Youth jobs in London

Do you have experience working with families and children aged 0-13, a good understanding of the needs of vulnerable families and a relevant vocational or academic qualification?

Welcare is recruiting an experienced Family Support Worker to deliver a broad-based preventative and responsive support service for families with children up to the age of 13 in partnership with schools, churches, the local authority and other agencies, in the London boroughs of Bromley and Greenwich.Local knowledge of Bromley and Greenwich areas would be an advantage.

You will be delivering practical and emotional support to enhance the lived experiences of children and families through one-to-one support and group work programmes.  The post requires working with families in person and online remote working.  The office base is in Community House, Bromley.

Please refer to the job description and person specification for further details.

Mind in Croydon is s recruiting a Rapid Responder Practitioner to support the delivery of Building Brighter Futures (BBF), an innovative partnership programme designed to improve access to early mental health support for young people in Croydon.

This role will provide timely, relational and trauma-informed support to young people aged 15–19 experiencing emotional distress, emerging mental health needs and complex disadvantage. Working as part of a multi-agency team, the postholder will act as a key point of early engagement, offering brief interventions and supporting young people to access the right pathway at the right time.

The post is hosted within the newly refurbished Mind in Croydon’s Counselling Service, with day-to-day work coordinated through the BBF partnership to ensure a consistent and joined-up response across organisations.

Rapid Response Practitioner

Contract: Fixed term until 31 March 2029

Hours 28.8 Hours a week

Reports to: BBF Project Coordinator (Croydon Voluntary Action) / Mind in Croydon Counselling Service Mana

Based at: Mind in Croydon Orchard House, Counselling Office
15 Purley Road, South Croydon, CR2 6EZ.
with regular travel to Community-based projects across Croydon, working flexibly across partner sites 

Building Brighter Futures is a three-year programme (funded until 31 March 2029) focused on early intervention for young people aged 15–19 experiencing complex disadvantage. The programme brings together a partnership of voluntary sector organisations, including Croydon Voluntary Action, Reedham Children’s Trust, Mind in Croydon, Off The Record, Croydon Drop In, Palace for Life and Reaching Higher.

The programme aims to reduce waiting times, prevent escalation of need, and improve young people’s experience by providing rapid access to relational, non-clinical support and clear pathways into longer-term or specialist services, where required.

The Rapid Responder Practitioner role is central to the programme’s front-door and allocation model, ensuring young people receive timely contact, appropriate assessment and coordinated support, while minimising duplication and repetitions.

While the role is hosted within Mind in Croydon, it operates as part of a multi-agency delivery model, with close coordination, shared practice standards and collective accountability across the partnership.

We are looking for a Housing Advice Worker who is passionate about supporting young people experiencing homelessness to transition into safe and secure housing.

The ideal candidate will work proactively and enthusiastically, both independently and as part of a team. They will have experience working in a busy, often fast-paced environment and be confident in assessing individual needs and identifying appropriate housing pathways. The successful candidate will have a strong understanding of housing and homelessness legislation, along with a solid insight into the reasons individuals experience homelessness. They will be able to effectively support young people presenting with a wide range of needs and barriers.

Key details

• Contract type and hours: permanent, full-time working 35 hours per week, Monday-Friday (9:30-5:00)

• Salary: starting salary £32,136.00. Salary scale £32,136.00 - £35,778.08

• Location: New Horizon Youth Centre, 68 Chalton Street, London, NW1 1JR

• Application deadline: 9am, Wednesday 20th May

• How to apply: complete our application form on our website, submit your CV and write a 2 page cover letter/supporting statement. Please don't include your name or address in your CV or cover letter.

Sessional Youth Worker – Training Kitchen

We are seeking a creative and engaging Sessional Youth Worker with a passion for cooking and supporting young people to build confidence, life skills and wellbeing through food.

