152 Community youth worker jobs

The Youth Worker (Mentoring) will support Inspiring Inclusion’s Our Schools, Our Change programme by providing trauma‑informed, one‑to‑one support to Black and racially minoritised young people with adverse childhood experiences. Working closely with Camden schools and community partners, they will build trusting relationships that help young people feel seen, heard, and empowered while wider systems change progresses. They will use holistic, strengths‑based, participatory approaches, contribute to a test‑and‑learn model, and bring strong reflective and organisational skills. Personal experience of racial profiling in state education is essential, enabling deep empathy and authenticity. The postholder will be a collaborative practitioner committed to equity, inclusion, and ensuring young people have real influence over decisions shaping their education and futures.

YEF Detached Youth Work Area Lead

Relationships change lives.

At M13 Youth Project, we believe every young person deserves trusted adults who believe in them, walk alongside them and help them discover who they are, what they have to offer and the difference they can make. For over 30 years, we've built those relationships through detached youth work - meeting young people where they choose to be, listening deeply and creating opportunities for belonging, belief and hope.

We're now looking for an experienced Detached Youth Work Area Lead to join our team and play a key role in one of the UK's most ambitious detached youth work research pilots.

M13 is leading the Greater Manchester consortium delivering the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) Detached Youth Work Pilot. The Pilot aims to build a strong evidence base for detached youth work, combining outstanding frontline practice with rigorous evaluation to shape the future of youth work nationally.

Reporting to the YEF Detached Youth Work Project Lead, you'll work across three neighbourhoods and lead detached youth work in at least two of these, within M13's delivery of the pilot. You'll be responsible for delivering high-quality detached youth work outdoors in public spaces (on streets, in parks and other community spaces), modelling excellent relational detached youth work practice, supporting less experienced colleagues through day-to-day practice, contributing to monitoring and evaluation, and building positive relationships with young people, local residents, community organisations and partner agencies.

This is first and foremost a frontline detached youth work role. You'll spend much of your week in outdoors in parks, streets and neighbourhoods, building trusted relationships with young people through conversation, consistency and purposeful informal education. Alongside this, you'll help ensure high-quality implementation of the YEF Shared Practice Model within your neighbourhood patches, contribute to monitoring and reporting and work closely with the Project Lead and wider team to support the successful delivery of the pilot.

We're looking for someone who is a qualified (NVQ L2 in Youth Work) and experienced (2 years) detached youth worker, confident leading excellent practice and passionate about relational detached youth work. You'll be organised, reflective and proactive, with experience of taking responsibility for detached youth work within a neighbourhood, maintaining high-quality records, building effective local partnerships and supporting colleagues through encouragement, reflection and shared learning. Most importantly, you'll share our belief that relationships are the foundation for meaningful change.

This is a 22.5- 25 hour per week, community and office-based role (M13's full-time week is 37.5 hours). Your week will include six detached youth work sessions (three afternoons and three evenings), alongside planning, monitoring, partnership working and reflective practice. Some flexibility can be offered around when office-based work is undertaken, where operationally possible.

In return, we offer a supportive, reflective and values-led working environment, regular supervision, ongoing professional development, a generous employer pension contribution, TOIL for out-of-hours working, additional Christmas gift leave and the opportunity to contribute to nationally significant research that could shape the future of detached youth work.

If you're an experienced detached youth worker, confident in leading work in ourdoor community public spaces, ready to combine outstanding frontline practice with leadership of detached youth work across neighbourhoods, learning and innovation, we'd love to hear from you.

Youth Outreach and Community Worker (London - Waterloo)

Railway Children (UK Programme)

£32,000 per year plus 10% London weighting

Full-time – Permanent

WE STAND FOR CHILDREN, THEIR CHILDHOODS AND THEIR FUTURES - WILL YOU? 

Looking for a rewarding role where you can make a difference? Do you have the drive to create positive change in children’s lives and inspire others to do the same?

If the answer is yes, then read on to hear about this exciting opportunity.

We’re Railway Children, an international charity working to create long-lasting change for street-connected children and young people in the UK, India and Tanzania. Founded in 1996, we’ve dedicated over a quarter of a century to developing outstanding practice and services for vulnerable children and their families. As part of our current strategy to 2027, we have ambitious plans to ensure no child is left behind, wherever we work.

