Young people and children services team leader jobs

We have some fantastic opportunities for dedicated and enthusiastic Keyworkers to join Barnardo's. Currently we have multiple Full Time, Permanent contracts available as we add to our growing team in Greater Manchester. Would you like the chance to provide crucial support to Children, Young People with Learning Disabilities and/or Autism (up to 25 years) and their families as part of the NHS Long Term Plan?

Covering the Greater Manchester area, it is essential to hold a valid UK driving licence with access to your own vehicle. As a Keyworker, you will have passion and commitment when delivering quality support within the family home, placement, or inpatient setting. You will work as part of a team to prevent - where possible - children and young people from requiring an inpatient admission or placement. Are you a compassionate individual looking for a meaningful and rewarding role?

As this is a new service there are lots of opportunities to develop your skill set, knowledge and career progression going forward. The service has a comprehensive training offer including core competencies through to bespoke training. To be a successful Keyworker, you will need to have the following:

• Experience in supporting children with Learning Disabilities or Autism
• The ability to ensure the 'voice' of the child and family is central, enabling lived experience to create change.
• Excellent team working skills. You will work as part of a service that covers the whole of Greater Manchester. However, there are 5 teams providing the opportunity to offer support and create strong relationships and partnerships in a local area and with colleagues which include Manchester, Bolton, Wigan, Tameside, Salford, Stockport and Trafford.
• Safeguarding knowledge.
• Good IT and recording skills.

This service is dynamic, no two days are the same, however you will have a number of children and young people who you will build positive and meaningful relationships with. You will manage your own diary with families, providing support at a time that suits their needs. This means you will be working some evenings and weekends. In return you will manage your hours so may benefit from later starts or earlier finishes. You will support in homes and the community and attend meetings with professionals and families to ensure excellent communication, a shared understanding and a team approach. You will support information to be understood, views to be shared, checking the right provision is known about and able to be accessed. You will work closely with health and social care partners. We aim to provide the right support, at the right time, in the right way. You may work by yourself or alongside colleagues depending on the support needed.

When completing your application please refer to your skills knowledge and experience in relation to the Advert description,  Person Specification, Job Description and Additional Information document. This should be done with an understanding of the context of the service described.

Please note due to the high volume of applications for some posts, this advert might close before the displayed closing date. We recommend that you apply for this role as soon as possible.

Pay & Reward Framework

We know that our colleagues go above and beyond in delivering our vital work, driven by their passion and commitment to Barnardo's values.  We also know that we can only realise our ambitions and achieve better outcomes for more children, thanks to the talent, hard work and creativity of our people. 

For all these reasons, we are committed to a new approach to pay and reward, to ensure it is fair, attractive and progressive, which was rolled out in April 2023. This is a positive change for the charity, and a part of our People & Culture Strategy. It will assist us in supporting colleagues to belong, thrive and grow in their colleague journey at Barnardo's and in time will offer clear routes of progression for colleagues in both their career and their pay. 

Whilst the full pay band and salary range is advertised, our approach to starting salaries is to appoint between the minimum to mid-point of the pay band – this ensures that pay steps are available to reward our colleagues annually based on their contribution to excellence and alignment to our values and behaviours.  More details on Barnardo's pay framework can be found upon application. 

Benefits

Workplace Offer: What it means for you

Our hybrid working initiative is based on trust, flexibility and empowerment. We understand our workplace offer means different things to different people, and we encourage those conversations. This may mean working at one of our stores, services, working at home, in the community, at one of our Collaboration Hubs or depending on the role any combination of these. Please read through the advert carefully to understand the remits of hybrid working that will be specific to the role.

• Barnardo's believe in creating equality of opportunity in the workplace and supporting people to manage their work-life balance; we are therefore open to offering flexible working arrangements.
• Annual Leave entitlement for full-time colleagues is 26 days per annum, increasing to 27 days per annum, after 3 years Barnardo's service, 29 days per annum, after 5 years Barnardo's service and 30 days per annum, after 7 years Barnardo's service. Those working less than full time are entitled to the same level of holiday pro rata
• The ability to buy up to another 5 days annual leave via our HolidayPlus scheme
• A host of family friendly leave options including company Maternity Paternity and Adoption pay; together with all family additional leave options
• Service related sick pay from day 1
• Access to a Group Personal Pension with a matched 4% or 6% contribution from Barnardo's. Ability to pay via salary sacrifice to garner both tax and NI savings on your own contribution
• Death in service cover of 4x annual earnings for all staff contributing to our Group Personal Pension
• Cycle2work scheme
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Discounts and cashback from at high street shops including major supermarkets, cinemas, gyms, leisure/theme parks, holidays and much more via our Benefit Portal
• 20% discount at Barnardo's stores
• Opportunity to purchase a health cash plan to claim towards dental, glasses, therapy etc
• Free access to round the clock employee assistance program for advice and support
• Access to Barnardo's Learning and Development offer

*T&C's apply based on contract

About Barnardo's

We are committed to being an inclusive employer and cultivating a culture where everyone can belong and thrive through inclusion and connectivity. We want our workforce to be reflective of the communities we work with, and for equality, diversity and inclusion to be embedded in everything we do. We are a Disability Confident Leader, are progressing our ambition to be an anti-racist organisation with Anti-Racism Commitments and actions in place and have networks for colleagues who are disabled, LGBT+, Black and Minoritised Ethnic and Women. We particularly encourage applications from Black and Minoritised Ethnic and/or disabled candidates who are currently underrepresented in our workforce. For disabled applicants, we offer reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.

Our basis and values

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.

The National League Trust is a registered charity and is one of a group of community focused organisations that are linked to professional football.  As a critical partner of the National League, the Trust supports the development of community projects at football clubs who are members of the competition.  

We are looking for someone who can lead the Trust, with a vision to use knowledge, influence and funding to improve the lives of those who benefit from the work of the organisations the Trust supports. This will involve change and shaping the Trust so that it is guaranteed a successful future.

As our new Head of Trust, you will lead a resilient, dedicated small team with a clear strategic focus on impact, innovation, strengthening standards and improving visibility. You will be guided by our values which include working with trust and accountability, learning, sharing what works and collaboration.  You will shape our direction, embed our strategic framework, strengthen relationships and ensure robust governance. 

We are looking for a strategic, relational and operational leader to take the Trust forward in its development over the next five years.  This includes:

• developing and delivering our strategy
• overseeing grant funding operations
• working to increase our unrestricted income
• raising the Trust’s profile
• growth of activity and impact.  

Critical to the role is building and sustaining strong relationships with key stakeholders in all sectors: including potential funders and other third sector bodies.

You do not need to have a background in football for this role. Your skills and experience can be obtained in any sector.