Children and young people support worker jobs

Location: Based in Reading with hybrid working arrangements and regular travel

Contract: Fixed term role to 31 March 2028. Full time,37 hours per week

Salary range: Starting salary from £35,502 per annum 

Would you like to become a vital part of our collaborative and innovative team to make a lasting difference to families?

Every day at PACT, we are building adoptive families and empowering women, children and parents to embrace a positive future. PACT is an outstanding adoption charity and award-winning trauma recovery service provider that is passionate about creating brighter futures for women, children and families from many different backgrounds. We believe that every child deserves a loving and supportive home and we are committed to providing the highest quality services to help make that a reality. We are proud of our four successive outstanding ratings with Ofsted.

We are looking for an Adoption Support Education Advisor to join our Reading team.

Our Adoption Support Education Advisor will work in PACT’s adoption support service and support our Lead Specialist Education Worker in the implementation and development of our Early Education Pathways pilot project for a fixed term period to March 2028 to:

· foster positive and effective relationships between schools, educational and other professionals and adoptive families

· contribute to meeting the objectives of the pilot project, maintaining delivery momentum, data quality and consistency to ensure the project’s success

About you:

We are looking for an individual with demonstrable experience of training and education ideally within a primary school setting. You’ll have an understanding of the needs of looked after children and child development and the impact on behaviour of interrupted development.

You’ll hold a degree (or equivalent), and professional qualification/s preferably in education (or related field). With great organisational and communication skills, you’ll be adept at managing assigned project deliverables to agreed timelines to ensure the pilot project’s success.

You will make a real difference to the lives of children and families.

For further information and details on how to apply and contact details for an informal conversation, please visit our website.

Closing date: 4pm Friday 10 July 2026

We look forward to hearing from you.

Early application is encouraged. We will review applications received throughout the advertising period and may close the vacancy earlier than stated.

Please do not submit your CV; only completed application forms will be accepted. No agencies please.

PACT is a supportive and respectful place where people are passionate about making a positive difference to the lives of women, children and families from many different backgrounds. We continuously look to progress the ways in which we create families and bring people together and encourage applications from people across all communities. We are committed to ensuring that our people and our services reflect the diversity of the communities we serve and applications from people from under-represented groups are particularly welcomed.

PACT is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. Anyone joining our team is subject to PACT’s Safer Recruitment pre-appointment enquiries. These include the provision of documentation of the right to work in the UK, Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check, overseas police check where applicable and references covering a minimum 5-year period.

All opportunities are based in the UK.

Other relevant roles you may have experience of could include: Designated Teacher for LAC/PLAC, Safeguarding Lead (DSL), Adoption Support Advisor, Specialist Education Advisor, Education Advisor, Adoption Teaching Advisor, Education Psychologist, Teacher, Deputy Head Teacher, Head Teacher, Virtual School, Virtual School Head, SENDCO, Special Educational Needs Coordinator, SEND, SEND Educational Advisor, Primary School Pastoral Care Lead.

Mindful Mums is an award-winning perinatal mental health and wellbeing peer support project that builds resilience and confidence in women and birthing people in the first year of motherhood.

We are seeking a sessional Project Worker to facilitate our structured, psychoeducational groups alongside our peer support volunteers. Within these groups, you will provide a safe, non-judgmental space for women and birthing people to share their experiences, meet others and discuss the challenges that come during early parenthood. You will also assist volunteers to deliver effective groups, providing appropriate support and guidance.

Our formats include; antenatal, postnatal, specialist groups for women from the global majority (Diversity Matters), Young Mums and weekly walking groups.

You will be a highly skilled facilitator with good knowledge of perinatal mental health and experience supporting people with mental health problems. Your exceptional organisation skills will support the successful delivery of the project and ensure that it is evaluated effectively.

We ask that you:

• have good communication skills and group facilitation experience.
• appreciate the pressures and stresses facing women and birthing people during pregnancy and as new parents.
• are reliable, consistent and dependable.

