Children support jobs

We are hiring a Community Engagement Officer to join our ambitious team. Reporting to the Community Engagement Manager this role will work closely with a second Officer, already in post, to support the growth of our Community Giving Program from £320,000 to £650,000 over the next three years.

The Community Engagement Officer will be be responsible for implementing our donor acqusition and retention strategies for key organisations across our catchment area; identifying new opportunities for growth and analysing the effectiveness of fundraising initiatives to ensure targets are achieved. The post holder will excel at providing exceptional stewardship and using data insight to guide decisionmaking.

ABOUT YOU

We are seeking a professional fundraiser with demonstrable experience in community fundraising or corporate partnerships. Experience managing a portfolio of community groups or in securing successful long-term partnerships is essential. 

You will be a friendly, empathetic and confident public speaker who enjoys networking with a variety of internal and external stakeholders – able to instantly connect with others and communicate effectively about our work. 

You will hold a full UK driving license and be willing to travel across our catchment area to meet supporters.

Occasionally undertaking weekend, early morning, and evening work – time off in lieu will be given.

Kindly see the attached job description for more information about this opportunity. We encourage early applications, as we reserve the right to close this role early if we receive sufficient applications. 

Please note an enhanced DBS disclosure with Child Barring will be required for this post. Our recruitment checks, induction, ongoing support and supervision,  reflect our commitment to safeguarding the families we support.

Applications will be reviewed as they are received, and we reserve the right to close this role early. We therefore encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

Noah's Ark Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice is an equal opportunity employer and particularly welcomes applications from groups who are currently under-represented in our staff.

Our diversity council is working hard to construct positive changes within our organisation. We are a disability-confident employer and part of our commitment is to interview all applicants with a disability who meet the minimum criteria for a job vacancy and consider them on their abilities.

The role of Head of Legal reports to the Director of Legal & Governance and you will assist them in ensuring the legal function of the organisation runs efficiently, smoothly and that we proactively identify and address legal risk and development needs.

You will be responsible for overseeing and managing the day to day legal affairs of the organisation.

Key Responsibilities include:

• Identify legal risk and propose mitigations and solutions.
• Proactively identifying issues and resolving problems efficiently.
• Providing guidance and advice to colleagues
• Developing and managing the suite of legal templates in use across the organisation, proactively identifying areas for improvement and / or development and working collaboratively to develop new templates as needed
• Ensuring internal legal requirements are well designed and understood and are aligned to delivery of strategy
• Ensure that internal legal processes run smoothly
• Make sound, timely decisions that support sustainable, long-term strategic outcomes.

This is a part time, fixed term role and can be based at any of our hubs located in Birmingham, Leeds or London.

For more information, please download the Job Recruitment Pack.

Due to receiving high volumes of interest in our opportunities, this vacancy may close earlier than the advertised deadline. To ensure your application is considered, please submit it as soon as possible.

Anticipated timeframe: 25 September 2025 to 30 November 2025

Location: Kaduna, Nigeria or Bangladesh

Person days: Up to 15 person days

Background to project work

1. Inclusive Family Planning Project (IFPLAN)

Sightsavers is implementing several disability inclusive projects in Nigeria, Kenya and Bangladesh under the global consortium led Disability Inclusive Development (DID) programme. The DID programme is guided by the principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and aims to develop evidence of what works to deliver results for people with disabilities.

The Inclusive family planning project (IFPLAN) implemented in Kaduna state is part of the Disability Inclusive Development (DID) programme, under the Inclusive Futures umbrella, funded by FCDO and will be led by Sightsavers in a consortium with BBC Media Action.

The project implemented from January 2022 to December 2025 has a budget of approximately £2.9 million and aims to achieve three key outcomes:

1.  People with disabilities having increased knowledge of intention to use, and perceived support from others to access, available family planning​ services.

2.  Service providers delivering inclusive, accessible healthcare services and information to people with disabilities.

3.  OPDs meaningfully engaging in policy and decision-making processes and advocating for disability inclusion in the health sector through different structures.

IFPLAN seeks to strengthen its ability to systematically capture, analyse, and use evidence of outcomes generated through its inclusive and accessible SRHR intervention in Kaduna. Outcome Harvesting (OH) will offer a participatory and unique approach to identifying, verifying, and interpreting outcomes particularly reflective of the activities implemented through IFPLAN’s work which as earlier noted involved various approaches of interventions in the community and through the mainstream and digital media.

2. Shikhbo Shobai Inclusive Education Program

The Disability Inclusive Development (DID)-Education is a consortium program led by Sightsavers in partnership with ADD International, and Sense International aims to strengthening systems for the enrolment, retention and support of children with disabilities at primary level of mainstream education in Bangladesh. The program in Bangladesh is ending in December 2025. The primary goal of the Task Order 45 (TO45) is to ensure children of 5-10 years old have access to some form of education and support and to reach children with severe and multiple disabilities who are now excluded from the education provision. The program mapped out the target groups and key stakeholders to achieve strategic outcomes. They are children with severe and multiple disabilities, parents/caregivers, organization of peoples with disability (OPD), school administration, and the community people. The program is implemented in 45 (forty-five) government primary schools (GPS) in three Upazila (Narshingdi Sadar, Tarash, Sirajganj Sadar) under two districts (Narshingdi and Sirajganj).

