Side jobs

The Head of HR at the Donmar Warehouse will partner with stakeholders across the organisation to support an excellent standard of staff management, welfare and engagement. Using proven skills and experience in HR generalism, recruitment and organisation design, the role will support the overarching strategy of the Donmar with a fit for purpose HR business plan and manage the full employee lifecycle.

The role will deliver on all aspects of HR operations, using a blended approach of staff welfare and culture with compliance and due diligence to keep our people and our organisation safe and thriving. The standalone role encompasses the full lifecycle of HR activity which includes business partner and business planning, through to administration and support of relevant workflows. The post works closely with the Head of Inclusion and Skills to ensure our training programmes are relevant, effective and embedded.

Terms: 30 hours worked across 4 out of 5 weekdays per week

Salary: £55,000 37.5 FTE (this would be pro rata for 30 hours a week)

Applications Currently Scheduled to Close at 10am on Monday 9 February

Round One Interviews: Monday 16 February and Tuesday 17 February

Round Two Interviews: Tuesday 24 February

Ideal start date: end of March/early April (please contact us if you have any questions about this)

We would ideally like a candidate who can start in post at the end of March/early April. We will consider applicants who are available for a staggered start or significant handover if not available at this exact time.

We reserve the right to close the advert early if we receive enough suitable candidates to shortlist and may recruit on a rolling basis.

le Description

Working closely with both the Head of Development and Head of Strategic Projects and Planning, you'll be joining a growing team with the opportunity to shape your role and make a real impact on both the future of Ally Pally and the communities we serve.

Skills gained in the role could help you to build a career in fundraising, project delivery, or in assessing the social impact of heritage and culture.

Your work will help us to:

• Restore and reopen derelict spaces in the Victorian Palace for everyone to enjoy
• Improve key areas of the Park for both people and wildlife (including playgrounds, wetlands, wayfinding)
• Deliver our creative learning and wellbeing programmes, using the Palace's amazing spaces.
• Take forward our ambitious programme to help Ally Pally reach Net Zero

We are looking to recruit a strong administrator excited to learn and make change. We will consider applicants with previous experience in fundraising or project management in arts and heritage organisations, or transferable skills from customer-facing and administrative roles in other industries.

This is a full time, permanent post. 

The below is a summary, please see the JOB PACK for further details including how to apply and interview dates

Key duties 

Development Responsibilities

1. Administer pipeline for trust, foundation and statutory funding bids
2. Carry out desk research to identify potential trust, foundation and statutory supporters
3. Deliver fundraising bids and impact reporting to a small portfolio of trusts and statutory funders, focused on bids to a value of £10,000
4. Plan communications for regular fundraising and community newsletters
5. Donation processing, documentation and thanking for trust and statutory income

Strategic Planning and Projects Responsibilities

1. Meeting administration for Strategic Plan Working Group
2. Administrative support to develop the Charity's stakeholder relationships
3. Support with events for Capital Fundraising Campaign including London Festival or Architecture and Haringey London Borough of Culture
4. Desk research into capital redevelopment in arts, heritage and green spaces
5. Financial processing and budget tracking of team expenditure

Person specification

Essential

• Right to work in the UK
• Administrative experience ideally gained within either a fundraising or project management context
• Experience in customer service and / or communications with donors, clients or customers
• Long-form writing and / or copy writing experience
• Strong written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills
• Experienced user of microsoft 365
• Excellent accuracy and attention to detail
• Ability to manage own workload and meet deadlines
• Willingness to be flexible within a role supporting a range of development projects

Desirable

• Experience using a CRM system
• Bid writing experience
• financial admin experience
• Experience organising events and / or travel for staff, donors or clients
• Strong interest in charitable fundraising
• Strong interest in placemaking, culture and heritage redevelopment

For over 100 years, we have been the central fundraiser and grant maker for maritime welfare. As a truly independent charity, we always put seafarer welfare first.

We’re looking for someone who genuinely cares about people, someone who lights up at the idea of looking after supporters and understands just how important thoughtful donor care is to meaningful fundraising. If you’re enthusiastic, detail‑driven, and love building relationships, you’ll feel right at home with us.

As our Fundraising Officer, you’ll play a vital role in keeping our fundraising engine running smoothly. This isn’t a marketing job, this is real, hands‑on fundraising. You’ll be the person who ensures our donors feel valued, seen, and appreciated. You’ll work across multiple income streams, supporting everything from donation processing to stewardship journeys, helping us maintain the high standards our supporters deserve.

You’ll be joining a small, ambitious, and incredibly committed Development team. A team that truly believes in the work we do and the people we do it for. You’ll need to be comfortable talking to supporters, nurturing relationships, managing details accurately, and getting stuck in wherever needed. If you have a natural warmth, a positive mindset, and pride in doing things well, you’ll thrive here.

