Advice caseworker jobs in london

Team: Night Shelters 

Location: On-site at Glass Door Night shelter venues in the boroughs of Kensington & Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham or Wandsworth 

Duration: 1 November 2025 to April 2026

Reporting to: Service Manager – Night Shelters 

Shifts available:  

• 7:00pm to 7:15am 

• 7:00pm to 8:15am (driver) 

• 9:45pm to 7:15am 

• 9:45pm to 8:15am (driver) 

Pay: £14.50 per hour, or £15.00 per hour when you are the designated driver for that shift. 

Job Purpose

As an Overnight Homeless Shelter Worker, you’ll be part of a small, professional team running Glass Door’s night shelters between November and April. Working alongside at least one other staff member, you’ll be awake and engaged throughout the night, supporting up to 35 guests who are experiencing homelessness. 

Your role is about creating a safe, calm, and welcoming space where guests can rest, feel respected, and be treated with dignity. You’ll build trust through friendly conversation, keep an eye on everyone’s wellbeing with regular checks, and step in when problems arise – from offering reassurance to someone in emotional distress, to calmly handling challenging behaviour, to calling emergency services if needed. 

Most nights are steady and focused on guest support, but there can be moments of pressure. We’ll provide training so you feel confident and prepared. You’ll also help serve a light breakfast in the morning and ensure our equipment is packed and ready for the next night – with one of you driving the van back to base. 

If you’re compassionate, calm under pressure, and committed to helping people move forward from homelessness, this role offers the chance to make a real and lasting difference. 

Job Responsibilities

What You’ll Do 

You’ll be part of the overnight team making sure our night shelters are safe, supportive, and welcoming spaces for everyone staying with us. This is an awake, overnight role, you will be alert and engaged for the whole shift. Your main responsibilities will include: 

• Welcoming and supporting guests – Create a friendly, respectful atmosphere and build positive relationships with guests, volunteers, and colleagues. 

• Staying alert all night – Carry out regular checks around the shelter (every 20 minutes) to make sure guests are safe, and comfortable. 

• Responding to situations – Calmly manage any issues that arise, such as someone feeling unwell, experiencing emotional distress, or showing challenging behaviour. This may sometimes mean calling emergency services. Training will be provided. 

• Keep the shelter safe and secure – Follow all safety, security, and health and safety procedures. This includes locking and unlocking doors and making sure the space stays tidy and free from hazards. 

• Recording important information – Write clear, accurate shift reports and note any concerns or observations. Complete incident forms if needed. 

• Supporting volunteers – Offer direction and guidance to volunteers on shift so everyone works well together. 

• Enforcing behaviour expectations – Address situations where may display challenging behaviour, using a calm and respectful approach, conflict de-escalation training is provided for all staff. 

• Packing and unpacking the van – unload equipment and supplies into the van at the start of the shift and repack at the end of the night. The allocated driver will return the van to base (driver shifts are paid for an extra hour). 

• Restocking supplies – Keep an eye on essentials such as tea, coffee, and toilet paper, and restock from the van when needed. 

• Preparing a simple breakfast – In the morning, help serve drinks, toast, and porridge, and make sure guests are woken from 6am so they can leave by 7am. 

• Tidying and closing down – Gather equipment, pack it away, and ensure nothing is left behind. 

• Training and meetings – Attend occasional in-person training sessions, team meetings, or other activities. From time to time, you may be assigned online training to complete while on shift. 

• Work to a rota – Shifts will include evenings, weekends, and public holidays, so flexibility is important. 

• Help with other tasks as needed – From time to time, you may be asked to help with other reasonable tasks that keep the night shelter running smoothly. 

Person Specification 

Essential 

• A genuine commitment to providing a high standard of service and treating everyone with respect, kindness, and dignity. 

• Confidence in handling challenging behaviour calmly and respectfully. 

• Good communication skills, both spoken and written. 

• The ability to carry out manual handling tasks such as moving supplies and equipment. 

• For driver shifts: A valid driving licence for a manual vehicle and be willing to drive the Glass Door van. 

Desirable 

• Experience working with people experiencing homelessness or other vulnerable groups. 

• The ability to speak another language, for example Arabic, Tigrinya, Amharic, Polish, Spanish, French, or Russian. 

• A lived experience of homelessness. 

• An understanding of, and commitment to, trauma-informed care. 

• Relevant training such as first aid, fire safety, conflict de-escalation, or Mental Health First Aid. 

Other 

• Employment is subject to a satisfactory enhanced DBS check for adults. 

• You’ll be expected to follow Glass Door’s safeguarding policies and procedures. 