The role
We are looking to recruit a Youth Outreach and Community Worker in London as part of our UK Programme.

This role requires close working with partners, engaging and safeguarding young people in and around Waterloo Station, helping to identify and safeguard young people at risk of criminal and sexual exploitation, county lines, missing from home, homelessness or family breakdown. This role involves working regular unsociable hours including evenings and weekends.

You will be working closely alongside key partners such as British Transport Police, security staff, Train Operators, Youth Services and other local stakeholders.

You’ll play a key role in the development of our UK Safeguarding on Transport Programme and part of a dynamic team delivering Railway Children’s safeguarding programme in the UK.

About you
We are looking for someone who brings experience of successfully engaging and supporting young people as well as experience of working in an outreach or similar community setting, in a creative and engaging way with young people with a range of needs and vulnerabilities.

Alongside this you will be able to work effectively with community and statutory partners to safeguard young people.

You will have completed relevant training, have experience in safeguarding and in the issues relevant to vulnerable young and families. Therefore, you will be an experienced practitioner with an excellent understanding of safeguarding processes and procedures, who is able to work creatively, independently and within professional boundaries.

Your base would be at Waterloo station with regular travel to other stations and some home working. This role involves working regular unsociable hours including evenings and weekends.

A full job specification can be found in the job pack.

For further information about this post and working for Railway Children, including how to apply, please visit our website.

We welcome and encourage applications from candidates with a diverse range of backgrounds and lived experience.

Railway Children is committed to safeguarding anyone who comes into contact with us and implements a range of policies to ensure only those suitable to work with vulnerable groups are employed.

Closing Date: Wednesday 23rd September

Online Interviews: Wednesday 30th September/Thursday 1st October

In person interviews: Wednesday 7th October/Thursday 8th October

Role Context

Recovery in Community is a successful partnership between Manchester Mind and Gaddum. We support people to manage and live with their mental health in their community.  Staff are employed by both organisations but work together collaboratively and as a team.

Role Purpose

You will be building trusting and kind relationships with the understanding that they enable people to be listened to and heard and that this makes a difference.

You will work with people prior to discharge from mental health hospital and then support the person get the care they need so they can recover in the community. We want to enable people to feel connected within their communities – to services, friends and family.

This role will work with a small but intensive caseload (max 15 cases) to focus on:

· Get people home: when people are sent to an out of area placement (OAPs) advocate to get them back to Greater Manchester so they can recover in their community.

· Discharge: Supporting people when they’re ready to be discharged from inpatient mental health services to get back to the community and recover.

· Prevent re-admissions: Work with people, post-discharge, to ensure they continue to get the support they need to make informed choices, stay well and ultimately thrive.

We share skills, experience and learning across the teams so that everyone benefits and we can make a meaningful difference.

Main responsibilities:

· To provide support to people that are ready to be discharged from inpatient psychiatric care to return to the community with the services and resources they need to recover.

· To work alongside people post-discharge, in their community setting to ensure they get what they need to stay well.

· To effectively and independently manage a small but intensive caseload (max 15 cases), being flexible to people’s needs and short-term changes in schedule.

· To work in a person-centred, trauma informed and culturally appropriate way that enables people to effectively engage with services and make sustainable links in with their communities.

· To use your knowledge of community care, policies, legislation and statutory services to get people the support they need to recover and stay well.

· Identify when people need referrals to secondary services and make appropriate referrals.

· Independently visit people in inpatient and community settings in Manchester and across Greater Manchester, adhering to lone working and risk management procedures.

· Occasionally visit people out of the Greater Manchester area who need to return to their community in Manchester (all travel expenses will be paid and non-commute travel time will be part of your working day).

· Build relationships with key professionals to ensure individuals achieve their goals (e.g. inpatient staff, social care, CMHTs, community services etc).

· Effectively engage in multi-disciplinary meetings, representing the views of people, and their aspirations on returning to community settings.

· Support the development of a supportive and productive referral route into and out of the service.

· Support the development of this new service, responding professionally to changes as we improve and evolve our working practice collaboratively.

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

The Baobab Centre is a non-residential therapeutic community supporting unaccompanied minors who have experienced human rights abuses and are seeking asylum, refugee status and settlement in the United Kingdom.

