Bereavement support services manager jobs in worcester, worcestershire

Job title: Therapies Assessor and Service Manager

Reports to: Head of Bereavement Services

Location: Dependent on location, flexible - Some home working with regular travel to areas of service delivery, and regular travel to 2wish Head Office in South Wales.

Qualifications: 

• Hold a level 5 (or higher) diploma qualification in Therapeutic Counselling
• Hold a degree in relevant field, or demonstrate equivalent experience or a vocational qualification

Objective:

2wish exists to provide support to anyone affected by the sudden and unexpected death of a child or young person aged 25 and under.

Aims:

• Ensure every Emergency Department and Critical Care unit has a suitable bereavement suite
• Ensure that bereavement boxes are available at each of these hospitals
• Ensure that immediate bereavement support is available for all affected by the sudden death of a child or young person
• Provide a professional counselling service and other therapies for those affected by the sudden death of a child or young person
• Provide support to individuals who witness the sudden death of a child or young person
• Provide support and training to professionals from any sector who may be affected by the sudden death of a child or young person
• To advocate and campaign on behalf of suddenly bereaved families

2wish Cymru and 2wish:

2wish has been established since 2012 and has since grown from strength to strength. During this time, we have worked tirelessly to embed our service and ensure that the offer of support is made at the point of death.

We offer an immediate, consistent, high-quality and compassionate service to all individuals affected by the sudden and unexpected death of a child or young person aged 25 and under. We work in partnership with professionals who refer into the charity on behalf of families, so they don’t have to trawl through the internet for an organisation who may, or may not, be able to support. We provide immediate, and ongoing, support and are here for as long as our families need us.

We were founded as a Welsh organisation providing immediate casework support, as well as ongoing aftercare services including counselling, alternative therapies, play therapy, support groups, support events and a respite cottage. In January 2024, we expanded into ‘phase one’ England, namely Cheshire, Shropshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire and Somerset. And in July 2025 we will expand into ‘phase two’ England, namely Merseyside, Devon and Cornwall, Wiltshire, Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

Context of role:

The Therapies Assessor and Service Manager will lead the development, coordination, and delivery of our support service for families, professionals and individuals affected by sudden bereavement. Working closely with the Immediate Support and Debrief Manager who is responsible for leading the immediate support and debrief service, you will be responsible for ensuring that our ongoing services are trauma-informed, consistent and delivered to a high standard supporting the complex and individual needs of those who have experienced profound loss.

This role will oversee the existing ongoing support service delivered across Wales and the expansion phases across England and will contine to grow the team as the charity expands. Services include counselling, complementary therapy, play therapy, support events, coffee mornings, wellbeing walks, online events and our beautiful respite house, Ty Uchaf. You will manage a team of nine individuals who are a mixture of full and part time roles. This is a unique and hugely rewarding opportunity to make a significant impact in the lives of suddenly bereaved individuals across our communities.

You will work closely with the Therapies Assessor and Service Manager and Children and Young People Service Manager to provide a holistic, joined up service to all who access our service.

Main duties:

• To manage the bereavement service including the operational delivery of our therapeutic service and ongoing support, ensuring the service is delivered consistently, responsively and to a high standard
• Monitor and maintain high-quality therapeutic support in line with ethical frameworks (e.g., BACP/UKCP/BAPT).
• Ensure client records, risk assessments, and service monitoring forms are accurate and stored securely.
• Manage referrals, assessments, allocation of clients, and waiting lists efficiently.
• To develop and oversee ongoing support services including coffee mornings, support events, our respite house and online support events, in line with budget and service delivery expectation
• To work closely with the Head of Bereavement Services to ensure delivery and growth of services
• To oversee the awareness raising efforts with our secondary referral partners across Wales and the two phases of England
• To oversee the service and monitoring tools and ensure we are actively gathering feedback and monitoring appropriately

Management:

•  To lead, motivate and line manage the ongoing support team responsible for delivering our ongoing support service
• Manage a growing team, organise regular team meetings and set realistic but challenging objectives to further the work of the charity
• To carry our monthly supervisions and bi-annual appraisals with the Counselling and Support Outreach Coordinators and Support Coordinator
• To carry out bi-monthly case reviews with the Immediate Support team
• To produce weekly, monthly and quarterly reports to evidence activity and impact
• To develop and oversee a training programme for the team including mandatory and varied subject matter

General:

• To be responsible for organising own work agenda, time management and administration
• To show respect and sensitivity for the cultural and religious beliefs of families
• To undertake learning opportunities and seek them out for the team
• To adhere to all company policies and procedures including Safeguarding, Confidentiality, Health and Safety and Lone Working; and to be proactive in implementing new safe working practices as appropriate
• To attend weekend and evening community events in support of the charity as necessary
• Participate as and when required in team meetings and one-to-one meetings, and undertake, as appropriate, courses/training/other developmental activities, which is relevant to the role
• Contribute on the social media platforms maintained by 2wish

It is the nature of the work that tasks and responsibilities are in may circumstances unpredictable and varied. All employees are therefore expected to work in a flexible way and tasks, which are not specifically covered in their job description may have to be undertaken.

