Active lives support worker jobs

Neo-Natal Support Worker 

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

This role covers the South West of London, including Chelsea & Westminster catchment area.

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

About the role:

This Best Companies Top 100 mid-sized organisation and Top 20 Charity is looking to appoint a Neonatal Support Worker (35 hours, 5 days per week) as part of a developing programme delivering high quality wrap-around care and support to families with a baby receiving treatment on the Neonatal Intensive Care units within the London & South East region, working collaboratively with the multi-disciplinary team supporting the families.

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

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

What we’re looking for:

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

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

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

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

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

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

What we offer:

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

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

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

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

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

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

• Time off in Lieu

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

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

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

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

• A recommend a friend recruitment bonus scheme

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

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

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

Development opportunities:

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

Our Family Support Teams 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, introduction to play, drawing and talking training.

The programme aims to provide a building block for you to individually tailor your own learning and development needs.

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 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:

Please visit our website and apply online.

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

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

Additional information:

Interviews will take place at our London & South East Care Team office with the dates to be confirmed. We will only contact those applicants who have been successful. If you require any adjustments during the interview process, please let us know.

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

Rainbow Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all employees to share this commitment.

Rainbow Trust is an equal opportunities employer and we welcome applications from all backgrounds.

At Hestia, we are guided by our core values and are dedicated to fostering an equitable, diverse, and inclusive organisation. Our mission is to empower individuals to rebuild their lives and achieve independence. Right now, we are looking for a Senior Recovery Worker to play a pivotal role in our Harrow Crisis Cove.

Sounds great, what will I be doing?

In this role, you will take a leading position within a dynamic mental health crisis and early‑intervention service, managing a diverse caseload while providing skilled de‑escalation, robust risk assessment and coordinated multi‑agency support. You will guide and empower service users to engage with community services, while also offering day‑to‑day leadership to Recovery Workers, Peer Support Workers and volunteers, ensuring consistent, high‑quality practice. Acting as shift lead when required, you will make informed, real‑time decisions to maintain safe and effective service delivery. A key part of the role involves supporting student placements, contributing to learning plans and offering reflective supervision. You will work closely with the Service Manager and Area Manager to monitor performance, contribute to audits and quality reviews, and drive ongoing service development. You will also play an active role in recruitment, onboarding and volunteer integration, and represent the service in partnership forums, strengthening pathways with local crisis teams and community organisations to ensure continuity of care and smooth transitions for service users.

Please notes this role required you to work from 2pm - 10pm, including weekends and bank holidays. 

What do I need to bring with me?

You'll need to be able to demonstrate the core skills this role requires as well as match our values and mission. You don't have to tick all the boxes right away; the important thing is that you're willing to learn. We also value lived experience of the areas we support, so if you feel comfortable, please do mention this on your application.

You'll bring solid experience supporting people with mental health difficulties, dual diagnosis, and complex needs, along with the confidence to manage complex cases and work collaboratively with a range of services to keep people safe. You'll be someone who has supported or guided colleagues, peer workers, or students, and who's comfortable contributing to co‑produced activities and working in fast‑paced, crisis‑focused environments. A strong grounding in mental health, trauma‑informed practice, and the realities faced by people accessing crisis and community services is essential, as is a working knowledge of key legislation and safeguarding responsibilities. You'll also bring a deep belief in recovery, strengths‑based practice, and partnership working, alongside clear, adaptable communication that helps you connect with service users, professionals, and the wider community.

Interview Steps

We keep our interview process simple, so you know exactly what to expect.

• Shortlisting call: We have a team of dedicated recruitment specialists who will speak to you about your experience, motivations and values. They will also tell you about all the great work we do!
• Face to face interview: Now you will have face to face interview with the hiring manager. Our interviews are value and competency based.