What the project work will focus on

Sightsavers are inviting bids from consultancies or consultants to engage an expert who will develop an outcome harvesting and Most Significant Change (MSC) facilitation guides tailored to IFPLAN’s context, aligned with established OH and MSC principles, and adaptable for both in-person and virtual facilitation sessions.

Key responsibilities

The consultant should seek to achieve the following objectives.

• Develop facilitator guidance notes for OH workshop including the agenda, activity guides, question prompts, data capture templates, and analysis tools.

The scope of the work should include the following:

• Develop facilitator guidance notes for OH and MSC workshops including the agenda, activity guides, question prompts, data capture templates, and analysis tools. The scope of the work should include the following:
• For OH, mapped Outcome Statements that clearly describes the changes (positive or negative) in behaviour, relationships, actions, or policies including who changed, what changed, when, where and how the change was influenced by the IFPLAN interventions.
• For OH, develop outcome database or matrix compiling the outcome statements, contribution analysis, significance, verification sources, categorization (intended or unintended, positive or negative, short-term/long-term) and linked strategies.
• For OH and MSC, learning and use plan or summary explaining how the findings will be used for decision-making, adaptation, or strategic planning by the relevant stakeholders.
• Write the draft report after the workshop sessions reports has been compiled by the MEL team.
• Review and refine the final report considering the comments from the project team.

Timeline

The evaluation will run from 28 September 2025 to 30 November 30, 2025.

Consultant’s expertise

• Proven expertise in Outcome Harvesting (OH) and Most Significant Change (MSC) methodology and facilitation.
• Strong writing skills with the ability to write compellingly in different styles according to the product and audience.
• Extensive experience producing learning papers using qualitative research methods and other learning products to support the dissemination of learning such as blogs, videos, articles, infographics for example.
• Experience in working with service providers, local communities, OPDs.
• Experience in the field of social inclusion, particularly for women, girls and people with disabilities will be an added advantage.
• Advanced interpersonal and communication skills including influencing, negotiation and facilitation.
• Experience working on projects / programmes funded through FCDO or other international donors that have adopted learning for adaptation/adaptive management.
• Knowledge of Nigeria and Bangladesh context is an added advantage.

Payment Terms

The agreed budget will be discussed at interview.

Consultants with a depth of experience in the above will be procured to undertake the project through an expression of interest process.

Full details of the project, Scope of Work, Outputs/ Deliverables and budgets can be found within the ToR.

How to express your interest:

To express your interest to undertake this assignment, please read the complete ToR, and complete our Expression of Interest (EoI) which is available to you via the application link.

The EoI response should include roles and responsibilities of the consultants and number of days input, as well as a proposed workplan and indicative budget, including team members’ daily rates for the assignment and any other anticipated expenses.

Interested bidders are also requested to include at least three samples of OH report examples from previous similar work. This is key in our decision making process in hiring the consultant or consultancy.

The deadline to submit your EoI is by Wednesday 10 September 2025 23.30pm BST UK.

We intend to conduct interviews from 15 September 2025 onwards.

Please note due to the high volume of applications anticipated it is possible that only successful applicants will be contacted. We reserve the right to close this ad early.

Selection Criteria:

Sightsavers is committed to running a fair and transparent tender process, ensuring that all bidders are treated and assessed equally during this process. Bidder quotation responses will be evaluated against Essential Criteria, Capability Criteria, Sustainability Criteria and Commercial Criteria. These criteria have been especially created to help SCI determine which bidder is able to offer the best quality and most commercially competitive solution to meet our needs and deliver the most effective programming to our beneficiaries.

Ambitious about Autism is a national charity dedicated to supporting autistic children and young people. We champion their rights and create opportunities for them to thrive through specialist education services and award-winning employment programmes.

(Please note, applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK, as we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this position)

Are you ready for a role that's challenging, exciting and full of purpose?

In this role, you will be working on a 1:1 basis with autistic pupils, helping them access the curriculum while encouraging their independence and self-esteem through both classroom learning and community activities.

Position: Specialist Teaching Assistant

School: TreeHouse School, Muswell Hill, N10 3JA

Contract Type: Full time, Permanent (term time only role)

Hours: 8.45am – 4.35pm

Salary: £26,638 to £28,005 (paid across 52 weeks)

About the School:

TreeHouse School is a vibrant community where over 100 autistic children and young people (aged 4–19) learn and thrive. We provide specialist, intensive support tailored to individual needs, with a person-centred approach that puts the young person's voice at the heart of everything.

Join a passionate, skilled team that truly cares. You'll be supported, challenged, and valued as you help transform lives.

