Worker Jobs

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 Loss & Bereavement Specialist Worker

Salary: £26,000- £32,000 pro rata

Location: Advance Headoffice Hammersmith & Women’s centres across London, with co- location at HMP Bronzefield

Hours: 21 hours per week

Contract: Fixed Term – March 2027

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:

This is an ideal post for someone with experience and interest in bereavement work, looking to join a forward thinking, new service. This is also a great chance to be working alongside the Healthcare & Education Department within HMP Bronzefield and be part of a prison services team in Advance.

Using a trauma informed approached, the Loss & Bereavement Specialist will conduct a person-centred assessment to understand the extent of the client’s emotional needs and the impact of loss due to imprisonment or contact with the criminal justice system whilst also identifying practical and specialist needs. They will work with women to develop a support plan, ensuring they are equipped with information and knowledge about how to navigate possible changes in circumstances related to her children’s care and offer crisis intervention and support during acute phases of loss/bereavement.

The Loss & Bereavement Specialist Worker will liaise with the Prison Healthcare team, OMU, visits team and the Family Support Officer to facilitate interactions between women and their children/family members, particularly considering support is in place after visits and that the women’s emotional needs are met in custody and community via our Women’s centres.

The Specialist Worker will create a link between prison and the community, helping women to navigate support services and to positively re-integrate into their community upon release. The role will combine a casework- based approach, along with a signposting and advice service for the women. They will be based in the community and will provide a drop-in service in HMP Bronzefield to support women who are close to release.

A car may be desirable for this role, though not essential

About You:

To be successful as the Loss & Bereavement Specialist Worker you will need the below experience and skills:

Experience of working with bereaved individuals and providing grief counselling including knowledge of various therapeutic modalities relevant to grief counselling

Comprehensive understanding of the grieving process and experience of working with bereaved and loss as well as knowledge of traumatic and complex grief/loss.

An understanding of violence against women and girls and its links to women in the criminal justice system.

Proven ability and experience as a caseworker delivering trauma responsive interventions which support resettlement and rehabilitation of vulnerable people in the criminal justice system whether in the community or in prisons

Knowledge and understanding of the requirements of managing a caseload including maintaining and updating records, remaining focused on action plan goals, and keeping to deadlines

How to apply:

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

Interviews are taking place on a rolling basis

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

What we can offer you - Employee Benefits:

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

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

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

Pension scheme

Enhanced maternity/adoption provision

Access to our Employee Assistance Programme

Employee eye-care scheme

Clinical supervision for front line staff and first line management roles

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

Organisation wide away days

Thorough induction and training

Career development pathways

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

Diversity, Inclusion and Equal Opportunities

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

Safeguarding

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check.

We're looking for a 2 kind, compassionate and resilient Support Workers to join our Mental Health service in Slough

£26,208.00 per annum, working 40 hours per week.

Want to feel like you have an exciting future? You'll feel at home here.

Making you feel at home here means helping you thrive in every way. That's why we offer a wide range of benefits, award-winning Learning & Development and a culture that welcomes all. These aren't token gestures - we've thought long and hard about how best to support our team. After all, our people are doing something amazing: helping to transform lives every day.

Our benefits include:

Annual leave increasing up to 30 days with length of service
Free DBS
Exclusive discounts and cashback via Reward Gateway® and opportunity to buy a Blue Light Card
Fully paid induction programme and further training
ILM courses and Apprenticeship Programmes
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.

Support Workers will provide support to customers to help them develop the life skills they require to meet the assessed needs of the customers of the service. In some services, this will include providing physical, domestic, emotional and social care. They will work with customers to promote social inclusion and alongside other members of the team to promote independent living, encouraging customers to maximise their skills and choices.

This role involves working on a rota pattern made by early, late, weekend and bank holidays.

For a full job description, please visit our website

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
Thrives on change and enjoys dynamic diverse environments
Is confident with high levels of self-esteem
Is respectful, articulate and sensitive in style of communication
Is 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

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.

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

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.

Your role will be to help deliver personalized interventions, helping individuals access the right services, by supporting them to set gaols and offering guidance to help them achieve their goals and aspirations.

