Entry level Operations jobs
Assistant Benefits Advisor
Salary £24,000 FTE (rising to £27,000 per year FTE after 1 year and completion of training)
17.5 - 21 hours per week, 6.6 weeks holiday
Remote working with occasional travel for events and meetings in West Sussex
Are you passionate about working with SEND families?
Do you have the transferable skills and qualities to train as a benefits advisor?
We have an exciting opportunity for someone to join a rapidly growing caring charity with the benefits of flexible family friendly working (from home), generous holiday, pension scheme, travel expenses, laptop and phone provided.
Reaching Families was established in 2008 to empower, inform and support parent-carers and families of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities in West Sussex. We achieve this through the delivery of our services providing information, training and peer support.
Our Benefits Advice Service provides support to parents of children and young people with SEND in West Sussex applying for Carer’s Allowance, Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and Personal Independent Payments (PIP). Offering 1-2-1 advice sessions on the above benefits, support with claim checking of draft applications, information resources on benefits and other sources of financial support, and training workshops on DLA, PIP and Universal Credit.
We are looking to recruit a skilled and motivated Assistant Benefits Advisor to join our team
The post holder will be responsible for supporting our Benefits Advisor with the delivery of information, advice and guidance on Carers Allowance, Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) to parent-carers of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in West Sussex. This is a training role with the view to promotion to Benefits Advisor following completion of training.
Person Specification (essential):
• Understanding of challenges facing parents and carers of children with SEND
• Passionate about improving the life chances of children with SEND and their parents/carers, and families
• A highly motivated self-starter with a flexible approach to working life
• A creative and strategic thinker
• Committed to professional and personal development and lifelong learning
• Ability to work independently and manage a diverse and demanding workload
• Comfortable working with people from a diverse range of backgrounds
• Excellent inter-personal and communication skills
• Excellent writing and editing skills
• Experience of using MS Office including SharePoint
• A good all-round education including GCSE’s (or equivalent) or NVQ level 2
See attached job description for details and full criteria
We welcome applications from all members of the community and value diversity in the organisation. Please contact us if you require any reasonable adjustments to be made to the application or interview process due to any disability or health requirements.
Closing date for applications is 12th January 2026
Interviews to be held in Littlehampton on 21st/22nd January 2026
To apply please complete the attached application form and share why you feel you fit the role and person specification (see attached documents)
To empower, inform and support parent-carers and families of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities in West Sussex
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
About Us
Caritas Diocese of Salford is the principal social action agency of the Catholic Diocese. Our mission is to put Love Into Action. We help those across Greater Manchester and Lancashire experiencing poverty, disadvantage, and discrimination to transform their lives with dignity. We provide a practical response to those in crisis, suffering hardship or who are at risk. We rebuild lives for the long-term, enabling people to live in a safe, healthy, and secure environment. We call for a better, more just world, where the voices of the poor are heard and acted upon and positively influence the systems, decisions and resources that affect those in need.
About the job
We are looking to recruit a Grants and Foundations Officer to join Caritas Salford’s fundraising team. You will be part of a team that is passionate about tackling poverty and inequality, where your work will have a real and visible impact. Your focus will be on maintaining and growing income from charitable trusts and statutory agencies.
As a Grants and Foundations Officer, you will work closely with senior managers and service managers, researching potential funders, securing funding from trusts, foundations and other potential funding partners. As well as building and stewarding lasting relationships that will help sustain and grow Caritas’ mission. We will support your development, helping you grow your fundraising skills, take on complex projects and help shape bids for commissioned services.
You will have excellent interpersonal skills, strong research and analytical expertise, be highly organised and confident in using IT systems and digital tools for research, communication and data management. Additionally, you will have the ability to build and maintain positive relationships with a range of stakeholders, plus a willingness to learn from others about fundraising and social impact.
37.5 hours per week. Monday to Friday with occasional evening and weekends required.
Part time would be considered
Flexibility to work remotely, with regular visits to Caritas services across Greater Manchester and Lancashire.
If this sounds like the next step you are looking for and you would like to work for an organisation passionate about transforming lives, we would love to hear from you!
Applications will be reviewed as they are received, and we reserve the right to interview/ appoint before the closing date. Early applications are therefore strongly encouraged.
To apply, please complete an application form and click the link in the advert to be redirected to the Caritas website. You will need to click Apply Now next to the Grants and Foundations Officer role, complete the necessary information and upload your application form plus any supporting documents.
Closing date: Thursday, 8 January 2026 at 9am
Interview: Monday, 19 and/or Tuesday, 20 January 2026
Caritas follows Safer Recruitment practices, and this post is subject to a Disclosure & Barring Service check.
For full details please visit Caritas Diocese of Salford - Caritas | Diocese Of Salford – About - Careers
Caritas Diocese of Salford is an equal opportunities employer
Registered Charity Number: 1125808
Please note we do not accept applications via agencies or CVs
To help people across the Diocese of Salford experiencing poverty, disadvantage and discrimination to transform their lives with dignity
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
We are seeking a highly motivated, enthusiastic and experienced safeguarding professional to work as Cathedral Safeguarding Officer.
The post-holder will work with the Canon Chancellor in his role as Chapter Safeguarding Lead (CSL) to raise and maintain awareness and understanding throughout the Cathedral community of the safeguarding needs of children and adults, and actively promote a culture to ensure that safeguarding is of paramount importance.
The post holder will work closely and collaboratively with the Diocesan Safeguarding Team and other Safeguarding bodies.
As part of their role, the Cathedral Safeguarding Officer (CSO) will work closely with the CSL, the Diocesan Safeguarding Team including the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisory Panel (DSAP) and the Diocesan Safeguarding Executive Committee (SEC); all other relevant stakeholders including Chapter, Residentiary Canons, staff, the Senior Management Group, Cathedral Safeguarding Committee, King’s School Rochester, and all relevant external agencies, e.g., CofE National Safeguarding Team (NST), Police and Probation services, local authorities, Domestic Abuse Services. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is in place between the Cathedral and Diocese concerning shared working relationships and adherence to Diocesan Polices and use of the National Case Management System.
Rochester Cathedral is committed to a culture of safeguarding, especially for children, young people, and vulnerable adults. The Cathedral has adopted the Church of England policy statement ‘Promoting a Safer Church (2017)’; Safeguarding Learning and Development (2024) and the Safer Recruitment and People Management Guidance (2021). Every member of our team is recruited according to these policies and is required to complete safeguarding training.
The Cathedral has committed to achieve net zero carbon by 2030 in accordance with General Synod’s vote for the whole of the Church of England to achieve this status in recognition of the global climate emergency. All employees are expected to contribute their efforts in achieving this goal. The Cathedral currently holds the Silver Eco Church Award conferred by the Christian Charty, A Rocha UK.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.