Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
We're looking for someone a lttle bit special - someone who believes in the deep potential of children who are not thriving elsewhere in life and who has the experience, passion, energy and the drive to go the extra mile on these young people’s behalf.
The position is an exciting dual role:
1. Volunteering & People Manager (80% of workload)
You'll become a key cog at the heart ofFree to Be's management team, taking lead responsibility for volunteer and staff recruitment and retention, holding and delivering our volunteering strategy, launching a new training infrastructure through 2026-27, and heading up 'all things volunteering'. With one direct report, you'll aim to grow volunteer numbers year on year, ensure volunteers are well matched, and well supported, onto our residential projects, and lead on quality assurance, including volunteering standards concerns/grievances. Alongside our Services, Operations and Fundraising Managers, you'll be a core management team member holding shared responsibility for the day to day running of an impactful and growing children's mental health and adventure charity and will work closely with our inspiring and supportive CEO to set longer-term key strategic goals underpinning Free to Be's future development.
2. Residential Project Lead Coordinator (20% of role)
Our residentials are fun, immersive, tiring (in all the right ways), impactful and inspiring. A core aspect of all Free to Be Kids staff's roles is leading circa 8-10 of our residential projects across each year - working on the ground with the children, leading the volunteers & staff team on project, and helping make the projects special, safe, and transformative for vulnerable young people, many of whom have damaged confidence, low self-worth, or other social-emotional needs.
Attendance at approximately 8-10 five-six night residential projects per year outside London is a core component of this role. As a manager, you'd likely attend 8-10 residentials in year 1 to build familiarity with both the projects and our volunteer base, with this dropping to c.8 per year thereafter.
On offer to the right candidate:
Salary: Circa £38,000 - £40,000, dependent on experience.
Hours: Fulltime: 37.5 hours per week. Essential attendance on at c.8-10 residential projects a year.
Leave: 25 days per year, plus bank holidays and up to 13 additional pre-set discretionary reward days in September and during the Christmas period. A substantial perk of the role is potential to take up to 4 consecutive weeks off to travel each September.
Other benefits: 4% employer pension contribution paid on full base salary, rising by 1% per year of service, up to a maximum of 7%; hybrid working; office with great transport links; flexible working (outside core hours); employee reward scheme; tight-knit, fun, vibrant, cohesive staff team with great morale.
Based: Hybrid – our small office in Waterloo, London. Hybrid working is well established with the majority of the team splitting time around 50:50 between the office and home.
To start: Early January 2026.
Who we’re looking for:
Our next Volunteering Manager hero. You'll be fun, flexible, energised, experienced in work with young people with addtional needs, and looking to join an organisation you can believe in and who in return will believe and invest in you.
Kind, empathetic, resilient and efficient, you’ll have a real affinity for supporting others - whether volunteers, more junior staff, or children themselves. We're looking for someone who loves working with young people, as you'll be role modelling that commitment and energy to our volunteers and playing a leading role in holding our already thriving team culture. Volunteer Management or HR experience is a bonus, and capacity and personality to quickly pick that up is a must, but ultimately we're looking for the right organisational fit - someone who believes in what we do and wants to step up to join a management team working hard to deliver it.
You’ll have the flexibility to work away from home on (up to) 10 five to six day residential projects per year. Ideally, you’ll also have experience of leading projects for children – whether residential or non-residential - for example as a teacher, or running groups in other settings. Experience of working on or leading residentials projects themselves is not required but may be an advantage.
We are a small, vibrant, 'can do', friendly staff team of 10, supported by a committed volunteer base of around 300.
We are particularly keen to encourage applications from those who can help us represent the lived experiences of our children through their own lived experience or background.
To apply:
See full Job Description & Person Specification on our website.
Send a copy of your CV or up to date LinkedIn profile, as well as a covering letter and introductory short video, by the closing date of 10pm, Wednesday 26th November 2025.
Covering letters should be very approximately 1 to 1.5 sides A4 and address the question of: ‘Why this role, why now’, as well as ‘what strengths, experience and skills you would bring into the role’.We also ask for a short (1-3 minutes) informal video introducing yourself and touching on the person specification. We have found this helps bring the strongest applications to life, and filters out AI driven applications.
Selection Process and Timeline:
Selection will be via two stage interview. As there is only a short turnaround from application closure on 26th November to 1st stage interviews 1st-2nd December, we will assess applications and offer interview slots throughout the window. However, you will not be disadvantaged if you need to wait till the closing date to submit.
1st stage interviews: Mon 1st - Tues 2nd December (virtual)
2nd stage final interviews: Mon 8th - Tues 9th December (in-person preferred, London Waterloo)
Please hold interview dates as alternate dates are unlikely to be available.
The role requires an Enhanced DBS check and existing right to work in the UK.
If you have any questions about the role, contact us via our website and we’d be happy to arrange an informal chat. We look forward to hearing from you!
Registered Charity
6 - 10
Using joy, adventure and the outdoors to transform particularly vulnerable London children's mental health.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
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Job Purpose
This role sits within our crisis alternative service, Safe Space, which is a core and out of hours service providing a safe and welcoming space for people who are feeling distressed and experiencing crisis. Our aim of the service is to keep individuals well in the community and prevent readmission into hospital. The service operates 365 days a year from 14:00-22:00pm across all of our boroughs.
