals for what these mean for LWF’s work.

• Demonstrate ability to support members of the team in designing and delivering research outputs, including providing input on in house research standards.

• Support the training and induction of team members, and work collaboratively with the wider team to ensure that we are meeting the expectations of our network and stakeholders. 

Generate income and resources 

• Manage budgets, and identify opportunities to attract funding for research projects. 

Person Specification 

(D) Desirable, (E) Essential 

Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional qualification (D) 

Experience 

• Proven, comprehensive experience in a research or analytical role (E) 

• Experience of building and managing successful relationships and partnerships with research organisations, funders, and other stakeholders (E)

• Experience of conducting or managing research related to the labour market, low pay or in-work poverty (D) 

• Sound knowledge and understanding of public policy issues relating to the UK labour market, especially around low pay and insecure work (D) 

• Experience of commissioning and overseeing research projects delivered by others, and/or applying for or delivering externally funded research (D) 

• Experience of line management or mentoring junior staff in a professional setting (D)

Key skills and knowledge 

• Excellent quantitative research skills, and knowledge of a range of quantitative research techniques (E) 

• Knowledge of secondary datasets related to the labour market, such as the Labour Force Survey and Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (E) 

• Ability to work with Microsoft Excel, and at least one other statistical software package for analysis (e.g. SPSS, Stata, R or Python) (E) 

• Excellent written and oral communication skills in a range of formats (e.g. briefings, reports, blogs and presentations) (E) 

• Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to build and manage internal and external relationships (E) 

• Ability to act on own initiative, to introduce and develop new projects and ideas (E) 

• Understanding of the key drivers of in-work poverty in the UK and broader labour market dynamics (D) 

• Qualitative research skills and experience using a range of techniques (D) 

Personal qualities & values 

• A proactive approach to all areas of work, with a ‘can do’ attitude and a flexible approach to work demands (E) 

• Strong attention to detail, with the ability to sense check data and critically review findings outlined in research reports and briefings (E) 

• A strong commitment to the Living Wage campaign and principles of Citizens UK (E) 

Interviews: 9th & 10th December (TBC)

LOCATION: Across Citizens Advice Hammersmith & Fulham sites with some hybrid working following the completion of successful probationary period.

Citizens Advice Hammersmith and Fulham is recruiting for Advice Services Managers, who will be responsible for the supervision, quality and monitoring performance of the advice and information team. This busy and varied role will rely on your ability to mutli-task and bring out the best in paid and volunteer staff, to ensure the highest quality of advice across our many and varied projects. Working as part of a team with other Advice Services Managers, you will also be responsible for all aspects of risk relating to advice delivery, complaints handling, safeguarding and GDPR.

It is essential that you have the required management skills and a good understanding of the main advice enquiry areas including welfare benefits, housing, debt, and employment as well as a combination of the following attributes:

• Excellent and effective communicator
• Experience in managing and developing staff and volunteers
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and assess priority order
• Ability to research, analyse and interpret complex information

Experience of working with colleagues to maintain a positive working and learning environment, ensuring equality and diversity principles are upheld
If you are an experienced Generalist Advisers, and don’t have all the skills required, please consider applying as we are willing to consider appointing the right candidate as a training and development role.

To find out more please visit our website via the apply button

What we can offer you:

We value our people and can offer a supportive culture within a high performing and award-winning organisation. 86% of our workforce recommend us as a place to work. We are committed to being an inclusive employer and workplace to represent the diverse communities we service. We are committed to increasing our diversity and whatever your background, we welcome your application. We offer an attractive remuneration package with excellent terms including:

• Generous holiday entitlement starting at 25 days per year (in addition to bank holidays) and rising to 30 days with long service
• Learning, development and personal growth opportunities
• Mental health and Well-being support helpline

Closing Date: Midnight 1st December 2024
Interview & Test: Week Commencing 2nd December 2024

We will interview on a rolling basis. We reserve the right to close the applications earlier if suitable candidates are found so encourage early applications.