The role of a Therapeutic Community Caseworker at the Baobab Centre is to support unaccompanied asylum seeking and refugee adolescents and young adults to access care, basic rights and entitlements and to support their social development and rehabilitation.This role involves working closely with the clinical key worker of each young person and with our wider multidisciplinary team. As a Caseworker you will aim to empower individuals to build stable, independent lives in the UK, including by supporting them to communicate their views, needs and experiences in decision-making processes, and supporting them to make challenges when necessary. Caseworkers assist young people to make effective choices about what happens in their lives and encourage them to speak up and build agency.

Baobab aims to be a non-residential therapeutic community with a holistic and integrated perspective.As a Caseworker, you will play a key role within our multidisciplinary team. We aim to be a thinking organisation and place a high value on shared thinking time and shared responsibilities. Our team work together with each other and with agencies and key individuals in young people’s lives, both within and outside of Baobab. A key aspect of the role is communicating with members of the clinical and admin staff team within the Baobab Centre and with other workers in the network around each young person including social workers, teachers, foster carers, lawyers, hospital consultants, housing and benefits workers. etc. You will strive to develop relationships across networks and advocate access to rights and entitlements for our community members. 

It is critical that as a Caseworker: 

• you have an insight to the backgrounds and experiences of both the internal and external factors impacting on the lives of unaccompanied young people attending our centre and an understanding of the broader context in our society as it impacts on young asylum seekers (including invisibility, marginalisation, discrimination and the fact of waiting in uncertainty for a long time.

• You have an insight in how trauma and the many human rights violations and persecution that most members of our community have experienced impact on all aspects of a young person’s internal and external world. 

• You have an insight in how current immigration rules and social care system procedures act as barriers to rehabilitation, including by restricting access to education, adequate benefits, housing and healthcare provision.

Role Context

Recovery in Community is a successful partnership between Manchester Mind and Gaddum. We support people to manage and live with their mental health in their community.  Staff are employed by both organisations but work together collaboratively and as a team.

As the Recovery in Community Worker (Referral and Assessment) you will be supporting people in who have been referred into Greater Manchester Mental Health (GMMH) services but may not meet the threshold for secondary or specialist mental health services. The aim of this work is to ensure that people referred receive the right support at the right time.

You will work closely with the Referral and Assessment team at Greater Manchester Mental Health Trust (GMMH) to take referrals and ensure people get access to the mental health and social support they need.

Role Purpose

You will be building trusting and kind relationships with the understanding that they enable people to be listened to and heard and that this makes a difference. You will be part of a team providing effective person-centred support to people who come through the referral and assessment hub – many of whom often have tried many times to get the help they need.  We want to enable people to feel connected within their communities – to services, friends and family.

You will also be building relationships with NHS and statutory services. The structure of the service is brief intervention (working with people for a short period of time) with a focus on supporting people to connect to community services and resources effectively.

You will be well supported in this role. The service takes a team-based approach, and you will be joining a team of five and you will be supported directly by a Team Coordinator as well as being part of the wider Recovery in Community Service.

We share skills, experience and learning across the teams so that everyone benefits and we can make a meaningful difference.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

· Take referrals from the GMMH (Greater Manchester Mental Health) Referral and Assessment Hub and build trusting relationships with people so that they receive the support they need to recover and stay well.

· Build relationships with other key professionals to ensure individuals achieve their goals (e.g. GPs, social care, community services etc).

· Support the development of a supportive and productive referral route into and out of the service, managing exit from the service safely.

· Support the development of this new service, responding professionally to changes as we improve and evolve our working practice collaboratively.

· Provide a trauma-informed service to people: listening, offering safety, choice and empowerment to the people you support so they can effectively engage with services and make sustainable links in with their communities.

· Identify and deliver appropriate interventions.

· Identify when people need referrals to secondary services or specialist mental health services and make appropriate referrals.

· Independently travel to visit people in a range of settings across in Manchester and across Greater Manchester, adhering to lone working and risk management procedures.

· To integrate effectively with colleagues at Manchester Mind, taking a “one team approach” to deliver a seamless service, understanding the different roles in the Recovery in Community team and recognising each other's strengths.

· Maintain accurate and up-to-date case notes and records using agreed case management systems, following standard operating procedures.

· Support people to engage in our service through coproduction, engagement events and feedback forms.

· Contribute to service reporting, monitoring and evaluation as required.