We offer:

• Varied, meaningful work with real impact

• Autism-specific training and ongoing development

• Strong leadership and a culture that prioritises wellbeing

• A career that makes a difference every day

Our benefits package is on our website.

Start date: October 2025 (however earlier start dates are available depending on notice periods)

Ambitious about Autism is fully committed to equality of opportunity and diversity and we warmly welcome applications from all suitably-qualified candidates. We welcome applications regardless of race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, disability, or age. All applications will be considered solely on merit.

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.

The Events Coordinator Role will be part of the Philanthropy & Events Team, within the Income and Engagement Directorate, and will report to our Philanthropy Events Manager.

Starlight has a strong and longstanding record of delivering successful and profitable philanthropy events. Thanks to special relationships over many years, our annual Newbury Raceday (hosted by racing guru Nicky Henderson and his Committee), and our biennial Blenheim Ball (led by Lady Alexandra Spencer-Churchill and her Committee), are recognised as sector-leading in both profile and income.

The Philanthropy & Events team was newly established in 2024 to specifically focus on maximising our existing special events calendar, developing new event concepts, and growing a tailored programme for philanthropic and major donor relationships. This is an exciting time to join the team, as we embed our Philanthropy & Events strategy, explore new ideas and work closely together, to achieve our ambitions for sustainable income growth.

Salary: up to £40,000 depending on experience and qualifications

Contract Type: Permanent

Working hours: full-time at 40 hours per week & part-time at 20 hours per week; shift work between 7am-10pm including weekends, bank holidays and occasional sleep-ins

Sleep-ins: £50 

Location: East Croydon

closest station is Sanderstead Station, CR2 - one stop after East Croydon on the Southern Railway.

Are you a Team Leader looking for your next challenge?

We have a fantastic opportunity to join St Christopher's fellowship as a Team Leader for our new specialist Children’s home in Croydon. You will work alongside the Registered Manager and Deputy Manager to lead and support a professional team of staff committed to transforming young lives and creating positive outcomes. You will be supported by experienced Residential Practitioners, as well as our Wrap Around and Education Teams.

About Us

Our vision is for every child and young person to be safe, loved and happy, to achieve their potential and have a bright future.

St Christopher's is a leading charity for children and young people. We are proud of our history of providing fostering, children's homes and innovative leaving care services across the UK & Isle of Man.  We have a passionate commitment to our young people, placing them at the centre of everything we do.  We provide positive life experiences for young people who are unable to sustain a placement in their parental or foster home.

We are an equal-opportunity employer keen to develop an inclusive workforce where people feel they belong.  We hope to attract applications from under- represented groups, including people from different cultures, nationalities, socioeconomic backgrounds, ages, disabilities, religions, faith, sex, orientation, childcare responsibilities, and gender-diverse identities.

About the Role

As Team Leader, you will be directly involved in managing a 4 bed specialist short stay Home and looking after children aged 12 to 18 years old with complex needs; including Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties (EBD), Mental Health Disorders, Substance Dependencies and Learning Disabilities.

Whether shift leading or joining in with daily activities, you will also share in the leadership of the team, helping to develop staff by modelling high standards of professionalism. 

The successful candidate will have:

• Level 3 Diploma in Residential Child Care or equivalent
•  GCSE English and Maths grades A-C.
• One year’s experience working at a level of responsibility with children and young people in a residential setting.
• An understanding of the regulatory framework relating to the provision of residential services for children and young people.
• Good understanding of the needs and risks regarding children in care.
• An understanding of trauma  informed practice.
• Experience of taking on leadership responsibilities in a teamwork setting.
• Ability to build genuine and trusting relationships with young people maintaining at all times high personal and professional standards.
• Excellent communication and team working skills.
• Ability to work shifts, including alternate weekend working and occasional sleep ins.

In return we offer:

• Salary up to £40,000 depending on experience and qualifications.
• 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

At St Christopher’s we are committed to the safeguarding of all children and young people in our care. During the recruitment process you will be expected to complete an online application form to ensure we capture essential information to meet legislation, best practice and vetting requirements.

Applicants will ideally already be on the DBS Update Service; if this is not the case St Christopher's will carry out a DBS (police) check prior to starting.

For your application to be reviewed, it must include a supporting statement addressing the criteria stated in the Person Specification. Please note that CV’s will not be accepted.

For the full Job Description and Person Specification please visit our website.

We advise to apply as soon as possible as applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and this opportunity might be filled before the stated closing date.

Please note:

• This post has a minimum age restriction of 21 year for roles working directly with children and young people in our residential and supported accommodation Homes in line with the Equality Act ‘occupational requirement’.
• It is illegal to apply for any role that involves working with children and young people under the age of 18, if you know you are barred from working with children.
• 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

Role: Deputy Manager
Terms: Permanent - Full Time
Salary: £30,000 - £34,000 per annum
Based: Telford

About Us

Happy Valley Residence is a newly established residential home, based on the outskirts of Telford.