Community Development Worker

We have a rewarding opportunity for a Community Development Worker to ensure that children, young people and families can access timely Early Help support and activities to improve their wellbeing and quality of life. 

If you are passionate about identifying, supporting, and developing a community offer provided by individuals, groups, organisations, services and places, then apply today!

Position: Community Development Worker (Early Help)

Location: Harborne/hybrid working (this is an outreach position and you will be expected to be based in the community especially within Edgbaston and Northfield but with some city wide work as well)

Hours: 37 hours per week

Salary: £26,430 per annum

Contract: 1 x Fixed Term until March 2026

Benefits: The provision of workplace wellbeing support and activities, hybrid working where the role allows, flexible working and a range of family friendly policies and subsidised parking.

Closing Date: 13th April 2025

Interview Date: 25th & 28th April 

The Role

You will work as part of a city wide team of Community Development Workers as well as on a locality basis to ensure that they can combine targeted work with locality needs. This will include a strong element of co production, working with families and community assets to lead on projects and the development of new groups, services, and activities to meet the needs or improve services within the community. 

The role will also focus on increasing children and families engagement with local assets by working with them to improve accessibility, identify gaps in provision and encourage innovation and improvements to services.

Duties and key responsibilities include:

• Engaging statutory, community and voluntary organisations in a locality and working with all communities in the city.

• Engaging with a broad range of health, education, early years and social care organisations.

• Working with community providers to enable a ‘live’ understanding of community needs and resource capacity as part of a ‘gap analysis’ of the children and families offer across the locality. 

• Supporting residents to lead on community projects and the development and delivery of new groups, services, or activities to meet needs or improve services in the community.

• Working with the Family Hub to align outcomes and workstreams with Family Hubs Outcomes.

• Increasing children and families’ engagement with local assets by working with groups and organisations to improve accessibility, identify gaps in provision, and encourage innovation and improvement to services including local commissioning in line with identified needs. 

• Responding to targeted areas of work on a city-wide basis.

• Alongside the Service Lead, develop and deliver communications and engagement plans.

• Engaging with the citywide Early Help network, coordinated by BVSC, including regular attendance at meetings, as appropriate.

About You

We are looking for an empathetic communicator with excellent engagement and interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate effectively with a range of people. 

You will have experience of:

• Working in an engagement or community development role with diverse community settings with statutory and third sector organisations

• Working with community/grassroots organisations 

• Information sharing, consent and confidentiality issues and risks.

• Importance of equalities, diversity, and inclusion.

About the Organisation

A leading provider of services to the health and social care sector, where the aim is to reduce inequalities in learning, employment and health. As an employer the organisation is proud to offer a range of benefits to staff including provision of workplace wellbeing support and activities, flexible working and a range of family friendly policies and subsidised parking.

You may also have experience in areas such as Community Development Worker, Social Service, Social Services, Support Worker, Care Worker, Early Help, Social Work, Youth, Youth Worker, Support Service, Vulnerable Adult, Care, Care and Support, Social Care, Community Support, Community, Children, Young People, Family, Community Project Officer, Community Partnerships Manager, Community Partnerships Officer, Community Engagement Officer, Community Engagement.  #INDNFP

PLEASE NOTE: This role is being advertised by NFP People on behalf of the organisation.

As a Community Support Worker, you will work alongside the Community Hub Service Manager, providing frontline support to individuals and families who come to the Makery for help. This role requires proven experience in safeguarding, crisis intervention, and advocacy, as well as the ability to risk assess and respond appropriately to a range of situations.

Applications will not be considered without relevant Safeguarding experience and training, and proven track record of working in a community support role (not domicilary care)

Your responsibilities will include:

• Frontline Support & Safeguarding

• Providing immediate crisis support, signposting, and making referrals to specialist services.

• Acting as a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), handling safeguarding concerns and ensuring individuals are safe.

• Conducting risk assessments to determine the most appropriate support for individuals.

• Offering mental health first aid, de-escalating crises, and providing practical guidance to those in distress.

• Having a strong understanding of MARAC (Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences) and how they function, though referrals will be handled by the manager.

• Community Support & Advocacy

• Engaging with individuals facing issues such as homelessness, addiction, domestic abuse, bereavement, and mental health struggles.

