Trainee Play and Community Worker

CARIS Families is a small charity that supports homeless families living in hostel accommodation in Camden and Hackney.  We run play and learning activities for children aged 0-16 from within 4 hostels in these boroughs, as well as a school holiday day trip programme and an Essentials Bank to ease family hardship.  Our services for children aim to reduce the stress on children and parents of living in overcrowded, insecure accommodation, and to put back some of the vital childhood experiences that homeless accommodation deprives children of. 

We are currently looking for a trainee playworker who is looking to build a career working with children to join our dedicated frontline play team.  You do not need to have any formal experience of playwork, but you do need to be passionate about working with children and supporting them to achieve their potential, and to be able to demonstrate this through previous work or volunteering experience.  

This is an exciting opportunity for the right candidate, offering a rare entry-level role which alongside providing plenty of on-the-job training, will also fully sponsor their training towards the Level 2 Diploma in Playwork following successful completion of the probationary period.  

Our new Playworker will: 

Role Description 

• Help to deliver our hostel-based Kids Club’s play session for 0-16 year olds during term time in the London Borough of Camden  

• Help to deliver our School Holiday programme during school holidays (in Camden, Hackney and the wider London area) 

• Support the running of our term-time Essential Bank programme, providing free household goods to families in hostels 

• Provide a warm and welcoming experience for children & their families attending CARIS Families’ services  

• Engage with children in their play and learning experiences, through staff-led activities and supporting child-led play. 

Person Specification 

We are looking for someone at the start of their career (or a career-changer) who is: 

• Experienced in working or volunteering within a play-based setting, with children between the ages of 0-16.

• Enthusiastic about supporting children in their free play and facilitating adult-led activities that stretch and stimulate children in their development 

• Passionate about improving opportunities for disadvantaged children 

• Understanding of the varied needs of children and their families 

• Good communicators, comfortable with working with a wide range of service users and professionals 

• Able to work well as part of a team.

Salary: £14 per hour 

Contract: 12 months initially, with a three month probation period, and the possibility of extension beyond 12 months subject to funding.  Training for the Level 2 diploma will commence after successful completion of the probation period.   

Hours:  12 hours across three days a week in term time (40 weeks a year), Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Please note on Kids Club days the working day ends at 6pm.  One day a week (8 hrs) in school holidays (12 weeks a year), days variable.  25 days per year Annual Leave (pro rata) with an additional week off over Christmas. 

Your pay will be equalized out across the 12 months of the year so you receive a consistent salary each month.