Our home will support young people aged between 11-18 years and provides living accommodation for providing up to 3 service users at any one-time. Our purpose is to offer a wealth of opportunities to enjoy different experiences, develop confidence, independence and social/emotional skills.

About the Role

The purpose of this role is to support the Registered Manager in the effective and efficient day-to-day running of the children’s home in line with the Children’s Homes Regulations 2015 and Quality Standards. This includes staffing, budgeting, safeguarding and compliance. The successful candidate will provide direct supervision and support to senior staff and support workers. This role also involves maintaining professional relationships with social workers, education providers, CAMHS and other multi-agency professionals.

Happy Valley Residence is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We will carry out pre-appointment checks including DBS and will disqualify any applicant where we consider the outcomes to be unsatisfactory. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974.

Happy Valley Residence are equally committed to ensuring that no applicant will be disadvantaged or discriminated against because of their protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010.

Application closing date: Sunday 7th September 2025
Interview date: TBC

Interested?

If you would like to apply and find out more about this position, please click the apply button to be directed to our website.

No agencies please.

Salary: £80,000–£90,000 WTE (4 days a week preferable)
Location: Hybrid (Central London office with flexible working)
Closing date: 7th September
Contact: Rosemary Pini, Allen Lane  

An opportunity to shape a better future for children across the UK.

Thrive at Five is seeking a strategic and hands-on Finance Director to join the organisation at an exciting time of growth. With programmes now live in Stoke-on-Trent, Redcar and Cleveland, and Middlesbrough—and a new site expected to launch in Scotland later this year—this is a pivotal role supporting national expansion and long-term impact.

As a national charity, Thrive at Five helps children in their early years build strong foundations for life and learning. Working in some of the UK’s most disadvantaged communities, the charity empowers parents and carers while enabling collaborative, place-based action across local systems of support. This work is already making a difference, with early progress recognised in Parliament and featured in recent government initiatives.

The Role

The Finance Director will provide strategic financial leadership across the charity, supporting its mission through robust financial management, long-term planning, and operational oversight. As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, the postholder will work closely with the CEO, trustees, and place-based programme teams to ensure the organisation remains sustainable, agile, and mission-driven.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading financial strategy, planning, and forecasting
• Overseeing financial operations, systems, and compliance
• Managing restricted and unrestricted funds, budgets, audits, and risk
• Providing high-quality financial reporting to the Board and Finance & Risk Committee
• Supporting fundraising through effective bid modelling and financial insight
• Line-managing and developing finance team members

This is a hybrid role based in Central London (currently Victoria), with flexibility and occasional travel to programme locations.

The Person

Thrive at Five is looking for a qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA, CIPFA) with significant experience at Finance Director or senior finance leadership level—ideally within the charity or not-for-profit sector.

The ideal candidate will bring:

• A strong understanding of charity finance, including SORP and fund accounting
• Experience of strategic financial planning and risk management
• A collaborative, solutions-focused mindset with excellent interpersonal skills
• The ability to influence at senior levels and build effective cross-functional relationships
• A commitment to Thrive at Five’s mission and values, and a willingness to roll up their sleeves in a growing, fast-paced organisation

Why Join Thrive at Five?

• Purpose-led work: Help give every child the best start in life
• Growth opportunity: Join a high-profile, ambitious charity on a national trajectory
• Flexible working: Hybrid model with supportive culture and work-life balance
• Influence and impact: Be part of a close-knit leadership team shaping strategy and systems
• Professional development: Thrive at Five supports continuous learning and personal growth

How to Apply

To apply, please send a CV and supporting statement.

For a confidential conversation about the role, please contact:
Rosemary Pini, Business Managerfrom Allen Lane

Family Support Coordinator

£23,000 pa + benefits (including company car, 25 days annual leave, and pension)

Greater Manchester and the surrounding areas

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:

We are looking to appoint a Family Support Coordinator to support our care teams in delivering a high-quality family support service in the region, working with families and professionals to ensure the families we support have access to the services they need.

Reporting to the Family Support Manager and working in partnership with health, education, and social care professionals, you will take responsibility for sourcing practical goods and services in the region, applying for grants and benefits, as well as working with other charities or community providers to obtain goods, equipment or funds for families that Rainbow Trust do not provide directly.

Having worked in a stressful or emotionally-demanding environment with an understanding of the complexities of working with children and families, you will have a genuine interest in building supportive relationships and strong networks with other organisation to provide meaningful assistance to the families we support.

What we’re looking for:

· Professional experience of working in an administrative or coordinator role - applications will be particularly welcome from those who have provided services in a health, social care, youth or education setting within a charity environment.

· A friendly and socially-focused approach – you have strong interpersonal skills with the ability to interact and develop effective relationships with a wide range of people, you enjoy helping others.

· Well-organised, with a high level of attention to detail – you work well within established systems, produce high quality work and can manage multiple priorities simultaneously.