You will be subject to performance review, which will incorporate a review of the above duties and performance over the period.

This role is subject to a DBS check.

Salary: Starting salary of £32,000 per annum, with the opportunity for an increase through the annual appraisal structure.

Contract type: Permanent

Hours: Normal office hours are 9am - 5pm, Monday to Friday, although alternative hours may be worked with line manager agreement. Work outside office hours may sometimes be necessary and will be compensated for by time off in lieu. 

Annual leave: 28 days plus bank holidays. Annual leave steadily increases after five years of service. Annual leave and statutory holidays are calculated on a pro rata basis where applicable.

Pension: 2wish operate a contributory pension scheme. 2wish will auto-enrol you into the scheme in accordance with it's auto-enrolment obligations. Full details of the scheme will be provided to you once you are enrolled, including the minimum level of contributions that you will be required to make during your membership (current contributions - employer 3% and employee 5%). 

Mileage: A fixed rate allowance is payable for agreed mileage undertaken on 2wish business in a private vehicle, over and above your usual journey to your workplace/s.

Location: Dependent on location, flexible - Some home working with regular travel to areas of service delivery, and regular travel to 2wish Head Office in South Wales.

Additional benefits for our employees:

• An 'Employee Assistance Programme,' including wellbeing support
• Free parking on 2wish premises
• Free branded 2wish clothing
• An extra annual leave day on your birthday
• Incremental increase in holiday entitlement based on length of service
• Paid sick leave
• Discounts for personal purchases on 2wish Merchandise
• Discounted tickets to UK 2wish events for staff and family
• Extra holiday entitlement when taking part in 2wish overseas events
• Company mobile phone for performance of duties
• Tools/equipment required for the performance of duties
• Reimbursement of work expenses
• Bright Exchange employee discounts
• Auto-enrolment into company contributory pension scheme after 3 months service

How to apply:

Please return a CV and covering letter, or a CV and two-minute video, by email.

Closing date: Friday 15th August 2025.  

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as soon as possible. Only those shortlisted will be contacted for an interview. Interviews may take place prior to the advertised closing date.

About SOFT UK

SOFT UK is a national charity supporting families affected by Trisomy 13 (Patau syndrome) and Trisomy 18 (Edwards syndrome). We provide emotional support, information, advocacy, and community connections to ensure no family faces this journey alone.

Purpose of the Role

The Regional Engagement Officer (REO) for Northern Ireland will build and strengthen SOFT UK’s presence in the region. This includes supporting families, developing local community networks, enhancing relationships with healthcare professionals, and coordinating volunteer and fundraising activities to reduce isolation and improve support access for families affected by Trisomy 13 and 18.

Key Responsibilities

1. Community Engagement and Support

• Build meaningful relationships with families affected by Trisomy 13 and 18 across Northern Ireland.
• Develop and facilitate local support meetings, coffee mornings, and family gatherings.
• Provide emotional support, signposting, and information in line with SOFT UK’s values and safeguarding policies.

2. Volunteer Support

• Identify, recruit, and train new volunteers within the region.
• Provide ongoing guidance, resources, and encouragement to existing volunteers to strengthen their impact.

3. Healthcare Professional Engagement

• Develop and maintain relationships with regional healthcare providers to increase awareness of SOFT UK’s services.
• Encourage and facilitate referrals of families to SOFT UK by healthcare professionals.
• Share resources and information to improve understanding of Trisomy 13 and 18 among professionals.

4. Event Coordination

• Organise and deliver regional events such as awareness campaigns, remembrance gatherings, and local fundraising events.
• Support national SOFT UK events by promoting and representing the charity locally.

5. Fundraising and Awareness

• Assist with regional fundraising activities by promoting events, supporting local fundraisers, and identifying new funding opportunities.
• Raise awareness of SOFT UK’s mission through local networks, media, and community engagement.

6. Administration and Reporting

• Maintain accurate records of activities, contacts, and outcomes to report impact effectively.
• Work collaboratively with the national SOFT UK team, contributing to meetings, strategic development, and evaluation.