• Providing information, advice, and guidance (IAG), helping individuals navigate support systems and access appropriate resources.

• Advocating on behalf of individuals to ensure they receive the help they need from local services.

• Working to break isolation and loneliness by offering time, conversation, and emotional support.

• Teamwork & Day-to-Day Responsibilities

• Working alongside the Community Hub Manager to ensure a smooth-running service.

• Supporting volunteers, engaging in community outreach, and building relationships with external organisations.

• Being hands-on in the hub, whether that’s making a cup of tea, preparing a meal, or simply offering a listening ear.

• Helping to maintain a safe, welcoming, and supportive environment for all visitors.

We are looking for a compassionate, experienced, and adaptable individual who:

• Has proven experience as a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), including handling referrals and working with safeguarding protocols.

• Holds mental health first aid training and has strong knowledge of risk assessment and crisis intervention.

• Has direct experience working with individuals facing domestic abuse, addiction, homelessness, or mental health challenges.

• Understands information, advice, and guidance (IAG) and knows how to advocate for individuals in need.

• Has experience working in a community support setting with vulnerable individuals.

• Is a team player, willing to support colleagues, volunteers, and visitors in any way needed.

• Can remain calm and professional in unpredictable situations and respond appropriately.

• Has excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with a non-judgmental approach.

• Can work flexibly and adapt to the changing nature of the role.

Qualifications and Experience (Essential):

• Educational Background: Possession of an NVQ Level 3 or 4 in fields such as Mental Health, Community Work, Psychology, Youth Work, or other related disciplines.

• Safeguarding Certification: Holding a Level 3 or 4 Safeguarding certification, qualifying them to serve as a Designated Safeguarding Lead.

• Professional Experience: Demonstrated experience in community engagement, mental health support, or outreach work, specifically within community settings rather than traditional care environments.

• Skill Set: Proficiency in applying safeguarding measures, trauma-informed care approaches, and mental health support strategies.

• Community Engagement: Proven ability to support vulnerable individuals, engage effectively with diverse communities, and implement programs that promote mental well-being.

Why Join Us?

At the Makery, you will be part of a purpose-driven organisation that truly makes a difference. You’ll work closely with a dedicated team, helping people who are often at their most vulnerable, and playing a key role in shaping a supportive, responsive, and community-led service.

If you have the experience, passion, and resilience for this role, we’d love to hear from you!

Family Support Worker

£23,000 pa + benefits (including 25 days annual leave, company car and pension)

Central & South London

Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity is going through an exciting time where we are growing!

About the role:

We are is looking to appoint a Family Support Worker to deliver a high-quality family support service as part of our London and South East Care Team.

Reporting to the Family Support Manager out of our London and South East team base and working in partnership with health, education and social care professionals, you will take responsibility for providing needs-led emotional, social and practical support to families where a child/young person has a life threatening or terminal illness.

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

What we’re looking for:

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

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

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

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

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

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

What we offer:

We have a range of fantastic benefits that we offer our employees, this includes.

· Flexible working hours to balance home and working life

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

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

· Company car for front line care posts

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

· Bike to work, season ticket loan and payroll giving schemes, as well as a recommend a friend recruitment bonus

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

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

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

· Robust training and development programmes to support your learning and growth

We have a range of fantastic benefits that we offer our employees. If you’d like to find out more about these benefits and working with us, please visit our website.

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

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

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

About us:

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

How to apply:

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

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

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

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

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

Justlife’s Vision

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

About this role

The role of Health Engagement Worker will involve supporting a caseload of service users that are experiencing homelessness. The role requires the use of specialist knowledge and relationship skills to influence service users with varying degrees of mental health, addiction and trauma related issues to engage with health services.

This will include advocacy in registering them for medical services and accompanying them to appointments; assisting them in addressing all aspects of physical and mental health or substance addiction needs, as well as advocating or them to get access to source housing and social security benefits. Working collaboratively with our partners Arch Healthcare the role is dependent on good communication and joint working with a variety of partners and professionals.

The role requires a high degree of motivation to support complex and vulnerable people, often in a lone-working situation. With a passion to work collaboratively with others for the good of our service users, and with some experience of working in a related field in a voluntary or paid capacity.

