Children and young people manager jobs

We are looking for a Marketing Manager for a 12 month fixed term contract.  The Young People’s Borough of Culture Marketing Manager will plan, manage and deliver the marketing and audience development campaigns for Hammersmith & Fulham’s Young People’s Borough of Culture programme.

The role will sit within the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, who are taking responsibility for leading the Young People’s Borough of Culture programme on behalf of the Where Culture Connects H&F Cultural Compact. The lead partners for the programme are the Lyric, H&F Council and Earls Court Development Company, with the shared vision of implementing a new long-term model for young people, education and business sectors.

The role will oversee a discreet budget for promotion of programmes and events, which will span multiple disciplines, event types and locations across the borough. They will work closely with the Young People’s Borough of Culture working group and partner organisations to ensure audience targets are met, reaching a broad audience and ensuring the impact of the programme is appropriately highlighted.

Please download the job information pack below for full details of the post and how to apply.

Description

Help tackle child food insecurity by working directly with schools, building relationships, capturing impact, and supporting community fundraising that drives real change.

This is an opportunity to join a growing charity at a pivotal moment and play a key role in expanding a national programme supporting children and families across the UK. This is one of the charity’s first two hires and is a hands-on role in a small team.

MCKS Charitable Foundation works with schools to provide pantry and breakfast support to families experiencing food insecurity. We currently support over 180 schools and are now scaling our work towards 500+ schools nationally.

We’re looking for a Schools, Community & Impact Manager to help us strengthen our relationships with schools, understand how our support is being used, and capture the stories and data that allow us to grow our impact.

This is a varied, outward-facing role where you’ll work directly with schools, build trusted relationships, and ensure we are delivering support in the most effective way possible.

What you’ll be doing

You’ll sit at the centre of the programme, working across schools, impact and community engagement.

You will:

• Build strong relationships with schools and act as their main point of contact
• Support new schools joining the programme and help them get set up effectively
• Work with schools to understand how many pupils and families are being supported
• Identify what’s working well across schools and share best practice
• Gather impact data, case studies and stories to support fundraising and reporting
• Help develop a fair and effective funding model based on need
• Encourage schools to run simple fundraising activities within their communities
• Support wider fundraising activity by providing insight, stories and engagement

Why this role matters

This role is critical to how the charity grows.

The insights, relationships and impact evidence you build will directly support fundraising—helping us secure the funding needed to reach more children and families.

Put simply:
without strong school relationships and clear impact, we can’t grow.

What we’re looking for

We’re looking for someone who is:

• A natural relationship builder, confident working with schools and communities
• Curious and analytical, with the ability to understand patterns and identify insights
• A strong communicator, particularly when writing case studies and reports
• Organised and able to manage multiple relationships at once
• Proactive and comfortable working independently in a small team

You may have experience in schools, charities, community work, or partnership-based roles—but just as important is your ability to build trust and understand people.

Why join us

• Be part of a growing charity making a real difference to children and families
• Play a key role in shaping a programme that is scaling nationally
• Work flexibly within a small, supportive team
• Opportunity to influence how impact is measured and communicated

Safeguarding

This role will involve working with schools and may include visits where children are present. A DBS check will be required.

Additional Information”

• Remote UK-based role with travel to schools nationally
• Full-time role (flexibility may be considered for strong candidates)
• Due to volume of interest, we are unable to offer pre-application calls

Do you want to make a difference now and for the future?

Are you confident, approachable, self-motivated and have a flexible attitude?

Then join our team supporting Young Carers, aged 5-18 years, who have caring responsibilities for someone in their family due to disability, long-term illness, mental health, or drug or alcohol misuse.

You’ll deliver the service across Ashford and Swale, so your own car is essential. You will manage an existing caseload and new referrals, meeting with families and Young Carers to complete statutory assessments and providing short-term interventions that support Young Carers to improve their resilience, educational chances and wellbeing. This might be signposting to local services, action planning or one-to-one support.

Working closely with schools and Childrens Services, you will make referrals to a range of professionals and community services, ensuring whole family needs are met and thereby reducing the impact of caring on the Young Carer.