Person Specification

Essential:

• Proven experience in community engagement, outreach, or support roles.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with empathy and understanding for families experiencing complex medical and bereavement journeys.
• Ability to work independently and organise time effectively.
• Experience in planning and delivering community events.
• Confidence in engaging with healthcare professionals and external stakeholders.
• Basic IT skills, including email, social media, and Microsoft Office.
• Commitment to SOFT UK’s mission and values.
• Willingness to travel regionally and work flexible hours where required (some evening or weekend meetings).

Desirable:

• Experience working within the charity or health support sector.
• Knowledge of the healthcare and perinatal loss support systems within Northern Ireland.

Additional Information

This role requires occasional travel across Northern Ireland. Mileage and travel expenses will be reimbursed in line with SOFT UK policies. The postholder will be expected to work from home and maintain confidentiality, safeguarding, and data protection standards at all times.

Working pattern: 21 hours 45 minutes per week, hours worked between 8am-6pm Mon-Fri. There's scope to adapt the working pattern to suit you but some hours must be worked on a Friday to ensure there's sufficient cover in place within the team.

The role:  We’re looking for an exceptionally organised, superstar administrator to provide admin support across the charity, with a particular focus on operational, recruitment and HR admin. It’s a varied role in which you’ll interact with everyone involved in the charity, from the CEO to potential job candidates.

We’re looking for someone who will get stuck in and enjoy making a real difference by improving processes as they go along. This role has come about to provide additional resource as the operations manager heads away on maternity leave.

About Brake: Brake is a renowned and respected road safety charity with a 30-year history dedicated to supporting people affected by road crashes and advocating for safer streets.

Why this role is important: Every 20 minutes, someone is killed or seriously injured on UK roads. For families affected, the emotional and practical challenges are immense. Brake provides trauma-informed care to individuals and families suffering from the sudden bereavement or life-altering injury of a loved one and campaigns tirelessly for positive change to prevent future collisions and save lives. This isn’t your average admin role because your impressive organisational skills will have a direct impact on making all teams within the charity run more efficiently, ultimately enabling the charity to achieve more.

What we offer:

• A generous 35 days of annual leave (including bank holidays and mandatory 3-day end of year shutdown) pro-rata for part-time
• Birthday day off (which you can take when you choose)
• Flexible working
• Enhanced sick pay and compassionate leave
• Death in service benefit
• Pension
• Employee Assistance Programme
• A rewarding role with purpose
• Be part of a skilled, friendly team with an engaged Board of Trustees

Who we're looking for

You will be a highly organised and capable admin whizz, with experience working in a UK charity. You will bring strong IT skills and an aptitude for picking up new systems, combined with excellent people skills as you’ll be speaking to potential job candidates and acting as an ambassador for the charity.

Essential Requirements:

• Must be based in the UK.
• At least 2 years of administrative experience.
• Experience working in the UK charity sector.
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to prioritise a varied workload, working both proactively and reactively when required.
• Meticulous attention to detail and collaborative approach.
• Confidence and competence in utilising modern office, communications and IT skills in the Microsoft Office Suite.
• Works with discretion and complete integrity when handling sensitive information.
• Self-motivated to work remotely.
• Has strong interpersonal skills. Establishes straightforward and positive relationships with people and is a team player.

Desirable skills or experience:

• Proficiency with Donorfy CRM, Slack, Sharepoint sites and Monday dot com (training will be provided if not)
• Previous exposure to recruitment.
• Experience preparing accurate HR documentation.
• Good knowledge of GDPR compliance and data protection best practice. 

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion: Brake is passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that values diversity. We’re committed to supporting employees to achieve a good work/life balance and flexible around caring commitments. We welcome your application whatever your background or situation. We particularly welcome applications from those who are part of the global majority, the LGBTQIA+ community or disabled. We are proud to be a disability confident employer. We don’t want you to ‘fit’ our culture, we want you to enrich it. So, if you have a passion for making a difference and share in our vision for a world where no one is killed on our roads, we would love to hear from you.

Apply now: If you're up for a new challenge and have the skills, apply now by sending your CV and cover letter. We encourage cover letters in alternative formats such as videos or presentations, these can be sent directly through to our recruitment inbox.

Not for traffic offenders: Due to the nature of our work we can't accept applications from traffic offenders. Candidates will be asked to disclose whether they have any unspent points on their licence at screening/interview.

Questions? If you would like to discuss the role further, please get in touch, we'd love to chat.

The Charity and The Vision.    

