Barnardo's is seeking an empathetic and child led individual who can work within a dynamic and fast-paced environment using their strong organisational, communication and time management skills to support children in the secure estate.
This part-time position (Children's Rights and Advocacy Worker – Project Worker 2) is based within Oakhill Secure Training Centre, which accommodates children aged between 12-18 years, who are in custody, either sentenced or on remand. Barnardo's refers to Young Offender Institutions (YOI) and Secure Training Centres (STC) as the ‘Secure Estate'.
Barnardo's is commissioned by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to provide an Independent Children's Rights and Advocacy (ICRAS) Service to children accommodated in a secure setting. The service is known to children as Barnardo's: Your Rights, Your Voice, and currently works within four Young Offender Institutes, one Secure Training Centre and one Secure Children's home. The ICRAS service is child led and independent of the secure estate; our service is delivered within Oakhill STC to ensure children can freely access support for a range of issues linked to their needs, rights & experiences of custody, resettlement, and safeguarding. As such this is a child-facing service, and at times involves lone working in the establishments, so we are seeking someone who can see the child, not the offence.
We hold ‘voice' at the heart of all we do, therefore we feel the role is best described by someone who is currently working in this sector: “The role is a Children's Rights and Advocacy role, which means it is our job to empower the children we work with and help them to understand that what they think, what they feel and what they want, really matters. We can speak on behalf of children to ensure their voice is heard and we also have the opportunity to help them to find the tools and confidence to raise their voices for themselves. Advocacy and Children's Rights support is particularly crucial in the secure estate because children are away from home, family and champions, and also because children in secure estate are some of the most vulnerable children in society; they have often faced considerable adversity, disadvantage and discrimination prior to arriving into custody and they might not, therefore, be equipped with the skills needed to articulate their concerns. Through the work you do with a child such as simply helping them make contact with friends or family on the outside, to helping them with concerns they may have in relation todiscrimination, resettlement or safeguarding issues, you may be the one person telling them that they matter for the very first time.”
The position (Children's Rights and Advocacy Worker – Project Worker 2) is line managed by a Team Manager, reporting to an off-site manager. The post holder will need to be able to work autonomously, working to the requirements of the contract and the regime of the STC. The secure estate is a highly structured environment; as a Barnardo's service we deliver independent advocacy and support for a range of issues, whilst still having to follow and adhere to this structure.
This role includes lone working in this challenging secure environment. It is, therefore, critical that the successful candidate can follow guidance and policy and is able to take proactive and individual responsibility to understand and access the service support mechanisms. This role requires the worker to be onsite for their contracted hours, working remotely only for occasional training or meetings. The advocacy team work on a rota system with set hours each week, which includes weekends and bank holidays. Applicants should also be aware, that due to the nature of working within secure estate, the vetting and induction process can take several months to complete.
When completing your application please refer to your skills, knowledge and experience in relation to the Additional Information, Person Specification and Job Description document. This should be done with an understanding of the context of the service described, including advocacy and safeguarding.
This is a part-time vacancy with 25.5 hours available per week.
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 Buy Your Leave 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
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Are you looking for a dynamic and rewarding role working for an organisation with the feminist agenda at the core of its ethos? Then Advance Charity could be the career choice for you!
We are looking for a Loss & Bereavement Specialist Worker
Salary: £27,000- £32,000 pro rata
Location: Advance Headoffice Hammersmith & Women’s centres across London, with co- location at HMP Bronzefield
Hours: 21 hours per week
Contract: Fixed Term – March 2027
This post is open to female applicants only as being female is deemed to be a genuine occupational requirement under Schedule 9, Paragraph 1 of the Equality Act 2010.
Please note: Any offer of employment will be made subject to references, confirmation of the right to work in the UK, and satisfactory enhanced DBS check. This role is also subject to Police Vetting.
About us
Advance is an award-winning and innovative women-only organisation, established in 1998, providing emotional and practical support to women and girls survivors of domestic abuse and supporting women with short-term sentences to reduce offending. We believe in empowering women and girls to lead safe, non-violent, equal lives so that they can flourish and contribute to the community.
We are a community-based organisation who lead in best practice approaches to supporting women in their local community. We achieve this by being available to meet and support women in local settings and at our women’s centres, and by working in close partnership with other agencies.
Our values are to listen and support, to empower and respect, collaboration, innovation, and accountability.
About the role:
This is an ideal post for someone with experience and interest in bereavement work, looking to join a forward thinking, new service. This is also a great chance to be working alongside the Healthcare & Education Department within HMP Bronzefield and be part of a prison services team in Advance.
Using a trauma informed approached, the Loss & Bereavement Specialist will conduct a person-centred assessment to understand the extent of the client’s emotional needs and the impact of loss due to imprisonment or contact with the criminal justice system whilst also identifying practical and specialist needs. They will work with women to develop a support plan, ensuring they are equipped with information and knowledge about how to navigate possible changes in circumstances related to her children’s care and offer crisis intervention and support during acute phases of loss/bereavement.