Successful applicants will be expected to undergo an Enhanced Level Disclosure and Barring Service check.

Closing date: Tuesday 23rd June (11:59pm)

Likely interview date: Wednesday 8th July

We encourage early applications as we reserve the right to close the vacancy early if we receive a high number of applications.

About Us

SEL Mind supports people with mental health problems and dementia in the boroughs of Bromley, Greenwich, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark. We are proud of our diverse workforce and know that our organisation is made stronger by the variety of backgrounds, experience, and ideas within it. We promote a culture of inclusion and representation, and are working hard to build a workforce that even better reflects the communities we support.

SEL Mind is somewhere that you can be your authentic self without fear of discrimination on the grounds of ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, neurodivergence, gender, age, lived experience of mental health problems or anything else that’s part of who you are on our website.

We're looking for a kind, empathetic and resilient Support worker to join our Homelessness and complex needs Service in Kensington & Chelsea.

£30,784.00 per annum, working 40 hours per week.

Our benefits include:
* Annual leave increasing up to 30 days with length of service
* Free DBS
* Exclusive discounts and cashback via Reward Gateway® and opportunity to buy a Blue Light Card
* A generous pension - we will contribute up to 8% and life assurance cover up to 3x pensionable salary (T&Cs apply)

All applicants must be legally eligible to work in the UK by the start of employment as Look Ahead are not able to offer sponsorship.

There are 5 hostels in the cluster ranging from high, medium to low support which are all based in the borough of RBKC. The Heaney Cluster an intensively supported housing scheme for the most challenging customers in the borough.

Staff are expected to work 8 hours daily on a shift rota basis. This will include weekend working. Shifts are 7.30am to 3.30pm and 2.00pm to 10pm.

The fixed term contract is for 6 months.

What you'll do:
* If a need arises, deliver all aspects of support to enable a customer to develop independent living skills as appropriate to the individual needs of the customer.
* Support customers to maintain their tenancies.
* Support to budget and prevent rent arrears.
* Assess their practical and emotional needs to incorporate in their support plan.
* To develop support plans and risk management plans.

This is not an exhaustive list of all the duties and responsibilities that may be required from time to time and is subject to change in accordance with the needs of Look Ahead

About you:
* Exudes a warm friendly presence and open behaviour
* Prefers working as part of a group or team
* Is fundamentally calm and resilient, does not let emotion adversely affect them or obscure their judgement
* Flexible
* Open to feedback and self development
* Has a practical and logical mind and is naturally well organised
* Thrives on change and enjoys dynamic diverse environments
* Is confident with high levels of self-esteem
* Is respectful, articulate and sensitive in style of communication
* Is motivated towards excellence and improvement of personal performance with a can do attitude
* Enjoys social interaction and the company of others, joins in local activities to encourage customer involvement
* Ability to cope positively with challenging and diverse behaviour

What you'll bring:

Essential:
* NVQ Level 2 or equivalent or experience within charity/social care sector

Desirable:
* Relevant specialism experience

About us:
Look Ahead is a leading, not-for-profit care and support provider in London and the South East. Our vision is to build better lives through social care and housing in local communities. As an organisation we deliver over 100 services, providing support to thousands of customers each year. Our mission is to co-design and deliver services that offer innovative social care solutions and support people to thrive. We work across mental health, homelessness and complex needs, young people and care leavers and learning disabilities so there are plenty of opportunities to grow and progress your career with us.

We have a strong social purpose and we live and work by our values:

We focus on Excellence and innovation.
We are Caring and Compassionate.
We are Inclusive and Trusted.
We work in Partnership and are One-Team.

Look Ahead is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk, and expects all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment.