Most importantly, you’ll be part of a charity with a unique role in the maritime world, one with a long history, a strong reputation, and a real, measurable impact on the lives of seafarers. This is a brilliant opportunity to grow, learn, and take meaningful steps forward in your fundraising career, surrounded by people who are just as dedicated and driven as you are.

If you’re ready to bring your passion, energy, and commitment to a role where every interaction matters, we’d love to hear from you.

You'll be joining a diverse, friendly, committed team of about 20 staff. We work on a hybrid basis, with a minimum of 3 days per week in the office. There are regular organisation-wide staff meetings at the office to ensure opportunities for people to get to know each other face-to-face, plus smaller departmental team meetings, and cross-organisational working groups.

Experienced Social Worker – NHS Pathfinder Partnership
 

GMRC is a registered charity working with adult women who are victims and survivors of sexual violence and child sexual abuse, providing independent, specialist support and promoting and representing their rights and needs.

The post-holder will be based at GMRC but work alongside TRC and MASH women’s services and Greater Manchester Pathfinder partnership, with service users who have experienced sexual trauma but who present with additional complex mental health needs.

Key responsibilities:

- They will work with service users in partner organisation settings and in the community, working collaboratively with individuals, carers and partners from local multi agency providers and services, to assess and identify social care needs that may be potential barriers to the client being able to address their sexual trauma.

- The post-holder will provide guidance, leadership and consultation on social care legislation and policy to the team and to other areas of mental health services, including joint working where appropriate.

- They will contribute to developing and maintaining high standards of decision making and professional practice in the field of social work.

- The post-holder will be responsible for a caseload of service users under the care of the Pathfinder Partnership, supporting them in their recovery journey.​

- They will provide specialist social work interventions to service users and their carers / families, and involve them in all planning, helping to develop social resilience, motivation and daily living skills.

Benefits:
- Flexible working TBC

- Generous annual leave (30 days a year exc. BH)

- Pension contributions

- Reasonable travel expenses

- Free on-site parking

#social work #social worker #support work #support worker #nhs #social work

We are seeking a collaborative and purpose-driven leader with a strong commitment to the welfare of livestock animals to lead and coordinate our technical operations and service delivery.

The ideal candidate will be highly organised, people-focused, able to inspire, manage and develop teams while delivering high-quality training, education, and advice services. 

The Technical Lead will manage the Humane Slaughter Association’s (HSA) operational and practical work to promote humane slaughter and transport of livestock (including farmed and wild-caught aquatic species) worldwide. They will lead a small team who undertake the operational work in the field, promoting humane methods for the transport and slaughter of animals killed for food and other products.

The successful candidate will join at an exciting period of growth and reorganisation for the HSA as we introduce online learning, grow and broaden our training and advice services and become an increasingly strong voice for practical improvements to the welfare of animals at slaughter. This is an ideal role for someone who is passionate about making real-world improvements to animal welfare using their technical knowledge and organisational skills.

About the HSA 

The Humane Slaughter Association is a unique charity which promotes the welfare of farmed animals ‘Beyond the Farm Gate’; at markets, during transport, at slaughter, and when animals must be killed in emergencies.

Our vision: A world where all farmed animals are transported and killed humanely.

Our mission: To advance and promote the use of humane methods for the slaughter, transport and killing of farmed animals through research and education. 

We do this by offering practical advice, training, and education to all those involved in transport, slaughter, or emergency killing of livestock animals, by funding scientific research to develop more humane approaches and advocating for evidenced-based change. Although we are based in the UK, the charity works worldwide to maximise animal welfare.

Job Description and Person Specification

Before applying, please read the HSA Technical Lead Job Description and Person Specification for full details of the role, criteria, application process.

The HSA requests no contact from agencies or media sales. 

At Outside the Box we make a real difference, positively changing the lives of the people with learning disabilities/autism. To build on our success, we are now looking for someone special to lead our ‘day’ services (OTB Choices).

OTB Choices provides a dynamic portfolio of education, skills, creative and work experience opportunities, from cooking, art and craft to printing, computing, music and customer service, and much more. We are at an exciting stage in our delivery and development and are seeking an exceptional person to lead and manage our services, ensuring consistently high quality provision that really does make a difference.

You will play a pivotal role in our work, proactively leading a diverse team and multi-site operations to achieve targets and outcomes. You will be solution-focused, have the strength, vision and evidenced track record of an experienced manager and shared passion for enabling and empowering people with learning disabilities and/or autism to have their best lives.

