160 Community youth support worker jobs

We’re looking for a kind, compassionate and resilient Support Worker to join our Learning disabilities Social Care Service in Kent.

£13,988.00 per annum, working 20 hours per week.

Want to feel like you have an exciting future? You’ll feel at home here.
Making you feel at home here means helping you thrive in every way. That’s why we offer a wide range of benefits, award-winning Learning & Development and a culture that welcomes all. These aren’t token gestures - we’ve thought long and hard about how best to support our team. After all, our people are doing something amazing: helping to transform lives every day.

Our benefits include:
• Annual leave increasing up to 30 days with length of service
• A generous pension – we will contribute up to 8% and life assurance cover up to 3x Pensionable Salary (T&Cs apply)
• Exclusive discounts and cashback via Reward Gateway® and opportunity to buy a Blue Light Card
• Fully paid induction programme and further training
• ILM courses and Apprenticeship Programmes
• Cycle to work scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme for 24-7 confidential support
• Online wellbeing resources
• Quarterly Staff Awards to reward & recognise our amazing staff’s commitment and contribution
• Free DBS
All applicants must be legally eligible to work in the UK by the start of employment as Look Ahead are not able to offer sponsorship.

Support Workers are responsible for supporting people with autism, learning disabilities and behavioural needs to live full lives, develop skills and maintain their wellbeing.

The Pelham road Service will be 5 new self-contained flats, for customers with learning disabilities, Autism and Complex needs, and we are looking to build a staff team with an excellent value base to support the customer to build their new life and develop their skills as an independent person.

Support Workers will need to be flexible and shifts will require some mornings, afternoons/Evenings and weekends.

The working pattern for this role consist of: 7.30am-23pm, 2.30pm-10pm, 10am-4pm

What you’ll do:
• Supporting the customer to undertake a full timetable of preferred activities including sport and leisure activities, attending community groups, visiting local amenities, and introducing them to new activities to expand their horizons and networks;
• Developing the customer’s independent living skills and involving them in all aspects of maintaining and developing their home, including cooking, shopping, cleaning and decorating;
• Enabling the customer to keep up with the important people in their life and to meet new people with shared interests;
• Supporting the customer to communicate their wants and needs, and communicating with them in a person-centred way;
• Supporting the customer to manage their anxieties and frustrations, using Positive Behaviour Support and Autism-specific approaches;
• Collating a range of behavioural data and essential paperwork to be analysed within our local management structure;
• Driving the customer to activities using the customer’s vehicle, in rotation with the wider team;
• Communicating with family members and a range of other key stakeholders including social work, psychology and commissioning teams;
• Acting in accordance with the policies and procedures of Look Ahead Care & Support plus those specific to the service including any statutory requirements;
• Consistently reviewing the customer’s life goals and their progress towards achieving them, in partnership with them and those important to them;
• Supporting the customer with personal care;
• Reporting any observations relating to customer welfare;
• Maintaining records as required at the project;
• Participating in team meetings/reviews, support planning, risk management and the general development of the service;
• Undertaking any other duties as requested by management

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

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

What you'll bring:
Essential:
 NVQ Level 2 or equivalent
 Minimum 2 years of experience working with customers with Autism/Challenging Behaviour/learning disabilities and supporting them in line with a PBS framework

Desirable:
 Has some experience in Trauma Informed care
 Has some experience in working with people with Mental health
 Driving licence and a willingness to drive as part of support duties

About us:

Look Ahead is a leading, not-for-profit care and support provider in London and the South East. Our vision is to build better lives through social care and housing in local communities. As an organisation we deliver over 100 services, providing support to thousands of customers each year. Our mission is to co-design and deliver services that offer innovative social care solutions and support people to thrive. We work across mental health, homelessness and complex needs, young people and care leavers and learning disabilities so there are plenty of opportunities to grow and progress your career with us.
We have a strong social purpose and we live and work by our values:
• We focus on Excellence and innovation.
• We are Caring and Compassionate.
• We are Inclusive and Trusted.
• We work in Partnership and are One-Team.
Look Ahead is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk, and expects all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment.

If your application for this role is unsuccessful, but we feel that you would be suitable for another role, we may contact you to discuss alternative opportunities. If this occurs you would not need to submit another application for the alternative role.

We reserve the right to close this advert early if we are able to appoint to the vacancy before the advertised closed date.

We are committed to diversity and inclusion at work and are accredited with Silver in the Inclusive Employers Standard 2021. We are a proud member of the Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant and encourage applications from a diverse range of applicants of all backgrounds.