If your application for this role is unsuccessful, but we feel that you would be suitable for another role, we may contact you to discuss alternative opportunities. If this occurs you would not need to submit another application for the alternative role.
We reserve the right to close this advert early if we are able to appoint to the vacancy before the advertised closed date.
We are committed to diversity and inclusion at work and are accredited with Silver in the Inclusive Employers Standard 2021. We are a proud member of the Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant and encourage applications from a diverse range of applicants of all backgrounds.

Location: Putney, SW London with travel to various services across London

Contract Type: Permanent

Salary: £32,800 per annum

Specific Hours: Part time / 30 hours per week / Monday-Friday / Flexible working hours

About This Role

This is an exciting new opportunity to be part of a project within our Wraparound Service in the UK. As Psychological Therapist, key aspects of your role will be:

• Facilitation of Reflective Practice for residential staff to help support therapeutically informed practice, staff resilience and emotional wellbeing.
• Direct support to Children in Care and Care Leavers to improve their emotional health and well-being, and to provide any additional support identified as needed by statutory services to those with mental health needs.
• Working with children, residential carers and social workers where care arrangements are at risk of breaking down.
• Consultative support and training to foster carers and residential staff where there are children in placement who have complex needs.
• Support the development of the UK Therapeutic Service to help meet the needs of staff and young people across the organisation.

The successful candidate will have:

• Degree in a relevant discipline (e.g. Social Work, Psychology, Counselling, Psychotherapy)
• A minimum of three years working directly with children, young people and families
• Experience of dealing with crisis situations and working with emergency services
• A minimum of one years’ experience of delivering therapeutic interventions
• Previous experience of delivering therapeutic interventions to children and young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties
• Experience of working in a multi-agency setting
• Knowledge of UK Legislative framework
• Good interpersonal and communication skills
• Knowledge/Experience of Care Planning and Care Management
• Ability to manage caseload and to work on own initiative
• Responsive to deadlines
• Excellent IT, report writing and presentation skills
• Ability and willingness to work outside of normal office hours as required

In return we offer:

• Competitive salary.
• A friendly working environment, a fun, open and honest culture.
• 25 days holiday rising to 27 days after 3 years’ service, plus Bank Holidays, pro-rata.
• Industry leading training programme including access to level 3 qualifications, children’s right and participation, CSE, empowerment, mental health and social pedagogy.
• Contributory pension scheme, enhanced maternity and company sick scheme.
• UK Life Assurance (Death in service) to the value of 3 times your annual salary.
• BUPA employee assistance programme, offering counselling, financial advice and legal support.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Bluelight card; discount shopping scheme at hundreds of retailers across the UK.
• Discretionary funded training programs.
• Employee awards based on performance and length of service.
• Fantastic opportunities to develop your career within our range of services.

Recruitment Process

St Christopher’s is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and young people in our care and is dedicated to the principles of Safer Recruitment.

As part of the recruitment process, you will be required to complete an online application form. This enables us to collect the information necessary to meet legislative requirements, safer recruitment standards, and vetting procedures, ensuring your suitability to work with children and young people.

Applicants are encouraged to subscribe to the DBS Update Service. Where an applicant is not registered with the service, St Christopher’s will carry out an Enhanced DBS check prior to employment commencing.

Your application must include a supporting statement demonstrating how you meet the criteria outlined in the Person Specification.

Please note that CVs will not be accepted in place of a completed application form.

It is against the law to apply for work with Children/Young People if you are barred from working in Regulated Activity and if your name is added to a Children Barred List.

All shortlisted candidates invited to interview will be asked to submit a Self-Declaration and Disclosure form which will need to be returned prior to an interview being booked.

About the role:

Housing can be the thing that helps a young person breathe again — but only when it feels safe, understood and possible to manage. At Camden Young Person’s High Support Accommodation, this role will help turn the practical side of housing into something young people can learn from, build confidence in and use as a stepping stone towards independence.