Guts UK is the only charity that covers the digestive system from top to tail, including the gut, the liver and the pancreas. The charity focuses particularly on the conditions that have no other specific charity or voice - conditions that are underserved, such as pancreatitis, diverticular disease, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), childhood gut and liver disease, and digestive cancers. With their mission being to improve the lives of the millions of people affected by digestive conditions, they are looking for their first Corporate Partnerships and Philanthropy Manager to help them reach that goal.

The Corporate Partnerships and Philanthropy Manager is responsible for developing and implementing plans to maximise income from corporate partners and high net worth individuals with the propensity to donate significant sums. There is huge scope to develop both income streams at Guts UK, as this is the first dedicated position covering these income streams.

With some fantastic corporate partnerships in place already, there is great potential to build on the existing foundations and leverage those corporate partnerships to secure more ranging from transactional right up to transformational.

The philanthropy function has green shoots to nurture and develop. This is an exciting role for a candidate who wants to grow and shape this income stream, and demonstrate their personal impact on generating income, and providing donors with an incredible supporter experience.

Who are Guts UK looking for?

This role would suit an experienced, corporate and/or philanthropy fundraiser with well-developed relationship management skills. Someone who is excited by the opportunity of shaping, developing and elevating these important supporters for the charity.

Guts UK are open to applications from those looking to develop their expertise and will be fully supported, should they not have equal experience in corporate partnerships and philanthropy. The ideal candidate should be able to demonstrate experience across areas such as corporate prospecting, pitching and account management. 

Guts UK is a small charity with big ambition so a background that includes working within a smaller charity would be helpful for the candidate to have but isn't essential.

Benefits

• Hybrid based, with min 1 day a week in either London or Huddersfield office 
• 27 days leave plus bank holidays and an additional 5 days for office closures 
• Employee assistance programme (covering both the individual and family members*) offering mental health support, physiotherapy and access to a remote GP amongst other services. 
• 5% employer pension contribution

Application notes 

Please download the Candidate Info Pack provided for further information about the role, timelines and next steps.

To progress your application, please contact THINK Recruitment to organise an informal screening call. Please note, we cannot shortlist candidates who have not had a screening call so please allow enough time to have a call before the closing date.

Timeframes

• Closing date for applications: Midnight Tuesday 10th February
• In person interviews – London: Tuesday 17th or Wednesday 18th February 
• In person interviews – Huddersfield: Wednesday 18th or Thursday 19th February
• Decisions by EOD Friday 20th February

We are an award winning charity, regiestered with the Charities commission, 1159007, and thanks to funding from the National Lottery Community Fund, we are seeking a person to coordinate, promote, and support the events and activities of Let’s Grow Preston through high-quality communications and practical logistics. 

We’re looking for someone calm, sociable, enthusiastic, confident, creative, and well-organised, with the ability to produce engaging content across a range of media channels and build strong relationships with stakeholders to boost community engagement and fundraising.

 You’ll also provide hands-on support: loading equipment, preparing event packs, collecting and distributing food, and gathering information for funding applications and reports to the Board of Trustees.

 While the role is primarily focused on communications and general administration on behalf of the charity, it’s varied and active; you’ll regularly support events and be willing to get stuck in wherever needed.

 Regular evening and weekend work will be required as part of the LGP events and community support.

 A full, clean driving licence is essential, as the role involves driving the charity van. Although exceptional candidates without one may still be considered based on other strengths.

Key Responsibilities

· Act as the first point of contact for all visitors and for general enquiries - managing the everyday admin — phone calls, emails, and unexpected (sometimes bizarre!) requests — with sensitivity and efficiency, filtering out what doesn’t need to reach senior staff.

· Communicate regularly with LGP’s network of community groups, schools, partners, and stakeholders across the PR postcode.

· Maintain friendly, professional communication with internal and external contacts in the public, private, and voluntary sectors.

· Support staff to ensure all communications reflect LGP’s tone, values, and visual identity.

· Ensure all volunteers have access to the volunteer handbook, and communicate policy updates in a timely and clear manner.

· Oversee LGP’s calendars to coordinate activities, sessions, equipment, van use, and resource availability — ensuring everything runs smoothly and safely.

· Promote and support the delivery of key events such as the Spring and Christmas Fairs, including marketing, logistics, and on-the-day coordination.

· Uphold health and safety standards and maintain accurate records related to activities, equipment, and participant engagement.

·Collate and format reports and presentations for funders and the board, using content provided by the team — ensuring they are visually engaging and aligned with our brand.

·Support team leads in building relationships with local businesses to increase community engagement and secure corporate support.

·Produce regular newsletters and updates for LGP’s website and social media (Facebook, Instagram, X), using tools like Canva to create engaging, on-brand content.

·Contribute to the creation and delivery of a wider communications and publicity strategy.

·Embody and promote the spirit, culture, and values of Let’s Grow Preston in everything you do.