Position: Sessional Youth Worker – Training Kitchen
Salary: £14.80 per hour London Living Wage | £16.00 per hour for Saturday evening shifts
Location: Burnt Oak, North West London
Working Pattern: Tuesday PM and Friday PM
Contract: Sessional / Part Time
Closing Date: Applications reviewed on a rolling basis

About the Role

This is a fantastic opportunity to combine your culinary skills with meaningful youth work in a vibrant community setting. Working within a dedicated training kitchen, you will support young people to develop cooking skills, confidence and healthy living habits through fun, engaging and inclusive sessions.

You will work with young people of all abilities, from beginners through to those considering catering or hospitality careers, helping to create a positive and supportive environment where everyone can learn and thrive.

Key responsibilities include:

• Delivering engaging cooking and food-based activities for young people
• Planning varied sessions and preparing ingredient requirements
• Supporting young people to build confidence, teamwork and practical life skills
• Creating activities suitable for a wide range of dietary needs and cultures
• Maintaining high standards of food hygiene and health and safety
• Building positive relationships with young people, volunteers and colleagues
• Supporting inclusive participation for young people with additional needs
• Promoting safeguarding, equality and wellbeing at all times

About You

We are looking for someone energetic, approachable and passionate about working with young people.

You will ideally have:

• Experience delivering cooking or food-based activities
• Experience working with young people in group or one-to-one settings
• A Level 2 Food Hygiene qualification
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills
• The ability to motivate and engage young people from diverse backgrounds
• An understanding of safeguarding and inclusive practice
• Flexibility to work evenings and weekends

Experience supporting young people facing social, emotional or behavioural challenges would be highly beneficial.

About the Organisation

Our client is an independent charity and purpose-built youth centre for Barnet’s young people aged 8 to 19, and up to 25 for those with additional needs. They support North London’s young people with three things they deserve and need; somewhere to go, something to do and someone to talk to. Open 7 days a week including school holidays, their vision ensure every young person is supported and empowered to reach their potential.

Join them in making a difference and raising the aspirations of young people across North London. They embrace diversity and welcome applications from individuals with non-traditional backgrounds. Safeguarding is paramount, and an enhanced DBS check is required. As an equal opportunity employer, they value individuals regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or disability.

Other roles you may have experience of could include: Youth Worker, Youth Support Worker, Community Youth Practitioner, Cooking Tutor, Catering Tutor, Hospitality Trainer, Food Workshop Facilitator, Activities Coordinator, Engagement Worker, Kitchen Facilitator or Youth Activities Lead. #INDNFP

Please note this role is advertised by the recruitment agency acting for the client – Not For Profit People.

Job Title – Research Assistant

Contract – 12-months fixed term

Work pattern - Full time or 0.8 FTE (for flexible working, including term time working)

Salary - £28,000 per annum (or pro rata)

Location - Flexible, with an expectation of working at Coram’s campus in London on average at least once a week and homeworking

We are looking for someone who is passionate about using their research and evaluation skills to join our growing Research Impact and Evaluation team as a Research Assistant to help improve support for vulnerable children and young people, and ultimately make a positive difference in their lives.

About Coram and the team

Coram is the UK’s first and longest continuing children’s charity established in 1739 as The Foundling Hospital. Today we are a group of specialist organisations, working in the UK and around the world to support vulnerable children and young people from infancy to independence, creating positive change that lasts a lifetime. Coram helps more than one million children, young people, families and professionals every year by providing access to the skills and opportunities they need to thrive.

This role will be based in Coram’s Research Impact and Evaluation team within Coram’s Institute for Children and will focus on delivering research projects and evaluations, both externally commissioned or within the Coram group. The role offers exciting opportunities to build links with economists, statisticians, academics, and researchers to pursue research dedicated to improving the life chances for children and young people.

