Head of research and programme policy jobs

Job title: Safeguarding Lead

Reports to: Head of Bereavement Services

Salary: £33,120

Location: Hybrid working with 2 days a week in the office depending on location.

Hours: Full Time, 37.5 hours, Monday-Friday.

Post No: 2WSFT01

Objective: 2wish exists to provide support to anyone affected by the sudden and unexpected death of a child or young person aged 25 and under.

Aims:

• Ensure every Emergency Department and Critical Care unit has a suitable bereavement suite
• Ensure that bereavement boxes are available at each of these hospitals
• Ensure that immediate bereavement support is available for all affected by the sudden death of a child or young person
• Provide a professional counselling service and other therapies for those affected by the sudden death of a child or young person
• Provide support to individuals who witness the sudden death of a child or young person
• Provide support and training to professionals from any sector who may be affected by the sudden death of a child or young person
• To advocate and campaign on behalf of suddenly bereaved families

2wish Cymru and 2wish:

2wish has been established since 2012 and has grown from strength to strength. During tis time, we have worked tirelessly to embed our service and ensure that the offer of support is made at the point of death.

We offer an immediate, consistent, high-quality and compassionate service to all individuals affected by the sudden and unexpected death of a child or young person aged 25 and under in Wales and the bordering counties in England, including; Cheshire, Shropshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, Avon and Somerset, with the plan to continue to roll out support to the whole of England. We work in partnership with professionals who refer int the charity on behalf of families, so they don’t have to trawl through the internet for an organisation who may, or may not, be able to support. We provide immediate, and ongoing, support and are here for as long as our families need us.

Context of role:

2wish support anyone affected by the sudden and unexpected death of a child or young person aged 25 and under. We provide immediate casework support, as well as ongoing aftercare services including counselling, alternative therapies, play therapy, support groups, support events and a respite cottage.

We are looking for a strong leader to manage the bereavement service including the operational delivery of immediate support and counselling and therapeutic support services, this includes the line management of the staff responsible for delivering this service.

We are proud of what we have achieved in Wales and the excellent service provided everyday by the support team. We are looking for a nurturer with experience of managing projects and service delivery with the ability and drive to motivate and support a varied and talented team.

Main duties:

Safeguarding Leadership & Case Management

• Act as the first point of contact for all safeguarding concerns raised internally or externally.
• Assess, triage, and respond to safeguarding concerns involving vulnerable bereaved parents, carers, siblings, or young people.
• Maintain accurate and confidential records in line with GDPR and 2wish policies.
• Liaise with statutory agencies (Social Services, Police, Health, Education) to ensure appropriate information‑sharing and coordinated responses.
• Ensure timely escalation of high‑risk cases to the senior leadership team.

Support to Families & Vulnerable Individuals

• Provide trauma‑informed safeguarding guidance to staff supporting families in crisis or acute grief.
• Monitor risks associated with complex family dynamics (e.g., domestic abuse, substance misuse, mental health crises, self‑harm, suicidal ideation).
• Offer safeguarding input into family support plans, therapeutic work, and follow‑up services.
• Contribute to safer engagement strategies for young people attending support sessions or activities.

Safeguarding at Events

• Work closely with the Events Team to ensure risk assessments for fundraising events account for vulnerable beneficiaries in attendance.
• Provide on‑the‑day safeguarding cover at key events when required.
• Support staff and volunteers in managing disclosures or concerns arising during events.

Policy, Procedure & Compliance

• Support the development, review, and implementation of safeguarding policies in line with national legislation, regulatory guidance, and best practice.
• Ensure compliance with Charity Commission safeguarding expectations.
• Conduct audits and spot checks to assess safeguarding practice across 2wish services.
• Contribute to risk assessments, incident reviews, and continuous improvement processes.

Training & Capacity Building

• Deliver safeguarding training and briefings to staff, trustees, volunteers, and sessional workers.
• Promote a confident safeguarding culture where concerns are recognised early and raised promptly.
• Support onboarding processes to ensure all staff and volunteers understand their safeguarding responsibilities.

Partnership Working

• Build strong relationships with safeguarding boards, local authorities, health boards, schools, and referral partners.
• Represent 2wish multi‑agency meetings, strategy discussions, and case conferences.