A high degree of emotional intelligence is required to support service users, many of whom have complex emotional needs, with backgrounds of trauma, neglect, abuse, crime and low self-worth. A role of this nature will experience a range of emotions from joy to grief and as such requires a high degree of resilience to cope with the emotional demands of the role.

Making decisions, “in the moment” to do the right thing to mitigate risk with service users can place high emotional demands on the job holder. The role is highly reactive, unpredictable and at times, chaotic. The role therefore requires a high degree of self-awareness to one’s own resilience levels and exercising appropriate levels of self-care.

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

Key terms and conditions

Job Title: Health Engagement Worker

Hours: 37.5 hours per week

Contract: Permanent

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

Location: Brighton

Salary: £29,892 per Annum

Application Process

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

Deadline for applications is midnight 13th April, but we may close this early if enough suitable applicants are identified. Interviews will be held in the week of 21st April.

You will receive an automated email receipt of your submitted forms. If you do not hear from us by 5pm 16th April, please assume your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion. We are grateful to you for considering this role but unfortunately we are unable to provide feedback on unsuccessful shortlisting.

Role Summary

The role requires a high degree of motivation to support complex and vulnerable people, often in a lone-working situation. With a passion to work collaboratively with others for the good of our service users, and with some experience of working in a related field in a voluntary or paid capacity.

A high degree of emotional intelligence is required to support service users, many of whom have complex emotional needs, with backgrounds of trauma, neglect, abuse, crime and low self-worth. A role of this nature will experience a range of emotions from joy to grief and as such requires a high degree of resilience to cope with the emotional demands of the role.

Role Description

Service Delivery

Using frontline practical and procedural knowledge of working with complex service users to support them to engage with health care services during their housing vulnerability. This could include, but is not limited to;

• Assisting them in addressing housing, financial, health or wellbeing needs
• Accompanying them to appointments
• Connecting them with appropriate support services such as substance misuse services or food banks
• Collaborating with agencies such as the local authority, housing providers and support services
• Advocating on behalf of the service user to access medical care, housing and benefits.
• Maintaining regular contact, a listening ear and emotional support during times of crisis
• Helping increase their self-confidence and self-efficacy to improve their chances of moving on from homelessness
• Manage own calendar to deliver a caseload during periods of work-related pressure, including actively pursuing the project outcomes set for the project and individual clients.
• Use interpersonal and communication skills to provide support to service users and collaborate with others including colleagues, partner agencies, health care professionals and external agencies.
• Take duty of care seriously by assessing the service users social and environmental conditions, drawing out and passing on relevant information to and from healthcare professionals, ensuring client confidentiality is maintained.
• Use of excellent writing skills to prepare and submit housing applications along with a good working knowledge of housing legislation in order to advocate on behalf of service users.
• Support delivery of the activities programme where needed.
• Brief and liaise with other members of the team and external agencies regarding service users, enabling them to effectively carry out their roles.
• To record all service user data on the Inform system within the standards set by the organisation.
• Carry out light physical tasks, such as travelling to visit service users, shopping or lifting office equipment.
• Oversee work streams within the project as directed by the Project Lead.

Service Development

• Collaborate with the Advocacy and Patient Discharge Coordinater, maintain good standards of support for patients as well as good communication with hospital staff and the weekday in-reach team.
• Contribute to initiatives that seek to influence service improvements, implement changes and develop new interventions and support for clients.
• Provide reports and case studies when requested.
• To be part of and contribute to the Justlife staff team, attending meetings as appropriate and to be involved in appropriate staff development, training, supervision and reflective practice as well as continuing professional development and training events where appropriate and be committed to team events.

Research

• Supporting the wider Justlife vision to feed into research and help develop the service including the involvement of service users in design and delivery of the service.

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

• Experience of working with vulnerable adults (those experiencing homelessness or housing vulnerability, or a comparable client group)
• Experience of working with drug and alcohol dependent adults or those experiencing poor mental health

Skills

• Care, empathy and skilled in dealing with emotionally vulnerable service users
• Excellent ability to engage with service users in an empowering manner
• Effective communication; written and oral skills
• Effective administrative and IT skills
• Excellent organisational skills

Knowledge

• Demonstrate knowledge of assessment, support planning and interventions that help clients experiencing homelessness or housing vulnerability to become and stay healthy.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the challenges and solutions to working with a client group who may be experiencing one or more of the following: poor health (physical and mental), substance misuse and homelessness.
• An understanding of health and safety policies and procedures that aim to keep staff and clients safe.