Coram’s Research Impact and Evaluation Team includes 12 researchers and a network of research associates, pro bono analysts and peer researchers. We carry out qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods research with children and young people which often includes their parents/carers and the professionals who support them. This includes a wide range of evaluations from feasibility studies and process evaluations through to large-scale, multi-site experimental and quasi-experimental impact evaluations. We work in-house to support colleagues in the Coram group of children’s charities to evaluate their effectiveness and include the voice of children and young people. We are also commissioned to carry out evaluations for the What Works Centres, the public sector including local authorities, central government, and the NHS, as well as other third sector organisations.

As a team we aspire to be child-centred, rigorous, grounded in experience, embedded in practice, collaborative and impactful. We are dedicated to delivering child-centred research to ensure their voice is at the forefront of our work. We use co-design and participatory research methods to challenge power imbalances within research and work with marginalized groups.

About the role

Coram’s Research Impact & Evaluation Team is seeking a dedicated and hard-working individual with an interest in research and evaluation to join our team to work on a range of quantitative and qualitative projects. You will need to be flexible, pro-active, well-organised and willing to learn.

The role also comes with a range of personal and professional benefits including dedicated time for continuous professional development, 25 plus days of annual leave, regular team reflective practice sessions and flexible working arrangements.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone looking to work in applied research and evaluation, and has a passion for designing and delivering high-quality evidence which improves policy and practice for vulnerable children, young people and their families.

To apply for this role, please click on the 'apply now' button below to complete the application.

Closing date: 7th June 2026 @ 23:59pm

Interviews: 15 – 19/06/2026

We will make any reasonable adjustments at the interview stage for applicants invited to interview to support them in their interview.

We are committed to the safeguarding of children and where appropriate will require the successful applicant to undertake a check from the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Coram is an equal opportunities employer and we are very committed to encouraging candidates from all sections of the community. This includes those from global majority groups, those that identify as LGBQT+, those with disabilities, those with lived experience of care, those with neuro-diversity, and those from other groups who are underrepresented in research roles. If applicants feel comfortable, we would encourage them to draw on lived experience in their personal statement as part of their application.

Registered Charity No. 312278.

About Spear

Spear is a national youth employment charity. The award-winning Spear Programme was launched over 20 years ago, and is now running in 18 Spear Centres across the country, equipping unemployed 16–24-year-olds facing barriers to employment with the skills and mindset they need to secure work and thrive in work and life. 

About the role

This is an exciting and varied, relationship-focused role within a successful corporate partnerships team. Working with the Head of Corporate and Employer Partnerships, you’ll help manage partner relationships, develop funding proposals, track income, and identify new business opportunities to support strategic growth.

You’ll also lead corporate volunteering initiatives, creating meaningful engagement opportunities with Spear trainees through workshops, mock interviews, and visits. From planning to follow-up, you’ll ensure a high-quality experience while supporting events and wider engagement. This role suits someone organised, proactive, and confident building relationships, who is motivated to make a tangible difference in a mission-driven, faith-based organisation.

Key information:

• Salary: £30,000
• Full-Time, One Year Fixed-Term Contract 
• Location: London Office 
• Closing date: Tuesday 2nd June (We interview on a rolling basis and will close the role early if we find the right candidate)

For more information please read through our Job Specification and Work with Us Pack.

If you require any reasonable adjustments as part of the recruitment process, please let us know.

Person Specification

• A practising Christian, passionate about personally representing the values and beliefs of Spear, and our mission to equip and support young people facing barriers to employment.
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, establish effective processes and structures, and maintain a high level of attention to detail.
• Excellent communicator with strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build rapport and engage effectively with people from a wide range of backgrounds and professional levels.
• Strong and effective project coordination skills, with the ability to bring together multiple stakeholders to deliver shared outcomes.
• Self-starter with the ability to take initiative and work independently.
• Fundraising experience is desirable but not essential.
• IT literate, with a good working knowledge of MS Office (including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint).