· Identify additional needs that people have and highlight them to Manchester Mind with a view to sharing them with Greater Manchester Mental Health Trust and commissioners.

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

About the role

The Side-by-Side project supports children in care and care leavers to have the same opportunities as those who have not experienced care.

For many young people, navigating the care system and especially the transition to leaving care can be complex, isolating, and overwhelming. Too often, care-experienced young people are expected to face adulthood before they are ready, without the safety nets of family, friends, and community networks that many of us take for granted.

The project provides a mentoring and befriending service, offering consistent, trusted relationships that help young people feel less alone, build confidence and life skills, and navigate key life changes as they move towards independence.

Side-by-Side supports young people with a range of needs, including those who may be at risk of exploitation, unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, and young people living with identified mental health challenges. The project is guided by strong safeguarding practice, built on trust, and delivered through trauma-informed, person-centred approaches.

Working 18 hours per week, you will work directly with young people through engagement sessions, group activities and co-designed initiatives. You will also work alongside volunteers, supporting them to safely and effectively engage with young people. This role does not involve acting as a young person’s key worker or holding a caseload. Instead your focus is on enabling connections, strengthening community networks and creating opportunities for young people to thrive across Solihull.

Please note this is a fixed term contract position for 12 months.

About you

We are looking for a compassionate and motivated individual with strong local knowledge and a commitment to community-based support. You will be confident working directly with care-experienced young people, including those who may be at risk of exploitation, unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, and young people living with identified mental health challenges.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Build community links: develop relationships with local venues, services, and partners to support young people and Side-by-Side activities.
• Support volunteers: recruit, train, and guide volunteers, helping them signpost young people to relevant services.
• Engage young people: deliver activities, gather feedback, and support co-designed initiatives to ensure young people shape the services they receive.
• Live our values: all work is guided by trust, reducing loneliness, providing practical and emotional support, and delivering person-centred approaches.

Employee benefits

We offer the following employee benefits:

• 26 days, increasing to 30 days annual leave plus bank holidays (pro rata for part time)
• Occupational sick pay (subject to completion of qualifying period)
• Enhanced pay for family friendly leave
• Free parking at some of our offices
• Employee assistance programme
• Group stakeholder pension scheme
• Access to BHSF health cash plan
• Cycle to work scheme
• Support and supervision from your line manager
• Learning and Development opportunities

How to apply

Please visit our website for the job description and to apply.

In your application, you will need to evidence, using specific examples, how your skills and experience meet the criteria laid out in the person specification, within the job description attached.

The interview date will be confirmed and are expected to take place in person in Solihull

Safeguarding and Compliance

NYAS operates robust safe procedures to ensure the protection of the children, young people and adults at risk we work with. To comply with NYAS’s Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy, candidates will be subject to an enhanced DBS check, references and a Digital Risk Assessment.

In accordance with UK immigration law, NYAS is required to ensure that all prospective candidates have the legal right to work in the United Kingdom. Therefore, proof of eligibility to work in the UK will be required as part of the recruitment process.

We reserve the right to close the advert early should the right candidate be found before the closing date.

About NYAS

As an established leading rights-based charity, NYAS (National Youth Advocacy Service) is well positioned to ensure that children, young people, and adults across England and Wales are fully respected, represented, and supported in expressing their views and having their rights upheld.

We work with care-experienced children, young people, and adults who are often reliant on statutory services suffering the negative impact of the cuts in public expenditure. Our combination of social care and legal services places us in a unique position to ensure that they receive the services they need and that their voices are heard.

We are an equal opportunities employer and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment which means NYAS welcomes applications from all individuals regardless of age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, nationality, religion or belief, or any other protected characteristic.

NYAS is proud to share that we are a Disability Confident Employer and we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for our vacancies.

Work with us to help change young lives.

FRONT OF HOUSE COMMUNITY WORKER

OASIS CENTRE, OASIS HUB WATERLOO

Hours: Part time, 32 hours per week (Tuesday-Friday)

Contract: 1-year fixed term  

SALARY: £25,274 per annum including London Weighting (£31,593 for 1FTE)

We have an exciting opportunity for a Front of House Community Worker in our Oasis Centre space. This space is a hub for our advice and support work, as well as an open door to all in our community.