Personal Attributes

• Commitment to equal opportunities in our service delivery
• High self-awareness and the ability to maintain personal well-being through periods of pressure and stress
• Ability to be self-motivated and work well in a team or as a lone worker

Are you looking for a rewarding job with flexibility to work around your commitments, whilst making positive changes in young people’s lives?

You will be offered available shifts (day, evening, night, weekends and bank holidays) in advance and at short notice – you choose which ones you want to work.

Our mission is to help children and young people have a fair chance to be who they want to be. We do this by providing a safe home, increasing life skills and self-confidence, and improving emotional wellbeing and mental health.

We are looking for Bank Supported Housing Support Workers to join our team at Older Looked-after Young People (OLYP) in Horsham. Our 16+ Older Looked After Young People (OLYP), Care Leavers and Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC) services delivers specialist 24-hour supported accommodation where young people are supported to acquire the necessary skills in preparation for living independently, safely explore their increased freedom of choice and develop responsibilities associated with adulthood, whilst still having the appropriate level of support from an experienced team. 

We adopt a trauma informed and psychologically informed approach to supporting our residents to help them build essential life skills, identify their goals and support residents into independent accommodation. We have a dedicated team of Support Workers, Night Workers and additional Bank Workers who provide support, guidance, and signposting around areas such as housing, budgeting, living skills, jobs and relationship building

Our Bank Support Worker roles are similar to our Support Workers roles, but they work on a more flexible, temporary basis – they are great way into the organisation and can be a stepping stone into other roles. 

In this rewarding role you will work proactively and creatively alongside young people providing support, guidance, and signposting around areas such as housing, budgeting, living skills, jobs and relationship building. You will contribute to the smooth and safe running of the services by providing consistency and reliability.

You will ideally have experience of working with a similar client group and a good understanding of the key risks, challenges and opportunities for young people.

If you’re enthusiastic about this opportunity but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every requirement, we encourage you to apply anyway and demonstrate how your experience is transferrable. You may be just the right candidate. 

Purpose

We are looking for an experienced Children and Families Worker to support survivors of trafficking and other forms of violence who are parents, and their children. For parents, you will play a crucial part in helping them develop their capacity and parenting skills, both practically and emotionally; enabling them and their children to live safe and happy lives. You will build strong, trusting and compassionate relationships, empowering survivors to find their voice and learn and develop skills to support their families.

For children, you will design and deliver sessions, activities and educational outings to provide enriching experiences that encourage learning, wellbeing, creativity and social development. The Children and Families Worker will work collaboratively with internal teams, partner charities, social enterprises, and local agencies to create a supportive environment for children and families on their journey of recovery and towards independence.

Main responsibilities

Casework provision

• Deliver compassionate, high quality, tailored support to mothers and children at Ella’s.

• Empower survivors to find their voice and advocate for themselves and their children, fostering self-advocacy and empowerment

• Promptly address any safeguarding concerns, adhering to Ella’s’ safeguarding procedures to ensure the safety of the women and children

• Build strong, trusting relationships with service users and their children

• Display sensitivity and responsiveness to the rapidly changing emotional and physical needs of service users and their children, tailoring support strategies accordingly.

• Manage all casework-related paperwork, ensuring compliance with Ella's policies and procedures on data protection and confidentiality.

• Maintain accurate and timely casenote records within Ella's case management system, recording each service user contact within 24 hours.

• Assist service users with administrative tasks for their children such as making nursery/school applications, liaising with healthcare professionals, and children’s support services

• Act as an advocate during external appointments, if needed, ensuring that the service user's needs and preferences are effectively communicated and respected.

• Attend external meetings and appointments with healthcare professionals, educational service providers, and children social service providers

• Draft covering letters and support letters to complement service users' application forms, advocating for specific needs, or keeping other organisations informed as required.

• Maintain effective communication with other agencies involved in the care and support of children to ensure all their needs are adequately addressed.