As a CYP Coordinator, you will plan and deliver respite activities, providing opportunities for Young Carers to spend time with their peers and recognise that they are not alone.

Applicants may have relevant experience of working or volunteering in education, health or social care, or be looking to start a career working with children or young people. This is a full-time role.

You can make the difference and give a Young Carer their childhood back.

We offer our employees:

· Inclusive values-based environment

· Competitive remuneration package

· Workplace pension scheme

· Generous annual leave entitlement

· Opportunities for hybrid working

· Benenden Health Care

· Death in Service Benefit

· Cycle to Work Scheme

· Employee Supported Volunteering scheme

· Development opportunities

· and more

Imago is committed to Safer Recruitment practices, and the post is subject to references and an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check.

Please either submit your CV with a short covering note or visit our website for full details.

About the role

We’re an organisation that’s all about people. We recruit over 500 passionate individuals each year for seasonal roles working with children on our internal programmes (Kings Camps) and for external partners (UK and worldwide). We’re looking for a forward thinking individual to join our Managerial tier, line Managing our end-to-end Recruitment and Onboarding process, and the people involved in its delivery.

This role will ensure we meet annual targets for seasonal recruitment and that every individual we hire is qualified, suitable and equipped to work safely with children. You will share our commitment to safeguarding, implementing attraction strategies and safer recruitment processes to ensure appropriate individuals are hired for work with children, that they are hired on time and that they have the relevant suitability and pre - employment checks prior to starting work.

You’ll be a people person and a decision maker, communicating regularly with candidates and the wider team to gather information, or follow up on any staffing or safer recruitment concerns. You’ll need to work flexibly to maximise engagement time and seasonal workflow. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.

Safer recruitment is central to the way we work, and all staff and volunteers are expected to share our commitment to safeguarding, always creating an environment where young people feel safe and can thrive.

Key Responsibilities

1. Recruitment Activity

• Set staffing targets and volume expectations
• Build professional networks to attract potential candidates
• Identify marketing opportunities
• Manage partnerships with clients and job boards
• Be the first point of escalation for candidate decisions, interview volume and second stage interviews
• Identify and escalate challenges with volume or quality of applications

2. Safer Recruitment

• Continually improve and make healthy efficiencies in our Safer Recruitment and Compliance Processes
• Ensure seasonal recruitment targets are met in good time for candidate onboarding and training
• Ensure safeguarding requirements and standards are met throughout the recruitment and onboarding process
• Ensure staffing policies are met including staff ratios, qualifications and experience requirements plus venue or site-specific requirements

3. Leadership

• Line Manage a team of recruitment and onboarding specialists
• Provide whole department leadership in the absence of the Head of Recruitment Audit check quality of interviews and candidate recruitment experience
• Manage and monitor weekly performance outputs
• Budget Management

Person Specification

• 2 years’ team management or leadership experience
• Safer recruitment or safeguarding experience
• Organised and with a high level of attention to detail
• Self-motivated with the ability to problem solve and take decisions
• Understanding of GDPR / sensitive data
• First-hand experience of relationship building or communication
• Able to multi-task and driven to work towards targets
• Excellent communication and IT skills
• Must be eligible to work in the UK

Our Culture & Benefits

• Our People: Work in our like-minded, dedicated and passionate team that aligns with our mission and shared purpose - to get children active, having fun and learning together.
• Salary: From £32,000 per annum
• Pension: We offer more than the norm, with an enhanced pension and employer contributions (5%), and we also offer a Group Life Assurance Scheme
• Holiday: In addition to statutory holidays, we offer a generous starting holiday allowance of 25 days per annum with additional holidays being added after 2 years’ service up to a maximum of 30 days per annum (after 5 years’ service).
• Work Patterns: 37.5 hours per week, within 8am-6pm Mon to Fri but, in the modern working world, flexibility is key and embracing peak demand at popular times of the year is required from our team.
• Our Meetings: We start every week with a Monday Morning Meeting (MMM) for the whole team to connect and we’re also deliberate about meeting formally every 3-4 months with a Quarterly Brief - each of these help with comms and provide every member of our team with development opportunities.