·Any other duties reasonably required as part of the role.

Essential Qualities

•Minimum 5 GCSEs at Grade A–C (or equivalent), including English and Maths

•At least 2 years’ experience in community engagement, project coordination, or similar roles

•Experience working with a diverse range of people — from those in crisis to professionals and politicians

•High level of IT competency, including Google Suite and Microsoft Office

•Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, able to be social with a variety of different people.

•Strong time management and ability to prioritise a varied workload

•Experience using social media and promotional tools (e.g. Canva)

•Confident writing, editing, and presenting skills

•Flexible, self-motivated, and capable of working independently and as part of a small team

•Proactive and reliable — you take ownership of your responsibilities and follow through

•Able to respond positively to challenges, feedback, and shifting priorities

•Committed to learning and personal development, including undertaking relevant training such as safeguarding and EDI

•Demonstrates initiative, resilience, and the ability to handle pressure and competing deadlines

•Empathy and sensitivity to the challenges faced by individuals and communities

•A positive, can-do attitude and belief in the power of community and environmental action

•Commitment to inclusive working, with a clear understanding of equality, diversity and anti-discriminatory practice

•Comfortable working alone and trusted to represent the charity with professionalism and care

•Ability to build effective working relationships with a wide range of people

•Able to stay calm, use tact and diplomacy, and find constructive solutions to problems

•Willing and able to contribute to the charity’s development, including strategy work, board reports, and cross-team collaboration

•Understanding and commitment to upholding all relevant policies, including Safeguarding, EDI, and the Code of Behaviour

Desirable Qualities

• RHS (or equivalent) Level 2 in Horticulture, or currently working towards it

• Experience of successfully applying for grant funding (£1,000+)

• Experience in developing new activities or projects aligned with charitable aims

• Knowledge of local communities within Preston and the wider PR postcode

Safeguarding and Inclusion

Let’s Grow Preston is a welcoming, inclusive charity that values the diversity of the people and communities we serve. All staff are expected to uphold our Safeguarding, EDI and Code of Behaviour policies as a core part of their role.

General terms and conditions

Salary: £16900

Contract This post is funded until 2027

Hours: 25 hours per week with weekend and evening work. TOIL is available

Pension: Automatic enrolment into a workplace pension

Probationary Period: The post is subject to a probationary period of 6 months, in which time the employee is expected to demonstrate their suitability for the post.

Holidays: 25 days p.a. plus 3 occasional days ( taken between25th December and 1st January) and statutory bank holidays

Place of work: Based at Ashton Walled Garden and travel across the PR postcode

Other: A full driving licence and access to your own or public transport is essential for this position. An enhanced DBS check is essential

How to Apply

Please send your CV and a covering letter outlining why you’re the right fit for this role.

Please include contact details for two referees and indicate whether we may contact them prior to interview.

Deadline for applications is 17.00hours 2nd February 2026

You will provide day-to-day leadership of the finance function, bringing your accounting expertise to the team, and work collaboratively with me in my role as Director of Finance and Services, and from March with the incoming Chief Operating Officer, to ensure our strategy is translated into effective financial systems, budgeting, financial management and reporting.

Qualified Low Intensity Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner (PWP) – NHS Pathfinder Partnership

GMRC is a registered charity working with adult women who are victims and survivors of sexual violence and child sexual abuse, providing independent, specialist support and promoting and representing their rights and needs.

The post-holder will be based at GMRC but work alongside TRC and MASH women’s services and work within the pathfinder partnership, across all partner organisations, providing high quality, evidence based, low intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) based interventions using a guided self-help model, to clients with who have experienced sexual trauma but also have additional mental health needs. The post holder will work with people with different cultural backgrounds and ages, using interpreters when necessary and should be committed to equal opportunities.

Key responsibilities:

- Work within the Pathfinder partnership consultation model to identify potential survivors who might benefit from a low intensity psychological intervention.

- Undertake client-centred conversations and assessments which identifies areas where the person wishes to see change and or recovery and makes an accurate assessment of risk to self and others.

- Provide a range of information and support for evidence based, low intensity psychological interventions whilst working within a flexible and person-centred model of care.

- Work closely with other members of the team ensuring appropriate interventions are considered and identify where a transfer of care to an HSP or another pathfinder team member might be required.

- Prepare and present clinical information for all clients on their caseload to clinical case management supervisors within the service on an agreed and scheduled basis, in order to ensure safe practice and the clinical governance obligations of the worker, supervisor and service are delivered.