Job Title: Recovery in Community Peer Support Worker (2 posts available)
Accountable to: Head of Community
Reporting to: Recovery in Community Team Coordinator
Location: Hybrid including Inpatient psychiatric settings across Greater Manchester, community settings, home or office working (central Manchester), occasional travel outside of Greater Manchester
Salary: £14,945.40 pro rata (FTE £24,909)
Hours: One post at 21 hours per week and one post at 28 hours per week
Contract: Permanent

Role Context

Recovery in Community is a collaborative initiative delivered in partnership between Gaddum and Manchester Mind. The service supports people to leave inpatient mental health settings and return to their community with the support they need to recover and remain well.

As a team, we deliver psycho-social interventions, advocacy, housing and welfare rights advice, peer support to adults as well as tailored support to young people (those under the age of 25).All we do is underpinned by listening and ensuring people feel heard – because we know that when people are listened to, they recover. The team works with colleagues within the mental health, primary care, inpatient and community sectors.

Role Purpose

As a Peer Support Worker, you will have lived or living experience of receiving mental health care or treatment in hospital. Using your expertise gained through this experience, you will support peers in their mental health recovery who are ready to leave hospital or are already in the community. Receiving support from your colleagues, you’ll develop and manage your casework practice and hold a small case load. 

You will walk alongside people to set achievable goals to ensure they get the support that they need, ultimately feeling connected to their communities – the right services and support network.

This role will work with a small but intensive caseload (max 12 cases for a full-time peer support worker) to focus on: 

• Repatriate: 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.

Main Duties and Responsibilities 

• To provide bespoke support to people that are ready to be discharged from inpatient psychiatric care to return to the community, building (with support) packages of care so they have a positive and sustained recovery. 

• To work alongside people post-discharge, in their community setting (e.g. home or supported accommodation) to ensure they get what they need to stay well. 

• To effectively manage a small caseload (about 7 people), being flexible to people’s needs and short-term changes in schedule. 

• To work in a person-centred, trauma informed, empowering and culturally appropriate way that enables people to feel listened to and heard.

• To help people engage with services and make sustainable links with their communities. 

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

• Identify when cases need escalation or onward referral and keep your line manager aware of case developments. 

• 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 colleagues within services (e.g. inpatient staff, social care, CMHTs etc) to enable improved collaborative working 

• Take part in multi-disciplinary meetings, representing the views of people, and their aspirations on returning to community settings. 

• Support the ongoing service development, drawing on your role as an ‘Expert by Experience’ and using what you hear from the people you support to contribute to the development of the services by reviewing and contributing to improvements. 

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

Active Essex Foundation is a successful and growing charity dedicated to creating the conditions for young people and communities across Essex to thrive. Our work focuses on three core areas: improving young people’s mental health, reducing vulnerabilities to youth crime and exploitation, and strengthening communities through trusted relationships and positive engagement.

A defining feature of our approach is our network of more than 100 Locally Trusted Organisations (LTOs) across Essex. These community-based organisations are at the heart of our delivery model, providing trusted relationships, local insight and direct support within the communities they serve. Working closely with our LTO network enables us to reach those who may be least likely to engage with traditional services and ensure support is tailored to local needs.

Through partnerships with our LTOs, we deliver programmes that use physical activity, mentoring and community support to build resilience, improve wellbeing and reduce inequalities. This role will play a key part in developing and strengthening these relationships, helping our LTO network to maximise its impact and deliver positive outcomes for young people and communities across Essex.

Everything we do is shaped by the real experiences of the people we serve, ensuring our interventions are meaningful, accessible and rooted in what communities tell us they need.

Active Essex Foundation works to improve life chances for young people and communities across Essex by focusing on three core areas: mental health, youth crime prevention, and strengthening communities. Through our programme structure, we co-design community-led initiatives that use physical activity and positive engagement as tools to build resilience, improve wellbeing and reduce inequalities.

The Sport for Development Officer will play a key role in supporting the delivery and growth of these programmes. Working closely with our programme leads, locally trusted organisations (LTOs), and community stakeholders, the postholder will help strengthen organisational capability, and ensure high-quality delivery across our mental health, youth crime prevention and community strengthening work. The role will also contribute to the leadership of workstreams aligned with our strategic Outcomes, supporting the Foundation’s mission.

The ideal candidate will bring strong relationship-building skills and experience of working collaboratively with a diverse range of stakeholders. They should demonstrate a track record of delivering impactful projects or initiatives at local or county level, applying a systems approach to complex community issues, and using strengths-based methods to build resilience and capacity within local organisations.

The post holder will work with AEF staff across the business to deliver the duties and responsibilities set out below.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

You will have autonomy and will need to help guide the team, shape priorities, and will be working closely with Foundation colleagues delivery partners, funders and communities, the postholder will lead on the collection, analysis and communication of evidence to demonstrate impact, improve delivery and inform future investment decisions. This role will work closely with the Impact Manager and Sport for Development Officer. 