If you are passionate about building partnerships that help young people overcome adversity and thrive, we would love to hear from you. 

£37,000-£40,170 
Jamie’s Farm Bath, near Box, or other Jamie’s Farm locations considered 
Permanent 
Full-time 37.5hrs Mon-Fri, but part-time (0.8 FTE) also considered 

An exciting opportunity to play a central role in enabling more young people to benefit from the Jamie’s Farm experience. At a time of real growth for our charity, we are looking for an experienced, driven and enthusiastic Partnerships Manager to join our team. You will build and manage a portfolio of school and organisational partners, develop lasting relationships, and secure the bookings that enable us to continue delivering our mission. 

What is Jamie’s Farm?Jamie’s Farm is a charity that supports young people by combining therapeutic work, farming, and purposeful activities to help them thrive. Through residential visits to our working farms, we provide a nurturing environment where young people can reflect, build confidence, and develop the resilience they need to overcome personal challenges.As part of the dynamic HQ team we offer a beautiful and unique supportive working environment, a competitive salary, and the opportunity to be part of a team that is passionate about making a real difference. 

More about the role:As Partnerships Manager you will manage bookings from new and existing school partners, working to ensure our farms are fully booked with the young people who need us most. You will take a lead in recruiting partners for our newer farms in Skipton and Lower Shockerwick, as well as for specific projects including work with schools in Westminster, Ealing, and with groups of asylum-seeking young people. Working alongside the Senior Partnerships Manager, you will develop relationships with academy chains, local authorities and other charities, and represent the charity at conferences and events to grow awareness of our work. 

Location : Jamie's Farm Bath (HQ) preferred but other Jamie’s Farm locations considered 

About you:We are looking for someone with proven experience forming long-term partnerships and a track record of seeing processes through from start to finish. You will be a clear, confident communicator, able to adapt your approach to a wide range of external audiences, and someone who brings genuine warmth and enthusiasm to building new relationships. 

Organised and systematic, you ensure no opportunities are missed and are comfortable managing a busy pipeline of leads, bookings and relationships. You bring an entrepreneurial spirit and a collaborative approach, and you are passionate about Jamie’s Farm’s mission and the difference our work makes to young people. 

Please see the full job description, desired experience and employee benefits by exploring our recruitment pack below. Don’t meet every single requirement? We’d still love to hear from you – your unique skills and experience could be just what we’re looking for. 

How to Apply:  Please apply via the Jamie’s Farm website. Read through the full recruitment pack and return both a completed application form and equal opportunities form to the email specified on our jobs page. 

Role Overview

This is an exciting opportunity to shape Shine’s strategic direction while managing the operational delivery of our services for children, young people, and families aged 0–25. Building on the success of our Little Stars/Ser Bach programme for members aged 0–12 and the development and extension of the FIRE (Friendship, Independence, Resilience, Empowerment) programme for those aged 13–25, you will play a key role in shaping the future of our support for children, young people and their families.

Working across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, you will lead the delivery of an established, evidence-based programme that improves health, social, and emotional outcomes for those living with spina bifida, hydrocephalus, and associated conditions.

You’ll lead a passionate team and work closely with Shine’s Adult Services Team (25+), Health Team, Wales and Northern Ireland Managers and wider colleagues across the organisation to ensure work is coordinated, complementary, and beneficial to members. At the same time, you’ll forge strong partnerships with NHS professionals, statutory services, and voluntary organisations—driving collaboration that will support our vision of providing consistent, high-quality support for children, young people and families nationwide.

Key Responsibilities:

• Leadership & Team Management
• Programme Development & Delivery
• Monitoring, Evaluation & Reporting
• Member Support & Engagement

Please see the full Job Description & Person Specification below and on our website. 

