Family support officer jobs in yardley, west midlands

Join the Bone Cancer Research Trust to lead our trusts and foundations fundraising, securing c.£500,000 per year to support life-changing bone cancer research and patient services. You’ll shape a strategic fundraising programme, building multi-year partnerships while delivering immediate income targets.

We’re looking for a proactive, strategic fundraiser with strong relationship-building and analytical skills, confident representing BCRT externally, developing compelling proposals, and spotting long-term opportunities.

As a leader, you’ll inspire your team, bring fresh ideas, and connect funders with real impact, helping us deliver vital support for patients and families affected by primary bone cancer.

Fundraising Officer – North of England

Job description

A fantastic permanent opportunity has arisen for a part-time Fundraising Officer to join our dynamic, friendly and supportive fundraising team. This is a home-based role and will suit an individual living in the North of England. You will be reporting to the Corporate & Regional Fundraising Manager and working in a very varied and exciting working environment.

The perfect candidate will enjoy forging positive and robust relationships with supporters including corporate partners, small businesses, philanthropic groups as well as supporting community fundraisers across the North of England, to raise vital income for our Association.  

You will use your creative and professional skillset to provide high-quality account management, stewardship, and growth across all managed income streams. No two days are the same and we are looking for someone who can be flexible in their approach and able to multitask effectively.

Blesma is a unique membership Association as well as a charity. Our Members (limbless veterans) are at the heart of all our work – therefore, the impact of our fundraising is clearly visible in the experiences of our inspirational injured veterans.

We would love to hear from talented individuals who want to help us raise the funds that we need to support limbless veterans. If you would like to apply for this exciting role, please read the attached Job Description and apply with your C.V. and a Covering Letter detailing why you’d be an ideal candidate for the role and how your experience and skills match those detailed in the Person Specification.

If you are uncertain about your suitability for this role, we encourage you to apply and allow us to assess your fit.

Please note that we may close this advertisement early if we receive a high volume of applications.

 We look forward to hearing from you.

Join an amazing charity that makes a difference for the 110,000 adults and children in the UK with a muscle-wasting condition. This is a role where you can really make a difference.

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation that reflects the communities we serve. We actively encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, particularly those from underrepresented groups including people from ethnic minority backgrounds, LGBTQ+ individuals, and those with lived experience of conditions we represent. We believe that diversity strengthens our work and helps us better support our beneficiaries.

We are seeking a highly motivated and organised individual to join our team as a Community Fundraising Officer to cover the North of the UK. Please note:  Full Clean Driver’s Licence is essential for the role

In this role, you will be an integral member of the Events and Community Fundraising Team. You will work closely with a team of field-based colleagues providing support, ensuring the growth of income and development of long-term relationships with supporters.

Your responsibilities will include supporting the Community Fundraising team, with administration as well promoting fundraising products and campaigns, providing an inspiring supporter journey to our fundraisers, and handling and reporting on data.

 You will have the opportunity to learn community fundraising skills, multi-channel marketing and supporter journey techniques as well as developing strong admin processes which support the growth of income across the team.

In this role, you will need to be self-motivated and adaptable to the needs of a fast-moving team and workload. Autonomy and creativity will be vital. As the face of the charity, building strong relationships with colleagues and supporters will be essential, as you collaborate with different teams and stakeholders.

You will be responsible for providing a fulfilling and memorable experience to valued supporters. Travel within the region will be required to meet with our supporters, the wider team and assist at events throughout the year (this may include some evenings and weekends).

Main tasks and responsibilities

1. Fundraising Support

· Check current platforms to collate daily registrations and assign to appropriate region

· Manage Facebook donation report through GivePanel

· Monitor Community Fundraising email inbox, contact supporters and fulfil fundraising pack requests

· Assist with the regional running portfolio and steward runners

· Answer and respond to enquiries on the fundraising hotline

· Assist the community fundraising team with admin, marketing, and stewardship

· Manage our offline fundraising materials through our fulfilment partner, ordering replacement materials when needed

· Contribute content for regional social media

· Ensure all fundraising activities operate within best practice, regulatory guidelines and comply with health and safety requirements

· Act as a champion for fundraising compliance across the organisation, including ensuring adherence to the Fundraising Regulator’s Code of Fundraising Practice, the General Data Protection Act and other relevant legislative requirements.

About us:

Muscular Dystrophy UK is the charity bringing individuals, families and professionals together to fight muscle-wasting conditions. We bring together more than 60 rare and very rare progressive muscle-weakening and wasting conditions, affecting around 110,000 children and adults in the UK. 