General:

• To be responsible for organising own work agenda, time management and administration
• To show respect and sensitivity for the cultural and religious beliefs of families
• To undertake learning opportunities and seek them out for the team
• To adhere to all company policies and procedures including Safeguarding, Confidentiality,
• Health and Safety and Lone Working; and to be proactive in implementing new safe working practices as appropriate
• To attend weekend and evening community events in support of the charity as necessary
• Participate as and when required in team meetings and one-to-one meetings, and undertake, as appropriate, courses/training/other developmental activities, which is relevant to the role

It is the nature of the work that tasks and responsibilities are in many circumstances unpredictable and varied. All employees are therefore expected to work in a flexible way and tasks, which are not specifically covered in their job description may have to be undertaken.

You will be subject to performance review, which will incorporate a review of the above duties and performance over the period.

The postholder must uphold 2wish values: Compassion, Boldness, Excellence and Community.

This role is subject to a DBS check.

What we do for you:

Contract type: Permanent and full-time

Hours: Normal office hours are 9am – 5pm, Monday to Friday, although alternative hours may be worked with line manager agreement. Work outside office hours may sometimes be necessary and will be compensated for by time off in lieu.

Annual leave: 28 days plus bank holidays. Annual leave steadily increases after five years of service. Annual leave and statutory holidays are calculated on a pro rata basis where applicable.

Pension: 2wish operate a contributory pension scheme. 2wish will auto-enrol you into the scheme in accordance with it’s auto-enrolment obligations. Full details of the scheme will be provided to you once you are enrolled, including the minimum level of contributions that you will be required to make during your membership (current contributions – employer 3% and employee 5%).

Mileage: A fixed rate allowance is payable for agreed mileage undertaken on 2wish business in a private vehicle, over and above your usual journey to your workplace/s.

Location: 2wish is currently working with staff to offer a form of hybrid working and this will continue for the foreseeable.

Additional benefits for our employees:

• An ‘Employee Assistance Programme, ‘ including wellbeing support
• Free parking on 2wish premises
• Free branded 2wish clothing
• An extra annual leave day on your birthday
• Incremental increase in holiday entitlement based on length of service
• Paid sick leave
• Discounts for personal purchases on 2wish Merchandise
• Free tickets to UK 2wish events, discounts for family
• Extra holiday entitlement when taking part in 2wish overseas events
• Company mobile phone for performance of duties
• Tools/equipment required for the performance of duties
• Reimbursement of work expenses
• Bright Exchange employee discounts

How to apply:

Please return a CV and covering letter, or a CV and two-minute video, by email.

Closing Date: 13 March 2026

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

• Salary: £33,000– £37,000 gross per annum at 1.0 FTE (full-time equivalent), dependent on experience

• Working pattern: This is a full-time role, based on 5 days per week, 1.0 FTE or 37.5 hours per week. Flexible working arrangements for 0.80FTE (30 hours per week) will be considered upon application

• Contract: Permanent with a 6 months probationary period

• Member of: Fundraising Team

• Reporting to: Development Manager (Partnerships)

• Location: This role can be hybrid, or office based. At a minimum, candidates will be required to work from the London office at least 2 days a week, as well as be able to attend ad hoc events and away days in person.

Safe Passage International (SPI) is recruiting a Development Lead/Coordinator (Fundraising). We are looking for an enthusiastic, experienced, and motivated individual to join the Fundraising Team to help grow and diversify our core private funding/income streams in its invaluable and ground-breaking work to ensure that safe routes exist and are accessible for all people seeking asylum.

Reporting to the Development Manager (Partnerships), you will coordinate the day today delivery of our fundraising strategy, with a particular focus on high value giving and building strong, values aligned relationships with supporters.

You will play a key role in turning strategy into action. This includes nurturing relationships with major donors, trusts and foundations, and helping to develop new income such as institutional funding or legacy giving, to ensure our funding is resilient and sustainable.

You will work as part of a collaborative Fundraising Team and closely with colleagues across Safe Passage International, including teams in the UK, Greece, and France.

We are looking for good transferrable leadership and organisational skills, as detailed in the Person Specification. Experience in a similar role would be welcome, but this could also be your first paid position in the NGO sector, or you could be returning to work after time out. A full induction will be provided, alongside a dedicated training budget to support you to grow and develop within your role.