Community and child centred focus

• Plan, organise and run regular sessions tailored to different age groups of children, providing them with enriching experiences that encourage learning, wellbeing, creativity and social development. 

• Facilitate and/or provide childcare supervision for service users, whilst they engage in sessions with their caseworker and during community sessions, ensuring a safe and nurturing environment.

• Design and coordinate engaging activities and educational trips during school holidays, creating memorable experiences for children and parents, and promoting  personal growth.

• Take the lead in designing, organising and running parenting classes for service users. Provide valuable guidance and support to help mothers develop effective parenting skills and foster healthy relationships with their children.

• Liaise with caseworkers and Ella’s’ Service Manager to ensure that our services continue to meet the developmental, emotional, and educational needs of the children of survivors.

• Provide information and data to support Monitoring and Evaluation related to this role.

• Support families with homework management and after school clubs as needed.

• Support mothers with locating and accessing appropriate services or community sessions in their local area to meet additional needs and promote pathways to independence.

• Optimise the childrens’ space within Ella’s’ community building, ensuring it is safe, friendly and fit for purpose. 

Safeguarding, and health and safety 

• Ensure all major incidents, accidents, safeguarding concerns or potential hazards are managed, reported and recorded following Ella’s’ policies and procedures.

• Ensure all safety and security procedures are followed to keep self and others safe.

• Maintain a safe and secure working environment.

• Participate in the identification and assessment of risks and implement agreed working procedures to minimise their impact; writing risk assessments as required.

• Promote awareness of health and safety amongst service users, including those who use emergency/on call systems, fire prevention and control systems as necessary.

• Ensure the location confidentiality of Ella’s’ premises to protect survivors and safeguard staff and volunteers.

Other/general duties

• Work with management to design, implement and strengthen ways to ensure survivors are helping lead the design and delivery of Ella’s’ services and operations.

• Distribute relevant ‘gifts in kind’ to survivors across the service as needed.

• Develop strategic partnerships with local agencies working within the VAWG sector and other local organisations or businesses that could enrich the work of Ella’s.

• Attend any training required for the role, keeping up to date with any developments and changes within the sector.

• Represent the work at Ella’s with integrity at all times.

• Adhere to all Ella's’ policies and procedures at all times.

• Complete any duties directed by the Service Manager within the scope of the role.

• Attend any team meetings required.

• Contribute to Ella's’ strategic goals and direction of growth.

• Attend monthly supervision with the Service Manager and keep in regular contact.

• Manage all paperwork, processing any personal data in accordance with Ella’s’ policies and procedures

• Supporting content gathering and signing off with the fundraising team.

Person specification

Skills

Essential 

• Ability to facilitate child appropriate sessions, tailored to age and specific needs.

• Ability to work with parents and children, in a trauma informed setting

• Ability to read and understand policies/procedures.

• Good organisational and time-management skills.

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both verbal and written.

• Administrative, recording and reporting skills. 

• Team working. 

• Ability to work within a ‘risk assessed’ environment. 

• Ability to maintain clear boundaries. 

• A practical and flexible approach to work, with the ability to learn new concepts quickly.

• Excellent IT skill suitable for the role, in particular Microsoft Word, Google Drive, Gmail, Casework Management Systems.

Desirable

• A second language (highly desirable languages include; Vietnamese, Albanian, Yoruba).

• Full and clean driving licence.

Experience

Essential

• Designing and leading training sessions

• Running community sessions/outings 

• Working with vulnerable women and children.

• Children’s work experience: in educational settings, refuges, and/or social care settings.

• Budget and petty cash management.

• Target and deadline driven work, and report writing.

Desirable

• Working with migrants, including refugees and asylum seekers.

• Working in small charities.

• Gathering views and ensuring participation towards user led delivery of services.

Knowledge

• Developed understanding of trauma and mental health support needs.

• Safeguarding and professional boundaries.

• Understanding of statutory service providers, systems and support available eg social services

• Principles of good health and safety. 

• Safeguarding children and vulnerable adults. 

• Broad understanding of the UK education system.

• Understanding of working with families who have experienced trauma

• A broad understanding of children services and processes.

Desirable

• Familiar with issues around immigration and migrant experience in the UK.