The Loss & Bereavement Specialist Worker will liaise with the Prison Healthcare team, OMU, visits team and the Family Support Officer to facilitate interactions between women and their children/family members, particularly considering support is in place after visits and that the women’s emotional needs are met in custody and community via our Women’s centres.
The Specialist Worker will create a link between prison and the community, helping women to navigate support services and to positively re-integrate into their community upon release. The role will combine a casework- based approach, along with a signposting and advice service for the women. They will be based in the community and will provide a drop-in service in HMP Bronzefield to support women who are close to release.
A car may be desirable for this role, though not essential.
About You:
To be successful as the Loss & Bereavement Specialist Worker you will need the below experience and skills:
Experience of working with bereaved individuals and providing grief counselling including knowledge of various therapeutic modalities relevant to grief counselling
Comprehensive understanding of the grieving process and experience of working with bereaved and loss as well as knowledge of traumatic and complex grief/loss.
An understanding of violence against women and girls and its links to women in the criminal justice system.
Proven ability and experience as a caseworker delivering trauma responsive interventions which support resettlement and rehabilitation of vulnerable people in the criminal justice system whether in the community or in prisons
Knowledge and understanding of the requirements of managing a caseload including maintaining and updating records, remaining focused on action plan goals, and keeping to deadlines
How to apply:
Please submit your up-to-date CV with a supporting statement. Please note that only applications made via the job advert on the Advance careers page, and those that include a cover letter will be considered.
Closing date for applications: 16th March 2026
Interviews are taking place w/c 23rd March 2026
*Advance reserves the right to close the advert early, or on the appointment of a candidate.
What we can offer you - Employee Benefits:
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An exceptional 30 days of paid holiday per year (pro rata for part time), PLUS public holidays on top (that's nearly 40 days paid holiday per year!)
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Additional days off to celebrate International Women’s Day, and for religious observance and moving home
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Perkbox - an employee discount platform where you can receive free rewards as well as take advantage of savings on clothes, groceries, travel, leisure and more
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Pension scheme
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Enhanced maternity/adoption provision
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Access to our Employee Assistance Programme
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Employee eye-care scheme
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Clinical supervision for front line staff and first line management roles
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Refer a Friend Scheme - £250 for each referral who passes probation
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Organisation wide away days
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Thorough induction and training
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Career development pathways
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Under the Equality Act 2010, we are required to make any reasonable adjustments. If you have a disability as defined under this act and/or have special needs, please email the Talent Acquisition Team via the Advance website and will aim to make the necessary arrangements to accommodate your needs.
Diversity, Inclusion and Equal Opportunities
We are committed to providing equality of opportunity and actively seek to recruit people from groups underrepresented in our current team. We have policies and processes in place to ensure that all employees are offered an equal opportunity in recruitment and selection, promotion, training, pay and benefits.
Safeguarding
Advance is committed to safeguarding and creating a culture of zero-tolerance of harm and expects all staff, including volunteers to share this commitment. We believe all individuals have the right to live their life free from violence and abuse and the right to feel and be safe. We have a suite of safeguarding policies, procedures and practice guidance, accessible to all staff, which promotes safeguarding and safer working practices across all our services and activities. When we recruit staff, we follow rigorous safer recruitment practices, this involves carrying out pre-employment checks including references, Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks, and identity checks. We ensure all staff undertake mandatory safeguarding training relevant to their role and responsibilities, to empower them to be competent and feel confident in recognising and responding appropriately to safeguarding issues and promote wellbeing.
Our vision is a world in which women and children lead safe, equal, violence-free lives so that they can flourish and actively contribute to society.



The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
About the opportunity
As Procurement Officer within our Finance & Assurance directorate, you'll be part of an agile, flexible team that's transforming how we deliver financial partnership across the organisation. We're on an ambitious journey to become the Society's single point of financial truth - trusted partners and credible experts who enable the organisation to make faster, better-informed decisions. This is where your procurement expertise meets meaningful impact, where your ability to engage colleagues and drive understanding directly enables us to focus on what matters most: transforming lives affected by dementia.
In this role, you'll provide hands-on procurement support to colleagues across the Society, helping them navigate contracts, suppliers and purchasing decisions. You'll implement our procurement strategies at an operational level, ensuring contracts are delivered with quality and on time. Working collaboratively with Finance, Legal, Risk and Audit colleagues, you'll develop and manage contracts, maintain supplier relationships, and collect the financial data that helps us understand procurement performance. Crucially, you'll engage widely to build understanding of procurement policies, making compliance accessible rather than burdensome, and fostering a culture where best practice becomes the natural way of working.