• A commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion in all aspects of your work. 

We value diversity, promote equality and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We particularly welcome applications from people with lived experience of homelessness. 

Job title:     Director of Income and Engagement
Reports to: CEO
Location:    40% of time in any BB office with expectation of regular travel to London
(monthly)/occasional travel to other offices
Hours:        Full-time (37.5 hours per week). Open to flexible working.
Contract:    Permanent

Overall purpose
The Director of Income and Engagement will be responsible for leading a team of talented fundraising and communication professionals across a variety of disciplines to drive the successful achievement of Breaking Barriers 2030 goals. They will have responsibility for developing strategies across all streams and the wider fundraising team, identifying key opportunities for income stream development and innovation, stewarding key donors, and motivating a diverse team to achieve ambitious income targets.

They will be a key member of the organisation’s Senior Leadership team, working closely with colleagues across Services, People Strategy and Finance to maximise strategic opportunities and drive organisational culture and performance.

The Director of Income and Engagement will be an experienced fundraiser with a track record of achieving sustainable growth across multiple functions. They will have experience leading and nurturing income generating teams and be comfortable leading teams across diverse income streams including trusts and statutory, major donors, corporate partnerships, and public fundraising.

They will be ambitious, values-led, comfortable working in a fast-paced environment, and will act as a leader across the organisation, driving forward a culture of creativity, growth, innovation and entrepreneurialism that will be essential to achieving our 2030 goals.

To view the full job description and person specification, as well as details on our accessible recuitment process, please view the attached recruitment pack.

Other considerations

• As part of our safeguarding commitment to our clients, we carry out pre-employment checks to ensure that successful applicants are suitable to work with adults at risk. These include basic DBS checks, obtaining references and verifying a candidate’s identity and right to work in the UK.   

• We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity status, race, religion or belief.

  Breaking Barriers is committed to protecting an adult’s right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect and for their views, wishes and beliefs to be fully considered when deciding action.

​How to apply
If you are looking for a role where you can make a real difference, we want to hear from you. To apply, please submit a statement of interest (up to approximately 500 words/1 A4 page) outlining:

• Why you are interested in the role
• What skills you would bring to be successful in this role
• Any experience you would like to highlight
• Any reasonable adjustments you require for the interview process
• Disclosure of disabilities if you wish to do so (as a member of the Disability Confident Scheme, we guarantee an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the role)

Closing date for applications is Wednesday 08 October at 11:30pm. Please note, interviews will be held online on a rolling basis so please apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

We belong to the Experts by Experience Employment Initiative, which advocates and supports organisations to emply more people from a refugee background. With this in mind, we particularly welcome applicants with experience with of seeking asylum and / or a refugee background.

If you are an expert by experience (a refugee or a migrant with direct, first-hand experince of issues and challenges of the UK asylum or immigration system), you can ask for independent and confidential support for your job application from the Experts by Experience Employment Network. Please reach out to HR Manager, Caroline Meechan for further details (we are unable to include email addresses in this advert, but you can find contact details on the final page of the attached recruitment pack).

Team: Night Shelters 

Location: On-site at Glass Door Night shelter venues in the boroughs of Kensington & Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham or Wandsworth 

Duration: 1 November 2025 to April 2026

Reporting to: Service Manager – Night Shelters 

Shifts available:  5:00pm to 10:00pm 

Job Purpose

As a Night Shelter Manager, you’ll be the lead staff member for your shift, overseeing the safe and smooth running of one of Glass Door’s seasonal night shelters between November and April. 

You’ll work alongside Overnight Homeless Shelter Workers and volunteers on your shift to make sure the shelter is a welcoming, safe, and respectful place for up to 35 guests. Your role is to set the tone for the night: briefing the team before opening, welcoming and inducting new guests, explaining our shelter guidelines, and ensuring everyone knows their responsibilities. You’ll be the first point of contact for any issues during your shift, whether that’s supporting someone in distress, addressing concerns or responding to challenging behaviour. 

You’ll also ensure shelter procedures are followed, keep accurate records of attendance and incidents, and maintain clear communication with the casework team so they can follow up with guests. Alongside leading operations, you’ll actively work with guests, volunteers, and colleagues to create a friendly and supportive environment where everyone is treated with dignity. 

This role is ideal for someone who can remain calm under pressure, lead a small team confidently, and is committed to supporting people as they work towards ending their homelessness; all while making sure the night shelter runs smoothly from start to finish. 