Don't be alarmed if there are other stages in the process, it's all part of the plan for some of our roles.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

Our services users come from all walks of life and so do we. We hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds because it makes us stronger. We are committed to creating and maintaining a diverse and inclusive workforce and value the skills, abilities, talent and experiences, different people and communities bring to our organisation.

We are a disability confident employer

Hestia is proud to be a disability confident employer, dedicated to the employment and career development of individuals with disabilities. We offer a guaranteed interview scheme for all applicants with disabilities who meet the minimum criteria for the role they have applied for. We also provide reasonable adjustments during the selection and interview process, and throughout your employment with us.

Safeguarding Statement

Hestia is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of adults, children and young people who are potentially at risk, and we therefore expect all staff and volunteers to do the same. We require all staff to undertake internal and external safeguarding training throughout their employment with Hestia.

Important Information for Candidates

If your application is successful, please be aware that you will be required to undergo pre-employment checks before a formal offer of employment can be confirmed.

We reserve the right to close this job advert early should we receive a high volume of applications or if the position is filled before the closing date. We encourage interested candidates to apply as soon as possible to ensure their application is considered.

The Exempt Accommodation Support Service is based at our main hub in Digbeth but provides outreach support across the city. We are looking for project workers to provide flexible, person-centred support to people aged 25 years plus who are precariously accommodated, have a history of homelessness or who are at risk of becoming homeless. It will primarily be supporting people living in exempt accommodation who have support needs relating to substance use, physical health and mental health.

The aims of this service are to provide additional support to improve access and sustainment of suitable accommodation for people engaging in structured drug and alcohol treatment, to reduce the scale of unmet housing need for this group of clients and to build evidence of housing-related need and effective interventions. The service will provide a range of practical support around finances, health and wellbeing, access to volunteering or training opportunities and integration into local communities as well as supporting continued engagement with treatment and tenancy sustainment.

This is a part office-based, part community-based role with a requirement to travel to accommodation providers and outreach sites. Travel expenses will be paid for any journeys undertaken.

Key tasks (selection of):

Provide a person-centred service to individuals, taking a psychologically informed approach, advising and supporting to ensure that clients are given choice and control about how their support is delivered.

Assist with practical support such as travel issues, settling into accommodation and addressing any immediate accommodation issues.

Ensure individuals have access to key services, including health care, substance misuse, and wellbeing services.

Manage an active caseload of clients, keeping effective and up to date records and monitoring outcomes through our CRM database system.

To support with timely reporting information regarding visits, support plans and session notes.

Job Title:  Youth Intervention Officer (Hucknall)

Reporting to:  Youth Intervention Manager

Role Type: Full-Time (35 hours per week)

Trent Bridge Community Trust is seeking a highly motivated, experienced, and organised individual who is passionate about making a real difference in the lives of young people.

Do you have the creativity, drive and leadership skills to help us deliver our life changing youth intervention programme Positive Futures?

We are looking for a Youth Intervention Officer that can deliver our transformative flagship projects in Hucknall, your role will be hands-on, dynamic, and deeply rewarding.

We are all about helping young people build confidence and empower them to achieve their very best. If you’re passionate, creative, and ready to roll up your sleeves, we’d love to have you on board.

In addition, the successful candidate will be required to undergo enhanced disclosure checks with the Disclosure and Barring Service

1. RELEVANT GENERAL OBJECTIVES

• To support the Youth Intervention Manager to plan, organise and deliver the Positive Futures Hucknall project, and work towards achieving all KPI targets set within the Holgate Academy Partnership Agreement.
• To support our young people within educational settings, specifically around behaviour interventions and working with those on the edge of exclusion, truanting and developing poor behaviour traits.
• To develop trusted professional relationships with young people to steer them to alternative positive outcomes through interventions, workshops and open access sport and to build aspirations.
• Work in unison with the Youth Intervention Manager to identify new potential partnerships and to manage existing ones through partner delivery and meetings.
• Act as a key contact point for referral partners to ensure regular updates on young people’s progress are shared.
• To provide signposting and advocacy for young people and families needing to access other services.
• To ensure all relevant Health & Safety and Child Protection/Safeguarding policies and legislation are adhered to.
• Work closely with the Safeguarding Manager to gain advice and report any safeguarding concerns relating to young people within the Positive Futures Programme. Support the review of a safeguarding reporting process.
• To deliver and assist in the development of the Positive Futures project, with the overarching aim of using youth work and sport to engage ‘at-risk’ young people in order to identify and support their individual needs and steer them towards education, training and employment.
• To undertake administrative duties including day to day management of:

- Activity registers.

- Provide regular monitoring and evaluation of delivery.

- Ensure all notes and timeline events are recorded per individual on Upshot.

- Regularly collect surveys that will assist in providing evidence for impact of delivery to funding partners.

- Gathering of ASDAN accreditation evidence to be submitted.

2. SPECIFIC ROLE RESPONSIBILITY

• Support the Youth Intervention Manager to create impact reports throughout the project through collecting relevant evidence and statistics to highlight impact of the project.
•  To work in partnership with Holgate Academy and its feeder Primary schools to work with young people identified by Nottinghamshire Virtual Schools who have, or have previously had social care involvement through Child Protection Plans or Child in Need plans.
• Work in collaboration with Holgate to identify those in need of intervention support and to create bespoke intervention packages for each referred 1:1 individual and support around key concerns / reason of initial referral.
• Support referred young people in both 1:1 intervention and group workshops through transition from Primary school to Secondary school, those struggling to engage positively in school, have formed concerning behaviour patterns and/or safeguarding concerns.
• Provide termly updates on individuals engaging with the project schools / referring agencies.
• Work in collaboration with external supporting organisations attached to individual participants (Social Care, Police etc).
• Plan, coordinate and deliver 3 x days (4 hours per day) of activity per week during school holidays.
• Support in peer and adult relationship repair where necessary.
• Provide suppOrt to young people to engage in further activities external to school within the local community.

3.  EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION 

Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is committed to being an Equal Opportunities Employer.

The Club recognises the benefits of a diverse workforce and is committed to providing a working environment that is free from discrimination.

The Club will seek to promote the principles of equality and diversity in all its dealings with employees, workers, job applicants, clients, customers, suppliers, contractors, recruitment agencies and the public.

All employees and those who act on the Club’s behalf are required to adhere to this policy when undertaking their duties or when representing the Club in any other guise.

4.  SAFEGUARDING

Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

We ensure that we have a range of policies and procedures in place which promote safeguarding and safer working practice across our services and are committed to ensuring safeguarding practice reflects statutory responsibilities, government guidance and complies with best practice and the ECB requirements to ensure that all children participating in Cricket have a safe, positive and fun experience, whatever their level of involvement.

5.   KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

• Contribute as part of the Positive Futures Team in achieving the overall KPI’s agreed with Nottinghamshire Virtual Schools and Holgate Academy.

· Deliver individual targets set by the Youth Intervention Manager that relate to your specific role