Benefits to working at Shine:

• Competitive salary: Review due April 2027
• Regular working hours, and no shift work (some very occasional weekends or evenings)  
• 3% pension contribution
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays, with additional discretionary leave between Christmas and New Year
• Additional annual leave awarded for ‘long service’
• Opportunity to purchase additional annual leave
• Broadband allowance for home-based roles
• Life insurance after 12 months’ employment  
• Access to our Employee Support Programme and Mental Health First Aiders 
• Support to learn and develop 

How to apply 

Shine is a Disability Confident employer and will offer guaranteed interviews if a disabled applicant meets the minimum criteria for the job. 

If you would like to discuss the role with our Deputy CEO, Gill Valentine, please contact Shine to arrange a convenient time for a call. 

To apply please submit your CV and supporting statement, which should outline your interest and explain how you meet the role criteria. 

We understand that you may wish to use AI tools to help you with some aspects of your application but we do expect tailored applications which are personalised to your experiences and not generic applications which are completely AI generated. We encourage candidates to be transparent about AI usage in their applications. 

*Please note applications without a supporting statement will not be accepted* 

Closing date: Thursday 16th April 2026 at 11pm 

Interviews:  Monday 27th April 2026  

Please note: we reserve the right to interview suitable candidates before the closing date, therefore we encourage applications as soon as possible. 

At Ambitious about Autism, we are looking for a Programme Director – Service Development to join our team. You'll develop Ambitious about Autism's and the Trust's education and care services for autistic children and young people.

You'll lead on key strategic projects to extend existing or develop new education and care services for autistic children and young people, providing strong project leadership, strategic integration and managing project-related governance. You'll identify and pursue new business opportunities to drive growth and expansion of our educational settings, including school bids.

You'll be involved in new service development, conducting thorough assessment to identify gaps and opportunities for new provisions or products, whilst developing innovative concepts for new services and seeking approval through business cases. You'll also provide leadership to the Service Development team, with line management of 3 direct reports, whilst upholding Ambitious about Autism's core values.

We are looking for someone who has:

• Extensive business development and project planning knowledge
• Working knowledge of the education, health or social care of children/young people with SEND
• Working knowledge of: The social, policy, regulatory issues affecting children and young people with special educational needs or Commissioning and service delivery for children, young people and their families
• Proven experience of leading the development and delivery of new services for children, young people and/or adults with special educational needs or disabilities either from a third sector, educational, health or local authority background
• Experience of developing strategic and business plans

In return, we offer great benefits including a generous holiday allowance and commitment to continued professional development (CPD), flexible, hybrid working and more!

This is a fantastic opportunity for an ambitious individual who would like to work for a forward-thinking, open and honest organisation and make a real impact to the young people we work with. Please find our full recruitment pack on the link below.

If you have any questions about the role or would like to have a confidential chat, please contact James Axford, Recruitment Officer.

Ambitious about Autism is committed to fostering equity, diversity, and inclusion at every level of our organisation. We warmly welcome applications from all qualified candidates, valuing the diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives they bring. We encourage applications from individuals regardless of race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy or parental status, disability, or age.

Our recruitment process promotes equal opportunities, and we are committed to providing reasonable adjustments for candidates with disabilities or additional needs throughout the recruitment process. Please contact our Recruitment Team for accommodations. We recognise disability as a physical or mental impairment that significantly and long-term affects a person's ability to perform day-to-day activities, as defined by the UK Equality Act 2010. All applications will be considered solely on merit, aligned with our mission to support autistic children and young people.

Ambitious about Autism is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and successful candidates will be subject to an Enhanced DBS check. As part of our Safer Recruitment checks, an online search maybe carried out in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education.

The Safeguarding responsibilities of the post as per the job description and personal specification.
Whether the post is exempt from the rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendment to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2021. This means that when applying for certain jobs and activities certain spent convictions and cautions are ‘protected', so they do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account. Further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS Filter Guidance.

Specialist & Expert Advocate for Children - based in Scotland

Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse AAFDA

Remote – Based in Scotland with regular travel across Scotland

Salary – £33,000 pa

Full-time

Fixed term for 12 months (potentially 36 months dependent on funding)

Closing Date – 10th April 2026

AAFDA is a growing charity, and we are looking for a specialist Children’s Advocate to be based in Scotland. Although home based, travel will be required across Scotland. We welcome applications from candidates who are registered social workers and who have professional experience of working with people who have experienced domestic abuse.