We share expert advice and support to live well now; fund groundbreaking research to understand the different conditions better and lead us to new treatments; work with the NHS towards universal access to specialist health; and together, campaign for people’s rights, better understanding, accessibility, and access to treatments.

Benefits:

We appreciate the range of skills and experience our staff have to offer. In return for your enthusiasm and commitment we commit to actively developing and supporting you. We also offer a range of benefits including pension, life assurance, cycle scheme, health cash plan, financial wellbeing and an employee assistance programme.

Location: Remote with travel across the North of the UK

Closing date: Sunday 24 August

NB:  Please note that we are interviewing on a rolling basis and may close the advert earlier than the stated deadline if we successfully fill the role.. 

Please download the job description to see full role responsibilities

In September 2024, National Numeracy launched a new ‘Schools & Families’ programme to support Primary School staff, parents and carers in increasing pupils’ confidence with numbers, positive feelings about maths, and awareness of the value of maths outside of the classroom. The programme also works to improve parents’, carers’, and school staff’s own confidence with numbers and with supporting children with their maths.

The programme has been hugely successful and is growing rapidly – we have now secured funding to deliver activity in all four nations of the UK and we are working with almost 300 schools currently.

The Schools & Families Programme Officer will support the Schools & Families Programme Manager in managing fast-paced activity across the UK, particularly delivering online training directly to school staff, recruiting schools, and visiting selected schools to ensure the success of the programme.

We are looking for someone who can support with this dynamic activity, is flexible, able to manage their time, and willing to adapt to the changing needs of the charity. National Numeracy has an office in Falmer near Brighton, in East Sussex, but the expectation for this role is that you will be based at home, travelling occasionally as needed across the UK.

Join Addiction Family Support

Addiction Family Support is the leading UK registered charity for people affected or bereaved by a loved one’s harmful use of alcohol, drugs, or gambling, supporting over 3,500 people each year.

The Role: Services Manager

As Services Manager at Addiction Family Support, you will coordinate the development and delivery of our core services – ensuring they run smoothly, meet high standards, and continue to evolve in response to the needs of the people we support.

You’ll line-manage our team of part-time Family Support Workers and work closely with staff and volunteers across our helpline, one-to-one and group services, and training provision. This is a flexible, part-time role (with potential to grow) for someone who’s confident supporting teams, shaping services, and working with care, clarity, and compassion.

Your responsibilities will span service coordination, team management, safeguarding, and helping us pilot new services – all with the aim of reaching more people affected or bereaved by a loved one’s harmful use of alcohol, drugs, or gambling.

This is a remote role with quarterly team meetings in London. You’ll need to be comfortable working independently while staying actively connected to our supportive and collaborative team.

Responsibilities:

• Line-manage our team of seven part-time Family Support Workers.

• Coordinate and support the day-to-day delivery of services across helpline, one-to-one and group support.

• Help develop, pilot, and evaluate new services to meet emerging needs.

• Support the development and implementation of key policies and procedures.

• Act as one of two Designated Safeguarding Leads (training provided if needed).

Join Our Team of Change-Makers

Are you ready to make a difference? We're on the lookout for vibrant, enthusiastic, proactive and collaborative individuals with the right skills and experience to become part of our incredible charity.

Be Part of Something Special

Our clients' continuous positive feedback speaks volumes about the impact of our work, and we take immense pride in it. Emilia Fox, one of our dedicated Patrons, stands with us in our mission.

Join an Award-Winning Journey

This is your chance to become part of an award-winning charity where every day is an opportunity to contribute to the greater good. If you're seeking a dynamic environment filled with compassionate individuals dedicated to creating positive change, we invite you to apply or reach out with any enquiries.

We are advertising for 2x Homicide Family Case Workers in the West Midlands Homicide Team.

This post covers the whole of the West Midlands (depending on demand) both roles will be working 37.5 hours a week with a permanent contract.

Do you want to make a difference every day? Do you want to contribute to change & improvement for those who need it?

Do you have resilience & adaptability? Can you work effectively with a focus on customer service and care?

If yes, then we'd love to hear from you…

What we offer:

At Victim Support we believe in attracting & retaining the best people and offer a competitive rewards & benefits package including:

• Flexible working options including hybrid working
• 28 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays, rising to 33 days plus Bank Holidays
• An extra day off for your birthday & options to buy or sell annual leave
• Pension with 5% employer contribution
• Enhanced sick pay allowances, maternity & paternity payments
• High Street, retail, holiday, gym, entertainment & leisure discounts
• Access to our financial wellbeing hub & salary deducted finance
• Employee assistance programme & wellbeing support
• Access to EDI networks and colleague cafes
• Cycle to work scheme & season ticket loans
• Ongoing training & support with opportunities for career development & progression

About the role:

Becoming a Homicide Caseworker is a unique opportunity to support families and individuals bereaved by and eyewitness to murder and manslaughter.