Job Description 

As the lead staff member for your shift, you’ll be responsible for the smooth and safe running of the shelter during your working hours. You’ll work closely with Overnight Homeless Shelter Workers and volunteers, setting the tone for the night and making sure everything runs to plan. 

Your main responsibilities will include: 

• Leading the shift – Oversee the running of the shelter during your shift, making sure guests, staff, and volunteers are safe and supported. 

• Briefing the team – Hold a short briefing before opening to make sure everyone understands their roles and responsibilities for the night. 

• Welcoming guests – Greet guests warmly, induct new arrivals by explaining shelter guidelines and behaviour expectations, and answer any questions they have. 

• Supporting volunteers – Guide and support the volunteer team, working closely with Volunteer Coordinators to make sure their time is well organised and meaningful. 

• Monitoring wellbeing – Keep an eye on guest welfare throughout the shift, offering support when needed. 

• Responding to issues – Manage any situations that arise, from emotional distress to challenging behaviour or medical emergencies, and call emergency services if necessary. Training will be provided. 

• Overseeing safety and security – Take responsibility for the overall safety and security of the shelter during your shift, ensuring guests, staff, and volunteers are safe and supported at all times. 

• Following procedures – Help make sure the shelter’s policies and procedures are understood and put into practice during the shift. 

• Shift handover – Provide a clear handover at the end of your shift so the overnight team has all the information they need. 

• Shelter van – Drive the van from its parking location to the shelter at the start of the shift, keep it tidy, and carry out basic stock checks before departure, reporting any shortages for restocking. 

• Keeping accurate records – Record attendance, incidents, and observations using our iPad-based In-Form system so colleagues have up-to-date information. 

• Working with the casework team – Share relevant information about guests’ welfare and needs to support follow-up work. 

• Supporting practical needs – Assist the casework team with practical tasks related to guests’ day-to-day needs as requested. 

• Attending meetings and training – Join monthly shelter meetings and other training or team sessions as required. 

• Supervision meetings – Take part in regular supervision meetings with the Service Manager. 

• Pitching in where needed – From time to time, take on other reasonable tasks to help the shelter run smoothly. 

Person Specification

Essential: 

• A valid manual driving licence and be willing to drive the Glass Door van. 

• Experience working with people experiencing homelessness or other vulnerable groups. 

• A genuine commitment to providing a high standard of service and treating everyone with respect, kindness, and dignity. 

• The ability to lead a small team confidently, including during challenging or fast-changing situations, while keeping a calm and professional approach. 

• Confidence in handling challenging behaviour calmly and respectfully. 

• Strong written and verbal communications skills. 

• The ability to carry out manual handling tasks, such as moving supplies and equipment. 

Desirable: 

• The ability to speak another language, for example Arabic, Tigrinya, Amharic, Polish, Spanish, French, or Russian. 

• A lived experience of homelessness. 

• An understanding of, and commitment to, trauma-informed care. 

• Relevant training such as first aid, fire safety, conflict de-escalation, or Mental Health First Aid. 

Other 

• Employment is subject to a satisfactory enhanced DBS check for adults. 

• You’ll be expected to follow Glass Door’s safeguarding policies and procedures. 

• A commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion in all aspects of your work. 

We value diversity, promote equality and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We particularly welcome applications from people with lived experience of homelessness. 

Job title: Employer Engagement Manager

Reports to:   Head of Programmes

Line reports: None

Location: Flexible, hybrid, with some travel required to our offices (London, Manchester or Birmingham)

Salary:          £38,000-£41,000 (£39,000-£42,000 in London)

Hours:           Full-time, 37.5 hours per week, with occasional evening or weekend work (TOIL provided). Open to flexible working.

Contract: FTC 12-months, with intention to convert to permanent position subject to funding and organisational requirements.

Overall purpose

The Employer Engagement Manager (EEM) will play a critical role in ensuring refugees supported by Breaking Barriers access meaningful, opportunities that align with client needs and labour market demand. The postholder will lead employer outreach and partnership building in priority sectors and embed consistent systems and processes that make employer engagement coordinated and impactful across the organisation. The EEM will support pathways, work placements, recruitment pipelines and workshops by ensuring employer input is actively embedded where relevant.

This is a strategic, hands-on role, the successful candidate will map and cultivate employer relationships, secure employer input into sector pathways, workshops and recruitment initiatives, translate labour market intelligence into programme improvements, and design the operational processes that enable Programmes and Corporate Partnerships to work together effectively. You will operate in a matrix environment, collaborating closely with the Programmes, Corporate Partnerships and Client Services teams but will not hold direct line-management of delivery staff.