Our work is diverse across all the international locations in which SPI operates.

We value equity and diversity in our organisation and are striving to build a workforce reflective of the communities we work with. We encourage applications from people of all ethnicities, working ages, genders, sex, sexual orientations, faiths (or none), marital statuses (or none) and pregnancy status. We also have full flexible working policies to support people with disabilities and caring responsibilities. People with refugee or asylum-seeking backgrounds are experts by experience and are particularly encouraged to apply.

We also have full flexible working policies to support people with disabilities and caring responsibilities. People with refugee or asylum-seeking backgrounds are experts by experience and are particularly encouraged to apply.

As a refugee charity, we offer a guaranteed interview for people with direct lived experience of seeking asylum who meet most of the essential criteria outlined in the Person Specification. If you have first-hand experience of applying for asylum in any country, please let us know in your application.

We respect that people’s identity is not defined by their past experiences and do not expect candidates to describe their lived experience during the interview process unless they wish to.

If you are excited by this role and working at Safe Passage International but do not have all the experience you think is needed, we would encourage you to apply anyway and reach out for an informal chat beforehand to discuss why you would like to apply for the role and what skills or experiences you think are relevant.

If you would like an informal discussion about the role, please email our SPI Human Resources Team. Contact details can be found in the Job Description attached. 

How do I apply?

Please read the full Job Description & Person Specification and our ‘Application Questions and Guidance’ document below.

The ‘Application Questions and Guidance’ asks candidates to submit a CV and Cover Letter answering six specific questions linked to the Person Specification. Applications can be submitted via email in written form or as digital audio or video files.

We also ask candidates to complete our ‘Equal Opportunities Form’ to help us monitor and improve in our aims to become a truly diverse, representative and inclusive work force.

For information on further application guidance, FAQs and an insight into what it’s like working at Safe Passage, please visit the ‘Working at Safe Passage’ section of our website.

Closing date: Sunday 1st March 2026 at 11.59 pm.

The Haberdashers’ Company is one of the ancient Livery Companies of the City of London, with a history dating back to 1371. While custodians of a remarkable heritage, we are firmly focused on the present and future. Our enduring purpose is to empower young people from every background to fulfil their potential through our schools and by supporting their communities.

Today, the Company is a thriving membership organisation of more than 1,000 members from a wide range of professions, united by a shared commitment to service and social impact. We are a modern, values-led funder, committed to flexible, relational and transparent grant-making, working in partnership with our schools, communities and charity partners to create lasting change.

Central to our approach is the Haberdashers’ Advantage, a distinctive funder-plus model that combines grant funding with member-led governance support, volunteering, mentoring and capacity building. Each year, the Company distributes over £5.6 million to support schools, young people, churches and charities across North London, Southeast London, South Wales and the West Midlands, with a primary focus on education and community resilience.

The Role

We are seeking a Director for Charities to lead and further develop the Company’s grant-making and philanthropy. This senior leadership role is responsible for shaping and delivering charitable strategy and ensuring the Company’s resources create meaningful, long-term impact for young people and communities.

The Director for Charities will oversee our grant-making, steward key funding relationships and play a central role in developing fundraising within our warm, committed and engaged community of members, including growing individual giving, legacies and events-based income. The role is inherently relational, working closely with charity partners, schools, dioceses, Company members and colleagues. You will support and advise grant-making committees, convene learning and engagement events, and represent the Company within external funder networks to remain connected to best practice in modern philanthropy.

Who We Are Looking For

We are looking for a values-driven leader with strong experience of flexible and responsive grant-making and or fundraising in the charitable sector, and a clear commitment to improving outcomes for young people and communities. You will have excellent communication skills, a warm, engaging and reflective leadership style, and will thrive in a small but highly collaborative organisation. You will be comfortable engaging with grassroots charities, senior stakeholders, Company members and robust governance structures, combining an appreciation for heritage and service with a commitment to modern, progressive philanthropy.

To read more about the opportunity and our work, please download the full appointment brief.

Closing Date: 3 March 2026

People Beyond Profit Screening Conversations: 9-18 March 2026

The Haberdashers’ Company Panel Interviews:

• First Stage: 27 March 2026
• Second Stage: 13 April 2026