As Young Person’s Worker — Housing Focus, you’ll support the smooth running of the accommodation while working directly with young people around the housing responsibilities linked to their stay. This will include move-ins, licence agreements, rent and service charge prompts, repairs, voids, occupancy records, building standards and housing-related actions. You’ll work closely with the Service Manager, colleagues, landlords, contractors and internal teams to help keep the service safe, organised and responsive.

This is still a relationship-based role at its heart. You’ll use trauma informed, psychologically informed and strengths-based approaches to help young people understand expectations, build routines, solve problems and prepare for move-on. At Single Homeless Project (SHP), you’ll also be part of a learning culture that values training, development and career growth — with opportunities to build your housing knowledge, deepen your practice and grow your confidence in young people’s services.

About you:

• You understand that housing work is people work — and can help young people build confidence with rent, repairs, licence agreements, routines and shared living expectations.
• You are organised, proactive and good at keeping practical tasks moving, from records and voids to repairs, building checks and follow-up actions.
• You can build warm, boundaried relationships with young people, using patience, consistency and clear communication.
• You are confident working with colleagues, contractors, landlords and partners to solve problems and keep accommodation safe and well managed.
• You can stay calm in a busy service, use IT systems accurately and spot when something needs to be recorded, followed up or escalated.

About us:

We’re London’s leading homelessness charity – and we get things done.

In a city where hundreds are forced into homelessness every day, our work has never been more needed or more challenging. And we’re not shying away. We’re rolling up our sleeves to make change and helping over 10,000 Londoners every year. We prevent homelessness, provide safe places to live and give people the opportunity to rebuild their lives and transform their futures. And we never give up. 

We’re here for Londoners wherever they are on their journey. We start with trust, building relationships that help people feel safe, supported, and ready to move forward. Every day, we put people first in everything we do, challenging injustice and barriers that keep people from the safety, stability and opportunity they deserve. We stand alongside people as they rebuild and shape a future that feels their own. 

Joining Single Homeless Project means joining a team that’s bold, compassionate and determined to do better for the people we support and for each other. You’ll work alongside colleagues with lived experience, in a space that’s trans-inclusive, disability-friendly, and actively striving to be anti-oppressive and equitable. 

We’re not perfect, but we’re real. We listen. We learn. And we push forward, together. Because this isn’t just a job. It’s a chance to lead with empathy, spark change, and help build a London where no one is left behind.

Important info:

Closing date: Sunday 21st June at midnight

Interview date: Monday 30th June in person at a Young Person's Service

This post will require an Enhanced DBS check to be processed (by SHP) for the successful applicant.

Please note applications are reviewed for AI use in application questions. Applications with insufficient right to work or requiring sponsorship will not be accepted or progressed.

Neo-Natal Support Worker 

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

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

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

About the role:

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

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

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

What we’re looking for:

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

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

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

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

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

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

What we offer:

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

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

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

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

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

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

• Time off in Lieu

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

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

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

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

• A recommend a friend recruitment bonus scheme

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

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

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

Development opportunities:

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

Our Family Support Teams are given the opportunity to complete a number of diverse training courses in their first 12 months, including but not limited to: Mental Health First Aid, Makaton, introduction to play, drawing and talking training.

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

About us:

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

How to apply:

Please visit our website and apply online.

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

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

Additional information:

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

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

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

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

Do you have experience working with families and children aged 0-13, a good understanding of the needs of vulnerable families and a relevant vocational or academic qualification?

Welcare is recruiting an experienced Family Support Worker to deliver a broad-based preventative and responsive support service for families with children up to the age of 13 in partnership with schools, churches, the local authority and other agencies, in the London boroughs of Bromley and Greenwich.Local knowledge of Bromley and Greenwich areas would be an advantage.

You will be delivering practical and emotional support to enhance the lived experiences of children and families through one-to-one support and group work programmes.  The post requires working with families in person and online remote working.  The office base is in Community House, Bromley.

Please refer to the job description and person specification for further details.