You will be the first experience of Oasis for many people who walk into the door, providing a warm welcome, caring and effective support all whilst sharing the Oasis vision, mission, and ethos with those coming into the centre.

Key responsibilities of this will be:

· To welcome and assist visitors to the Centre, directing them to appointments, workshops, or meetings in the Centre as appropriate

· To ensure the smooth practical running of the community space

· Facilitating group sessions and workshops

· Represent Oasis at all times including sharing the ethos and values of Oasis

· To be able to tell the story of Oasis, including ensuring up-to-date knowledge of all the projects and services currently provided within the Hub.

The successful post holder must have:

· Good standard of basic education, including English and Maths Level 2

· Experience of working in a community or charity setting

· Experience working in a front-of-house environment

You’ll join an innovative and supportive charity where you’ll have the opportunity to make a tangible difference to young people and help shape the future of youth work in Waterloo.

Oasis is committed to inclusion and welcomes applications from people of all backgrounds.

The role includes regular evening and some weekend work and is subject to an enhanced DBS check.

As part of the package, Oasis offers:

• A pension scheme, offering 7% employer contribution.
• A generous holiday allowance, starting at 25 days per year (plus 8 Bank Holidays).
• Policies which promote well-being and are family friendly.

To apply please email your CV including a Supporting Statement . Your Supporting Statement should be no more than two A4 pages and must address the following questions:

1. Please expand on your CV to tell us about the relevant experience you have in running a smooth, efficient and welcoming front of house operation

2. “The Oasis Centre is a community hub, a welcoming space for the whole community to access. How would you demonstrate welcome and inclusion in your day-to-day working life? And how would you embed these principles in your work, when faced with challenging situations or behaviour?

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Completed applications should be returned by 9am Thursday 1st October

Interviews will take place on Wednesday 7th October, in-person in Waterloo

We actively encourage applications from people of all ethnic backgrounds and underrepresented groups. If you require any assistance to overcome potential barriers during the recruitment process, please let us know. 

We appreciate you may wish to use AI to support elements of your application but we strongly encourage all candidates to submit applications that genuinely reflect their own skills, achievements and lived experiences. It’s what makes your application stand out!

Oasis is committed to making a difference to the lives of the communities it works in, and as such you must show a willingness to demonstrate commitment to the values and behaviours which flow from the Oasis ethos.  We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. We expect all staff to share this commitment and to undergo appropriate checks, including enhanced DBS checks.

The successful candidates must have the right to work in the UK.  Oasis cannot assist with sponsorship or visas.

Oasis supports Equal Opportunities.  Registered Charity No. 1163889

Do you have a passion for working with young people and making communities safer? Crimestoppers is looking for a motivated and engaging Fearless Youth Coordinator to deliver its Fearless and Bystander Approach programmes across Cardiff, helping young people make informed decisions about crime, safety and reporting concerns. In this varied and rewarding role, you will design and deliver interactive workshops in secondary schools, PRUs and youth settings, build strong partnerships with education providers, youth organisations, local authorities and police, and identify opportunities to extend the reach of the Fearless programme across the city.

Please read the full job pack, before submitting your CV and covering letter.

FTC until March 2027 | Full time | Based in Cardiff, with travel| £28,186 | DBS required

Do you have a passion for empowering young people and creating safer communities? Crimestoppers is seeking an enthusiastic and proactive Fearless Youth Coordinator to lead the delivery of its Fearless and Bystander Approach programmes across South Wales, helping young people understand the issues affecting them and make informed decisions about reporting crime. You will work directly with young people to address key issues such as violence and serious organised crime, while also evaluating programme impact, supporting awareness campaigns, developing resources and identifying opportunities to expand the reach of the service. With a strong focus on safeguarding, collaboration and community engagement, this role offers the opportunity to make a lasting difference to the lives of young people across South Wales.

Please read the full job pack, before submitting your CV and covering letter.

FTC until March 2027 | Full time | Based in South Wales (Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Bridgend, Merthyr), with travel| £28,186 | DBS required

Earliest Start Date: 2nd November 2026

Contract: 12 Months with Potential for Exentension

Job Title: Known internally as "Key Work Manager (Maternity Cover)"

Location: 30 Petworth Street, Battersea, SW11 4QW. The post will also involve working in the community so some local travel will be required.