6.   PERSON SPECIFICATIONS

ESSENTIAL

• Experience of youth work with young people.
• Experience of planning, delivering, evaluating and recording programmes.
• Experience of producing a collection of evidence and information using a range of methods.
• Experience of enabling the engagement and participation of young people.
• Experience of work that celebrates diversity and challenges discriminatory attitudes and behaviours.
• Experience of addressing health and safety / safeguarding concerns involving young people.
• Experience of working in partnership with other organisations.
• Experience of working in partnership with schools to support students.
• Understanding the context of youth work and the issues and developments arising within it.
• Understanding of the professional conduct required of a youth worker inside and outside of work, and the importance of maintaining appropriate standards of behaviour.
• Knowledge of youth intervention practices to divert young people away from anti-social behaviour and low-level crime.
• Ability to work towards set targets and contribute to performance outcomes as part of the Positive Futures team.
• Takes an active role in managing risk, health and safety, and safeguarding issues.
• Strong planning and organisational skills.
• Good computer literacy, including Microsoft Office.
• Strong communication skills and ability to work effectively within a team.
• Ability to work in partnership with both community stakeholders and schools.
• Holds a Level 3 JNC Youth Work qualification, or a Level 2 with a willingness to work towards Level 3.
• Current First Aid qualification.
• Safeguarding Children & Young People training.
• Outgoing, friendly and supportive, with the ability to engage and motivate young people.
• Passionate, reliable and dependable.
• Willing to be accountable for own work and performance.
• Ability to work under pressure with minimal supervision.
• Flexibility to work evenings and weekends.
• Ability to travel to multiple sites/venues across Nottinghamshire to deliver activities and interventions.
• Holds an Enhanced DBS check.
• Contributes to the ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the Positive Futures project (Hucknall).

DESIRABLE

• Experience of early intervention and support work with young people.
• Experience of using the power of sport to divert young people away from anti-social behaviour and low-level crime.
• Good understanding of relevant personnel policies and procedures.
• Experience of working within a budget throughout a set delivery cycle.
• Experience of planning, delivering and evaluating a project’s impact.
• Knowledge and understanding of the Positive Futures Programme.
• Knowledge and understanding of working with young people who are on a child protection plan and/or known to social care.
• Knowledge and understanding of ASDAN accreditations.
• Level 2 Mental Health First Aid qualification.
• Governing Body coaching qualifications

We are looking for a Weekenders Journey Guide to support prospective Weekend Foster Carers from their first conversations with Now Foster through to the next stages of the recruitment and assessment journey.

This is a highly relational, candidate-facing role. You will be one of the main people helping applicants understand what Weekenders is, explore whether it is right for them, stay motivated through the process, and feel supported to take the next step.

Introductory conversations (our ‘intro chats’) will be a core part of the role. You will speak with people who are curious about fostering, but who may also feel unsure, nervous or are still working out whether they can foster. Your role will be to bring warmth, clarity and momentum: helping people feel welcomed, informed and confident, while also making sure the right people progress at the right pace.

You will use Now Foster’s digital platform (a bespoke CRM system) to manage the candidate journey, track progress, record key information and help the team understand where applicants are getting stuck or moving forward. You will play an important role in making sure we are attracting the right leads, supporting them well, and learning how to improve the journey as we grow.

This role would particularly suit someone with experience of fostering or working in fostering. It could also suit someone from a related background who is deeply motivated by innovation in this area and excited by what fostering could look like if it were designed around children, carers and relationships.

You do not need to be a qualified social worker, but you do need to be emotionally mature, reflective, organised and comfortable working closely with a social work-led team. You will need to understand safeguarding, and be confident holding thoughtful conversations with prospective carers.

What You’ll Be Doing

Supporting candidates through the journey

• Acting as a consistent, warm and encouraging point of contact for prospective Weekend Foster Carers.

• Carrying out intro chats with people who have expressed interest in the Weekenders programme.

• Helping candidates understand the Weekenders programme, what the role involves, and what the journey looks like.

• Supporting candidates to reflect on whether Weekenders is right for them.

• Keeping candidates engaged, informed and motivated as they move through the process.

• Helping people overcome practical barriers where appropriate, while being honest and clear about expectations.

• Making sure candidate communication feels relational, timely and values-led.

Helping the right people progress

• Helping identify candidates who are ready to move forward, as well as those who may need more time, more information or a different route.

• Support candidates to progress, pause or close, as advised by our fostering service colleagues.

• Using strengths-based and motivational approaches to help candidates reflect on their motivations, support networks and capacity.

• Working closely with social work colleagues to escalate questions, concerns or safeguarding issues appropriately.

• Supporting candidates to prepare for training, home visits and assessment stages.