· Practical and people-oriented - you will thrive working at a fast pace whilst maintaining accuracy and be a confident MSOffice user.

· A persuasive and open communicator, you are inclusive in decision-making and are able to build and maintain strong working relationships with external organisations and networks.

· 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 have a range of fantastic benefits that we offer our employees, this includes.

• Flexible working hours to balance home and working life

• 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)

• 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

• Company car for front line care posts

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

• Bike to work, season ticket loan and payroll giving schemes, as well as a recommend a friend recruitment bonus

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

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

• 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

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

We have a range of fantastic benefits that we offer our employees. If you’d like to find out more about these benefits and working with us, please visit our website.

We also have a fantastic learning and development programme - the Anne Harris skills development programme - in which 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 the best they can be, and feel a valued member of a high performing organisation.

Our Family Support Workers 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, counselling skills, and Introduction to Play.

The programme aims to provide a building block for you to individually tailor your own learning and development needs, with all family support workers having a foundation level of skills within their first year.

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 their 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:

To apply please visit our website via the link and apply online.

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

Interviews will take place at our Greater Manchester care team office, with the dates to be confirmed. We will only contact those applicants who have been successfully selected for interview. If you require any adjustments during the interview process, please let us know.

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

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.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and we expect all employees to share this commitment.

Rainbow Trust is an equal opportunities employer and we welcome applications from all backgrounds. We are a Best Companies One-Star rated organisation.

Job Title: Operational Director of Children’s Services UK

Salary: £77,576 per annum (increasing to £86,196 in 18 months) + £750 Homeworking Allowance

Hours & Contract: 35 Hours per week - Permanent Role

Location: Homebased - covering five of TACT's registered offices which are based in Scotland, Yorkshire and The North East, North West England, North Wales and East Midlands 

As a ‘not for profit’ organisation, TACT puts the needs of our children and carers first and look to appoint individuals who are as passionate about fostering as we are. We are a homeworking organisation, and we pride ourselves on our flexible working opportunities, available from day one, an extensive wellbeing programme and our benefits package, all curated to nurture a healthy work life balance for all our employees so they can give an excellent service to our carers and the young people and children we care for.

As a foster care charity, TACT invests all surplus income into services, staff, carers, and child development. This means that we have been able to invest unique projects like TACT Connect, our unique and ground-breaking scheme for TACT care experienced young people and adults,  as well as our expanding Education and Health services. All our activities are built on our commitment to becoming a fully trauma informed organisation, in line with our key values and ethos.

In 2024 TACT became one of the top 5 charities to work for in the UK, placing 5th in the UK Best Companies Work For survey results , and a top 25 mid-sized company to work with across the whole of the UK.   97% of our people feel proud to work with TACT and think that TACT cares about their wellbeing, while 92% of our people would say they “ love working for TACT”.

This exciting opportunity has arisen for a new Operational Director of Children's Services within TACT Fostering. This role will be responsible for overseeing five of TACT's Registered Area offices spanning three nations. 

They will join at an exciting time for TACT and will contribute and deliver to our ambitious strategic plan to increase our ability to care for more children whose needs are not currently being met by the care sector. 

The ideal candidate will have extensive experience of the foster care sector and will ideally have wider experience working across services who support children and families. 

We are looking for a strong strategic and commercial leader with strong people leadership skills, experienced in managing change and working in innovative and fast paced environments. 

TACT are committed to our journey in becoming a trauma informed organisation. We are looking for individuals who have or are willing to operate and demonstrate leadership within trauma informed principles.

If you want to be valued as a professional, be appreciated at work and contribute to better outcomes for the children and young people connected with TACT,apply now.  

 TACT offer an excellent employee benefits package including:

• 31 days paid holiday plus 8 annual bank holidays.
• Progression to salary target rate upon completion of 18 months service.
• 45p per mile for business travel.
• Flexible working arrangements (including compressed hours, flexibility around core hours, volunteer days policy).
• Family friendly policies.
• Homeworking ‘bundle’ including annual allowance, IT equipment and a loan for home office set up.
• Help@Hand Employee Assistance Programme (including CBT counselling, 24/7 remote GP appointments, physiotherapy, mental health support and second opinions on serious diagnosis).
• An hour a week of live, expert led activities through the Annual Employee wellbeing Programme.
• Menopause Policy and free Menopause Clinician Appointments.
• Stakeholder Pension Scheme (salary sacrifice).
• Fantastic learning and development opportunities for all roles.

The Operational Director of Children's Services can be based anywhere in the UK. Travel will be required to attend face-to-face team meetings and on other occasions for training and team wellbeing events.

An Enhanced DBS clearance is required for this role and will be processed by TACT on your behalf.