The National Homicide Service is a fast paced, specialist team funded directly by the Ministry of Justice to provide exceptional trauma informed practical and emotional support every day.

You Will:

• Work closely with the Major Crime Police Units, Senior Investigators and Family Liaison Officers, you will provide a pivotal role to support clients through the Criminal Justice System.
• As well as by phone and Zoom, you will meet families in their own homes or community, therefore travelling across the area you work will be essential. You will complete needs assessments, and will coordinate and deliver a tailored package of support alongside our commissioned providers and other key stakeholders.
• The role of Homicide Caseworker is varied, demanding and rewarding; no one day is the same and you will thrive on this challenge. You will need to be extremely organised and able work independently and as well as being a pro-active, supportive member of a team open to developing your personal resilience.
• Our priority is to ensure that those bereaved by and eyewitness to murder have the support they need for as long as they need.

About Us:

Victim Support (VS) is an independent charity providing a range of specialist services to people who have been affected by crime across England and Wales. We work towards a world where there are fewer victims but who have stronger rights, better support and a real influence in the Criminal Justice System. Everyone at VS is driven by our Vision Ambitions and Values to play their part in making a difference for those who experience crime and traumatic events. Working for VS gives you the opportunity to play a key role in a national charity providing high quality services to victims and witnesses and being a vital force for change.

Victim Support are committed to recruiting with care and to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Background checks and Disclosed Barring Service checks may be required.

Victim Support strives to represent the diverse communities we serve and are passionate about creating an environment where all staff and volunteers feel respected and heard. Being a diverse organisation with an inclusive culture is integral to us being able to meet our aim of ensuring that anyone who is a victim of crime gets the support they need.

As part of our commitment to the Race at Work Charter we particularly welcome applicants from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. VS is also a Disability Confident Employer and we provide a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for candidates that are disabled and meet all essential criteria for a role.

If you have a disability, a learning difficulty such as dyslexia or a medical condition which you believe may affect your performance during any aspect of our selection process, we'll be happy to make reasonable adjustments to enable you to perform at your best.

How to apply:

To apply for this role please follow the link below to the Jobs page on our website and complete the application form demonstrating how you meet the essential shortlisting criteria.

We look forward to hearing from you.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early, if we receive enough suitable applications to take forward to interview prior to the published closing date.

If you have already registered & started an application, then we will contact you to advise of the amended closing date wherever possible.

Join Addiction Family Support

Addiction Family Support is the leading UK registered charity for people affected or bereaved by a loved one’s harmful use of alcohol, drugs, or gambling, supporting over 3,500 people each year.

The Role: Operations Manager

As Operations Manager at Addiction Family Support, you’ll play a key role in keeping the charity running smoothly day to day. You’ll support our small, dedicated team by coordinating systems, processes, and technology that enable us to deliver our services effectively and professionally.

You’ll work closely with staff and volunteers across our Helpline, one-to-one and group services, and training provision. This is a flexible, part-time role (with potential to grow) for someone who thrives on organisation, problem-solving, and supporting others to do their best work.

Your responsibilities will span CRM and digital tools, data reporting, onboarding, and operational improvements – all with the aim of helping us support more people affected or bereaved by a loved one’s harmful use of alcohol, drugs, or gambling.

This is a remote role with quarterly team meetings in London. You’ll need to be confident working independently, while also contributing actively to our collaborative team culture and wider organisational goals.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and maintain our CRM (Bitrix24), including client and volunteer pathways, automations, forms, SPA and task management.

• Train and support staff and volunteers to use key systems:

  • Bitrix24 (CRM).

  • VCC by Call Handling (Helpline telephone app).

  • Three Rings (Helpline rota scheduling).

  • Microsoft Teams/Zoom (video calls).

• Extract and report on data from key systems to support monitoring and evaluation.

• Support recruitment and onboarding of new staff and volunteers.

• Help develop and implement new policies and procedures to support quality and consistency.

Join Our Team of Change-Makers

Are you ready to make a difference? We're on the lookout for vibrant, enthusiastic, proactive and collaborative individuals with the right skills and experience to become part of our incredible charity.

Be Part of Something Special

Our clients' continuous positive feedback speaks volumes about the impact of our work, and we take immense pride in it. Emilia Fox, one of our dedicated Patrons, stands with us in our mission.