Are you passionate about improving outcomes for children, young people and families? Do you thrive on building partnerships, leading teams, and creating services that truly reflect community needs? If so, we’ve got a brilliant opportunity for you as we’re looking for a Children, Families and Young People Lead to join our Thamesmead team focused on Greenwich and Bexley. 

In this role, you will lead and shape a comprehensive CF&YP programme that responds to local needs and priorities, working closely with residents to co-design services that reflect real experiences. You’ll build and maintain strong partnerships across public, private and voluntary sectors. Most importantly, you’ll support and develop a high-performing team delivering children, young people and family programmes.

What your day might look like:

• Connect with your team to review progress across multiple projects and priorities 
• Meet with local partners to strengthen collaboration and unlock new opportunities 
• Engage with residents and stakeholders to understand their needs and ideas 
• Review data and insights to ensure programmes are delivering real impact 
• Develop funding bids or reports to support programme growth and sustainability 

What makes this role special:

This is a role where strategy meets real-life. You won’t just design programmes, you’ll see the difference they make every day. From shaping services with local families to building partnerships that unlock new opportunities, your work will directly improve lives. You’ll play a key role in bringing together partners, residents and colleagues to create a truly joined-up offer that supports children and families to thrive. 

What We’re Looking For

• Ambitious - driven to improve outcomes for children, families and communities 
• Collaborative - able to build strong, lasting partnerships 
• Empowering - passionate about supporting others to thrive 
• Insightful - confident using data and community insight to inform decisions 
• Trusted - reliable, accountable and committed to high-quality delivery 

What you’ll need:

• Previous experience of working in children, youth work or family support environment 
• Experience managing teams and complex programmes 
• Proven ability to develop partnerships across sectors 
• Excellent communication and report writing skills 
• Strong understanding of safeguarding and best practice 
• Experience of securing funding and managing externally funded projects would be desirable

What you’ll get in return

• Up to 30 days’ annual holiday (plus bank holidays)
• 2 paid volunteering days each year
• Flexible benefits scheme including healthcare, dental, tech, vouchers, and more
• Life assurance at 4x your salary
• Up to 10% pension contribution
• Family-friendly policies
• A role where your support helps people thrive 

At Peabody, our values guide everything we do — Be Kind, Do the Right Thing, Love New Ideas, Celebrate Diversity, Keep Our Promises, and Pull Together.

Please read before applying:
As an employer, Peabody does not provide sponsorship to work in the UK.

This is a hybrid role with 3 days a week in the office (SE28) but is community based where you’ll be out and about engaging with residents, partners and colleagues. 

Please apply now by submitting an anonymised CV and a short statement explaining why you’re the perfect fit for this role.

Closing date: 25th May 2026 at midnight. Interviews will be taking place in person on the 2nd June at our Thamesmead office. Please allow up to 90 minutes for your interview, which will include a presentation and will be competency based.

Are you passionate about building communities and digital spaces where young people feel supported, respected and able to express themselves?
 
Prospectus are delighted to be working with a leading London arts charity operating a high‑profile performance venue and creative hub and supporting with the recruitment of a Young People’s Digital Platform Manager role.  
 
This role is available on a 2-year fixed term contact and full-time basis (35 hours per week). Located in North London, the role is office-based with the ability to work from home up to two days per week. The salary is £39,634.40 per annum.
 
In this role you will report to the Head of Broadcast & Digital and be the voice of the charity within the Platform community, shaping communication strategies and be the driving force behind the new Young People’s Digital Platform. You’ll help shape an inclusive online environment, spark engagement and steer the creation of innovative learning content and programmes. You will manage and mentor the Digital Platform Co‑ordinator, and oversee safeguarding and moderation, ensuring policies and processes maintain a safe, supportive and inclusive environment for all users.
 
To be successful in this role, you have experienced in building communities and strong track record of managing online platforms and creating digital spaces. You will experience with digital content workflows, CMSs and moderation tools. You will have experience using social and professional networking tools. You will have a strong understanding of safeguarding and how to create safe online environments.
 