• Helping ensure the process is clear, efficient and supportive.

Supporting groups, events and community activity

• Supporting information events, training sessions and candidate-facing events.

• Co-delivering sessions with social workers and other colleagues.

• Helping create a welcoming community for people exploring Weekenders.

• Supporting socials and community-building activity for applicants and approved Weekend Foster Carers.

• Helping candidates connect with the mission and feel part of something meaningful.

Administration, data and follow-up

• Keeping candidate records, notes and next steps up to date on Now Foster’s digital platform.

• Using Google Workspace, Trello and other tools to access key documents and manage your workload. 

• Making sure no candidate falls through the cracks.

• Supporting data capture so the team can understand what is working and where candidates are getting stuck.

• Helping improve templates, messages, prompts and workflows for the candidate journey.

• Supporting home visit admin and logistics where needed.

Contributing to innovation and learning

• Gathering feedback from candidates to help improve the journey and bringing this insight from candidate conversations into team discussions.

• Helping the team understand what motivates people to become Weekend Foster Carers, what worries them, and what helps them move forward.

• Supporting testing and iteration of new candidate journey approaches.

• Helping us build a process that is warm, efficient, inclusive and effective.

• Contributing to a new model of fostering that is relational, ambitious and designed around children and young people.

You’ll Thrive in This Role If You Are

• Warm and relational – able to build trust quickly and make people feel welcome.

• Emotionally mature – able to have thoughtful conversations about motivation, care, family life and uncertainty.

• A strong communicator – clear, encouraging and confident across phone, video calls, emails and written updates.

• Motivational and strengths-based – skilled at helping people see their potential while also being honest about what fostering involves.

• Organised and proactive – able to manage a busy candidate journey, track next steps and keep people moving.

• Tech-savvy – comfortable using digital platforms, Google Workspace and Trello.

• Confident in your judgement – able to decide when someone should progress, pause or close, while knowing when to seek advice.

• Safeguarding-aware – able to recognise when something needs to be escalated and comfortable working within clear safeguarding processes.

• Reflective and curious – interested in learning what works and improving the candidate journey over time.

• Comfortable with ambiguity – happy working in a small, growing charity where things are evolving.

• Committed to better outcomes for children and young people – motivated by Now Foster’s mission and the potential of Weekenders.

Experience We’re Looking For

Fostering experience would be highly beneficial. For example, this could include experience as a foster carer, working in fostering, supporting foster carers, working with fostering services, or working in a closely related part of children’s social care.

We are also interested in people with experience in:

• Volunteer management

• Children’s social care or youth work

• Community work

• Social prescribing

• Mentoring or coaching

• Recruitment, onboarding or candidate support

• Relationship-based support roles

Most importantly, we are looking for someone who understands the importance of relationships, can guide people through a meaningful decision-making process, and is excited by the possibility of building a different kind of fostering journey.

Bonus Points For

• Lived experience of the care system or fostering.

• Experience working directly with prospective or approved foster carers.

• Experience using motivational interviewing, coaching or strengths-based approaches.

• Experience supporting people through an application, recruitment, assessment or onboarding journey.

• Experience delivering or supporting information sessions, preparation groups, training or community events.

• Experience working remotely or in a flexible, fast-moving team.

An interest in innovation, service design or changing how fostering works.
 

About Us

Now Foster is a team of innovative social workers, designers, and entrepreneurs on a mission to change fostering in the UK.

We bring together social work, service design, public sector transformation and lived experience to create better outcomes for children and young people. Our overarching vision is to transform the fostering system by bringing many more wonderful people into it as foster carers, so that children and young people have the relationships, stability and support they need to thrive.

You will be joining a small, ambitious and passionate team, alongside our trustees, freelancers and advisors, all of whom play an active part in shaping our work. We partner with local authorities and not-for-profits who share our values and are ready to embrace change. As a registered charity, everything we do is driven by purpose, not profit.