Closing Date: Wednesday 17th September 2025

• Interview Date: Monday 29th September 2025 (via Microsoft Teams)

Safeguarding is everyone’s business and TACT believes that only the people with the right skills and values should work in social work.  As part of TACT’s commitment to safeguarding, we properly examine the skills, experience, qualifications, and values of potential staff in relation to our work with vulnerable young children.  We use rigorous and consistent recruitment approaches to help safeguard TACT’s young people.  All our staff are expected to work in line with TACT’s safeguarding policies.

We reserve the right to close a vacancy earlier than advertised if the volume of applications is excessive, you are therefore advised to apply at your earliest convenience.

TACT does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies, nor the fees associated with them.

Role Context and Purpose

• You will be working in partnership with Kentown Support Nurses and the wider team to improve access to therapeutic support for families where there is a child who is receiving end-of-life care. Sessions may take place with adults in the family or children and young people.
• You will manage a caseload of referrals from the Kentown team. You will be working with the family to offer a holistic package of support tailored to their needs, improving wellbeing, building resilience, and developing coping strategies. The majority of sessions will be completed face-to-face within GM, out in the community, although virtual or phone sessions may also take place. Our counsellors employ a flexible approach, which will involve a mixture of open-ended and time-limited interventions.
• You will also be providing post-bereavement interventions to family members who have lost a child with a life-limiting condition. Post-bereavement support could be offered to the families you supported in this role, or you may begin work with new families (referred by the Kentown team).

Below are some examples of how our Therapeutic Support Service can help:

• Encourage clients to explore any of their thoughts, emotions, and feelings in a safe, non-judgemental space.
• Allow clients to vent their frustrations, however they chose to do this - shout, swear, cry, laugh, moan, or use art materials to express non-verbal communication.
• Signpost and inform clients about alternative or other appropriate services.
• Normalise feelings to help clients to reduce any guilt, shame, fear, and anxieties.
• Encourage and support clients to work towards acceptance of their family situation.
• Support clients in their choices.
• Provide space and time to think and talk together.
• Offer a professional and trusting relationship.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Leading on therapeutic interventions for the families on your caseload; working in a person-centred way to effectively meet the needs of individuals and the family unit. Counsellors will draw on a wide range of therapeutic approaches, adapting their style as needed, and engaging in continuous learning and improvement.
• Working as part of the team developing and contributing to the provision of services for families within the remit of the contract. This may include partnership working with other organisations providing services to families on your caseload, developing and maintaining effective professional relationships with other staff across Gaddum and with other professionals involved in family care (Kentown Support, CCN Team, CSC, schools, etc).
• Participation in the day-to-day running of Gaddum’s services in the Kentown Support Service. Using appropriate networks to raise awareness of the service within statutory, voluntary, and independent organisations. Supporting social work and other trainee placements when necessary.
• Provision of practical and emotional support to families that have been referred into the service, signposting and referring to local provision where appropriate. Also, liaising with and working alongside existing support groups.
• Adherence to record keeping and monitoring needs of the service. Maintaining privacy and confidentiality in line with Gaddum’s policies and procedures.
• Following Gaddum’s Safeguarding Policies and reporting any concerns regarding an individual’s safety. Promoting the work of Gaddum and safeguarding its good name and reputation at every opportunity. Being aware of personal safety and security when carrying out work and undertaking risk assessments where necessary.
• Maintaining a general understanding of the work of the whole organisation and attend staff meetings/events. Attending meetings with your line manager and accessing clinical and peer supervision. Participating in joint activities e.g. National awareness days, open days, and other promotional activities. Representing and promoting Gaddum when required.

All staff are expected to work within all Gaddum policies and procedures. This role is subject to an enhanced DBS check.

Job Title: Online Engagement and Inclusion Lead (Young People’s Services)

Organisation: Kids

Location: Remote work with occasional travel to London for in-person meeting

Hours: 36 hours per week

Contract: Fixed term for 2 years

Salary- £31,000 - £33,000

Purpose

This role leads the coordination of Kids’ online engagement and digital inclusion work for young people with SEND, including information provision, participation, and wellbeing support. You will deliver a two-year Online Wellbeing and Resilience Support Programme, including identifying and engaging digitally excluded young people to help them access vital digital tools and services. The role also drives collaboration across the Digital Services Consortium (a collaboration of 12 children’s charities), embedding shared learning, outcome measurement, and inclusive digital practices across Kids, and will create new capacity to work with young people to scope and deploy online campaigning activity.  

Responsibilities

• To lead and coordinate Kids’ online engagement and inclusion work for young people with SEND. This includes Kids’ online information provision; voice/ participation and wellbeing work.
• To develop and deliver Kids’ two-year digital inclusion programme, Online Wellbeing and Resilience Support Programme* to ensure reach and impact is maximised.
• To work with the Digital Services Consortium Driving Digital Inclusion members on shared digital project outcome measures and community of practice, ensuring learnings and online engagement and digital inclusion principles are captured, shared and built into the organisation.
• To identify and recruit (working closely with colleagues from services across Kids) digitally excluded young people to the digital inclusion programme so they can become digitally included and access much needed support and guidance.
• To establish a holistic and joined up approach to Young People’s online engagement and digital inclusion with Kids.
• To create new capacity to work across all services and teams, and with a range of young people, to scope and deploy online campaigning capabilities in line with Kids’ Speak Up and wider national and local influencing work.