You bring excellent project management and organisational skills. You will be an outstanding communicator who understands how to motivate participation. You will stay up to date with industry developments and UK legislation (including the Online Safety Act). You will have an understanding of the arts and cultural education landscape. You will champion equality and inclusion, helping to create spaces where every young person feels valued, respected and able to thrive.
 
To apply, please submit your CV in the first instance. Should your experience be suitable, we will arrange for a meeting to brief you on the role. You'll then have all the information you need to formally apply. We are looking forward to connecting with you soon.

At Prospectus we invest in your journey as a candidate and are committed to supporting you with your application. We welcome all candidates to apply, regardless of age, sex/gender, disability, race, religion, sexual orientation, marital status or pregnancy/maternity. If you have any disability and require reasonable adjustment/s to any part of the process then please contact George Cook at Prospectus.

The Centre for Justice Innovation is looking to recruit a creative, pragmatic and committed individual to help the Centre in its work to support the statutory criminal justice agencies (youth justice services, police and youth courts) in improving their practice. 

The Senior Practice Specialist will support the delivery and development of our youth justice practice work, specifically to provide support to youth justice services, the judiciary, court staff and the police in the delivery/implementation of youth diversion and youth courts.

Amongst other responsibilities, the Practice Specialist will undertake a range of tasks including (i) designing and delivering training and practice sharing workshops; (ii) developing briefings and toolkits that support the spread of good practice; and (iii) identifying and convening practitioners and others who are interested in specialist and problem-solving approaches at court.

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate their ability to support and influence frontline practice, motivate others and solve problems. Operational experience within the criminal justice system is essential.

Flexible hours and home working are available. The postholder is required to have a willingness and ability to travel regularly within the UK.

The deadline for applications is 9am on Thursday 14th May 2026.

Interviews will be held on 3rd - 4th June 2026 at our offices in Kennington, SE11 5DP. The role will begin as soon as possible.

We look forward to hearing from you!

 Fundraising Executive

YES deliver mental health and wellbeing support to children and young people in the Wycombe area.  This includes counselling, mentoring and sexual health support.

YES believes that all young people should have access to the mental health support they need, whenever they need it.

To enable this, we provide a range of early-intervention mental health support and wellbeing services for young people. All of our services are free and easy to access, and are open to any young people living, working, or studying, in High Wycombe and the surrounding areas.

We strive to consistently deliver services which are:

• Non-judgemental, supportive and empowering

• Professional, independent and confidential

• Inclusive and accessible

We are seeking a dynamic Fundraising Executive to lead on securing income from trusts and foundations. In this pivotal role, you will identify funding opportunities, craft compelling and persuasive applications, and build strong, lasting relationships with funders.

You will also play a key role in supporting wider fundraising activity, including developing corporate partnerships and exploring diverse income streams. Working closely with an experienced and supportive CEO, you will help drive the organisation’s long-term sustainability and growth.

Our organisation benefits from fantastic local support and is highly valued by the young people we serve. We are committed to sustaining our therapeutic services while expanding and diversifying our offer — including social groups for LGBTQ+ young people and mentoring programmes.

With the energy of a new CEO and a clear strategic plan, we are focused on delivering high-quality early intervention that nurtures and empowers young people to reach their full potential.

If you are an experienced fundraiser with a passion for making a meaningful difference, we would love to hear from you. Flexible work options.

 #Fundraising Executive # Fundraising #Fundraising activities #Corporate Fundraising 

Are you looking to make a difference to children and young people’s lives?

Anna Freud is seeking six Wellbeing Practitioners to join our world-leading mental health charity for children, young people and their families. Our mission is to close the gap in wellbeing and mental health by advancing, translating, delivering, and sharing the best science and practice with everyone who impacts the lives of children, young people and their families. More information about Anna Freud is available on our website.