The role will support a range of programmes including: 

• Sport and Life Skills 

• Young People's Mental Health and Wellbeing 

• Youth Crime Prevention

• Community Development and Strengthening Communities 

• Other Foundation-funded programmes and initiatives 

The successful candidate will play a key role in ensuring that learning and evidence are translated into action, helping Active Essex Foundation maximise its impact and continuously improve its programmes. You will be a self starter with strong motivation to drive the work.

Active Essex Foundation is a successful and growing charity dedicated to creating the conditions for young people and communities across Essex to thrive. Our work focuses on three core areas: improving young people’s mental health, reducing vulnerabilities to youth crime and exploitation, and strengthening communities through trusted relationships and positive engagement. We collaborate with a network of over 100 community organisations and local partners to design and deliver programmes that use physical activity, mentoring and community support as tools to build resilience, improve wellbeing and reduce inequalities. Everything we do is shaped by the real experiences of the people we serve, ensuring our interventions are meaningful, accessible and rooted in what communities tell us they need.

The AEF Impact Leadwill operate within a matrix management structure.Professional line management, technical supervision and quality assurance will be provided by the Impact Manager and Intelligence Manager within the Insight & Evaluation Team.

Operational direction and programme priorities will be provided by the AEF Operations & Development Manager and the 3 AEF Project Managers ensuring the role is fully embedded within Foundation activity. The post holder will require relationship building and negotiation skills to work with AEF team to scope the priorities and the work required whilst maintaining consistent research and evaluation standards across Active Essex.

We’re looking for a creative and enthusiastic Youth Worker to help us expand what we offer young people beyond sport.

About Alford House

Alford House is a youth and community organisation in Kennington, providing young people with safe, welcoming and structured opportunities to spend time, build relationships and develop their interests.

We want Alford House to be a place where young people can try new things, discover what they enjoy and develop their skills and confidence.

The role

As our Creative Spaces Youth Worker, you’ll help us develop and deliver creative and educational sessions for young people.

This is a varied role. You could be supporting young people with their homework, running an arts session, helping them explore dance and movement, supporting activity in our music studio or developing new creative ideas with young people.

We’re looking for someone who can bring their own creativity and interests to the role and turn them into engaging opportunities for young people.

What you’ll be doing

• Develop and deliver engaging arts and creative sessions.
• Support our homework club and educational activities.
• Deliver or support dance and movement activities.
• Help young people make use of our music studio.
• Create opportunities for young people to explore different interests and develop new skills.
• Support youth-led creative projects.
• Build positive and trusting relationships with young people.
• Encourage young people to try new activities and get involved in the wider Alford House offer.
• Record attendance and outcomes.
• Work alongside our wider youth work team to create a positive environment for young people.

Who we’re looking for

You don’t need to be a traditional youth worker to be right for this role. We’re looking for someone who has something creative to bring and knows how to engage young people.

You’ll need:

• Experience of working with children or young people.
• Strong creative facilitation skills.
• Knowledge of safeguarding.
• The ability to build positive relationships with young people.
• Enthusiasm for creating activities that young people will genuinely want to take part in.

Experience or qualifications in youth work, arts, dance, teaching or tutoring would be an advantage.

Why work with us?

This is an opportunity to help shape something new at Alford House.

We’re developing our creative spaces and want to create a broader range of opportunities for young people alongside our established sports provision. You’ll have the freedom to bring ideas, develop sessions and help create a space where young people can explore their interests.

If you’re creative, enjoy working with young people and want to use your skills to create opportunities they’ll genuinely enjoy, we’d love to hear from you.

Hours and pay

10 hours per week
Preferably 2 hours per day across the week, with flexibility.

£14.80 per hour

Part-time employment based at Alford House, Kennington.

Safeguarding

This role involves working with children and young people. Appointment is subject to an Enhanced DBS check, satisfactory references and completion of safeguarding training.

How to apply

Please complete the Alford House application form and provide a CV.

In your application, tell us about your experience of working with young people, what creative skills or interests you could bring to Alford House, and how you would use them to create engaging opportunities for young people.

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.

At Hestia, we are guided by our core values and are dedicated to fostering an equitable, diverse, and inclusive organisation. Our mission is to empower individuals to rebuild their lives and achieve independence. Right now, we are looking for a Peer Support Worker to play a pivotal role in our Mental Health Service in Islington.

Sounds great, what will I be doing?

As a Peer Support Worker, you will manage a caseload of individuals requiring early intervention and preventative mental health support, using your knowledge and experience to empower them on their recovery journey. You will deliver group activities and programmes, promote peer support networks, and help service users actively participate in co-producing their support and achieving their goals. Working collaboratively with community mental health teams, social workers, housing providers, health professionals, and employment services, you will encourage engagement with wider support networks and opportunities. You will monitor wellbeing and safety, maintain accurate records, complete assessments and reviews, support colleagues, and contribute to the effective, inclusive, and recovery-focused delivery of the service.