Staff within the service will provide person-centred, practical and emotional support, face to face or via telephone or virtual on a one-to-one basis to individuals experiencing mental health crisis or preventing crisis.
The objectives of the service include:
- To improve the mental wellbeing of people experiencing mental health and social crisis in HFEH.
- To proactively work with keeping people well in the community to reduce re-admitters into hospitals by working with WL NHS teams (e.g. discharge, LPS, CATT, MINT and SPA)
- To provide a true alternative to A&E via a non-clinical drop-in service to support clients
- To provide support to clients accessing the service- for instance: signposting, de-escalation and crisis recovery planning.
- To contribute to an improvement in individual mental wellbeing.
- To remain a source of independent support for all clients.
- To treat service users with respect, dignity and personalised support
- To raise awareness of mental health services available with the goal to improve long term mental health and reduce social isolation
- To increase self-management skills of those accessing the service
- To reduce the use of police, ambulance and statutory mental health services whilst experiencing crisis via a drop-in service.
- To reduce the use of statutory crisis services by people experiencing mental ill health without positive outcomes for the individual.
The Role
The role of the team manager will be to support the rest of the team in delivering interventions on a one-to-one. The role will also involve triaging and assessing all clients accessing the service, signposting and delivering collaborative self-management plans with clients to improve mental wellbeing. The role will also include line management and supervision of senior support workers and support workers within the service. Team managers are responsible for management of their site; including report writing, audits and being the named manager for the site and allocated borough following the borough-based approach. This role directly supports the service managers in keeping to a high standard service. The role will include implementing a smooth running of the service including facilitating debriefing and providing senior support onsite. The role of the team manager is non-clinical.
Key Responsibilities
• Providing a person centred and recovery orientated approach in all aspects of the roles and responsibilities.
• Guiding the team, responding to referrals and planning each shift in terms of staffing, activities and case allocation
• Understanding of risk and risk management
• Understanding safeguarding adults and children processes and legal requirements
• To work autonomously in a fast-paced environment and under pressure
• Oversee re-admitters and clients being discharged on a weekly basis
• Responsible lead for allocated site, attend and lead discussions with MDT teams
• Responsible for keeping allocated site to a high standard and reporting any health and safety concerns
• To facilitate daily briefings with team to ensure continuity and safety
• Understanding of safety planning and de-escalation
• Monitoring and management of team training, absence and wellbeing
• Working collaboratively with clients to understand their needs and developing flexible and realistic crisis support packages/person centred plans
• Promoting people’ rights and responsibilities
• Conduct monthly supervisions and annual appraisals of supervisees
• Work and manage the team in-line with targets and KPI’s, ensuring that outcomes, outputs and impact are recorded
• Listening to clients and encouraging positive steps towards self-management of crisis and recovery, providing advice, information, practical and emotional support to clients
• To attend all mandatory training including safeguarding and GDPR and actively embrace own CPD
• Proactively recognising the indicators of deteriorating mental health and facilitate appropriate action, whilst liaising with relevant agencies e.g. CATT, Emergency Duty Teams, CMHTS, etc
• Maintain and ensure team compliance of accurate records, detailing interventions
• Abide by supporting governance such as Mind Policy and Proceedures, Understanding CQC standards and NICE guidelines around mental health
• Providing administrative support to the team
• Overseeing and provide shadowing to new staff members and volunteers
• Attend reflective practice, peer supervision and line management supervision
• Create and maintain good working relationships with partner agencies
• Provide guidance to support workers and volunteers
• To work with service managers and assist with reporting and monitoring
Person Specification
• Minimum of 1 year working in mental health services and with clients experiencing mental health distress and crisis
• Experience of line management within a mental health setting
• Experience of de-escalation
• Experience of managing challenging behaviour and dealing with clients with complex needs
• Evidence of continual professional development
• Understanding of the Recovery Model in mental health
• Understanding of the principles of trauma informed care
• Understanding of suicide prevention and safety planning
• Experience of managing safeguarding risks and understanding legal requirements for safeguarding adults and children
• Understanding of how to report and mitigate risks
• Understanding of the relationship between mental health and social issues and how these issues may impact on physical, mental and emotional wellbeing
• Understanding of relevant legislation and policies
• Understanding safeguarding adults and children processes and legal requirements
• Awareness of issues in mental health service provision
• A good understanding of mental health conditions
• Experience of working with vulnerable individuals
• Creative and flexible approach to working with individuals
• Ability to deal with stressful and difficult situations in a calm manner and de-escalate challenging situations
• Ability to prioritise and manage workload
• Ability to involve clients and carers in all aspects of work
• Empathy and non-judgemental approach
• Good communication skills
• Capacity to work within an agreed shift pattern
• Experience of delivering information and advice (housing, benefits, debt etc)
• Experience of non-clinical, therapeutic interventions like psychoeducation
• Good IT skills including Word, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint, with proven ability to input and extract information and produce reports
• Understanding of different databases such as Views, Salesforce and NHS
• Car driver with sole ownership of a vehicle and ability to travel to multiple locations (e.g. NHS sites and community sites) would be essential.
• Ability to work out of hours and on weekends at multiple locations including NHS sites and community sites
Registered Charity
101 - 500
We’re here to make sure that everyone suffering with a mental health problem gets the help they need to recover.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.