About us

Dementia Together Wirral is an established charity, currently in a period of rapid growth and strategic development and now have an exciting opportunity for a dynamic, forward thinking and experienced Operations Manager to join our team of paid staff and volunteers. The Steve Morgan Foundation has generously agreed to provide a grant towards the salary costs of this new fixed term post for 3 years.

Who we are looking for

We are seeking somebody who is a confident communicator, with strong analytical, IT and critical thinking skills, able to build and maintain relationships internally and externally, write accurate and concise reports and with excellent interpersonal and financial management skills. You will provide the 'link' between the paid staff and volunteers, and the Board of Trustees, and be comfortable as the public face of the charity when needed. Yes, we asking for a lot but in return we are offering a competitive salary, plus 3% pension contribution and the chance for you to join a friendly, supportive charity at a pivotal point in our development where your input can help shape our future direction. 

This is a remote working position but will involve regular travel to meetings and locations where our user activities are held.

Please see the attached job description for full details.

If you think you have the skills, experience and the 'can do' attitude that we are looking for, send your CV and covering letter by the closing date of 28th November 2024.

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

Benefits of working for Wandsworth Carers’ Centre:

• Friendly team and working environment
• Mix of remote and office-based work
• 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.

Welfare Benefits Advisor

Salary: £35,000

Full Time (35 hours per week)

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 provide welfare benefit 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 mentoring and support to one trainee advisor. 

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
• 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!

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

 

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Philanthropy Manager - Crisis - £45,727 - London

Ready to transform lives and tackle homelessness through powerful philanthropic fundraising? Crisis is seeking an exceptional Philanthropy Manager to drive vital funding that changes futures.

Location: London

Salary: £45,727

Contract: 6-month contract

Working Pattern: Full-time, hybrid working (prepared for one day a week in the office)

About Crisis: We're a leading national charity dedicated to ending homelessness. Your role will directly contribute to our mission of supporting people out of homelessness and creating lasting change.

We know that 6 months can be too short to build long term relationships, that's why we want you to put together some interesting projects and strategies. Get in touch with your friendly neighbourhood recruiter Frederick Hillinger for more details on this bit.

As our Philanthropy Manager, you'll:

• Build relationships with high-value donors
• Secure five and six-figure philanthropic gifts
• Manage a dynamic prospect pipeline
• Create compelling funding proposals
• Support peer-to-peer giving initiatives
• Collaborate across teams to identify funding opportunities

What you'll bring:

• Outstanding relationship management skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication
• Creative approach to donor engagement
• Project management expertise
• Digital marketing understanding
• Passion for social change

We offer:

• Flexible working arrangements
• Supportive, inclusive work environment
• Opportunity to make a genuine difference
• Professional development opportunities
• Time off in lieu for evening/weekend events

Our culture: We embed our values of equality, social inclusion, and putting our members at the heart of everything we do. You'll work in a collaborative environment that's committed to ending homelessness.

Career development: We invest in our people, offering ongoing training and clear progression paths within our fundraising teams.

What makes this role special? You'll directly contribute to transforming lives, helping people move away from homelessness and create a better future.

Want to be part of creating lasting social change? Join our team and help end homelessness, one connection at a time.

We want you to have every opportunity to demonstrate your skills, ability and potential; please contact us if you require any assistance or adjustment so that we can help with making the application process work for you.

About The Role
Do you want to become part of an innovative team at the forefront of delivering the transformation agenda for a leading UK Charity?

We’re looking for an exceptional internal communications professional to play a critical role in leading the development and delivery of the change communications for RBLs transformation agenda in this newly created Change Communications Manager, 12 month Fixed Term Contract.

Are you ready to join a growing team who are passionate about making a difference to our Armed Forces community? If you thrive on working collaboratively to deliver transformational change, this could be the role for you.

Come and be part of the leading Armed Forces charity, making a difference to the lives of those who have served to keep us safe and protect our way of life.