Hours: 37.5 hours per week, including some evening & occasional weekend work

About the Role

As Key Work Manager you will lead on and oversee all Key Work activity at Carney’s Community. This includes undertaking key work yourself on a one to one basis with young people involved in the criminal justice system as well as managing a small team of key workers.

You will provide advice, practical support and befriending to a caseload of participants, aged 11-30, who are at risk of/involved in offending; to encourage and enable them to participate in Carney’s Community’s personal development opportunities and to access the wider services and support they may need in order to give them the best chances of being “the best they can be”. This will involve supporting young people to engage in positive and constructive activities, attend Youth Justice Service or Probation appointments and creating opportunities for their personal, social and emotional development

You will work alongside the employment support manager to plan and deliver the employment group, supporting participants that attend this group and leading specific employment programmes. As manager of the key work project you will oversee the small team of key workers, provide support, guidance and supervision. You will be involved in monitoring and reporting for the project, collecting feedback from participants. You will manage referrals to the project from other organisations including schools, social services, probation and the youth justice service.

About You:

You must have proven experience of working directly with young people in a youth work or key work setting, providing one to one support. You will have the ability to empathise and mediate for young people, a strong understanding of the local area, barriers facing young people, the interplay between material disadvantage, vulnerability and social exclusion and be highly skilled in diplomacy, professional distance, demonstrating empathy, boundaries and sound judgement. You will have experience managing other staff or volunteers.

About Carney’s Community

We support young people living in and around Wandsworth, targeting ages 11-30 facing extreme challenges including criminal justice system involvement or care experience. Carney’s works differently by providing long-term, consistent, unconditional support with empathy; a safe space and activities including boxing, bike workshops, employment support, studio sessions, mentoring and key work. Inspired by boxing legend Mick Carney, the charity was founded in his name after his passing in 2011, building on work led by our co-founders. We aim to create a “virtuous cycle”: while support is free of charge, we ask that when young people are ready, they channel the positivity they have received into others. As a result, many go on to volunteer, mentor, join our staff team or even set up their own community initiatives. Former participants make up the majority of our workforce. They provide the most authentic role models, people who genuinely understand the challenges our young people face and who show what is possible. For our young people we strive for equality and aim to: Improve Physical and Mental Health; Improve Education, Skills and Employability; Improve Community Engagement; Reduce Offending and Reoffending.

Join a vibrant and brave grassroots organisation led by Gypsy and Traveller people in West Yorkshire. 

Leeds Gypsy and Traveller Exchange (Leeds GATE) is an established and award-winning civil societyorganisationwith a national profile.

We arerecognisedas being innovative, brave and creative.Our overall aim is to improve the quality of life for Gypsies andTravellersthrough addressing inequalities in homes, health, education, and employment, financial and social inclusion. 

We run a number ofa communityfacing and strategic projects to achieve our aims including advocacy, community development and youth work.Those who access our services and activities are members of Leeds GATE.

Job Purpose: 

Working in Wakefield and Calderdale you will build trusted relationships with Leeds GATE members, residents and families living on the Heath Common local authority site (Wakefield), yards, houses and roadside across the Wakefield district and Calderdale Borough.

Through your relationships you will gain understanding of people’s strengths, interests and hobbies, whilst also building up knowledge of the needs of support, barriers and issues faced by Gypsies and Travellers. 

As a community development worker you will help to develop and create opportunities to engage the community, such as activities and group work, thinking how these can help people to share their ideas, develop their skills, build confidence and empower them, as well as improving  health and wellbeing outcomes to enable better lives. 

An element of hybrid working is supported within this role but it is expected that the majority of work (80%) will be based on sites, outreach and community based events. 

We are looking for an exceptional, highly motivated and dedicated individual to join our team as a full-time Youth Worker (Youth Voice), supporting our mission to enable young people who are homeless, facing homelessness or unsafe to achieve independence and positive futures.

The successful candidate will work within the Youth Work Team to deliver our frontline drop-in service and support our weekly and monthly activities to all young people experiencing homelessness.

You’ll specialise in youth participation, ensuring that a diverse range of young people’s voices are heard. You’ll also facilitate and lead on supporting our Youth Advisory Board and work alongside them to cultivate inclusive activities which increase youth participation across all our services. We have an ambitious plan to improve and accelerate our youth voice strategy and this role will be at the heart of this delivery.