We are also committed to diversity and strongly encourage applications from those with Black and/or Minoritised backgrounds.

AAFDA was founded by Frank Mullane in memory of his sister Julia Pemberton and her son Will who were both killed by her ex-partner in 2003.

Scotland is expected to introduce Domestic Homicide and Suicide Reviews (DHSRs) in April 2026. We are looking for a candidate with a good understanding of the Scottish legislative system and good understanding around domestic abuse and how it impacts on children to join our growing charity. Each year, in Scotland, around 25 families lose a loved one to fatal domestic abuse, perhaps one third of this number being domestic homicides and the others being suicides following domestic abuse. The actual number of domestic abuse related suicides remains unknown.

Many of these families suffer significant problems including relationship breakdown, job difficulties/loss and mental and physical health issues. The Children’s advocate will provide expert advocacy, specialist peer support to children, and other services, helping them practically and emotionally. This may include helping them to contribute to DHSRs and providing opportunities to recover from harm for example via trauma therapy and other services.

Through trauma-informed approaches, you will help the children bereaved by fatal domestic abuse:

-To enhance their voice after fatal domestic abuse including by helping them to contribute to domestic homicide and suicide reviews and formal / informal meetings with various professionals.

-By providing residential peer support events, or access to these events for both the children and their carers.

-Via virtual support tools and other resources.

-By developing pathways into groupwork programmes for carers of bereaved children.

-Cope and recover by direct support and by linking into other services, for example, specialist trauma therapy.

In return for joining us, we will offer you:

· 25 days annual leave per annum, plus bank holidays

· Excellent development and training opportunities

· Pension Scheme

· Healthcare Scheme

· Employee Assist Scheme

Application Instructions

To apply for this role, please submit a supporting statement along with your CV. The closing date is 10th April 2026. Please note that this job advert may close early due to screening applications on an ongoing basis. We advise applying as soon as possible for your application to be taken into consideration at the early stages

Applicants will be shortlisted according to how well they meet the criteria in the person specification. Please highlight and explain how you meet these in your supporting statement. If you have been shortlisted for interview, you will be informed by email. Regrettably, we are normally unable to acknowledge unsuccessful applicants.

Please note that we will not progress applications where the supporting statement does not address the criteria for the role being applied for.

Help secure the future of a 120-year-old youth charity At The Shewsy, we support over 100 children and young people every day in one of the most deprived communities in the UK. Founded in 1903, we provide meals, mentoring, and a safe space, but more importantly, we build relationships that change lives. Our motto is “People Matter More Than Things".

We are now looking for a brilliant Fundraising & Engagement Manager to help us take the next step in building a stronger, more sustainable funding base so we can reach even more young people.

Salary: £40,000 per annum 

Hours: 37 hours per week (flexible working available and could offer 0.8) 

Contract type: Permanent

Benefits:  

• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)

• NEST Pension 

• Benefits & Discount Portal 

• 22 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays 

• Professional Training & Development

The Role (and why it matters) This isn’t just about writing bids behind a desk. It’s about being a visible, energetic advocate for The Shewsy. You will champion our work face-to-face, engaging our local Everton community while nurturing our historic, vital ties with Shrewsbury School and the Old Salopian network. You will balance persuasive in-person communication with high-quality grant writing to unlock new opportunities and bring ideas to life.

What you’ll be doing

Building Relationships & Community Engagement

• Actively network and build face-to-face relationships with local businesses, community members, and potential corporate partners.

• Nurture and expand our vital relationship with the Shrewsbury School community and Old Salopians to encourage legacy giving, regular donations, and matched-giving support.

• Champion and support community fundraising events and campaigns, including our highly successful Big Give Christmas Challenge.

Securing Grant Funding

• Build and manage a £200,000+ annual funding pipeline by researching and applying for grants from trusts and foundations.