Our Transformation Management Office (TMO) is evolving to respond to the ever-changing needs of our beneficiaries. We are bringing together a new team of project and programme management, insight and evaluation, change leadership, and change communication professionals to shape our change agenda and deliver our transformational initiatives.
This role will see you accountable for developing and implementing a plan to support the large transformation agenda underway, working alongside the TMO, Change Leaders, Transformation Cluster Leads, and project and programme teams across the organisation.

Reporting to our Head of Internal Communications and Engagement, key responsibilities will include:

- Create and deliver impactful communications and engagement plans to fulfil the objectives of the change programmes.
- Ensure the change communications align with and support our strategic priorities
- Provide communications expertise and hands-on support to successfully manage and embed change throughout the transformation portfolio working with Cluster Leaders, Executive Board sponsors, and project and programme teams
- Work collaboratively with Internal Communication & Engagement colleagues to ensure that change communications are fully aligned with the wider internal communications agenda

Your proven track record in designing and implementing change communications strategies and plans for complex, geographically dispersed audiences, coupled with strong networking and influencing skills will be crucial. You’ll bring a natural flair for crafting compelling copy, and, with your first-class stakeholder management skills, you'll build relationships, provide expert advice, and work collaboratively to deliver impactful change communications.

Here at RBL we aim to support our people and their wellbeing, with a package including generous paid holiday allowance and pension scheme contributions, and a range of optional benefits and discounts.

You will be contracted to our London Hub, Haig House. Under our Future Working framework, there will be some flexibility for working remotely/at home, using our collaboration tools to work with colleagues, with a minimum of two days per week at the hub.

For more detailed information about the role, please see our Vacancy Information Pack attached to our direct advert.

RBL is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive organisation, reflecting the diversity of the Armed Forces community and of wider society. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and personal characteristics and aim to operate an inclusive recruitment process.

Closing date: Sunday 8th December
Interview Date:  Thursday 12th December – to be held in person at our Head Office in London.
You’ll need to allow 90 minutes for the interview that will consist of competency and values-based questions, a presentation, and a written test.

We may close this vacancy early if we believe we have strong applications to be able to successfully fill the roles. Interested candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

The Living Wage Foundation is seeking an experienced and driven Senior Media and Communications Manager to join our team. This is an exciting opportunity for a highly organised and proactive communications professional with a strong background in media relations, public messaging, and team leadership. The ideal candidate will thrive in a fast-paced, high-profile environment and be motivated to amplify the Living Wage Foundation’s impact across key audiences. 

The postholder will lead all media, messaging, and external affairs work, developing and implementing a proactive media strategy that supports our mission and key campaigns, such as Living Wage Week and the annual Rates announcement. As a skilled media professional, you will oversee all communications outputs, ensuring consistency and strategic alignment, while delivering media training and refining key messaging to maximise reach and impact. 

About the Application Process

We work within diverse communities bringing people together. In line with our Inclusion value, we would love to see applications from LGBTQIA+ people, people from racialised communities, people living with disabilities and people of faith, all to better represent the communities we work in. We want our employees to have the working conditions that allows them to fully participate, be able to be their best authentic selves and thrive doing so, and we have employee networks to support staff. Even if you don’t quite meet all the required criteria still consider applying, as we invest in our employees and support them to develop the skills and knowledge required to deliver their role.

For questions and reasonable adjustments regarding your application including information in a different format, or our recruitment process, please contact us. 

Got any more questions?

If you would like further information on the role, the organisation, or our commitment to addressing under-representation and the development and progression of all colleagues, we would be happy to answer any questions.

We will be holding a webinar on Tuesday 26th November, 1-1.30pm where anyone can attend to find out more about the role, all enquiries welcome. In the past, candidates have found this a helpful space for understanding whether the role is right for them.

To register please check the link on Applied.

If you’d like to know more but cannot attend the webinar, please email contact us (details on Applied). 