Join an Award-Winning Journey

This is your chance to become part of an award-winning charity where every day is an opportunity to contribute to the greater good. If you're seeking a dynamic environment filled with compassionate individuals dedicated to creating positive change, we invite you to apply or reach out with any enquiries.

About SOFT UK

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

Purpose of the Role

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

Key Responsibilities

1. Community Engagement and Support

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

2. Volunteer Support

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

3. Healthcare Professional Engagement

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

4. Event Coordination

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

5. Fundraising and Awareness

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

6. Administration and Reporting

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

Person Specification

Essential:

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

Desirable:

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

Additional Information

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

Job Title: Experienced Associate Independent Investigating Officers (IOs) for Stage 2 Complaints (This role sits within our Independent Person for Complaints (IPC) service)

Contract: Associate

Hours: Variable, according to demand for services/caseload and role in investigation

Salary: £25.25 per hour

Location: Associate Independent Investigating Officers for Complaints primarily work from home. Some travel may be required as part of an investigation – location will vary according to the referral received from the Local Authority. Cases will be allocated to Associate IOs living locally to the referring authority, wherever possible.

About Coram

Coram is committed to improving the lives of the UK’s most vulnerable children and young people.

We support children and young people from birth to independence, creating a change that lasts a lifetime.

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

About the role

We are seeking additional experienced Associate Independent Investigating Officers (IO) for Complaints, to increase our capacity to respond to referrals from Local Authorities to provide an independent element to the formal Stage 2 investigations under the Children Act 1989.

The IO will lead investigations, and will give the complainant (who may be a child, young person or adult) the opportunity to express their view, ensure the child or young person’s rights and best interests are at the centre of the investigation and that the investigation/review process is open and transparent. They write a report on the investigation/review, which is submitted to the referring agency.

The Job Description document sets out the expectations for an Associate Independent Person for Complaints (IPC) who is approved by Coram Voice. IPCs are independent, freelance and responsible for their own work. Nevertheless, IPCs are accountable to the organisation for their professional standards and are expected to comply with Coram Voice Code of Ethics and Practice Guidelines.

Please note: the nature of associate work means that we cannot guarantee a regular amount of work, and complaints will be allocated dependent on the associate’s availability, location and the needs and demands of the individual case. Investigation work takes place Monday to Friday within working hours. This position is not suitable for applicants who already work or have commitments more than two days within the working week.

To apply for this role, please click on the 'apply now' button below to complete the application.

Closing date: Please note this is a rolling recruitment campaign

Interview date: TBC

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

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

We are committed to the safeguarding of children and where appropriate will require the successful applicant to undertake a check from the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Registered Charity No. 312278.

Evidence Officer

UK-Wide

£28,831 per annum (pro rata for part time hours)

Ref: 34REC 

Full Time 37.5 hours per week

Base: Hybrid working from any UK-Wide hub 

About the role

We have a new and exciting opportunity to work with us as an Evidence Officer, working as part of the Strategy, Impact and Evidence team. 

Sustrans’ Strategy, Impact and Evidence team is a leading centre of excellence in active travel research, monitoring and evaluation and we are recruiting now. As an Evidence Officer, you will work on a range of behaviour change and infrastructure projects, providing monitoring, evaluation, and analytical support. The Strategy, Impact and Evidence teamplays an important part in supporting our vision by providing robust evidence on sustainable and active travel that ultimately influences and shapes policy, practice and behaviour across the UK.

Focusing on monitoring and evaluating the impact of infrastructure and behaviour change programmes, you will work on a range of projects around the UK and be involved in the planning, delivery, analysis and reporting of our monitoring and evaluation work. 

We offer true hybrid working, a flexible mix of working from home and occasional travel to a nearby office hub. There is minimal travel required in this role, however in the course of your work you may have to travel to one of the nominated hubs or project sites if required to do so. 

About you

You should have demonstrable quantitative and/or qualitative analytical skills, and be a competent Excel user or have working knowledge of statistical software, such as R.

As an excellent communicator in both oral and written forms, you will have with the ability to present data and findings clearly. You should also have the capability to find innovative and creative solutions to problems.

You will own some experience of project management as well as delivery of project monitoring and evaluation. You should also have some experience of working and communicating with suppliers, partners and/or clients. 

Sustrans has a long-term commitment to being a charity for everyone - reducing inequality, valuing diversity, enabling inclusion and ensuring all people are treated with dignity and respect. We aim to be a truly inclusive employer and welcome applications from people from all parts of the community, in particular from under-represented groups. 

What we offer

In return we can offer true hybrid working to suit individual circumstances and a flexible, supportive and rewarding working environment. 