We’re an award-winning charity running local learning centres in the heart of the communities where the young people we support live. Our centres provide a high-impact education programme which includes practical learning support, pastoral care, and motivational and confidence-building activities for young people aged 7-18. Our aim is to enable students from the least advantaged neighbourhoods to realise their ambitions and achieve their wonderful potential.

As the UK’s leading university access organisation, our staff team is helping over 60,000 young people each year at its 46 learning centres and extension projects across England and Scotland, and we plan to scale-up our provision to 50 centres over the coming years.

We are looking for graduates who will enjoy working each day with young people and who will thrive in a frontline, community-based, fast-paced and rewarding role. You will be taking up a permanent role as an Education Worker on IntoUniversity’s Graduate Scheme, helping to change the lives of young people.

We believe that our Graduate Scheme is one of the most exciting in the charity sector, an excellent career opportunity with exceptional training and hands-on experience, opportunities for promotion, and the chance to work with young people and colleagues who will challenge and inspire you.

Contract

Full-time, permanent 

Start date

24th July 2026

Working hours

Mon and Thurs: 09:30-18:00

Tues, Weds, Fri: 09:00-17:30

(Some out-of-hours work will be required from time to time - for example, early starts to deliver workshops in schools.)

Education Workers are based at one of our IntoUniversity learning centres and work directly with young people, schools and families on a daily basis. It is therefore not a hybrid role and is based full-time in our centres.

Salary

£28,250 per annum

Location

We have positions available in Hull and Grimsby. We also have a cross-centre position based at both centres.

Annual leave

33 days (inc bank & public holidays) + 3 closure days (two in December and one in July) + additional length of service entitlement (one day per year of service, up to 5 days) 

Application deadline

9am Thursday 25th June 2026

Interview Day (online)

Wednesday 8th July 2026

Please ensure that you are available on these dates

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

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

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

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

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

Working pattern:

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

Some key activities/objectives include:

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

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

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

Pay & Reward Framework

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

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

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

Benefits

Workplace Offer: What it means for you

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

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

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

*T&C's apply based on contract

About Barnardo's

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

Our basis and values

Ready for Your Next Leadership Challenge?

Do you have experience working with children and young people in residential care? Are you passionate about helping young people overcome adversity and achieve positive outcomes? Do you enjoy supporting colleagues, leading by example, and making a lasting difference?

If so, we have an exciting opportunity for you to join our Emotional Well-being Home in Leicestershire as a Senior Residential Children & Young People's Worker on a full-time, permanent basis.

About the Service

Barnardo's, the UK's largest children's charity, works in partnership with Leicestershire County Council to provide high-quality residential care for some of the county's most vulnerable children and young people.

Our homes provide safe, stable and nurturing environments for children and young people aged 8–18 who may have experienced trauma, disrupted attachments, loss, neglect, or other complex life experiences. We support a small number of young people at any one time, enabling us to provide highly individualised care and build meaningful relationships that promote emotional wellbeing, resilience, confidence and independence.

Our practice is rooted in trauma-informed, attachment-aware and relationship-based approaches. We believe every child deserves to feel safe, valued, listened to and supported to achieve their full potential.

Whilst this home will be your primary base, flexibility is required as there may occasionally be opportunities to support other residential services across Leicestershire.

About the Role

As a Senior Residential Children & Young People's Worker, you will play a key role in supporting the day-to-day operation of the home and providing leadership during shifts.

Working alongside the management team, you will help create a safe, nurturing and structured environment where children and young people can thrive. You will act as a positive role model, supporting colleagues to deliver high-quality care and ensuring that safeguarding remains at the centre of practice.

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

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

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

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

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

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

What You’ll Be Doing

Supporting candidates through the journey

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Helping the right people progress

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

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

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

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

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

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

Supporting groups, events and community activity

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

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

• Helping create a welcoming community for people exploring Weekenders.