Scotty’s Little Soldiers is a UK-based charity dedicated to supporting military children and young people (0 to 25 years) who have experienced the death of a parent who served in the British Armed Forces. Founded in 2010 by Nikki Scott following the death of her husband, Corporal Lee Scott, the charity offers a unique blend of emotional, practical, and educational support to over 700 young people, and we have big ambitions to support over 1,000 children annually by 2030.    

We are proud of our vibrant, non-traditional culture, which puts the needs of bereaved children and young people at the heart of everything we do. We embrace innovative approaches, are committed to creating smiles and believe in the power of community, resilience, and connection.    

Role Mission.  

At Scotty's, we believe every bereaved military child deserves our support. As Head of Grants, your role is to secure and manage major, long-term grant funding, maintain strong relationships with funders, and report on our impact to encourage continued support.  

I am accountable for…  

• Strategic Grant Income Growth: Developing and delivering an ambitious pipeline of grants income that not only meets but exceeds our annual agreed income budgets. Securing those multi-year, high-value grants that fuel the long-term sustainability of the charity's strategic growth and allow us to reach more families.  

• Grant Funder Relationships: Cultivating and expanding deep, long-term, and genuinely mutually beneficial relationships with a diverse portfolio of military and non-military grant-making organisations.   

• Grant Portfolio Management: Overseeing the lifecycle of all awarded grants, ensuring reporting, optimal allocation and tracking of funds (balancing restricted and unrestricted to best serve our families), and administrative oversight to maintain high standards of compliance and transparency which our funders expect and deserve.  

• Impactful Storytelling and Application Development: Translating Scotty's heartfelt mission and profound impact into compelling, donor-centric narratives and high-quality proposals that truly stand out from the crowd. We want to demonstrate our social value and inspire significant, transformative investment.  

• Best practice grant management: Championing the very best practices in grant fundraising, positioning Scotty's as a charity of choice for major grant-makers.  

• Financial Stewardship & Forecasting: Providing regular, insightful forecasting of our grants pipeline (using Salesforce) and working with the Finance Team to ensure funds are being correctly used and logged - so we always know where we stand.  

I am responsible for:  

• Grant Strategy & Planning: Developing and implementing the grants strategy with a comprehensive, rolling programme of grant applications that are perfectly aligned with our charity’s strategic plans and agreed annual budget. We'll be focusing on securing those larger, transformative grants that make a real difference to starting each year with a higher percentage of funding already secured.  

• Funder Research & Identification: Proactively researching and identifying new, high-potential funding opportunities that truly resonate with Scotty's mission and strategic priorities. This means using industry best practices and relationship building to find our perfect partners.  

• Proposal Development & Submission: Leading the end-to-end development of high-quality, persuasive grant applications. This involves crafting compelling narratives from the heart, developing robust budgets factoring in overheads, and ensuring timely submission.   

• Relationship Management & Stewardship: Building and nurturing strong, long-term relationships with both our existing and prospective funders. This means regular, personalised communication, sharing impactful updates and acting as a Scotty’s ambassador at funder events and meetings.  

• Grant Management & Reporting: Meticulously managing all stages of awarded grants, including careful financial tracking (using Salesforce), ensuring we always adhere to grant agreements, and compiling comprehensive, insightful end-of-project reports that truly demonstrate our impact and foster continued support.  

• Internal Collaboration: Working closely with our Families team, Finance Team, Comms Team and Fundraising Team to identify funding needs, gather powerful impact data, and ensure seamless delivery and awareness of all grant-funded activities. We work to weekly transparent Success Measures (3 key agreed metrics which help show we’ve had a great week and give leading and lagging indicators on how we’re doing), monthly and quarterly budget targets and short, daily and weekly team huddles to share good news, keep our culture forefront and ensure we can best support each other and deliver for the charity.  

• Pipeline Management & Forecasting: Develop and maintain a robust pipeline of grant opportunities, regularly tracking progress, and providing accurate forecasting to help us make smart, strategic decisions for our future.   

• Data Management: Ensuring all grant funding information, relationships, and communications are accurately inputted and updated on our charity’s CRM database (Salesforce). Keeping things tidy and organised is key for good governance.  

• Grants landscape: Staying abreast of the trends and developments in the grants and trusts sector, identifying new approaches and opportunities to enhance Scotty's fundraising efforts and keep us ahead of the curve.  

• Team Support: Providing a helping hand with administrative support to other areas of the charity if required. We're all good team players here at Scotty's, and we always support each other.  

3-Month Goals:  

• Onboarding & Immersion: Dive deep and achieve a comprehensive understanding of Scotty’s operating system (The Scotty’s OS), our values, our behaviours, our mission, and the significant impact we have. This will happen through intro meetings with everyone on the team and a tailored onboarding program.  