Living Wage Foundation 

The Living Wage Foundation was launched in 2011 by Citizens UK to tackle in-work poverty and ensure that workers earn enough to live on and participate in family and community life. Citizens UK is the home of community organising with diverse civil society alliances set up to develop leaders to work on the issues that matter to them, such as the Living Wage. Other projects include Parent Action and Sponsor Refugees to add depth to the impact of Citizens UK’s work.

The Living Wage is a movement of businesses, organisations and people who believe that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay. The real Living Wage is an independently-calculated hourly rate based on the cost of living and announced each October ahead of Living Wage Week, our annual celebration of a growing network of over 15,000 Living Wage Employers.

The Living Wage Foundation celebrates employers that voluntarily choose to pay the real Living Wage through an accreditation scheme that recognises a long-term commitment to fair pay and has secured pay rises for 475,000 low paid workers. Over recent years, the Living Wage Foundation has built on the success of the real Living Wage by creating new responsible employment standards – Living Hours and Living Pension – for those employers who want to go further and provide the security workers need now and in the future.

The Living Wage Foundation is part of Citizens UK – a community organising charity which works with a broad base of institutions across the political spectrum. At the Living Wage Foundation, we take a deliberately broad-based approach and accredit all organisations who pay the real Living Wage to their directly and indirectly employed staff and are committed to tackling in work poverty.  As a team we work across a range of industries and sectors to achieve this mission. We seek pragmatic coalitions in order to progress specific campaigns, and partnership around a particular issue such as Living Wage, does not imply an endorsement of broader purpose and policies.

Citizens UK

Citizens UK is the biggest, most diverse and most effective people-powered alliance of local communities working together for the common good. Our mission is to develop leaders, strengthen civic organisations and make change. Our 550 member communities are deeply rooted in their local areas and connect every day to the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Through the method of community organising we enable people experiencing powerlessness to develop their leadership and come together with the power and strategy to make change.

This leads to hundreds of neighbourhood improvements - from zebra crossings outside primary schools to renovated public toilets in cemeteries. And it leads to some of the biggest campaign impacts in the UK, such as winning over £3 billion of wages through the UK Living Wage campaign, securing a legal cap on the cost of credit to control exploitative lending, and ending the detention of children for immigration purposes. We enable local campaigns to grow into large-scale social change projects such as the Living Wage Foundation, Parents and Communities Together (PACT), Sponsor Refugees, and Refugees for Justice, that form an integral part of our theory of change. The most prominent of these is the rapidly growing Living Wage Foundation with a network of almost 15,000 accredited Living Wage Employers across the UK. 

At Citizens UK, our organisers and project staff work within communities and ‘organise across difference’. There are various project roles and management, operational, communication, finance and HR roles that support the organisation and project staff and organisers to deliver on this mission and work. This work is rewarding and can be challenging; it requires a personal commitment to inclusion, a willingness to listen and disagree respectfully, and an interest in working in an organisation where our staff, member institutions and leaders will come from a diversity of backgrounds and often hold views that may be very different from our own. More information about how we operate within this context, and build trusted relationships across difference can be found on our website and is covered in induction. Onboarding and navigating this relational culture, and type of work, is supported by line managers and further training.

In this role, you will be instrumental in advancing our political engagement efforts, building cross-party support and working with political leaders, mayoral teams, and other key stakeholders to promote our initiatives. You’ll manage two direct reports (Events Manager and Media Manager) who each hold line management responsibilities, and you will play a critical role within our Senior Management Team, collaborating closely with the Head of Communications to shape the overall direction of our communications work. 

As a senior leader, you will be responsible for managing and allocating the communications team budget, expanding team capacity, and driving the team’s effectiveness. In collaboration with other senior managers, you will help foster a culture that values creativity, innovation, and strategic impact. 

Main Responsibilities 

Situational Awareness and Research 

• Lead regular updates on key audiences, tracking positions on issues of interest and ensuring the team is fully informed. 