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

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

Administration, data and follow-up

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

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

• Making sure no candidate falls through the cracks.

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

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

• Supporting home visit admin and logistics where needed.

Contributing to innovation and learning

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

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

• Supporting testing and iteration of new candidate journey approaches.

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

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

You’ll Thrive in This Role If You Are

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Experience We’re Looking For

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

We are also interested in people with experience in:

• Volunteer management

• Children’s social care or youth work

• Community work

• Social prescribing

• Mentoring or coaching

• Recruitment, onboarding or candidate support

• Relationship-based support roles

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

Bonus Points For

• Lived experience of the care system or fostering.

• Experience working directly with prospective or approved foster carers.

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

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

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

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

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

About Us

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

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

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

About Weekenders

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

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

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

Working Pattern and Location

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Safeguarding

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

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

This role will require an enhanced DBS check.

What’s In It For You

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

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

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

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

How to Apply

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

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

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

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

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

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

You must have the right to work in the UK.

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

Our Commitment to Equality

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

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

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

Do you have a passion for supporting children and young people to overcome challenges, build resilience, and achieve positive outcomes? Are you committed to providing safe, nurturing, and relationship-based care? If so, we would love to hear from you.

We are looking for a Residential Children & Young People's Worker to join our dedicated team within an Emotional Well-being Home in Leicestershire. This is a full-time, permanent position offering the opportunity to make a genuine difference in the lives of children and young people.

Our home provides a safe, stable, and nurturing environment for children and young people aged 8–18 who may have experienced trauma, loss, disrupted attachments, or other complex life experiences. We support a small number of young people at any one time, enabling us to provide highly individualised care and meaningful relationships that promote emotional well-being, confidence, independence, and long-term positive outcomes.

Our practice is rooted in trauma-informed and relationship-based approaches. We believe that every child deserves to feel safe, valued, listened to, and supported to achieve their full potential.

Key Responsibilities

As a Residential Children & Young People's Worker, you will:

• Build positive, trusting, and nurturing relationships with children and young people.
• Support children and young people with their emotional well-being, daily routines, education, independence skills, and personal development.
• Actively contribute to the creation of a safe, structured, and homely environment.
• Work alongside families, social workers, education providers, health professionals, and other partners to support positive outcomes.
• Participate in key-working sessions, care planning, and review processes.
• Promote and safeguard the welfare of children and young people at all times.
• Complete accurate, professional, and timely recordings and reports.
• Support the day-to-day running of the home, including meal preparation, household tasks, and community activities.
• Be a positive role model, helping children and young people develop confidence, resilience, and life skills.

What We're Looking For

To be successful in this role, you will be able to demonstrate:

• A genuine commitment to improving the lives of children and young people.
• The ability to build positive and meaningful relationships with children, young people, and colleagues.
• An understanding of safeguarding, child protection, and professional boundaries.
• Resilience, emotional intelligence, and the ability to remain calm under pressure.
• Strong communication and teamwork skills.
• A willingness to learn, reflect, and continually develop your practice.
• A Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare, or a commitment to achieving this within the required timeframe.
• Flexibility to work shifts, including sleep-ins, weekends, and bank holidays.

Previous experience working with children and young people is desirable but not essential. We recognise that people bring valuable transferable skills from a wide range of backgrounds and are committed to supporting the right candidates to develop within the role.

Why Join Barnardo's?

Barnardo's is the UK's largest children's charity and has been supporting children, young people, and families for over 150 years. We are committed to ensuring every child has the opportunity to thrive, regardless of their background or circumstances.

Working within our residential services offers the opportunity to:

• Make a lasting difference to children's lives.
• Receive ongoing training, development, and professional support.
• Develop your career within one of the UK's leading children's organisations.
• Be part of a supportive and values-driven team.
• Work within a service that places relationships, safeguarding, and positive outcomes at the centre of everything we do.