• Familiar with issues around families with high risks/vulnerabilities

Ethos

Essential

• Possess a commitment to follow the policies, procedures and ethos of Ella’s, and to advocate on behalf of the organisation. 

Desirable

• Experience of working with people from different backgrounds.

Benefits 

• You will be part of a small but dynamic organisation changing women’s lives, supporting and empowering them to build safe futures.

• You will have the opportunity to help give direction and vision to the work of Ella’s, and to work alongside a committed team.

• Access to a professional supervisor.

• 28 days holiday, plus bank holidays.

Special conditions

• An enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check will be undertaken.

• Due to the nature of the work, this post is for women only.

• The role is subject to a six-month probationary period.

• An ability and willingness to work flexibly, and at other Ella’s locations if required, is necessary for this role.​

More about Ella’s 

Ella’s is a London-based organisation working with women who have survived trafficking and sexual exploitation. Our mission is to do everything we can to ensure survivors have all they need to recover and build lives that are safe and free. 

Here is a summary of our main activities:

• We run six safe houses. This supported accommodation is crucial for survivors, until they are ready and able to live independently. 

• We provide regular support for women and families in neighbourhoods across London, and many more further afield when they need us. 

• We speak out on issues affecting the women we work with. We care deeply about survivors of trafficking and exploitation and want to see a world where these crimes are not tolerated. 

Ella’s is an equal opportunities employer. We encourage applications from all backgrounds and communities, as we believe having a diverse team adds value and positively impacts our service. We actively encourage applicants from BAME backgrounds, LGBTQ+ applicants and those with disabilities. We are committed to equality and diversity within our organisation.

(Photo: Tom Price/Ella’s)

Barnet Mencap has been helping people with learning disabilities and/or autistic adults in the London Borough of Barnet for over 50 years. We provide supported accommodation, leisure and learning activities, information, advice, and guidance, and so much more. All while being committed to equal opportunities and the safeguarding of children and adults.

We know job satisfaction, flexibility, work/life balance, and a great team are incredibly important. So, at Barnet Mencap, in addition to offering 30 days of annual leave per year (including Bank Holidays), we have a TOIL system to allow flexible working. There will need to be some face-to-face work, but there will also be opportunities to work from home and/or have different working patterns as agreed by your manager. Travel expenses can be claimed, at the agreed rate, for journeys that are necessary in the course of your work; and claims for additional expenses will be reimbursed in accordance with our expenses policy. We also have auto-enrolment into a pension scheme with employer contributions in place, and all staff qualify for schemes like the Blue Light card.

We are looking for a focused individual to join our caring, passionate, and diverse team in supporting adults with moderate learning disabilities and autistic adults to live independently in housing situations of their choice. This role gives challenge and satisfaction and will suit someone that has:

• Experience of working with adults with learning disabilities and autistic adults in a community setting
• A good team member
• Understanding of the issues faced by people with learning disabilities and autistic people living independently and the skills to meet their practical, social and emotional needs
• A ‘Person Centred Planning’ ethos
• Excellent communication skills
• Good record keeping skills

The successful candidate will be required to complete an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check in line with Section 115 of The Police Act 1997.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Group Work Practitioner to join the team in Thames Valley working 37.5 hours a week. This role is home based, however there is a requirement for occasional travel throughout the Thames Valley area.

Do you want to make a difference every day? Do you want to contribute to change & improvement for those who need it?

Do you have resilience & adaptability? Can you work effectively with a focus on customer service and care?

If yes, then we'd love to hear from you…

What we offer:

At Victim Support we believe in attracting & retaining the best people and offer a competitive rewards & benefits package including:

• Flexible working options including hybrid working
• 28 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays, rising to 33 days plus Bank Holidays
• An extra day off for your birthday & options to buy or sell annual leave
• Pension with 5% employer contribution
• Enhanced sick pay allowances, maternity & paternity payments
• High Street, retail, holiday, gym, entertainment & leisure discounts
• Access to our financial wellbeing hub & salary deducted finance
• Employee assistance programme & wellbeing support
• Access to EDI networks and colleague cafes
• Cycle to work scheme & season ticket loans
• Ongoing training & support with opportunities for career development & progression

About the Role:

As a Group Work Practitioner, you will be delivering a range of group work courses and programmes to adults affected by crime in the Thames Valley. You will be required to manage your own caseload and work in collaboration with other service delivery staff within the Thames Valley Adult Victims Service.