Benefits:
- Flexible working TBC

- Generous annual leave (30 days a year exc. BH)

- Pension contributions

- Reasonable travel expenses

- Free on-site parking

#wellbeing #wellbeing practitioner #psychological wellbeing #psychological wellbeing practitioner #wellbeing #mental health #mental health practitioner #mental health wellbeing #mental wellbeing

Guts UK is the only charity that covers the digestive system from top to tail, including the gut, the liver and the pancreas. The charity focuses particularly on the conditions that have no other specific charity or voice - conditions that are underserved, such as pancreatitis, diverticular disease, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), childhood gut and liver disease, and digestive cancers. With their mission being to improve the lives of the millions of people affected by digestive conditions, they are looking for their first Corporate Partnerships and Philanthropy Manager to help them reach that goal.

The Corporate Partnerships and Philanthropy Manager is responsible for developing and implementing plans to maximise income from corporate partners and high net worth individuals with the propensity to donate significant sums. There is huge scope to develop both income streams at Guts UK, as this is the first dedicated position covering these income streams.

With some fantastic corporate partnerships in place already, there is great potential to build on the existing foundations and leverage those corporate partnerships to secure more ranging from transactional right up to transformational.

The philanthropy function has green shoots to nurture and develop. This is an exciting role for a candidate who wants to grow and shape this income stream, and demonstrate their personal impact on generating income, and providing donors with an incredible supporter experience.

Who are Guts UK looking for?

This role would suit an experienced, corporate and/or philanthropy fundraiser with well-developed relationship management skills. Someone who is excited by the opportunity of shaping, developing and elevating these important supporters for the charity.

Guts UK are open to applications from those looking to develop their expertise and will be fully supported, should they not have equal experience in corporate partnerships and philanthropy. The ideal candidate should be able to demonstrate experience across areas such as corporate prospecting, pitching and account management. 

Guts UK is a small charity with big ambition so a background that includes working within a smaller charity would be helpful for the candidate to have but isn't essential.

Benefits

• Hybrid based, with 1 day a week in either London or Huddersfield office - £2,000 London Weighting for candidates working hybrid from the London office
• 27 days leave plus bank holidays and an additional 5 days for office closures 
• Employee assistance programme (covering both the individual and family members*) offering mental health support, physiotherapy and access to a remote GP amongst other services. 
• 5% employer pension contribution

Application notes 

Please download the Candidate Info Pack provided for further information about the role, timelines and next steps.

To progress your application, please contact THINK Recruitment to organise an informal screening call. Please note, we cannot shortlist candidates who have not had a screening call so please allow enough time to have a call before the closing date.

Timeframes

• Closing date for applications: Midnight Tuesday 10th February
• In person interviews – London: Tuesday 17th or Wednesday 18th February 
• In person interviews – Huddersfield: Wednesday 18th or Thursday 19th February
• Decisions by EOD Friday 20th February

Our Second Home is the UK’s youth movement of young people with refugee backgrounds. Since 2018, we have supported over 750 young people from 53 countries to build community, develop leadership skills, and flourish into adulthood in the place they now call home.

Our work begins with transformational residential experiences, where young people form friendships, grow in confidence, and experience belonging – often for the first time since arriving in the UK. From there, many go on to take part in our Leadership Training Programme and local Youth Hubs in London and Bristol, before returning as peer leaders themselves. This cycle of engagement, growth and leadership is at the heart of our theory of change.

We are now entering a pivotal phase of our development, delivering a new 2025–2028 strategy focused on sustainable growth, deeper impact, and long-term resilience. Fundraising is central to this ambition.

The role (Read the recruitment pack for more information)

We are recruiting a Fundraising Manager to act as the organisation’s operational lead for income generation. This is a part-time role (18–24 hours per week) with significant flexibility, ideal for someone who is organised, thoughtful, and motivated by building something meaningful.

The Fundraising Manager will manage and coordinate income across five strands: trusts and foundations, major donors, corporate foundations, individual and digital giving, and statutory funding. While the role has a strong trusts and foundations focus, it offers real scope to build skills and experience across a broad fundraising portfolio.

Working closely with the CEO, a highly experienced freelance Bid Writer, and the wider team, you will be responsible for developing funding pipelines, producing high-quality proposals and applications, stewarding funder relationships, and translating programme impact into compelling narratives. You will also play a key role in donor communications, reporting, CRM management, and supporting campaigns and events.

This is a hands-on role for someone who enjoys balancing writing, relationship-building, planning and delivery – and who values doing fundraising with integrity and care.

About you

We are looking for someone with experience in fundraising (particularly trusts and foundations) or strong transferable skills such as persuasive writing, project management, or stakeholder engagement. You will be comfortable managing multiple deadlines, maintaining an organised pipeline, and working independently while staying closely connected to a small team.

You will bring strong written and verbal communication skills, attention to detail, and the ability to build warm, professional relationships with funders and supporters. Experience using a CRM system is important, as is an understanding of – or willingness to learn about – the UK voluntary sector funding landscape.