• Write high-quality, compelling, and tailored funding applications.

• Maintain a live pipeline of funders, tracking applications, success rates, and deadlines.

Telling Our Story Powerfully

• Turn powerful frontline youth work into compelling narratives for both written bids and in-person presentations.

• Work with staff to capture impact, stories, and data to strengthen how we evidence our outcomes.

What success looks like (Year 1)

• Strong, active relationships established with the Shrewsbury School community, Old Salopians, and local Everton stakeholders.

• A £200k+ funding pipeline established and actively managed.

• Consistent monthly/quarterly bid submissions balancing quick wins with strategic applications.

• Increased repeat funding, multi-year grants, and diversified community income.

Who we’re looking for You might already be a community fundraiser, a bid writer looking to step out from behind the screen, or someone ready to step up.

Essential

• Exceptional in-person communication and presentation skills, with the ability to engage diverse audiences from local residents to major donors.

• Experience writing successful grant applications in the charity sector.

• A track record of securing funding from trusts, foundations, or major donors.

• Highly organised, able to balance desk-based bid writing with out-and-about relationship building.

• Ability to work independently and make things happen.

Desirable

• Experience in youth, community, or social impact organisations.

• Knowledge of the Liverpool funding landscape.

• Experience with community campaigns or matched-funding appeals (e.g., the Big Give).

The kind of person who thrives here

• You care deeply about young people and social impact.

• You are proactive, outgoing, and don’t wait to be told what to do.

• You spot opportunities others miss and can turn a conversation into a compelling bid or a new partnership.

• You want your work to actually make a difference.

About Spear Islington

Spear is working in partnership with Hope Church Islington to deliver the Spear Programme in Islington!

The church’s vision is to bring hope, light, and life to the community of Islington, including in, bringing healing and wholeness to the people of their parish, supporting the vulnerable, oppressed and voiceless in their midst, and providing safe and inclusive spaces for the diverse community that they are a part of.

Spear is a dynamic, growing youth employment charity that coaches young people to overcome barriers and thrive in work and life.

Key Information:

• Salary: from £34,000
• Full-time - Monday to Friday
• 28 days annual leave (including Christmas gift days) plus bank holidays
• Closing date: Wednesday 15th April (we interview on a rolling basis and may close the role early if we find the right candidate)

For more information please read through our Job Specification and Work with us pack.

If you require any reasonable adjustments as part of the recruitment process, please let us know.

Person Specification

• You are an active Christian, passionate about your work being a lived expression of your faith 
• You want to help others reach their full potential, and enable young people to overcome significant barriers to employment 
• You have demonstrable experience in coaching, teaching or training and development, as well as being keen to develop these skills further
• You are an experienced and mature leader/line manager, or have great leadership potential, and are eager to bring out the best in your team
• You are confident building relationships with a variety of stakeholders, with effective written and verbal communication skills 
• You are looking for a varied, hands-on role, where you won't be tied to a desk 

We are seeking an enthusiastic and caring Children and Familes Worker to support and develop our work with local children and families within our Methodist church community.We see families and children's ministry as a key area of church growth and discipleship.  Our aim is for as many families and children as possible come to know and share in the love of Christ.

We are looking to appoint someone who enjoys building relationships, encouraging faith in everyday life, and creating welcoming spaces for families to belong.

We are keen to shape the role around the right person, so hours are flexible and negotiable.  Your passion and vision is the most important criteria. 

Priorities of the role

1. Reaching out and building relationships with families and children, from Launceston and the surrounding villages, connecting them with our church community
2. Building links and partnerships with other local community groups, schools and organisations
3. Enabling individuals to discover their faith and grow through discipleship
4. Developing and running fun, inclusive faith-based activities
5. Engaging in developing and implementing the church’s overall mission

The post holder must be a committed and practising Christian. This is a genuine occupational requirement (Equality Act 2010).

This is one of the most important leadership roles at Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre as we reopen in 2026. Based at our seaside centre in Skegness, you’ll lead life-changing residential experiences for children who need them most.