You may also have the chance to line manage a Procurement Assistant, developing their capabilities while role-modelling the high-challenge, high-support culture that drives our team's success.
About you:
You're an experienced procurement professional who understands that operational excellence comes from making procurement easy for colleagues to get right. You know how to balance rigorous processes with practical support, and you're skilled at engaging people at all levels to improve how procurement works. You're as comfortable analysing spend data as you are explaining contract requirements or building rapport with suppliers.
You'll have:
- Experience driving efficiencies and cost savings through supporting the design and implementation of procurement plans in large organisations.
- A track record of improving understanding of and engagement with procurement across diverse audiences to boost compliance and effectiveness.
- Experience of contract development, management and negotiation, with knowledge of the procurement landscape and relevant legislation.
- Good relationship-building skills with experience working across multiple business areas and with colleagues at different levels, particularly those in financial roles.
- Excellent communication and influencing abilities, able to engage effectively with internal colleagues and external suppliers alike.
- Some experience working with finance systems and processes, or in a financial environment, with an interest in the dementia landscape and its procurement implications.
What you’ll focus on:
- Implementing our procurement strategies operationally, ensuring quality contract delivery while building understanding and compliance across the Society.
- Forming strong relationships with colleagues at all levels to provide expert procurement support that makes purchasing decisions clearer and easier.
- Collecting and translating financial and procurement data into reports that demonstrate impact and spotlight opportunities for better value.
- Managing supplier relationships and developing contracts that protect the Society's interests while collaborating across departments for appropriate oversight.
- Building effective relationships with colleagues to improve value for money and/or drive efficiencies, particularly with colleagues in financial roles.
- Taking personal ownership of monitoring your work's progress and impact, while supporting the team's efforts to track overall procurement performance.
Can you see yourself as the procurement partner who turns policy into practice through effective relationship building and clear guidance? Are you ready to combine operational rigour with authentic engagement to drive both compliance and efficiency? Can you bring technical procurement knowledge and people skills to ensure every pound is spent wisely in our mission to end the devastation of dementia?
Important Dates
The deadline for applications is 23:59 on 17th March 2026.
First-stage interviews will take place on Monday 30th March and Tuesday 31st March.
Second-stage interviews will take place on 14th and 15th April.
About Alzheimer's Society
Dementia is the UK's biggest killer. One in three people born in the UK today will develop dementia in their lifetime.
At Alzheimer's Society, we're the UK's leading dementia charity and the only one to tackle all aspects of dementia by giving help and hope to people living with dementia today and in the future. We give vital support to people facing the most frightening times of their lives, while also funding groundbreaking research and campaigning to make dementia the priority it should be.
Together with our supporters, we're working towards a world where dementia no longer devastates lives.
Our values make sure that our focus is clear for the challenges and opportunities ahead and remind us of what we all stand for.
Our commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging
We need to ensure the voices around our table better reflect and understand the communities we exist to serve. We strongly encourage individuals to apply who have a disability, impairment or health condition or individuals who identify as Black, Asian or from another minority ethnic background, as these groups are currently under-represented at Alzheimer's Society.
We want everyone we work with, as a colleague, volunteer, supporter, or someone we support, to feel included and that they belong at Alzheimer's Society.
Our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy here along with our internal employee forum and Employee Lived Experience network groups help us promote inclusion and belonging, becoming an engaged and inclusive organisation for all our people.
Our hiring process
During your recruitment process we want to make sure that you bring your whole self and can be at your best. We are working hard to ensure our recruitment process is as inclusive as possible, so please do inform us of your experience and anything you think we could do better by completing our candidate survey when you apply. Please also contact Alzheimer's Society Talent Acquisition Team via [email protected] for application support or any adjustments you might need.
To ensure fairness and consistency to select the best candidate for this role, all our applications are anonymised up until an interview has been confirmed. We recognise the benefits of AI, but if you're considering using it to submit your application, we encourage you to reflect on the value it truly adds. AI tools often lack the personal touch and authenticity that set candidates apart. We want to hear your unique perspective, experiences, and skills, so we encourage you to showcase them in your own voice.
We try to avoid closing roles early where possible, however if we receive a high volume of applications, we may close earlier than the advertised closing date. Should this occur, we will aim to provide you with at least 48 hours' notice.
We are committed to safer recruitment and ensuring the welfare of those we work with, due to the nature of some of our roles, we might need to carry out a Criminal Record Check at the relevant level. You can read more information via our Website.
Giving back to you
Our employees work hard every day to make a true difference in people's lives. We are proud to support them with a range of benefits, recognition and many options for working agilely, all contributing to a strong work life balance. We also have various learning programmes to support you in your development and help you grow to realise your potential and shape a career with Alzheimer's Society.
You can also visit our Working for Us pages, which give you more information about what it's like to be an employee at the Society.