• Guide the team in proactive media monitoring, enabling timely responses to significant developments. 

• Collaborate with the Senior Research Manager to conduct and commission impactful research, driving media campaigns that effectively reach and engage target audiences. 

• Oversee the development and maintenance of a comprehensive press database, mapping key media contacts and publications in line with the Living Wage Foundation’s objectives. 

Strategy Development 

• Provide strategic oversight of the organisation’s media strategy, ensuring it aligns with broader organisational, communications, and campaign goals, and establish clear processes for evaluating its success. 

• Work alongside other Senior Managers in the Communications Team to shape and guide the overall communications strategy. 

• Lead on all media and messaging outputs, including developing high-quality materials, coordinating media events, and delivering media training. 

• Support the Living Wage Foundation’s Political Engagement Strategy by building and sustaining cross-party support for the organisation’s mission and objectives. 

Reputational and Risk Management 

• Develop and manage the organisation’s risk register, offering strategic oversight and serving as a primary contact for crisis communications. 

• Manage and respond to reactive media inquiries promptly, ensuring alignment with the organisation’s values and objectives. 

• Draft key messages and FAQs for media interviews and public responses, and advise senior leadership on sensitive media or reputational issues. 

• Represent the Living Wage Foundation effectively in senior stakeholder interactions and participate in out-of-hours press duties when needed. 

• Strengthen and maintain broad cross-party support for the Living Wage agenda. 

Content Creation and Dissemination 

• Oversee the Media Team in producing engaging press releases, blogs, opinion pieces, and media briefings to elevate the Living Wage Foundation’s profile. 

• Ensure media outputs and communications reflect the organisation’s values and uphold a consistent voice. 

• Create and refine key messaging for public communications, including FAQs and response guides. 

• Lead media training sessions for LWF staff and Living Wage employers, enhancing their confidence and effectiveness in media engagements. 

Relationship Management 

• Lead employer case study development, identifying and preparing Living Wage employers to speak to media and champion a real Living Wage. 

• Drive stakeholder engagement efforts, cultivating valuable relationships with Living Wage employers, campaign partners, and media contacts. 

• Build and maintain relationships with journalists across print, digital, and broadcast media to secure quality coverage. 

• Collaborate with the Public Engagement Team to draft emails, speeches, speaker notes, briefings, and press notices for political engagements. 

• Provide line management and development support to the Media Manager and Events Manager. 

Social Media and Website 

• Ensure consistency in messaging and alignment across all media and digital platforms in collaboration with the wider communications team. 

• Work closely with the Senior Digital and Communications Manager to guide and oversee team initiatives. 

Key Skills 

• An enthusiasm for media and communications, coupled with a strong commitment to the mission of the Living Wage Foundation. 

• Proven experience and a strong understanding of the UK media landscape, with established relationships with national journalists that have resulted in high-quality coverage. 

• Experience in line managing and leading a team. 

• Demonstrated experience in managing sensitive reputational issues, including risk assessment and crisis communications. 

• Skilled in leveraging real-life stories and case studies to drive engagement, including experience in leading media training for spokespeople. 

• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to produce and edit content to a journalistic standard across diverse audiences and channels. 

• Strong track record in designing and executing high-impact communications strategies that achieve measurable results. 

• Competence in using social media platforms to engage audiences effectively, understanding their role in broader media strategies. 

• Proficiency in evaluating campaigns and media outputs, with the ability to derive insights that inform future strategies. 

• Strong interpersonal skills for building effective relationships with colleagues and external stakeholders, including political audiences. 

• Solid understanding of the political landscape and public affairs, with experience engaging cross-party stakeholders. 

Interviews: 9th & 10th December (TBC)

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

£24,960.00 per annum, working 40 hours per week. Benefits include 25 days Annual Leave, pension schemes, staff discounts, healthcare and career progression.

Want to feel valued? 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.