What do I need to bring with me?

You'll need to be able to demonstrate the core skills this role requires as well as match our values and mission. You don't have to tick all the boxes right away; the important thing is that you're willing to learn. We also value lived experience of the areas we support, so if you feel comfortable, please do mention this on your application.

In this role, you will need lived experience of mental health care pathways and a strong understanding of the challenges faced by individuals accessing mental health support services. You will be able to build trusting relationships quickly, communicate effectively with service users, carers, professionals, and partner agencies, and provide support with empathy, dignity, and respect. Strong listening, assessment, risk awareness, and signposting skills are essential, alongside knowledge of recovery tools, local wellbeing services, and safeguarding procedures. You should be confident working under pressure, managing competing priorities, and collaborating with colleagues and volunteers. Good IT, literacy, and numeracy skills are also required, together with the ability to work independently and as part of a team.

Interview Steps

We keep our interview process simple, so you know exactly what to expect.

• Shortlisting call: We have a team of dedicated recruitment specialists who will speak to you about your experience, motivations and values. They will also tell you about all the great work we do!
• Face to face interview: Now you will have face to face interview with the hiring manager. Our interviews are value and competency based.

Don't be alarmed if there are other stages in the process, it's all part of the plan for some of our roles.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

Our services users come from all walks of life and so do we. We hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds because it makes us stronger. We are committed to creating and maintaining a diverse and inclusive workforce and value the skills, abilities, talent and experiences, different people and communities bring to our organisation.

We are a disability confident employer

Hestia is proud to be a disability confident employer, dedicated to the employment and career development of individuals with disabilities. We offer a guaranteed interview scheme for all applicants with disabilities who meet the minimum criteria for the role they have applied for. We also provide reasonable adjustments during the selection and interview process, and throughout your employment with us.

Safeguarding Statement

Hestia is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of adults, children and young people who are potentially at risk, and we therefore expect all staff and volunteers to do the same. We require all staff to undertake internal and external safeguarding training throughout their employment with Hestia.

Important Information for Candidates

If your application is successful, please be aware that you will be required to undergo pre-employment checks before a formal offer of employment can be confirmed.

We reserve the right to close this job advert early should we receive a high volume of applications or if the position is filled before the closing date. We encourage interested candidates to apply as soon as possible to ensure their application is considered.

Join a passionate and committed team driving forward social justice through women-led community organising!

The successful candidate will support Community Savers groups and networks in North Manchester and Wythenshawe achieve their goals for financial and social inclusion, mental wellbeing, community led development, participatory decision-making, and housing and climate justice.

You will work through a community-led process to:

• build strong community associations
• develop common visions and area action plans 
• build membership and support capacity building among young women aged 18-30
• raise small grants funding
• identify priorities for skills development and learning exchange
• help coordinate evidence-based advocacy projects
• keep appropriate records of meetings and events
• capture and communicate learning, progress, and impacts.

You are:

• Experienced in working in neighbourhoods with long term health inequalities.
• Good at building trusting relationships while maintaining boundaries and being mindful of your own levels of resilience.
• Passionate about social justice and championing community expertise.
• Compassionate and non-judgemental.

Please download the application pack for further information and a full job description.

Note that Community Savers is a majority women-led and transinclusive movement that works in alliance with Community Led Action and Savings Support (CLASS). Membership is open to anyone of any gender identity and community action aims to benefit all people in the areas where we work. Leadership and governance structures seek to celebrate and amplify the voices of working class women as those most disadvantaged by the intersecting cost of living, housing and climate crises.

The Community Support Worker will provide direct, practical and person-centered support to mentees approaching release from prison and after release into the community. Working under the direction of the Project Manager, the post-holder will help mentees identify priorities, develop and progress action plans, access appropriate services and maintain engagement during a period of significant transition.

This is a front-line resettlement and community support role. The post-holder will work alongside mentees, volunteer mentors, prison and probation colleagues and community services to reduce barriers to stability, support safe mentoring relationships and help mentees progress towards realistic goals.

The role requires someone who can build trust while maintaining clear professional boundaries, work confidently across prison and community settings, manage a varied caseload, respond proactively to changing needs and escalate safeguarding or risk concerns appropriately.

Key relationships

· Project Manager and Service Delivery Director.

· Other Trailblazers staff and project colleagues.

· Volunteer mentors and prospective volunteers.

· Mentees and, where appropriate, family members or other community support networks.

· Prison staff, including resettlement, offender management and other relevant departments.

· Probation practitioners and other statutory services.

· Community organisations, accommodation providers, DWP / Jobcentre Plus, employers, education and training providers, health and substance misuse services and other local partners.