Wellbeing

• 28 days’ leave per annum plus bank holidays for full-time working
• Ability to buy an extra week of annual leave (pro-rata for part-time staff)
• Staff volunteer days
• 24/7 free, impartial and confidential support service
• We are members of the Green Commute Initiative and Cycle Scheme who both offer cycle to work schemes

Financial

• Group Personal Pension scheme with a 6% or 7% of basic salary contribution being matched by Sustrans
• Bike, computer and season ticket loans
• Discount benefits
• London Weighting Allowance of £4,530 for all those living within a London Borough (32 local authority districts plus the City of London)
• Death in Service benefit – 3 x annual Salary

Family Friendly

• Enhanced maternity and paternity pay
• Flexible Working practices (full time hours are 37.5 per week, Monday - Friday)

Additional information

• Closing date for the receipt of completed applications is 23:59, 25 August 2025.
• Interviews will take place via MS Teams between the 2nd and 4th September 2025

About Sustrans

At Sustrans you'll be part of a movement to make it easier for people to walk and cycle. 

We're all here to change things! You’ll be part of an incredible community of talented, passionate, creative, problem solvers all working together to change things for the better. We act locally and think big - we have a vision of a society where the way we travel creates healthier places and happier lives for everyone.

You'll be questioning the status quo and daring to imagine a different world. You'll work on exciting, impactful projects that will stretch and empower you and you'll be rewarded by seeing the difference you make to people, communities and the planet. 

We believe including everyone is central to who we are and what we want to achieve, we welcome difference and pride ourselves on creating a culture where you can be yourself and where your wellness is supported. 

You'll be guaranteed to make friends for life and work with a team that is incredibly flexible, supportive, ethical and fun.

Location: Remote (based in England & Wales with occasional travel required for biannual team days in London, termly Support Coach Team meetings in various locations, and twice termly vists to facilitators in various locations). Due to location of regional hubs, we would encourage applications from the Bristol, Liverpool and Manchester areas.

Salary: £28,665 - £30,765 pro rata (£22,932 - £24,612 actual)

Hours of work: 4 days a week (28 hours)

Contract type: Permanent

Why work for Kids Matter?

• Generous annual leave – 25 days (plus bank holidays) per year pro rata, with time off between Christmas and New Year's additional to this allowance.
• Remote working contribution – receive £26/month pro rata towards the costs of working from home and/or using a co-working space.
• Access to coaching sessions, training opportunities and our Employee Assistance Programme (a confidential support service for staff).
• Flexible working across weekdays to suit your schedule.

About us​

Kids Matter is one of the UK’s fastest growing children’s charities.

Our vision is to see every child in need raised in a strong family. Our mission is to reduce the impact of poverty on children through community-based parenting programmes.

Research shows that group-based early intervention parenting groups are the most effective way to support children in need. We train peer facilitators in local churches - the largest voluntary body in the country - to run our affordable, accessible and highly effective parenting programmes, written by Clinical Psychologists. They come alongside parents and carers, building long-lasting community in addition to encouraging confidence and learning positive parenting skills.

We value difference and diversity, and we want our workplace to be built on shared values of equality and mutual trust, with team members representing the wide range of backgrounds and experiences that exist within the UK. We therefore actively encourage applications from people of diverse backgrounds and varied experiences, particularly those who are African, Afro-Caribbean, Asian or part of other minority ethnic communities, who have lived experience of the impact of low-income/low-support circumstances, and who are living with a disability or identify as being neurodivergent.

About the role

The Support Coach role involves:

• Supporting volunteer facilitators by coaching them through the opportunities, challenges and obstacles of running a Kids Matter programme
• Training and upskilling facilitators by helping run events and develop new resources
• Working with the wider Kids Matter team to encourage and strengthen Kids Matter’s church partnerships

At Kids Matter, we are committed to delivering effective coaching. All Support Coaches are given the opportunity to go through the coaching accreditation process with ICF to become an Associate Certified Coach (ACC). Kids Matter provides the support and supervision for this to take place, and will cover the cost of the accreditation if the individual remains employed as a Support Coach for the two years following applying for accreditation. If the individual leaves before two years, a percentage of the accreditation cost will be required to pay back.

About you

Are you someone who enjoys coming alongside others, encouraging and challenging them as they learn and grow? Do you have a strong understanding of the disadvantages many families face in the UK? Can you sensitively and effectively communicate with people from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences? Are you a Christian with an active faith in Jesus? Do you have a passion for Kids Matter’s vision to see every child in need raised in a strong family?

Then we would love to hear from you!

How to apply

You can apply for the Support Coach position by clicking ‘Apply via Website’ and completing a copy of our online application form.