For over 135 years, Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre has given children the chance to experience the seaside — often for the very first time. For many, it’s far more than a holiday. It’s a moment of safety, joy, confidence and belonging that stays with them for life.

As Holiday Centre Manager, you will lead the day-to-day operation of our Skegness centre, ensuring every child experiences a safe, welcoming and inspiring environment. You’ll oversee residential programme delivery, manage staff and volunteers, and take responsibility for safeguarding, health & safety and site operations.

This is a hands-on leadership role where no two days are the same. You’ll design and oversee engaging activity programmes, support and develop your team, and ensure the highest standards of care and compliance. You’ll also play a key role in building relationships with schools and partners, helping us grow our reach and impact.

This is a full-time, permanent role offered on an annualised hours contract, reflecting the seasonal nature of our work — with busier periods during holiday delivery and quieter times for planning, development and preparing the centre.

We’re looking for someone who is:

• A confident, practical leader who enjoys being hands-on

• Passionate about children’s wellbeing and development

• Experienced in managing teams, operations or residential settings

• Strong in safeguarding, organisation and decision-making

In return, you’ll have the opportunity to:

• Make a genuine, measurable difference to children’s lives

• Lead a small committed team of staff and volunteers

• Shape and grow a unique and historic charity

• Take pride in a role with real purpose and impact

If you’re ready to lead with energy, care and purpose — and help children experience the joy of the seaside — we would love to hear from you.

Barnardo's is seeking an empathetic and child led individual who can work within a dynamic and fast-paced environment using their strong organisation, communication and time management skills to support children in the secure estate.

This position (Children's Rights and Advocacy Worker – Project Worker 2) is based within Wetherby YOI, York Road, Wetherby LS22 5ED, which accommodates children aged between 15-18 years, who are in custody either sentenced or on remand. Barnardo's refers to Young Offender Institutions (YOI's) and Secure Training Centres (STC's) as the Secure Estate (please note, the location of some secure establishments may mean they are not easily accessed by public transport).

Barnardo's is commissioned by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to provide an Independent Children's Rights and Advocacy (ICRAS) Service to children accommodated in a secure setting. The service is known to children as Barnardo's: Your Rights, Your Voice, and currently works within five Young Offender Institutes, and one Secure Training Centre. The ICRAS service is child led and independent of the secure estate; our service is delivered within Feltham YOI to ensure children can freely access support for a range of issues linked to their needs, rights & experiences of custody, resettlement, and safeguarding.  As such this is a child-facing service, and at times involves lone working in the establishments, so we are seeking someone who can see the child, not the offence.

We hold ‘voice' at the heart of all we do, therefore we feel the role is best described by someone who is currently working in this service: “The role is a Children's Rights and Advocacy role, which means it is our job to empower the children we work with and help them to understand that what they think, what they feel and what they want really matters. We can speak on behalf of children to ensure their voice is heard and we also have the opportunity to help them to find the tools and confidence to raise their voices for themselves.  Advocacy and Children's Rights support is particularly crucial in the secure estate because children are away from home, family and champions, and also because children in secure estate are some of the most vulnerable children in society; they have often faced considerable adversity, disadvantage and discrimination prior to arriving into custody and they might not therefore be equipped with the skills needed to articulate their concerns. Through the work you do with a child from simply helping them make contact with friends or family on the outside, to helping them with concerns they may have for example; discrimination, resettlement or safeguarding. You may be the one person telling them they matter for the very first time.”

The position (Children's Rights and Advocacy Worker – Project Worker 2) is line managed by a Team Manager, reporting to an off-site senior manager. The post holder will need to be able to work autonomously, working to the requirements of the contract and the regime of the YOI. The secure estate is a highly structured environment; as a Barnardo's service we deliver independent advocacy and support for a range of issues, whilst still having to follow and adhere to this structure.

This role includes lone working in this challenging prison environment. It is therefore critical that the successful candidate in this respect is able to follow guidance and policy and is able to take a proactive and individual responsibility to understand and access the support mechanisms in place and encouraged by the service as required. 