The Thames Valley Adult Victims Service will provide emotional and practical support to adult victims of any crime. Support will primarily be delivered through specialist group work provision, alongside online and telephone support.

You will be confident in co facilitating the delivery of group work programmes to people with a range of different needs and will have strong empathy skills. You will need to be able to talk to groups of people and will be resilient and confident with supporting others, as well as happy to work as part of a team.

You will need to have the ability to prioritise work and deal with competing or conflicting demands/ needs and interests in an organised and methodical manner. Have an understanding and knowledge of, and an active commitment to promoting equal opportunities and diversity. Knowledge of confidentiality and safe working practice in accordance with safeguarding legislation, General Data Protection Regulation and other legal requirements.

Please see attached Job Description and Person Specification for further details.

About Us:

Victim Support (VS) is an independent charity providing a range of specialist services to people who have been affected by crime across England and Wales. We work towards a world where there are fewer victims but who have stronger rights, better support and a real influence in the Criminal Justice System. Everyone at VS is driven by our Vision Ambitions and Values to play their part in making a difference for those who experience crime and traumatic events. Working for VS gives you the opportunity to play a key role in a national charity providing high quality services to victims and witnesses and being a vital force for change.

Victim Support are committed to recruiting with care and to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Background checks and Disclosed Barring Service checks may be required.

Victim Support strives to represent the diverse communities we serve and are passionate about creating an environment where all staff and volunteers feel respected and heard. Being a diverse organisation with an inclusive culture is integral to us being able to meet our aim of ensuring that anyone who is a victim of crime gets the support they need.
As part of our commitment to the Race at Work Charter we particularly welcome applicants from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. VS is also a Disability Confident Employer and we provide a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for candidates that are disabled and meet all essential criteria for a role.

If you have a disability, a learning difficulty such as dyslexia or a medical condition which you believe may affect your performance during any aspect of our selection process, we'll be happy to make reasonable adjustments to enable you to perform at your best.

How to apply:

To apply for this role please follow the link below to the Jobs page on our website and complete the application form demonstrating how you meet the essential shortlisting criteria.

We look forward to hearing from you.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early, if we receive enough suitable applications to take forward to interview prior to the published closing date.

If you have already registered & started an application, then we will contact you to advise of the amended closing date wherever possible.

Start date: 12th May 2025

Salary: £25,874 per annum

Location: HMP Styal (Wilmslow, Cheshire)

Working hours:  Full time, 35 hours per week

Contract: 1-year fixed term until 31st March 2026

Annual leave: 30 days plus statutory bank holidays (if full time). All WIP staff also receive an additional 3 days leave between Christmas and New Year.

Pension scheme:  WIP provides an auto enrolment pension scheme with 5% contributions from the employer and 3% from the employee.

About Women in Prison

Women in Prison is a national, women-led, feminist organisation.  We deliver front line support to women harmed by the criminal justice system, through our work in prisons, in the community and ‘through the prison gate’ as they resettle back into their communities. We also campaign for systems change that addresses the root causes of offending, reduces the harmful impact of prison, and creates workable, community-based alternatives to imprisonment.

Job Purpose: 
The ‘Creating Community Connections Project’ is a Domestic Abuse (DA) Services pilot, sponsored by HMPPS and led by Women in Prison working in partnership with a number of women’s centre providers, Anawim, Together Women and The Nelson Trust.

The project aims to connect women in prison who have experienced DA with vital specialist community support services across the country, especially domestic abuse services and women's centres. The Link Worker is responsible for the provision of 1-2-1 advocacy and structured support to women with a history of/current experience of domestic abuse currently residing in HMP Styal.

Key Responsibility Areas

1. To provide ad-hoc and in-depth 1-2-1 advocacy support to women in HMP Styal who have a history of/current experience of domestic abuse.
2. To recruit, train and support a network of Women’s Champions – women serving sentences at HMP Styal – to co-facilitate service delivery of the Creating Community Connections Project.
3. Provide Through the Gate support to women leaving custody, where applicable to the role and delivery of the project.