The deadline for applications is 4pm Monday 1st September 2025. All successful and unsuccessful applicants will be notified by email.

We also ask for all applicants to submit an Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form, which will be sent to you to complete following the submission of your application. This form will be used for anonymous analysis to ensure our overall recruitment procedures are fair and transparent. It will never be viewed or used as part of the selection process. It is optional to submit this form.

If you would like any application/interview support or you need any reasonable adjustments throughout the application process, or if you would like an informal phone call to ask questions or discuss the role, please contact Katie Washington (HR & Systems Coordinator).

Please see the job pack for more details on the role and application process.

Job TitleHead of Communications

LocationHome based (Home working with regular meetings in London)

Salary£45,000 - £55,000

HoursFull Time, permanent 

Reports to                   Chief Policy Officer 

About Parentkind

As one of the largest federated charities in the UK, with arguably greater reach into the lives of families and educational settings than any other non-Government organisation, Parentkind is on a bold and urgent mission: to support, champion, and empower parents to be partners in their children’s education and wellbeing. 

Although best known for our support of almost 24,000 Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs), Parent Councils, and Schools, helping them build strong school communities whilst they raise approaching £140 million each year to enhance children’s education, our work stretches far beyond the school gates. Parentkind is building a powerful movement that recognises parental engagement not as a nicety, but a necessity.

Supporting parents beyond the school gate

In recent years, families have faced a series of compounding challenges: the cost-of-living crisis, rising child poverty, and deepening educational inequality. These pressures have left many parents struggling to meet basic needs—let alone feel confident engaging in their child’s learning journey.  Parentkind has responded to this moment with compassion, agility and purpose, through a series of transformative campaigns, resources, and partnerships. 

Our No Cold Child initiative with FatFace stepped in to address a stark statistic: over 150,000 children in the UK do not own a winter coat due to poverty. Through our trusted relationships with schools we distributed 10,000 warm, high-quality coats worth £600,000 to the children who needed them most. Winning the Business Charity Awards ‘Fashion & Retail’ Award, and shortlisted for two further awards, the campaign has been praised not just for providing warmth, but for restoring dignity, inclusion, and school readiness to thousands of children.

The All Dressed Up campaign—developed with World Book Day and Rubies Masquerade—confronted the often-overlooked issue of financial exclusion on key celebration days. More than 100,000 free dressing up costumes worth £1.34 million were delivered to children from low-income families. By enabling participation in events like World Book Day, we helped spark imagination, joy, and belonging for children who might otherwise feel left out—boosting self-esteem and supporting a positive connection to learning.Furthermore, helping attract children into school on a day which often sees struggling parents keep their children at home.

Alongside these national campaigns, Parentkind supports families year-round through a growing suite of programmes designed to inform, prepare and empower parents. Our Be School Ready programme offers crucial guidance and confidence to parents preparing their children for the leap into primary education. With a mix of practical advice, developmental tips, and reassurance, through the distribution of 150,000 copies of Be School Ready and an online campaign, it supports families at one of the most formative moments in their child’s life.

We also deliver a wide-ranging series of live expert webinars and parent-friendly resources, covering topics such as managing anxiety, supporting special educational needs, navigating school transitions, and building home-school partnerships. These resources, developed in consultation with experts and rooted in lived parent experience, equip families to feel informed and empowered, no matter what challenges arise.

Our direct support of schools

Our collaboration with Asda on Cashpot for Schools is another example of unlocking support at scale. This innovative community-led funding model allowed shoppers to nominate and fund their local schools simply through everyday spending. This campaign has generated £5.78 million for schools during the past twelve months, supporting everything from basic classroom supplies to vital extracurricular programmes and pupil wellbeing initiatives. Also shortlisted for a Business Charity Award, it is already a model for community-driven philanthropy.

In April, we launched our Parent-Friendly Schools Accreditation Programme, designed to formally recognise schools that go above and beyond in fostering positive, inclusive relationships with parents. The accreditation celebrates schools that actively listen to parent voices, make engagement easy and accessible, and embed family partnership in their culture. It is a practical and inspiring tool to drive long-term change in the sector and offers a roadmap for schools wanting to strengthen their community.

Our focus on Policy & Research

Our work is grounded in evidence. Since 2023, we have conducted the UK’s largest annual parent survey: the National Parent Survey. With approaching 6,000 participants providing 130,000 bits of data to provide invaluable insights into the struggles, concerns, hopes and fears of parents. The findings are fed directly into government consultations and have already informed national debates on school funding, attendance, mental health support, SEND provision, and curriculum reform.