About Weekenders

Weekenders is Now Foster’s flagship programme. It pairs children and young people in foster care with inspiring adults who can offer guidance, stability and encouragement on a regular basis. It is about showing up, making a difference, and being that person a young person can count on.

The programme is growing quickly. We are scaling Weekenders across London and beyond, testing new ways to support applicants, local authorities and independent social workers, and building the operational foundations needed for long-term growth.

A core part of this growth is making sure that people who are interested in becoming Weekend Foster Carers receive the right balance of warmth, encouragement, information and challenge as they move through the journey. That is where the Journey Guide comes in.

Working Pattern and Location

This role is offered at 4 to 5 days per week, with a salary of £34,000 pro rata.

The role can be based anywhere in England, with occasional travel to our Weekender delivery areas. Our Weekenders team is currently based across London and Manchester, and our wider organisational team is based in Oxford. Most work will be home-based, but there will be some in-person meetings, events, training sessions or bi-monthly co-working days.

The role will involve some work outside standard office hours. This is likely to include:

• Around one weekend day per month, which you would take back as time off during the previous or following week.

• Some evening work, for example around one information event per month.

• Some evening intro chats with prospective foster carers, where this helps people engage with the process.

We work flexibly and will support the successful candidate to manage their time in a sustainable way.

Safeguarding

Now Foster is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.

This role will involve contact with prospective carers, rather than direct work with children and young people. However, you will need to understand safeguarding, work within Now Foster’s safeguarding processes, and escalate any concerns appropriately.

This role will require an enhanced DBS check.

What’s In It For You

Joining Now Foster means being part of something different. We are small, ambitious and innovative, and you will play a key role in helping Weekenders grow.

You will be close to the people exploring whether they could become Weekend Foster Carers, and your work will directly shape whether they feel supported, confident and ready to take the next step.

You will join a supportive, collaborative and values-led team. We work hard, care deeply about what we do, and are building something bold and lasting: a new way of fostering that blends social work, design, technology and relational practice.

We will provide the tools and technology you need, cover agreed travel and expenses, and support you to work flexibly within the rhythm of the programme.

How to Apply

Please send us your CV and a short cover letter explaining:

1. Why you are interested in Now Foster and the Weekenders programme.

2. The experience you would bring in supporting, guiding or motivating people.

3. Any experience you have of fostering, working in fostering, children’s social care, community work, volunteer management or similar.

4. What excites you about innovation in fostering and what fostering could look like.

5. Your availability, including whether you are looking for 4 or 5 days per week and when you could start.

You must have the right to work in the UK.

We recognise that some candidates may use generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, to support the preparation of their application. While this is acceptable, applications must remain an authentic reflection of your own experiences and motivations. We ask candidates to let us know if and how they used AI as part of the recruitment process.

Our Commitment to Equality

Now Foster is committed to being an equal opportunities employer. We celebrate diversity and actively encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, identities and experiences.

Recruitment and selection decisions are made on the basis of fair, objective and transparent criteria. We will also make reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process to ensure accessibility for all candidates.

Please Note: We are hoping to appoint as soon as possible and will close recruitment once we find the right person so candidates are advised to submit an application as soon as they are able.

Are you looking for an exciting and new challenge? Are you passionate about supporting children, young people and families? If so, look no further!

Are you passionate about helping children, young people, and families achieve positive change? We are looking for a compassionate and motivated Administrative Worker to join our team. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys working with Children young people and families, thrives in a collaborative environment, and is committed to safeguarding and improving outcomes for children.

We are seeking a part time, Administration Assistant to work across our Best Start Family Hubs within Sandwell. This is a fantastic opportunity to become part of a passionate and committed team and be an active member of the wider Best Start Family Hub Network.

This role is ideal for someone who enjoys working with Children young people and families, thrives in a collaborative environment, and is committed to safeguarding and improving outcomes for children.