Key to your success in the role will be:

• Ensuring an audience-led approach, leading and championing an important collaborative way of working across Kids existing young people's services.
• Confidently working within the Kids digital infrastructure and context – understanding where we are at on our digital journey, building excellent problem-solving relationships with marketing, IT, change team and young people’s services colleagues.
• Helping to embed digital inclusion practices across the organisation.
• Applying strong digital, data and analytical skills to enable you to baseline, track and measure progress.
• Demonstrating excellent attention to detail whilst being flexible to adapt to the needs of a new programme.
• Influencing the broader Kids service teams to identify and engage digitally excluded young people.
• Centering the voices and needs of young people with SEND.

Person Specification

Experience

• Proven experience working in digital engagement initiatives, ideally with young people or vulnerable groups.
• Involvement in programmes that promote digital inclusion and wellbeing.
• Experience in outcome measurement, impact reporting, and using data to inform practice.

Desirable

• Experience in co-producing content or services with young people, including those with SEND.

Skills

• Strong project management skills, with the ability to coordinate multiple workstreams and meet deadlines.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, tailored to diverse audiences including young people, professionals, and stakeholders.
• Skilled in using digital tools and platforms to deliver services and measure engagement.
• Ability to work collaboratively across teams and build strong internal and external relationships.

Knowledge

• Knowledge of safeguarding principles and practices in online environments.
• Awareness of current trends in digital engagement and youth participation.
• Knowledge of inclusive digital design and accessibility standards.
• Understanding of digital inclusion principles and the barriers faced by digitally excluded young people.

Personal Attributes

• Passionate about inclusion, equity, and empowering young people.
• Committed to co-production and user-led design.
• Growth mindset and proactive approach to problem-solving.
• Committed to continuous learning and sharing best practices.
• Flexible and adaptable, with a collaborative mindset.

*About the funded programme

Kids Online Wellbeing and Resilience Support Programme will help young people with SEND (aged 13 – 25 years) build resilience, positive self-regard and meaningful connections.

Our goal is to reduce isolation and protect mental health through a supportive, inclusive digital environment. We’ll begin by consulting directly with young people to understand what they need most. Together, we’ll co-create new online content and resources that truly reflect their voices and experiences. 

 What the Programme Offers: 

• Online information with resources codesigned with young people with SEND. 

• A series of interactive webinars and guided online activities. 

• Free devices and data to improve access to those who need it most, plus the support to ensure everyone can participate.

We will reach over 1,800 young people over the two year funded period.

Partner Acknowledgements

Thanks to National Lottery players, the Digital Services Consortium (DSC) has received over £1.5 million over two years from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest community funder in the UK. The DSC has also received a grant of £400,000 from BBC Children in Need for two years to provide digital support for disabled or seriously ill children and young people and their family members across the UK. Virgin Media O2 and Vodafone have generously donated devices and data through the Good Things Foundation National Databank and Device Bank which will help address affordability barriers.

We’re an award-winning charity that runs local learning centres in the heart of communities where the young people we support live. Our centres provide an innovative education programme which includes practical learning support and motivational and confidence-building activities for children and young people aged 7-18. Our aim is to inspire students from the least advantaged neighbourhoods to broaden their horizons and achieve their full potential.

As the UK’s leading university access organisation, our staff team is helping thousands of young people each year. We have forty-four centres and extension projects across England and Scotland, with ambitious plans to scale-up our provision further over the coming years.

We are looking for individuals who will thrive in a fast-paced, rewarding role helping to change the lives of young people by taking up a permanent role as a part-time Programme Support Tutor. You will work closely with our existing team, supporting the delivery and organisation of the IntoUniversity programme in the centre.

The main duties of the role

To deliver the IntoUniversity programme effectively to children and young people in different settings, including schools-based workshops, Academic Support sessions and educational visits. This includes positive behaviour management and adherence to the IntoUniversity safeguarding policy.

• To assist with the organisation and delivery of the Academic Support, FOCUS and Mentoring Programmes.
• To assist the IntoUniversity Centre Leader in liaising with schools and other partner bodies, in organising the classroom and resources and in planning project delivery. 
• To update and maintain IntoUniversity displays, publicity and resources.
• To work with the IntoUniversity Centre Leader to recruit children and young people to the programme, including after-school Academic Support and FOCUS Weeks. 
• To develop educational resources and worksheets for use across all IntoUniversity programmes. 
• To ensure compliance with all necessary regulations and legal requirements, including the Children’s Act,  Children and Young People (Scotland) Act, Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act, Protection of Vulnerable  Groups (Scotland) Act, and legislation and policies related to Equal Opportunities and Health & Safety. 
• To champion diversity and inclusion in your role at all times, referring to the Diversity and Inclusion Staff Responsibilities Guide. 
• To undertake any task that may be requested from time to time that may be consistent with the nature and scope of this post. 