In each of the past two years the number of policymakers, educators, parents and researchers accessing the National Parent Survey exceeded seven thousand, and the survey featured in more than two hundred media outlets each year.Excitingly, the Times & Sunday Times are partnering with Parentkind to raise the profile even further in September 2025 and the survey will be launched at a lighthouse event featuring the Secretary of State for Education (Bridget Phillipson), the Ofsted Chief Inspector of Schools (Sir Martyn Oliver), the CEO of Mumsnet (Justine Roberts), the Children’s Commissioner (Dame Rachel De Souza), and our own Chief Executive (Jason Elsom). 

In addition to the National Parent Survey, Parentkind undertakes representative polling of parents throughout the year on a variety of important topics, which increasingly find exposure in the media and policy discussion.

Parentkind provides the secretariat for the Westminster APPG for Parents and the Stormont APG for Parental Participation in Education. Two very successful parliamentary groups bringing together policymakers and a variety of stakeholders to consider the challenges faced by parents and act as a voice for them through a variety of policymakers.

Our Media Engagement

Since becoming recognised as the UK’s largest parent charity, with likely more groups and frontline volunteers than the Scouts or Girlguiding, Parentkind has gained increasing prominence in the media.Beyond the reach of the National Parent Survey and our regular polling, Parentkind receives frequent requests for quotes of reflection and input by media in relation to their journalism and from Government and non-Government entities in support of policy announcements.

Beyond this, the Parentkind community of volunteers and PTAs share local or regional media announcements of their own.Whether or not it celebrating the completion of large projects they have invested countless hours and thousands of pounds into realising, or the community event they have worked into the night to deliver for their school communities.

It will be your role to take this much further, gaining increasing exposure for the work of Parentkind, its community, and parents more broadly. 

If you believe, like we do, that when parents matter, children succeed, we’d love to hear from you.

The role will involve:

· Promoting our parent polling data and work across social media platforms with eye catching content. 

· Providing comment on topical issues for social media so that we are part of the conversation. 

· Build the right relationships to dramatically increase the number of of media organisations seeking input and thought leadership from Parentkind.

· Build relationships with broadcast media so we get asked to appear on broadcast media more often. There’s a chance for you to be a talking head too.

· Help to draft parent polls and reports with a focus on compelling questions that will hit the front page. We need a brilliant writer, able to turn facts and figures into engaging narratives with bold headlines and strong messages that catch the eye. Boring writers need not apply…

· Draft eye catching press releases with bold headlines and a compelling narrative to promote the work we do across the charity. You’ll also place the press releases with national journalists leading to high profile coverage.

· Support the authoring of articles, op-eds and blog posts by members of the Executive Leadership Team.

· Be responsible for media monitoring, measuring our media hits, and reporting on coverage and interesting themes for the Executive Leadership.

Your mission is to massively increase our online, in print and social media presence to make us the highest profile parent charity in the UK. We don’t need you to be an education expert, we need someone to get us on the front page.

We have a huge amount of data on what parents think and we need you to get it seen. This is a great job for someone who wants to grab hold of a “comms” function and make it their own.

Parentkind is a UK wide charity, you will be expected to support our work in other parts of the UK where necessary.

For 'Person Specification' please see the job description

Project Officer

West Midlands

£28,831 per annum (pro rata for part time hours)

Ref: 37REC 

Full Time: 37.5 hours per week – happy to talk flexible working

Base: Sustrans offices in Birmingham with the flexibility to work from home on some days when not delivering activities.

About the role

A new and exciting opportunity to work with us supporting the developments of active travel and liveable spaces for communities across the West Midlands. 

As the Project Officer you will lead and support behaviour change projects across the West Midlands and Staffordshire with schools, workplaces, job seekers and communities. Engaging with a range of key individuals and delivering walking and cycling activities such as Dr Bike sessions, led walks and rides, school assemblies and community workshops. 

As part of the Active Journeys Team, you will support people to walk, wheel and cycle by promoting opportunities and help overcome barriers to active travel. Projects will include improved walking and cycling infrastructure and making it possible for every child to walk, wheel and cycle to school. 

Activities will be delivered both Online and face to face, and likely to include schools, workplaces and the diverse range of communities in the Midlands. 

This role will require travel and work at locations as necessary to undertake projects on behalf of Sustrans.

About you

You should have experience of leading physical activity or other behaviour change projects within schools, workplaces or communities. You should also have experience of working on projects within an established project management framework.  

You will have excellent organisational skills, including the ability to prioritise and manage own workload. You will be able to build and maintain strong relationships and a flexible and enthusiastic approach. With the ability to engage and support lesser heard voices in the community. 

We ask you demonstrate your knowledge of Microsoft Office packages and relevant knowledge of the West Midlands and its diverse range of communities. 