Our residential services are delivered in partnership with Leicestershire County Council, providing innovative and high-quality care for some of the county's most vulnerable children and young people.

While your primary base will be in Leicestershire, there may occasionally be opportunities to support other services within the county.

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

Please note that due to the high volume of applications received for some posts, this advert may close before the advertised closing date. We therefore encourage interested applicants to apply as soon as possible.

Location (UK): Home-based with travel as detailed below.
Hours: Full-time, 35 hours per week, occasional weekend and evening work.
Salary: £30,635 per annum (rest of UK)
Benefits: Read more about the excellent benefits we offer on our profile page.
Contract type: Fixed term maternity cover until September 2027.
Travel: Regular travel into Manchester as well as occasional travel across North West England (e.g. Liverpool), North Wales, North East England (e.g. Newcastle), and the UK for meetings, residentials and events as needed.
Closing date: 23:59 hours, Sunday 28 June 2026

Join us and use your skills, knowledge, passion and energy to help us achieve a future free from arthritis.
Are you passionate about improving the lives of children, young people and their families? 

Are you experienced in creating inspiring programmes and offering life-changing one-to-one support? 

Are you committed to putting children and young people at the heart of decision-making?

About the role
We are looking for a dynamic, creative, innovative team player to join our Young People and Families Service.This role will be based in the North West, as a homeworker, but will also support service delivery across the UK.

As a Young People and Families Worker you will work with colleagues, partners, healthcare professionals, schools, volunteers, and - most importantly - young people and families to co-plan, deliver and evaluate a high quality, holistic support offer locally and nationally. 

You will help young people living with arthritis to build their confidence, make friends, and achieve their personal goals.This will be achieved by providing one-to-one support, linking young people and families to a community of peer support, and working with volunteers to co-deliver self-management activities.

You will also co-design an exciting programme of online and in-person events, youth voice opportunities, and digital content. You will act as the bridge between young people, their families and professionals - especially in healthcare settings where you will play a unique role working collaboratively with multidisciplinary team partners to meet a range of needs. You will support young people during the pivotal transition from paediatric to adult services, making sure it is a time of empowerment and growth. 

About you
If your knowledge, skills and experience include the following then we would love to hear from you:

• Experience of working with the third sector, preferably within the fields of youth/community development work and/or health and social care, with a passion for improving the lives of both children and young people as well as their families. 
• Experience of delivering interventions to people living with long term conditions, understanding the importance of self-management.
• Experience of taking a person-centered approach when providing support. 
• Experience of using a community development/youth work approach to co-design and deliver a quality service /project that is inclusive, inspiring and makes a difference.Engaging colleagues, funders, supporters and partners to make it happen. 
• Knowledge and experience of safeguarding and safe working policies and procedures.

Accommodation Support Worker(Future Roots 2 Project) 
Salary Banding: £28,893 per annum with potential to progress through salary band.  Plus additional payment for overnight shifts on occasion.  (£85 per night shift required / £50 per on call shift)
Contract: Permanent 
Hours: Full Time, 37 Hours Per Week 
Location:Hatfield, Hertfordshire, but will include travel across hertfordshire and cover of future roots 1 in WGC when required  - Candidates must have a full driving license and use of own vehicle for business purposes.

Herts Young Homeless is an independent charity that has supported vulnerable young people across Hertfordshire since 1998. We are a professional, compassionate and collaborative organisation, committed to helping young people build safe, independent futures.

About the service

Future Roots Hatfield provides supported accommodation for six young people. The service focuses on developing the practical, emotional and life skills needed for independent living, within a safe, respectful and homely environment.

We’re looking for a Supported Accommodation Worker to support residents on their journey towards independence. The role requires flexibility to meet the needs of the house, which may include changes to working patterns and very occasional paid sleep-in shifts.

Future Roots Hatfield is a welcoming, supported home for up to six young people. We focus on helping them build the practical skills, confidence and resilience they need to live independently.