Contract
Permanent, part-time

Start date

As soon as possible, to be agreed directly with the successful candidate

Working hours

• 15 or 16 hours per week (please see job description for further information).

Salary

Starting salary is £28,250 (pro-rata).
Pro-rated salary is £10,885 per annum for 16 hours per week.
Pro-rated salary is £10,205 per annum for 15 hours per week.

Location
IntoUniversity Clacton

Staff benefits

• Employee Assistance Programme including access to wellbeing and legal support 
• Life Assurance scheme with AIG including SmartHealth service with access to 24/7 online GP appointments 
• Staff in FOCUS – rewards, competitions and prizes across the year 
• Interest-free new starter loans of up to £1,000 
• Cycle to Work Scheme and Travelcard Loan Scheme 
• Employer pension contributions of 6% 
• Staff in FOCUS – rewards, competitions and prizes across the year

About KLS’ Future Foundations education team 

Future Foundations is an education programme of Katherine Low Settlement. Since 2004, KLS’ Future Foundations education team of 10 part-time staff and over 100 volunteers, have supported young refugees and their families in Battersea and the London Borough of Wandsworth to thrive in their education. Through mentoring, family support, casework and homework clubs, we provide the tailored support each young person and their family (if they have one) needs to overcome the barriers to education they face at home and school. 

Key Objectives for this Role

Working with the Lead Youth Worker you will: 

Homework Clubs

•Collect up to date consent information for all young people joining Future Foundations

•Support with creating session plans for club nights

•Research and source necessary resources activities 

•Support to plan and run engaging and fun activities/ongoing projects for the young people

•Use participatory methods to involve young people about Clubs 

•Ensure children’s participation and encourage ownership of and responsibility for the Clubs

•Implement our behaviour management policy

•Liaise with families/carers to communicate information regarding Clubs and Mentoring

•Support with maintaining robust recording and monitoring systems (including registers) and ensure quotes, case studies and feedback are saved and stored

•Maintain, collect, edit and store documentation of activities, including photos, case studies and videos, for Newsletters, funding reports and other records

•Maintain excellent safeguarding practices

•Support whole team with making referrals to external partners and support agencies

•Support the Lead Youth Worker with running a weekly Youth Club for post-16 young people

•Support mentor coordinator with running early years mentoring sessions, when needed

•Work evenings and varied working hours

Trips and activities 

•Work with the Lead Youth Worker and Community Learning Coordinator to develop an annual programme of activity and trips during school holidays

•Ensure that this is done in collaboration with our children, young people, their families and other KLS projects

•Assist with the summer programme development, organisation and delivery

Teamwork and reporting

•Work with Future Foundations team members to coordinate work, refer young people and/or parents/carers to our casework and advice team.

•Contribute to reports for trustees and funders and attend periodic meetings with funders

•Communicate well with other teams within KLS to provide a high-quality service to our members

Other Duties 

•Participate in regular supervision and annual appraisals; help to identify your own job related development and training needs.

•Always work with anti-discriminatory, empowering practice, ensuring everyone is treated with dignity andrespect.

•Adhere to Katherine Low Settlement’s code of confidentiality, safeguarding and equal opportunities policies. 

•Undertake your role in a professional manner and maintain a high-quality standard of work in accordance with the aims, values and ethos of KLS.

The above job description reflects the position at the time of writing; it is not intended to be a task list but indicates the general level of work involved. It is expected that duties will be reviewed and revised as required.

Person Specification

The following skills and experience are required for this post:

Essential

·Experience of working with refugee communities and/or children/young people and/or vulnerable groups ensuring that clients’ needs are at the forefront of service planning and delivery 

·Excellent communicating skills (oral and written) with refugee young people, their families, staff and partner organisations 

·Ability to motivate, support and encourage young people 

·Ability to work as part of small team, whilst also working independently

·Personal attributes: hard working, organised, takes initiative, reliable, patient, high professional standards 

·Knowledge of up-to-date best practice as regards safeguarding the welfare of children 

·Excellent IT skills including MS Office suite and ability to use Internet, email and social media 

·Committed to KLS’s mission, vision and values 

·Passionate about social justice, education and championing the value of families from refugee communities

Desirable

·Experience of planning, delivery and reporting in a similar voluntary sector project (preferably with refugee communities) 

·Experience and sensitivity working with young people who are affected by mental health issues and past trauma. Empathetic, non-judgmental and able to form supportive but boundaried relationships with young people 

·Track record of managing volunteers

·A recognised teaching and/or youth work qualification 

·Experience of monitoring and evaluating projects effectively and ensuring that they are consistently meeting needs and being able to demonstrate value to funders

·Aptitude for communicating in another language, particularly Somali, Farsi and/or Tigrinya

·Knowledge of Battersea / Wandsworth