Sustrans has a long-term commitment to being a charity for everyone - reducing inequality, valuing diversity, enabling inclusion and ensuring all people are treated with dignity and respect. We aim to be a truly inclusive employer and welcome applications from people from all parts of the community, in particular from under-represented groups. 

What we offer

In return we can offer true hybrid working to suit individual circumstances and a flexible, supportive and rewarding working environment. 

Wellbeing

• 28 days’ leave per annum plus bank holidays for full-time working
• Ability to buy an extra week of annual leave (pro-rata for part-time staff)
• Staff volunteer days
• 24/7 free, impartial and confidential support service
• We are members of the Green Commute Initiative and Cycle Scheme who both offer cycle to work schemes

Financial

• Group Personal Pension scheme with a 6% or 7% of basic salary contribution being matched by Sustrans
• Bike, computer and season ticket loans
• Discount benefits
• London Weighting Allowance of £4,530 for all those living within a London Borough (32 local authority districts plus the City of London)
• Death in Service benefit – 3 x annual Salary

Family Friendly

• Enhanced maternity and paternity pay
• Flexible Working practices (full time hours are 37.5 per week, Monday - Friday)

Additional information

• Closing date for the receipt of completed applications is 23:59, 25 August 2025.
• Interviews will take place at the Sustrans Birmingham Hub on the 4th or 5th of September 2025. If you are unable to attend in-person, please contact us for alternative arrangements.

About Sustrans

At Sustrans you'll be part of a movement to make it easier for people to walk and cycle. 

We're all here to change things! You’ll be part of an incredible community of talented, passionate, creative, problem solvers all working together to change things for the better. We act locally and think big - we have a vision of a society where the way we travel creates healthier places and happier lives for everyone.

You'll be questioning the status quo and daring to imagine a different world. You'll work on exciting, impactful projects that will stretch and empower you and you'll be rewarded by seeing the difference you make to people, communities and the planet. 

 We believe including everyone is central to who we are and what we want to achieve, we welcome difference and pride ourselves on creating a culture where you can be yourself and where your wellness is supported. 

You'll be guaranteed to make friends for life and work with a team that is incredibly flexible, supportive, ethical and fun.

Supporting over 750 children and nearly 1,000 families annually, Acorns Children’s Hospice is a vital lifeline for families across the West Midlands and Gloucestershire during unimaginably difficult times.

Palliative care for children aged 0–18 is delivered at Acorns’ hospices in Birmingham (serving Birmingham and Warwickshire), Worcester (serving Herefordshire, Worcestershire, and Gloucestershire), and Walsall (serving the Black Country and parts of Staffordshire and Shropshire), as well as in family homes and other community settings. Acorns’ holistic, tailored approach is designed to meet each child’s clinical, emotional, cultural, religious, and spiritual needs.

From charity walks and running events to sponsored skydives and overseas challenges for the more adventurous, Acorns offer many unique experiences throughout the West Midlands and further afield to raise funds for their vital work.

This is a critical interim role combining operational delivery with a strategic review of their events fundraising programme. You will lead both delivery and transformation across owned and third-party events, ensuring income, return on investment and supporter experience are maximised.

As Interim Senior Events Fundraising Manager, you will:

• Lead a team of two Event Managers and two Event Officers, managing £400k income and £164k expenditure
• Oversee delivery of the Glow Walk, a flagship in-memory event with significant untapped potential
• Review the third-party challenge events portfolio (e.g. Great Wall, Sahara) and assess current formats such as Bubble Rush to decide where to invest, optimise or withdraw
• Work with the Associate Director of Fundraising to identify opportunities for growth, particularly in challenge events
• Manage relationships with agencies and suppliers
• Oversee use of their events platform (Enthuse) and CRM integration, recommending changes or alternatives if needed
• Provide monthly reporting to the Executive Leadership Team on income, KPIs and supporter engagement

Ideal skills and experience: 

• Experience leading teams delivering third-party, in-aid-of, challenge and owned events
• Line management experience, including managing managers
• A track record of reviewing and improving event portfolios for income, ROI and supporter journeys
• Experience working with agencies and suppliers to deliver high-quality events
• Familiarity with event platforms such as Enthuse and CRM systems
• The ability to balance strategic priorities with hands-on delivery, including attending and supporting events

Benefits include:

• 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays (5 days holiday buyback scheme starting from April 2026)
• 7.5% employer pension contribution
• Life assurance scheme (2 x annual salary)
• Retail discounts (including the Blue Light card)
• Cycle to work scheme
• Discounted gym membership
• Access to expert financial health and wellbeing support