Support Workers will provide support to customers to help them develop the life skills they require to live independently. Support workers must monitor and assess the needs of the customers and provide creative and tailored person centred support to help them achieve their goals and aspirations.

Support workers will work closely with statutory children's services and other external agencies to best support customers to promote social inclusion and teach independent living skills. Support workers will empower and encourage customers to maximise their skills and choices.

All applicants must be legally eligible to work in the UK by the start of employment as Look Ahead are not able to offer sponsorship.

What you'll do:

- Building supportive, trusting relationships with customers
- Working proactively with other members of the team to handle the service caseload and administrative responsibilities
- Supporting key customers to set personalised goals in the form of a Support Plan
- Conducting regular key work sessions that are innovative and engaging in order to achieve Support Plan goals
- Ensuring ongoing assessment and management of risks associated with customers within an attitude of 'positive risk taking'
- Proactively manage risk and safety both in and outside of their physical living environment
- Providing support with daily living activities, including practical assistance where skills are not yet developed, to ensure that customers enjoy a high quality of accommodation
- Proactive development of links with local statutory and voluntary organisations to provide a range of engagement opportunities for customers in the community
- Involving customers in the design, development and delivery of the service
- Empowering customers to ensure they receive the service and benefits they are entitled to

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
- Flexible
- Open to feedback and self development
- Is essentially customer-focused
- Is motivated towards excellence and improvement of personal performance with a can do attitude
- Ability to cope positively with challenging and diverse behaviours
- Understanding of mental health difficulties and therapeutic methods of support: Mental health difficulties include depression, anxiety, ADHD, personality disorder and psychosis

What you'll bring:

Essential:

- NVQ Level 2 or equivalent experience in the social care/charity sector

Desirable:

- Experience working with care leavers
- Experience working with those displaying mental health difficulties
- Experience using therapeutic models of support

About us:

Look Ahead is a leading, not-for-profit care and support provider in London and the South East. Our vision is to build better lives through social care and housing in local communities. As an organisation we deliver over 120 services, providing support to around 6000 customers each year. Our mission is to co-design and deliver services that offer innovative social care solutions and support people to thrive. We work across mental health, homelessness, young people and learning disabilities so there are plenty of opportunities to grow and progress your career with us.
We have a strong social purpose and we live and work by our values:
* We focus on Excellence and innovation.
* We are Caring and Compassionate.
* We are Inclusive and Trusted.
* We work in Partnership and are One-Team.
Look Ahead is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk, and expects all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment.

If your application for this role is unsuccessful, but we feel that you would be suitable for another role, we may contact you to discuss alternative opportunities. If this occurs you would not need to submit another application for the alternative role.
We reserve the right to close this advert early if we are able to appoint to the vacancy before the advertised closed date.
We are committed to diversity and inclusion at work and are accredited with Silver in the Inclusive Employers Standard 2021. We are a proud member of the Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant and encourage applications from a diverse range of applicants of all backgrounds.

Please see our website for the full Job decription

Hull, with some regional travel required

Ref: WTC-242

Are you a proactive, compassionate and collaborative individual with a proven track record of working and engaging positively with female offenders and ex-offenders or other vulnerable groups?

If so, join St Giles Trust as our Women’s Specialist Trainer Caseworker, where you will lead the delivery of Assured Peer Advice courses alongside providing one-to-one holistic support for women leaving prison.

We are looking for female applicants only for this role as it is an all-women’s service. The Equality Act 2010, Schedule 9, Part 1, Paragraph 1 applies to this post.

About St Giles Trust

An ambitious, well-established charity that helps people facing adversity to find jobs, homes and the right support they need.  Central to our ethos is our belief that people with first-hand experience of successfully overcoming issues such as an offending background, homelessness, addictions and gang involvement, hold the key to positive change in others.

About this key role

You will focus on providing comprehensive and holistic assessments, advice, referrals and support to women aged 18 years and above.  This will see you produce support and risk management plans based on assessments, ensuring you create a safe and trusting environment, using trauma informed practice to successfully facilitate a supportive and constructive relationship with clients.