Above all, we are looking for someone who aligns with our values: putting young people at the centre, acting with rather than for, creating opportunities for leadership, and building a culture of freedom, respect and acceptance. We warmly welcome applications from people with lived experience of the asylum system.

This is a role for someone who wants their fundraising work to be closely connected to real people, real programmes, and real change – and who is excited to help shape the next chapter of a growing, values-led organisation.

Introduction and Purpose of the post: 

We are seeking an experienced, values-driven Clinical Services Manager to provide clinical leadership, operational oversight, and strategic development for our Talking Therapies for Anxiety and Depression service. 

You will be responsible for ensuring the delivery of safe, effective, high-quality, and culturally responsive psychological therapies, while supporting and developing a multidisciplinary clinical team. 

This role combines clinical leadership, service management, workforce development, and quality assurance, with a strong emphasis on inclusive practice and community accountability. 

Main duties and responsibilities: 

Clinical & Professional Leadership 

• Provide senior clinical leadership across the service, ensuring safe and ethical practice in line with professional, legal, and organisational standards. 

• Maintain oversight of clinical risk, safeguarding, and governance arrangements. 

• Promote culturally responsive, anti-oppressive, and LGBTQ+ affirmative clinical practice. 

Service Management & Development 

• Lead day-to-day operational management of the Talking Therapies for Anxiety and Depression service 

• Oversee access, waiting times, outcomes, and service performance 

• Use data, feedback, and community insight to drive service improvement 

• Contribute to service development, innovation, and funding or commissioning requirements 

Workforce Leadership & Supervision 

• Line manage clinical staff, including therapists, supervisors, and trainees 

• Ensure high-quality clinical supervision, reflective practice, and CPD opportunities. 

• Foster a supportive, psychologically safe, and inclusive team culture 

• Provide training, supervision, guidance, and consultation to other professionals who directly contribute to the formulation and treatment of individual patients, including those in other teams within the organisation.  

Equity, Inclusion & Community Engagement 

• Embed anti-racist, culturally informed, and LGBTQ+ inclusive frameworks across the service. 

• Work collaboratively with community organisations and stakeholders 

• Champion the voices and experiences of ACH, Global Majority, and LGBTQ+ service users 

Personal specification  

The remaining sections outlines what criteria will be used to appoint the suitable candidate.

Criteria are marked as (E) are essential and (D) desirable. (I) would indicate which criteria shall be evaluated at the interview. 

Experience, Knowledge, Skills, Abilities - Values and Motivations: 

Connected: Creating a compassionate and supportive community. 

• Ability to build trusting relationships with staff, service users, and external partners (E, I) 

• Experience of collaborative, multidisciplinary team working (E, I) 

• Strong communication skills, including the ability to engage sensitively across cultural, racial, and LGBTQ+ identities (E, I) 

• Commitment to reflective practice, supervision, and staff development (E, I) 

• Experience of engaging with service user feedback to inform service delivery (E, I) 

• Experience working in partnership with community organisations, voluntary sector, or grassroots groups (D) 

• Lived or professional experience working closely with ACH, Global Majority, and/or LGBTQ+ communities (D) 

• Experience co-producing services or pathways with service users and communities (D) 

Fair:  We strive for equity - no-one's needs should go unmet. 

• Strong commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion in mental health services (E, I) 

• Understanding of structural inequalities and their impact on mental health and access to care (E, I) 

• Experience delivering or overseeing culturally responsive and LGBTQ+ affirmative psychological therapies (E, I) 

• Knowledge of safeguarding, ethical practice, and clinical governance frameworks (E, I) 

• Commitment to fair, transparent, and supportive people management practices (E, I) 

Introduction

East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT) working with Mind CHWF and other voluntary sector partners is delighted to offer a secondment as a community connector to support the mental well-being of people with complex mental health and social needs in the Neighbourhoods in City & Hackney.

This is a new role and we are looking to work with individuals from the voluntary sector to help us co-design and test out the role.  You will help to shape the role, working closely with people in Neighbourhoods to reflect their strengths, interests and ideas for what matters to them about good mental well-being.

You will be a welcome member of the multi-disciplinary (MDT) mental health team, with day-to-day managerial and professional supervision provided within the team. You will also be able to access training and other staff support within ELFT during this time.

Background

In the autumn of 2019 ELFT was successful in securing funding from NHS England (NHSE) for community mental health transformation. It is one of 12 national pilot sites. City and Hackney, Newham and Tower Hamlets are all part of the ELFT pilot. The aim of the transformation is to develop a model of support for people with serious mental illness (SMI) that recognises complexity and social determinants over and above diagnosis, and supports them through a blended team of voluntary sector, mental health and primary care staff to connect better into a range of activities in their neighbourhoods. The new teams are organised around City & Hackney Primary care networks (PCNs) / Neighbourhoods, and will provide wraparound support for people with varying levels of need. These teams will develop a rich understanding of population mental health need, and work with individuals, families, and communities to develop capacity for self-management, and provide local treatment and support for individuals when they need it.