The role is set up to be ambitious but achievable within 12 months. The priority is to build tested, repeatable employer engagement practice (relationships, processes, insight-sharing and measurable impact) that can form the foundations of a permanent employer engagement function if/when funding allows.

To view the full job description and person specification, as well as details on our accessible recuitment process, please view the attached recruitment pack.

Other considerations

• This is a fixed-term contract for 12 months. Toward the end of the term, a review will be conducted to assess the impact and scope of the role, with the intention to adapt into a permanent position subject to funding and organisational need.
• This role may require occasional travel for employer meetings, events, and networking opportunities.
• Some evening or weekend work may be required to attend employer engagement activities (TOIL provided).

• As part of our safeguarding commitment to our clients, we carry out pre-employment checks to ensure that successful applicants are suitable to work with adults at risk. These include basic DBS checks, obtaining references and verifying a candidate’s identity and right to work in the UK.   

• We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity status, race, religion or belief.

  Breaking Barriers is committed to protecting an adult’s right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect and for their views, wishes and beliefs to be fully considered when deciding action.

How to apply 

If you are looking for a role where you can make a real difference, we want to hear from you. To apply, please submit a statement of interest (up to approximately 500 words/1 A4 page) outlining:

• Why you are interested in the role
• What skills you would bring to be successful in this role
• Any experience you would like to highlight
• Any reasonable adjustments you require for the interview process
• Disclosure of disabilities if you wish to do so (as a member of the Disability Confident Scheme, we guarantee an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the role)

Closing date for applications is 11:30pm on Tuesday 28 October. Please note that interviews will be held on a rolling basis and we reserve the right to close the advert early if a suitable shortlist is found.

We belong to the Experts by Experience Employment Initiative, which advocates and supports organisations to emply more people from a refugee background. With this in mind, we particularly welcome applicants with experience with of seeking asylum and / or a refugee background.

If you are an expert by experience (a refugee or a migrant with direct, first-hand experince of issues and challenges of the UK asylum or immigration system), you can ask for independent and confidential support for your job application from the Experts by Experience Employment Network. Please reasch out to HR Manager, Caroline Meechan for further details (we are unable to include email addresses in this advert, but you can find contact details on the final page of the attached recruitment pack).

Overall purpose

We are looking for a talented and ambitious individual to join our team to help us deliver partnership management to our corporate partners. Having expanded our services into Birmingham and Greater Manchester for the first time, fundraising and charitable activities with our corporate partners are a key area for growth to ensure that our organisational development is sustainable and permanent. Building on our success to date, working with over 50 active partners, our focus is on developing long-lasting and growing relationships that deliver both increased income and outcomes for our refugee clients. You will play your part in supporting and delivering external relationships working across multiple opportunities from staff engagement, hiring initiatives and volunteering projects, that maximise the value for Breaking Barriers, our clients, and our partners.

We concentrate on getting things done in a flexible and friendly environment where everyone is encouraged to take ownership and contribute. We are a team of around 70 staff who are all and committed to helping the UK’s refugee communities. Colleagues who thrive are passionate about our cause, confident working autonomously, collaborative team players, and not afraid to take the initiative and think creatively.

The main purpose of the Partnerships Officer role is to support the Partnership Management team on the delivery of first-class account management to our portfolio of corporate partners. Each partnership at Breaking Barriers is bespoke, comprising fundraising, skilled volunteering, awareness raising and, crucially, placement and job opportunities for our refugee clients. This diverse role is perfect for someone looking to make a difference and gain experience working within a corporate partnerships team. The successful candidate will provide crucial administrative, internal/external comms and wider support to the partnership management team. You will work closely with the Breaking Barriers delivery teams to help ensure our shared value partnerships have the maximum impact for our refugee clients.

Key responsibilities 

• Supporting the Partnerships Managers and wider Partnerships team to help deliver bespoke partner activities across our portfolio of 50+ partners.
• Support the Partnerships team with administrative support, financial tracking, and monitoring and evaluation reporting.
• Work closely with the Partnership Managers and Employment teams to support the delivery of workshops, placements, hiring pathways, and volunteering activity with each corporate partner, as well as any additional programmes which are developed to support our refugee clients.
• Manage a portfolio of small partnerships, including fundraising, comms and delivery requirements.
• Create compelling proposals, reports and correspondence in relation to partnership objectives.
• Maintain regular monitoring and updating of our CRM database, ensuring data is updated regularly and timely for reporting requirements.
• Support on logistics and creation of key external events or projects.
• Champion the value of refugees and work collaboratively with colleagues across the UK to drive our mission forward.