Car driver is preferred due to travelling across the whole of Sandwell when cover maybe needed. 

Working pattern:

Monday to Friday with flexibility required for occasional evening and weekend work to meet the needs of the service.

Some key activities/objectives include:

• Provide a warm, friendly and approachable welcome, ensuring all individuals feel valued, respected and at ease.
• Arrange meetings, appointments, and events for visitors and external partners, ensuring all necessary facilities and health & safety requirements are in place.
• Support the Administration Lead and wider team to ensure accurate monitoring data is collected and reported on a quarterly basis, including case studies and service user feedback, in line with GDPR requirements.
• Support the safety and wellbeing of service users and visitors, including recognising and reporting safeguarding concerns and escalating appropriately in line with procedures.
• Ensure the hub is presentable at all times, including maintaining displays and preparing rooms in line with bookings and activities.
• Assist with signposting, logging requests and liaising with senior staff and project workers as required.
• Stock taking of resources to ensure that the hub is fully equipped with necessary items such as stationery and first aid supplies.
• Support the promotion of materials to engage communities, including newsletters, leaflets, notice boards, displays etc.

When completing your application please refer to your skills knowledge and experience in relation to the Person Specification, Job Description and Additional Information document (if applicable). This should be done with an understanding of the context of the service described.

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

Pay & Reward Framework

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

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

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

Benefits

Workplace Offer: What it means for you

Our hybrid working initiative is based on trust, flexibility and empowerment. We understand our workplace offer means different things to different people, and we encourage those conversations. This may mean working at one of our stores, services, working at home, in the community, at one of our Collaboration Hubs or depending on the role any combination of these. Please read through the advert carefully to understand the remits of hybrid working that will be specific to the role.

Barnardo's require colleagues to be UK residents, based in the UK and to complete their roles from within the UK (with the exception of colleagues providing Barnardo's services in Jersey and colleagues who live in the Republic of Ireland providing services in Northern Ireland)

• Barnardo's believe in creating equality of opportunity in the workplace and supporting people to manage their work-life balance; we are therefore open to offering flexible working arrangements.
• Annual Leave entitlement for full-time colleagues is 26 days per annum, increasing to 27 days per annum, after 3 years Barnardo's service, 29 days per annum, after 5 years Barnardo's service and 30 days per annum, after 7 years Barnardo's service. Those working less than full time are entitled to the same level of holiday pro rata
• The ability to buy up to another 5 days annual leave via our Buy Your Leave scheme
• A host of family friendly leave options including company Maternity Paternity and Adoption pay; together with all family additional leave options
• Service related sick pay from day 1
• Access to a Group Personal Pension with a matched 4% or 6% contribution from Barnardo's. Ability to pay via salary sacrifice to garner both tax and NI savings on your own contribution
• Death in service cover of 4x annual earnings for all staff contributing to our Group Personal Pension
• Cycle2work scheme
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Discounts and cashback from at high street shops including major supermarkets, cinemas, gyms, leisure/theme parks, holidays and much more via our Benefit Portal
• 20% discount at Barnardo's stores
• Opportunity to purchase a health cash plan to claim towards dental, glasses, therapy etc
• Free access to round the clock employee assistance program for advice and support
• Access to Barnardo's Learning and Development offer

*T&C's apply based on contract

About Barnardo's

We are committed to being an inclusive employer and cultivating a culture where everyone can belong and thrive through inclusion and connectivity. We want our workforce to be reflective of the communities we work with, and for equality, diversity and inclusion to be embedded in everything we do. We are a Disability Confident Leader, are progressing our ambition to be an anti-racist organisation with Anti-Racism Commitments and actions in place and have networks for colleagues who are disabled, LGBT+, Black and Minoritised Ethnic and Women. We particularly encourage applications from Black and Minoritised Ethnic and/or disabled candidates who are currently underrepresented in our workforce. For disabled applicants, we offer reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.

Our basis and values