Deputy head of development jobs

Context

This is an opportunity to play a pivotal role in a pioneering programme that could reshape how kinship families are supported across England.

Kinship is undertaking a pilot Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) of Kinship Connected, a Kinship Navigator programme designed to provide intensive, specialist support to kinship carers and help them navigate complex systems.

This is a multi-partner programme involving funders, independent evaluators, participating local authorities, internal delivery teams and kinship carers with lived experience.

Kinship Navigators are at the heart of delivery. You will work directly with kinship carers in the community and in their homes, providing intensive 1-to-1 support and facilitating local support groups, while working closely with local authority partners and other services.

Because the programme forms part of a pilot RCT, maintaining high-quality case records and accurate data collection is critical. Your work will contribute directly to the evidence base about what works for kinship families.

Each Navigator will support around 40 kinship carers over the delivery year, holding a caseload of approximately 20 families at any one time.

You will be part of a wider delivery team including the Programmes Manager, Mobilisation and Delivery Project Manager, research colleagues and other Kinship teams, working together to ensure the programme is delivered ethically, consistently and to a high standard

About the role:

The Kinship Navigator provides intensive, time-limited support to kinship carers through the Kinship Connected programme, a structured six-month intervention designed to help kinship families stabilise placements and access the support they need.

Working directly with kinship carers, you will build trusting relationships while completing structured assessments, goal setting and reviews to help families strengthen support networks and navigate services such as children’s social care, education, health and community support.

This is a community-facing role, working directly with kinship carers in homes, community spaces and through co-location with local authority teams and partner organisations.

The role requires a combination of high-quality relational practice and disciplined case recording. As part of the pilot RCT, accurate documentation of activity, progress and outcomes is essential to ensure the programme can be evaluated and improved.

You will work closely with the Programmes Manager, delivery team, researchers and local authority partners to ensure the programme is delivered consistently, ethically and to a high standard, with a strong commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion in supporting kinship families from all backgrounds.

The key deadlines and information:
We have really short timescales for this role as this role is part of a research project. If you are interested, please read the information below and make sure you can be available for all the dates highlighted.

• Closing date: 11.59pm on Sunday 5 April 2026
• Interview date (in London and in person): Wednesday 15 April 2026

Starting in post

If you are successful at recruitment, we will need you to be available to start in role asap; ideal candidates will have less than one month's notice period. This will mean all references, contracts and DBS checks are completed quickly. If you do apply for the role, we will ask for some of these details up front.

We will also ask you to attend an overnight in-person residential on Wednesday 29 April and Thursday 30 April (TBC) in our London office for induction into the role. A draft agenda will look like the below.

Wednesday 29 April

• 11am – induction morning session starts
• 12.30pm – lunch
• 1.15pm – induction afternoon session starts
• 5pm - induction afternoon session finishes
• 6.30pm – dinner with team

Thursday 30 April

• 9.30am – induction morning session starts
• 12.30pm – lunch
• 1.15pm – induction afternoon session starts
• 4pm - induction afternoon session finishes
• 4pm – finish and travel home

Key responsibilities include:

• Providing emotional and practical support to kinship carers.
• Advocating for kinship carers in meetings with professionals where appropriate.

• Establishing and facilitating a monthly support group for kinship carers in your area.

• Mapping local services and building relationships with organisations that can provide specialist support, training or activities for kinship families.

• Liaising with schools, local authorities and other professionals to coordinate support.

• Supporting kinship carers with challenges relating to the child(ren) in their kinship care.

• Signposting to relevant services, support organisations and Kinship training opportunities.

• Coordinating celebration and family events (including in Kinship Care Week).

• Supporting applications for grants for essential items or family breaks.

• Collaborate with the programme delivery team, researchers and evaluation partners, contributing insights and learning from practice to support programme improvement and evidence generation.
• Work closely with colleagues across Kinship, including Advice, Peer Support, Training, Communications and the Kinship Connected core team, to ensure joined-up support for kinship carers.
• Recognise, report, record, respond and refer safeguarding risks via our safeguarding process with the support for the safeguarding team.
• Follow and understand the organisational safeguarding policies.

• Maintain accurate, timely records of all activity, assessments, support plans, contacts and outcomes on Kinship’s CRM system (Salesforce) in line with organisational policy and programme protocols.

• Complete kinship carer needs assessments, SMART goal setting, reviews and outcome recording in accordance with the Kinship Navigator model and trial requirements.

• Follow all operational and data collection requirements of the pilot feasibility RCT, ensuring activity and outcomes are recorded consistently to support independent evaluation.

• Fully contribute to monitoring, reporting, quality assurance and learning processes, including collecting feedback and case studies that demonstrate impact.

Essential requirements include:

• Experience delivering direct support to vulnerable families or carers, including completing needs assessments and developing support plans.

• Experience providing structured one-to-one support, casework or family support over a defined period.

• Experience working directly in community settings or alongside local authority or partner organisations.

• Experience facilitating peer or support groups in community or online settings.

• Experience working with statutory, voluntary and community services, including liaising with professionals around the family.

• Experience recognising and responding appropriately to safeguarding concerns.

• Understanding of the challenges facing kinship carers and the children they care for, or the ability to develop this knowledge quickly.

• Understanding of trauma-informed and strengths-based approaches when working with families.

• Awareness of how children’s social care, education, health or welfare systems affect families.

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build trusting relationships with kinship carers and professionals.

• Ability to manage a caseload, prioritise work effectively and maintain clear professional boundaries.

• Excellent ability to maintain accurate case records and data using a CRM or case management system (e.g. Salesforce).

• Strong organisational and IT skills, including the ability to use digital systems for case management, communication and reporting.

• Ability to work independently while contributing positively to a collaborative delivery team.

What we offer you:

• Flexible working - we understand how important it is to balance family and work life.
• ​30 days annual leave, plus bank holidays (1 April to 31 March) pro rata (3 to be taken at Christmas shutdown)
• Employee Assistance Programme (24/7 confidential advice line and counselling)
• Charity Worker Discounts.

How to apply:

Please apply for the role of Kinship Navigator (Newham) by sending a CV and answering the 5 questions below via Charity Job. The deadline is 11.59pm on Monday 5 April 2026. Any applications arriving after the closing date will not be considered for shortlisting unless there are exceptional reasons. Please ensure you have read the application timelines.

1. Why do you want to work for Kinship as a Kinship Navigator, and how does this role align with your values and experience? 
2. Describe a time you supported a family or carer facing complex challenges. How did you assess their needs and decide what support was most important? Guidance for candidates: Please describe a real example from your work. Tell us what you did personally, the actions you took and what happened as a result.
3. Tell us about a situation where you had to work with professionals from different organisations (for example schools, social workers or community services) to support a family. Guidance: Explain how you built relationships, managed differences of opinion and ensured the family received appropriate support. 
4. Give an example of a time you had concerns about the safety or wellbeing of a child or their family member. What steps did you take and how did you decide what to do? Guidance: Describe your role in recognising and responding to the concern and any safeguarding processes you followed.
5. Tell us about how you have managed a caseload or multiple families at once. How did you keep accurate records and make sure important information was documented? Guidance: Please describe the systems or processes you used and why accurate recording was important.

Kinship is committed to championing equality, diversity and inclusion.  We believe our work is greatly enhanced by the varied backgrounds, experiences and views represented within our teams.  We aim to create inclusive teams, celebrate differences and encourage everyone to join us and be their true self at work.   We therefore encourage applications from anyone who fits our values, whatever their religion or belief, sex, gender identity, race, age, sexuality or disability and are actively seeking candidates that can bring real innovation and commitment to us.