We will rely on you to match clients to placements and ensure positive relationships with placements providers, to interview and assess new clients – providing one-to-one support throughout – and to plan and deliver a training programme, leading to the achievement of Level 3 Certificate in Advice and Guidance, in accordance with accreditation requirements.  Working towards contractual targets and outcomes within agreed timescales and in line with specified quality standards and maintaining and updating all records required, including learner portfolios, course content folders and monitoring systems are both key aspects of the role, as is working constructively with colleagues to achieve project targets.

What we are looking for

• Assessing client needs, creating support plans and completing risk assessments
• Experience of supporting women facing disadvantage and ability to support people who have multiple and complex needs
• Experience of using and developing monitoring systems to record all aspects of the project
• Understanding of the criminal justice system in the UK – issues faced by our client group, in particular barriers faced by women with multiple complex needs
• Maths and English GCSE A-C or equivalent
• A flexible, professional and collaborative approach to your work
• Excellent interpersonal, relationship-building and communication skills, verbal and written

As an organisation that works with children and adults at risk we are committed to safeguarding, protecting and promoting the safety of our clients and successful applicants will require an Enhanced Child and Adult with Child Barred DBS Check.

We actively encourage people with personal experience of the criminal justice system or lived experience of the issues facing this client group to apply for this role.

In return, you can expect a competitive salary, generous leave allowance, staff pension, flexible working, a mentoring programme, an advice and counselling service, clinical therapist sessions, life insurance (4 x annual salary), duvet days, season ticket loan, employee perks programme, eye care voucher and much more.

We are an equity and inclusion confident employer. We welcome all applications and we particularly encourage applications from people of the global majority (black, brown, multi- heritage) and those who identify as disabled, neuroexpansive, neurodiverse, with any protected characteristics and/or social barriers or challenges. We value the empowering and informative impact that all lived experiences and diversity of thought can offer the organisation.

St Giles will guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria set out in the Job Description for the vacancy.

To apply, please visit our website via the ‘Apply’ button. We encourage you to apply early as we will be shortlisting as applications come in.

Closing date: 02/12/2024. 11:00 pm. Interview date: 16/12/ 2024.

About The Role
We are looking for a dedicated and detail-oriented Poppy Appeal Compliance Officer to join our team. In this role, you’ll play a crucial part in supporting the Poppy Appeal, one of the UK’s largest and most important fundraising initiatives. You will assist in ensuring that all fundraising activities are compliant, enabling us to maximise the creativity and ambition of our supporters and partners. This includes overseeing the end-to-end management of street and house-to-house collections, ensuring compliance with relevant legislation, and working with various local authorities to obtain the necessary permits.

Come and be part of the leading Armed Forces charity, making a difference to the lives of those who have served to keep us safe and protect our way of life.

As a Poppy Appeal Compliance Officer, you will work closely with the Poppy Appeal Compliance Manager and the wider Poppy Appeal Support Team to manage licensing processes, maintain accurate records, and ensure that all post-collection reporting requirements are met. You’ll also be responsible for promoting positive relationships with key stakeholders, including local licensing departments, and ensuring that our collections meet all legal requirements. The role also involves supporting the development of new processes and procedures to modernise our compliance function.

In addition to your compliance duties, you’ll provide administrative support to the team, assist with cash handling initiatives, and contribute to the rollout of guides and packs for compliance activities. We’re looking for someone with a strong understanding of fundraising compliance, excellent organisational skills, and the ability to engage effectively with a wide range of audiences.

We are committed to promoting flexible working and encourage a positive work-life balance. Whether through, hybrid working, or other flexible arrangements, we strive to support our employees in achieving their professional and personal goals. If you are passionate about making a difference and want to be part of an iconic appeal, we’d love to hear from you!
Here at RBL, we aim to support our people and their wellbeing, with a package including generous paid holiday allowance and pension scheme contributions, and a range of optional benefits and discounts.