Our approach is simple: create a safe, respectful and homely environment where every young person feels valued, supported and able to grow.

About the Role

We’re looking for a Supported Accommodation Worker to join our team and play a key role in helping young people move towards independence.

This is a flexible role that adapts to the needs of the home, including occasional changes to working patterns and very occasional paid sleep-in shifts.

The Difference You’ll Make

In this role, you’ll help create a positive and empowering space where young people feel encouraged to take ownership of their lives and futures.

You’ll support them to develop life skills, build confidence and navigate challenges—while ensuring the home remains safe, respectful and supportive for everyone.

The young people we work with are resilient and inspiring, but may face complex challenges. We’re looking for someone who brings patience, empathy and curiosity, and who can support them through difficult moments with encouragement and consistency.

 What You’ll Be Doing

You’ll have a varied and meaningful role, including:

• Managing a diverse caseload with different needs and priorities
• Building trusting, professional relationships with young people
• Delivering 1:1 and group sessions focused on independent living skills, such as:
  • Understanding rights and responsibilities
  • Setting boundaries and making decisions
  • Health and wellbeing
  • Education, employment and volunteering
  • Budgeting, rent and managing money
  • Everyday practical living skills
• Supporting the screening and interview process for new residents
• Facilitating group activities and workshops
• Responding to breaches of house rules in line with policies
• Identifying and managing risk, including safeguarding concerns
• Working collaboratively with colleagues to provide consistent support
• Liaising with external agencies and partners
• Keeping accurate and timely records
• Taking part in the on-call rota (after probation)
• Supporting occasional paid sleep-in shifts

What We’re Looking For

We’re keen to hear from people who are:

• Compassionate, resilient and motivated to make a difference
• Skilled at building relationships and setting healthy boundaries
• Confident communicators with strong interpersonal skills
• Organised, reliable and able to manage competing priorities
• Knowledgeable about safeguarding, confidentiality and professional boundaries
• Flexible and responsive to changing needs

You’ll also need:

• A full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle for work
• An understanding of the challenges faced by young people experiencing homelessness

Experience in supported accommodation or the voluntary sector is helpful, but not essential—we value attitude, values and potential just as much.

This post is classed as having a high degree of contact with children or young adults and is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. An enhanced disclosure will be sought through the Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) as part of Herts Young Homeless’ pre-employment checks. Please note that additional information referring to the DBS is in the guidance notes to the application form.

What We Offer

We want you to feel supported, valued and able to thrive. We offer:

• A friendly, experienced and supportive team
• 25 days annual leave + bank holidays (rising to 28 with service)
• An extra day off for your birthday 
• Holiday purchase scheme
• Hybrid working opportunities
• Refer-a-friend scheme
• Discretionary sick pay (subject to eligibility)
• Paid mileage for work travel
• Long service awards
• Blue Light Card discounts
• Pension and Group Life Insurance
• Health Cash Plan & Employee Assistance Programme
• Ongoing training, development and career opportunities
• Monthly staff perks and prize draws
• Whole-organisation events and celebrations

Full JD available and a day in the life video will be availbale to view via our website and social media platforms..If you are passionate, conscientious and take pride in doing a job well and making a difference, then we would love to hear from you!

Application and Interview Process 

How to Apply

To apply, please visit our website and complete the online application by submitting:

• Your CV
• A covering letter or short video showcasing your skills and experience

Closing date: 3rd July 2026 
Interviews / Recruitment Event TBC 
(Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a further Personal interview stage)

If you need any reasonable adjustments during the application or interview process, please let us know—we’re committed to supporting you.

Our Commitment to Inclusion

We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels respected, valued and able to be themselves. We actively promote equality of opportunity and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, identities and experiences.

We will always challenge discrimination and strive to build an inclusive culture where everyone can thrive.

Our Promise to You

We will handle your personal information with the utmost care and integrity. Your details will never be shared without your knowledge and consent.