You should be experienced in designing, planning and facilitating a range of activities and group work with and for young people and be able to work dynamically in a fast-paced day centre environment. We are looking for candidates who are passionate about youth engagement and skilled in bringing out the ideas, voices and opinions of young people to shape service delivery. We are particularly keen to hear from candidates with a background in running participatory youth projects, co-production, youth engagement sessions and/or community engagement.

The ideal candidate is a team player who enjoys working collaboratively across our organisation. This role also includes working closely with our Campaigns, Impact and Policy team to ensure young people’s voices are at the heart of our external campaigning work.

Finally, you will also be committed to the safeguarding of young people and delivering an inclusive and trauma-informed service.

This role will be based at our day centre in Camden, with some travel to other New Horizon projects within London.

Closing date for applications: Monday 21st September

Interviews: Thursday 1st October

Please note interview dates are fixed and will not be changed. Please ensure you are available on these days when applying for this role.

At One YMCA, we work alongside young people to help them develop confidence, skills, resilience, and positive futures. We are looking for an inspiring, experienced and motivated Youth Work Manager to lead and develop our local youth work provision, ensuring that high-quality, impactful services reach young people across our communities.

This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in delivering our Youth Work Strategy, managing a dedicated team, driving quality and developing services that make a real difference in the lives of young people.

About the role:

Reporting to the Head of Youth Work, you will take operational responsibility for the delivery, development, monitoring, and quality assurance of our youth work services. You will lead and support Youth Work Coordinators and wider youth work staff, ensuring services are safe, effective, youth-centred, and aligned with One YMCA's strategic priorities.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading the development and delivery of youth work programmes, specialist support services, mentoring initiatives, life skills courses, and large-scale youth events.
• Managing and supporting staff through recruitment, induction, supervision, training, and performance development.
• Monitoring contract performance, outcomes, impact data, and key performance indicators to demonstrate the difference our services make.
• Building strong relationships with schools, local authorities, partner agencies, and community stakeholders.
• Leading quality assurance, compliance, safeguarding, and continuous improvement across the service.
• Acting as Designated Safeguarding Lead and participating in the safeguarding on-call rota.
• Working with young people and teams to ensure youth voice is at the heart of everything we do.

We're looking for someone who combines strong operational leadership, experience in managing contractual compliance, with a genuine commitment to young people.

You will bring:

• Significant experience delivering and managing youth work programmes, projects, or contracts.
• A strong understanding of issues affecting young people's lives and a passion for helping them achieve positive outcomes.
• Experience leading, motivating, and developing staff teams.
• Excellent communication, relationship-building, and partnership-working skills.
• The ability to analyse data, monitor impact, and use insight to improve services.
• A youth work or related community-focused qualification at degree level, or significant equivalent experience.
• A full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle for work purposes.

Location: Home-based role but with regular travel to YMCA youth work delivery sites across Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, as well as to support the broader youth work within One YMCA. 

Driving licence and access to a car is essential for this role.

If you are an experienced youth work leader ready for your next challenge, we would love to hear from you! 

Important: Please include a supporting statement with your application/CV.

We do not provide visa sponsorship; you must be eligible to work in the UK. You must reside in the UK for the duration of your employment and provide Right to Work evidence.

As some of our roles involve working with vulnerable members of society, this position may require a Basic or Enhanced Criminal Disclosure, which will be conducted once a conditional offer is made

Previous Applications: We welcome applications from all qualified candidates. However, if you have applied for a similar role within the last 6 months and were not successful, please consider whether your experience has developed further before reapplying

Accessibility & Adjustments: We are committed to making reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment process and will strive to be as accommodating as possible. Please inform us in advance of any arrangements you may need to fully participate in the process.

At One YMCA we are an inclusive organisation and actively promote equality of opportunity for all with the right mix of talent, skills, and potential. We do not discriminate on the basis of Age, Disability, Gender Reassignment, Marriage/Civil Partnership, Pregnancy/Maternity, Race, Religion/Belief, Sex and/or Sexual Orientation. We encourage applications from all backgrounds, communities, and industries, and are committed to having a team that is made up of diverse skills, experiences, and abilities.

Working hours: 37.5 hours per week, generally Monday to Friday but with flexibility of working pattern to support both the ideal candidate and business need. Some evening work expected, and occasional weekend, overnight stays or residential work.