Your will be contracted to our Aylesford hub. Under our Future Working framework, there will be some flexibility for working remotely/at home, using our collaboration tools to work with colleagues, but with a minimum of two days per week connection directly dace-to-face with colleagues at the hub.  

For more detailed information about the role, please see our Vacancy Information Pack attached to our direct advert.

RBL is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive organisation, reflecting the diversity of the armed forces community and of wider society. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and personal characteristics.

We may close this vacancy early if we believe we have enough strong applications to be able to successfully fill the role(s). Interested candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

Please be aware we are aiming for the successful candidate to start this role at the beginning of February 2025.

Community Connector

Location: Bromley by Bow Centre
Salary: £29,830 per annum
Hours: 35 hours per week, open to applications for part time hours
Job Type: Full time
Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract

Our Community Connector’s serve as the first point of contact for those visiting our sites, providing support for people to engage with services and activities.

The role aims to build relationships, identify peoples’ interests and goals and find appropriate opportunities for support. This role will be largely based in our main location, in Bromley by Bow, and Welcome Hub in East India Dock Rd, which we are developing in partnership with Poplar HARCA, an award-winning housing association in East London.

The role may also be deployed to other sites to support with gaps in capacity e.g. due to annual leave, sickness or other absences of staff. Wherever based, our Community Connectors work to ensure that members of the community are aware of support available to them locally.

The role will also involve co-designing, developing, delivering, and reviewing a programme of activities and resident-led initiatives. The role is very much integrated with other services provided in our locations, mainly our advice services (e.g. social welfare, energy and financial capability) and our open access services.

We expect all our staff to be able to work with some flexibility across Centre’s and offer support to the community. This role will support teams if a sudden need arises due to lack of capacity.

You may have experience in the following roles: Community Engagement Officer, Community Support Worker, Outreach Worker, Housing Support Officer, Social Prescriber, Community Navigator, Service Coordinator, Resident Engagement Officer, etc.

REF-218137

A fantastic charity providing services to unpaid carers are looking for a Service Manager, based in Surrey.

Location: Leatherhead in Surrey, with some working from home and within the community across Surrey

Salary: Circa £28,000

 As Service Manager, you will take the lead in the management of the charity’s care workers.

Key responsibilities include:

• Providing professional leadership and guidance to CSWs / CSAs through supervisions and observations, and staff meetings.
• Ensuring maximised usage of resource hours by concise completion of rostering for sector.
• Take the lead in the recruitment and interviewing of CSWs/CSAs for allocated sector.
• Being the first port of call for any safeguarding concerns in designated sector and ensure that fact finding process is followed correctly and reports are clear and concise.
• Completing 70% reviews of service provision and ascertain whether a referral to Surrey County Council is required.
• Submitting clear reports with regards to sector performance to Senior Service Manager each week.
• Ensuring all administrative responsibilities of the Service Manager role are carried out promptly and concisely.

 The successful candidate will have a Care Certificate and knowledge of CQC regulations and Health Care Act and an ideally an NVQ Level 3 in Health and Social Care. Previous line management experience, ideally in a care setting, including rostering and completing observations and supervisions is key, as is a good level of IT literacy, including proficiency in Microsoft Office software (Word/Excel) and the ability to learn to use other digital platforms and software. Crucially you must have the ability to demonstrate dignity and respect for adults and children with care and support needs, and have a thorough understanding of the needs of unpaid carers.

CVs are being reviewed on a rolling basis, so if this sounds like you, then please do get in touch for more information ASAP!

Please note, only successful candidates will be contacted with further information.

As leading charity recruitment specialists and a certified B Corp™, Harris Hill is committed to high and ever-improving standards of equitable and inclusive recruitment. We actively welcome applications from all sections of the community regardless of age, disability, gender, race, religion, sexuality and other protected characteristics.