The teams include the new community connector role. This will be someone from the voluntary sector, well connected in the neighbourhoods and bringing expertise in wider social support and well-being. We are working with voluntary sector partners to design and test this role.

Responding to Covid 19

Since the Covid 19 emergency began in mid-March much of the transformation programme has had to be adapted. ELFT is keen that where the transformation can support the Covid 19 response it should continue. In particular the role of the community connector could be valuable during the Covid 19 emergency and recovery.

The role obviously needs to be different and we will work closely with the connectors and the voluntary sector to design and test out the role. The description here is intended as a starter for ten to give some idea about the shape the role might take.

During the Covid pandemic, the community connectors will be part of the ELFT community MDT team, making links to specific Neighbourhoods. Also the face to face work in terms of assessments, interventions, group work, partnership working may need to be carried out differently. The role will now include:

· providing support to service users by phone/virtually

· connecting service users to the fast developing range of Covid 19 resources in each neighbourhood and keeping the mental health and primary care teams up to date about these resources and how to refer people to the/access them. Including supporting the new Neighbourhood MDTs as these develop.

· developing a good knowledge of all the online resources in each neighbourhood and connecting service users and staff to these

· we will keep the option for face to face work and group work under review, depending on the government guidance on social distancing. As lockdowns are lifted there may be some possibility to offer this type of support

The following five design principles have guided our model development to date:

1. Service users and citizens will be active, equal partners: leading the design, implementation, governance, and delivery of our new mode

2. We will integrate mental and physical health, wellbeing and social care: our services will feel fully integrated to service users and carers

3. The right support in the right place and the right time: services will be delivered in the PCN footprint, and service users will not be “bounced around” services

4. A focus on what matters to service users: care planning will look beyond health goals to life goals and wider determinants of health; and we will work to connect people to each other and their communities

5. Evidence-based interventions: Service users will be confident that our services provide the latest evidence-based care, treatment and support.

The role

The Community Connectors will support individuals to connect within neighbourhoods, and use local assets to self-organise.

Who you will support

The post-holder will work closely with individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) and/or personality disorders (PD), developing an understanding of complexity in order to provide the most appropriate support. Some of the service users you will work with will have been supported by community mental health recovery teams, seen in outpatients and are not care co-ordinated, so could be better supported by their local neighbourhood team. Other service users will be on primary care SMI registers and likely to benefit from additional support, but do not meet the thresholds for traditional secondary care. Other people might not be known to our services currently, and could benefit from the more personalised, local, holistic offer you will be developing.

Your approach

The ethos of this work will be recovery focused, move away from a traditional referral model, blur the boundaries between primary and secondary care, explore needs through complexity (rather than diagnosis), focus on a person’s strengths and assets, and focus on the wider determinants of health and wellbeing. This approach is as important as your experience and expertise. You will develop a strengths based biopsychosocial assessment, and supportive approach, and work with colleagues and local people to develop the MDT approach in its infancy. 

Although not exhaustive, below is a list of the skills and responsibilities that may be required:

Individual Support

· Strong interpersonal and communication skills. It is important that you listen to service users and carers to find out what is important to them, and that you build open, supportive and trusting relationships (working with the challenges of not meeting face-to-face, at least initially, due to the current Covid-19 public health crisis. We will keep the option for face to face work and group work under review, depending on the government guidance on social distancing. As lockdowns are lifted there may be some possibility to offer this type of support.)

· A strong sense of what factors influence health and wellbeing.

· The ability to assist service users in setting goals and making changes that are meaningful to them.

· You will conduct regular innovative and engaging sessions (currently with individuals, over the phone) in order to work towards support plan goals.

· You will ensure ongoing assessment and management of risks within an attitude of 'positive risk taking'.

· You will give people time to tell their stories and focus on ‘what matters to me’, build trust, providing non-judgemental support, respecting diversity and lifestyle choices.

· You will use health coaching and motivational interviewing techniques, identify barriers to people accessing services, and work with service users to overcome these. You will support people to identify the wider issues that impact on their health and wellbeing, such as debt, poor housing, employment circumstances and unemployment, loneliness, isolation and caring responsibilities.

· Where people may be eligible for a personal health budget, help them to explore this option as a way of providing funded, personalised support to be independent, including helping people to gain skills for meaningful employment, where appropriate.

Community Development

· You will act as the ‘glue’, linking people in with experts and local assets, and undertaking support work in partnership with external stakeholders to complement their interventions.