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

This is an 'As and When' post, therefore hours will depend on service need and may differ week to week. We are seeking to recruit weekend working hours. 

There will be two stages of the interview process. 

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

Job Title: Children’s Rights Manager/Advocate Coventry & Warwickshire

Contract Type: Permanent

Hours: Part Time 28 hours per week

Salary: £25,107.96 per annum (£31,384.95 FTE, pro rata)

Location: Coventry & Warwickshire (Primarily home-based, with regular travel across the areas)

We are seeking an experienced, proactive Children’s Rights Manager to lead our advocacy and Independent Visitor (IV) services, supporting children in care, care-experienced children, and children in need. This role is a critical part of our commitment to upholding children’s rights and ensuring their voices are heard in decisions that affect their lives.

About Coram

Coram is committed to improving the lives of the children and young people. We support children and young people from birth to independence, creating a change that lasts a lifetime.

Coram is the UK’s oldest children’s charity founded by Thomas Coram in London helping vulnerable children and young people since 1739. Today, the Coram group helps more than one million children, young people, families and professionals every year by providing access to the skills and opportunities they need to thrive.

About Coram Voice

Coram Voice is a leading national children’s charity committed to championing the rights of children and young people. Since 1975, we’ve worked to ensure that children in care, care leavers, and others who rely on state support are heard, valued, and empowered.

Our vision is a society where children and young people are treated with dignity and respect, free from inequality and discrimination. We strive to ensure their voices are at the heart of decisions that impact their lives.

About the role

This is an exciting opportunity to join Coram Voice as our new Children’s Rights Manager in the Coventry & Warwickshire area. In this pivotal role, you will lead a team of advocates and an Independent Visitor (IV) coordinator, delivering high-quality routine advocacy and Independent Visiting services for children and young people.

You will be joining a child-focused organisation, making a real difference in the lives of children and young people in the BCP area by ensuring their voices are heard, their rights are upheld, and their experiences in care or need are positively supported.

What you will receive

Coram Voice reward and recognise the valuable contributions our staff make to the organisation and offer an attractive benefits package to do so. Coram Voice benefits package includes a competitive salary, a matched pension scheme up to 5% of salary, generous leave entitlements of up to 28 days’ annual leave plus an additional 3 days paid leave between Christmas and New Year and a suite of family friendly policies, which promote employee wellbeing.

We are seeking candidates who are committed to our objectives for children and young people and equally committed to the organisation and the development of our services.

Recruitment process

Our Service Managers will undertake Shortlisting. Successful candidates will be invited for interview. The interview process comprises of a written exercise and a panel interview. Successful candidates will have a further one to one interview in accordance within Warner recommendations. Internal candidates will need to notify HR of their interest in the post and they will provide further information on the internal application process.

Returning your application

• We cannot accept general CVs.
• When completing your application form, you need to address each point of the person specification and demonstrate how you meet it.
• Applications must be fully completed.
• If you are a current Coram Voice employee you may submit a supporting statement only addressing the person specification requirements for the post.

Closing Date: Monday 27th April 2026 at noon. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a sufficient number of applications

Interview Date: Wednesday 6th May 2026

General consideration for applications

• DBS checks: all posts are subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring check.
• Training: All successful candidates are required to complete our compulsory training programme which includes training in Advocacy (Being a Voice) Safeguarding and Diversity
• Conflict of interest: the independence of the service is important to Coram Voice. Prospective applicants need to raise any other potential conflicts of interest when initially contacting Coram Voice about this post.

Coram is an equal opportunities employer and we believe a diverse workforce enables us to improve the services to the children and families we help. We are genuinely committed to encouraging candidates from all sections of the community we seek to support. This includes those from, Asian, African, Caribbean and other minority ethnic backgrounds, those that identify as LGBQT+, those with disabilities, those with lived experience of care, those with neuro-diversity, and those from other groups who are underrepresented at Coram.

If applicants feel comfortable, we would encourage them to draw on lived experience as well as professional experience in their personal statement as part of their application.