• Grant Portfolio Audit & Handover: Conduct an audit of our existing grant portfolio, reviewing active grants, reporting schedules, and our funder relationships. We'll begin the handover process for existing relationships with the Head of Fundraising, ensuring a smooth transition.  

• Funder Engagement & Feedback: Reach out and initiate contact with at least 5 key existing funders. This is about listening, gathering their valuable feedback, understanding their priorities, and beginning to build those personal, trusting rapports.  

• Pipeline Initiation: Identify and qualify a minimum of 5 new potential grant-making organisations. We'll prioritise those who truly align with Scotty's mission and have the capacity for significant, multi-year funding – our future partners.  

6-Month Goals:  

• Income Target Ownership: Take full, enthusiastic ownership of ensuring we are on track to hit our existing grant budget lines. You'll provide regular and accurate forecasting, keeping us all informed and confident.  

• Relationship Deepening: Strengthen relationships with at least 5 key funders, leading to demonstrable progress towards increased or renewed multi-year support.  

• New Grant Acquisition: Secure at least 2 new grants of significant value (e.g. £10k+) from previously untapped funders, showcasing your success in converting those pipeline opportunities into real impact.  

• Strategic Grant Mapping: Develop a comprehensive grant funding strategy, outlining key target areas, funder tiers, and a detailed timeline for our major applications for the next 12-18 months.   

• Impact Reporting Enhancement: Collaborate internally to refine and enhance our reporting mechanisms. We want to ensure our data is readily available and tells the most compelling story for our funder reports.  

9-Month Goals:  

• Multi-Year Grant Success: Secure at least one new multi-year grant partnership with an annual income of £50k+, truly demonstrating your ability to unlock larger, sustained funding that makes a lasting difference.  

• Pipeline Expansion & Value: Add £100k+ of new, qualified grant fundraising opportunities to our pipeline each month, always with a keen eye on those high-value prospects.  

• Income Exceedance: Be on track to exceed the annual grant fundraising target, demonstrating strong performance and strategic growth that helps more bereaved military families.  

• Innovation & Best Practice: Introduce at least one innovative approach or best practice (e.g. involving AI) to our grant fundraising strategy. This could be a new, heartwarming cultivation event, a bespoke reporting format, or a new research methodology – anything that helps us grow.  

• Personal Development & Leadership: Review your personal development needs and opportunities, actively seeking ways to enhance your leadership in the grants sector and contribute to the wider fundraising team's success. We believe in growing together.  

Essential Criteria  

• Proven experience in charity grant management.  

• Strategic planning: Ability to develop, implement, and evaluate grant strategies that align with the charity’s mission and objectives.  

• Financial acumen: Competence in budgeting, financial monitoring, and reporting for grant programmes.  

• Stakeholder engagement: Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build relationships with funders, beneficiaries, partners, and internal teams.  

• Analytical and decision-making ability: Skilled in assessing applications, monitoring outcomes, and making evidence-based decisions.  

• Excellent written and verbal communication: Ability to produce clear reports, guidance, and correspondence tailored to a variety of audiences.  

• Organisational skills: Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.  

Desirable Criteria  

• Sector-specific experience: Prior work within children’s bereavement, military-related charities, or with vulnerable children and families.  

• Evaluation and impact measurement: Familiarity with monitoring and evaluating the impact of grant programmes, including data analysis and reporting.  

• Policy development: Experience in developing or reviewing grant-making policies and procedures.  

• Public speaking: Confident in representing the charity at external events, conferences, or media opportunities.  

Additional Information  

• The role may require occasional evening or weekend work  

• Enhanced DBS check required  

• Travel will be required to events and team training days  

The Scotty’s Way  

At Scotty’s, our personal performance is only 50% of what success looks like. Our culture is equally important. When you join our team, you sign up to The Scotty’s Way, rooted in our four core values:   

1. Families Come First  

1. Everyone a Supporter, Every Supporter a VIP  

1. Love What You Do  

1. Remember, Every Day  

Our values are further supported by our four non-negotiable behaviours of Show Respect, Speak Up, Take Ownership and Actively Collaborate. We are looking for an individual who embodies these values and behaviours.  

Thank you for your interest in joining our team, we are an equal opportunities employer, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where all employees are treated with respect and given equal opportunities for employment and advancement.   

We do not discriminate based on race, colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability or any other protected characteristic.   

We encourage all qualified individuals to apply for employment within our charity, and we provide a fair and inclusive recruitment process for all candidates.