· You will stay up to date with the constantly developing environment, local offer, and national policies, during the Covid-19 pandemic. Significant experience in local statutory and/or voluntary sector services.

· You will have a deep knowledge of City & Hackney (or a specific local area or demographic), what is available locally and how to signpost and support people (network creation, mapping).

· You will develop productive relationships with local partner organisations to improve service outcomes, and involve service users and carers in the design, development and delivery of the service.

· You will need to triage referrals and signpost to specialist support quickly where necessary, and deal with general queries to contribute to the overall smooth running of the neighbourhood team.

· Where appropriate, introduce people to community groups, activities and statutory services, ensuring they are comfortable.  Follow up to ensure they are happy, able to engage, included and receiving good support.

· Where appropriate you will connect people to each other through shared common interests and the need for mutual support.

· You will have the ability and drive to build networks with local community resources such as activities and services that may have an impact on health and wellbeing, and support individuals to access these. To be proactive in encouraging self-referrals, and connecting with all local communities.

· You will work in partnership with existing community navigation roles in City & Hackney.

Project Management

· You will monitor and record outcomes of all those accessing the service through the use of recognised assessment tools and outcome measures. With the wider team, you will gather and collate statistical and other information and data as required, reporting on activity and outcomes and ensuring effective qualitative and quantitative monitoring and evaluation of the services.

· You will help to develop and adapt this role as the societal circumstances we are operating under change (as the Covid-19 public health situation develops and/or social distancing is relaxed).

General

· You will reflect on practice and participate in team meetings, practice development forums and peer supervision. You will identify own training and development needs in conjunction with your Line Manager and participate in training opportunities.

· You will develop an awareness of local and national developments and best practice in this area of work and to attend relevant conferences, meetings and training events as required.

· You will adhere to organisational policies and procedures relating to risk and personal safety. You will refer all safeguarding issues in line with local policy.

· You will manage volunteers and other team members as required.

· You will identify issues relating to systemic challenges and disconnects, and report these to the Programme Manager, developing an eye for service improvement opportunities.

Person Specification

As a community connector, you will become a local expert, gathering and sharing information about local opportunities, activities, and support, bringing people together and supporting them to remain confident and independent in their everyday lives.

We are looking for community connectors with experience supporting with people with their mental health, with significant experience in statutory and/or voluntary sector services, knowledge of City & Hackney (or a specific local area or demographic), and strong interpersonal skills.

Skills and experience:

Person Centred

- Enjoys social interaction and the company of others.

- Exudes a warm friendly presence and open behaviour. Is approachable and open-minded.

- Prefers working as part of a group or team.

- Has a practical and logical mind.

- Well organised and knows how to prioritise tasks. Able to plan own workload.

- Thrives on change and enjoys dynamic diverse environments.

- Is respectful, articulate and sensitive in style of communication.

- Ability to listen, empathise with people and provide person-centred support in a non-judgmental.

- Able to support people in a way that inspires trust and confidence, motivating others to reach their potential.

- Experience of supporting people, families and care in a related role (including unpaid work).

- Experience of supporting people with their mental health, either in a paid, unpaid or informal capacity.

Community Development

- Commitment to reducing health inequalities and proactively working to reach people from all communities.

- Able to work from an asset-based approach, building on existing community and personal assets.

- Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, with people, their families, carers, community groups, partner agencies and stakeholders.

- Ability to identify risk and assess/manage risk when working with individuals.

- Able to get along with people from all backgrounds and communities, respecting lifestyles and diversity.

- Is motivated towards excellence and improvement of personal performance with a can do attitude.

- Ability to cope positively with challenging and diverse behaviour.

- Demonstrates a desire for continuous professional development.

- Experience of working directly in a community development context, adult health and social care, learning support or public health/health improvement (including unpaid work).

- Experience of partnership/collaborative working and of building relationships across a variety of organisations.

Knowledge:

- Understanding of the wider determinants of health, including social, economic and environmental factors and their impact on communities and how adverse circumstances and structural barriers can affect people's relationships

- An understanding of the experiences of people who live with significant mental distress.

- Knowledge of community development approaches.

- Knowledge of IT systems, including ability to use word processing skills, emails and the internet to create simple plans and reports.

- Knowledge of motivational coaching and interview skills.

- Knowledge of voluntary and community services in the local neighbourhood.

Essential:

- Educated to GCSE level (or equivalent by experience).

- NVQ Level 2/3 or equivalent.

- Significant experience in statutory or voluntary sector services.

- IT literate.

Desirable:

- Mental Health First Aid or willingness to work towards the qualification.

- Training in motivational coaching and interviewing or equivalent experience.

- University degree and/or professional qualification.

- Experience of delivering peer support groups.