Our EDI commitment

We are dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace and being an equal opportunities employer, whereby equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are core to our recruitment practices. All candidates who meet the job criteria will be considered for employment, regardless of ethnic origin, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, socioeconomic background, caring responsibilities and care experience.

We ask candidates to share their diversity dimensions with us to help us identify, tackle and prevent bias across the employee lifecycle. We believe a diverse workforce enhances our ability to support mental health and wellbeing, allowing us to better meet the needs of the children, young people and families we serve.

As a Disability Confident employer, disabled candidates meeting our criteria are guaranteed an interview. Applications are submitted anonymously and assessed using a fair evaluation process based on the criteria set out in our job profiles.

What we offer

We offer a range of staff benefits, including an all-in-one rewards and recognition platform called Perkbox and wellbeing offers such as finishing early on Fridays and free counselling through our Employee Assistance Programme. We are proud to have staff-led Diversity Networks offering unique opportunities for learning, connection and impact.

MindWorks is a research programme designed as a randomised controlled trial to test a specialist intervention for young people at risk of school exclusion due to challenging behaviour. Grounded in CBT and systemic approaches and underpinned by a strong anti-racist framework, the programme recognises the impact of structural inequality and works closely with schools, families and communities, with young people recruited directly through education settings. Please note: there are six positions available and the role is known internally as Practitioner.

What you’ll do

You will deliver a structured, short-term intervention (typically over eight weeks) to young people and their parent or carer, combining therapeutic work with collaboration across the wider school network, including trusted adults. The role is outreach-based, primarily taking place in schools, family homes and community settings. It involves providing direct clinical support, working systemically with families and education staff, and contributing to a wider research trial while applying evidence-based, trauma-informed and mentalisation approaches.

What you’ll bring

Essential requirements:

• Proven therapeutic experience in supporting young people in community and education settings, working systemically with families and other key adults.
• Relevant qualifications and expertise: training in psychology or a related mental health field, with the ability to deliver evidence-based interventions for children and young people.
• Cultural competence and inclusion: ability to work effectively across diverse cultural contexts, applying inclusive, anti-discriminatory practices within clinical work.
• Strong communication and collaboration: skilled at building relationships, communicating complex ideas clearly, and working with multiple stakeholders while using supervision effectively.
• Organisation, safeguarding, and research commitment: capable of managing workload across settings, maintaining accurate records, applying safeguarding standards, and engaging fully with research trial requirements.

Please note: a full training programme in the intervention and trial requirements will be provided in late August and early September 2026. You must be available to complete this comprehensive training, which is a core requirement for the role.

Key details

Hours: full-time, 35 hours per week.

Salary: £32,136 FTE per annum, plus 6% contributory pension scheme.

Location: community sites, schools and colleges, and Anna Freud (4-8 Rodney Street, London N1 9JH). Face to face delivery predominantly. Ability to travel is essential.

Contract type: fixed-term until July 2028.

Next steps

Closing date for applications: midday (12pm), Wednesday 27 May 2026. Please note: we will close this vacancy early once 75 applications are received. We encourage you to apply promptly and to keep an eye on our future vacancies for more opportunities.

Notification of interview: shortlisted applicants will be notified no later than Friday 29 May 2026. During shortlisting, applicants are anonymously assessed using the criteria visible in the Job Profile. Please note: due to the high volume of applications received, we will not be able to provide feedback to unsuccessful applicants.

Interviews: will be held remotely on 2 and/or 3 June 2026.

How to apply: visit our careers website to apply online. We are unable to accept CVs and kindly request no contact from agencies.

Questions?

Please email Recruitment with any job enquiries, or if you require assistance or experience difficulties when applying. Please note that successful candidate(s) will be asked to evidence their Right to Work in the UK post-job offer – we do not hold a sponsor license therefore we are unable to provide Visa sponsorship.

The Youth Endowment Fund  

Senior Change Manager, Children’s Services 

Reports to: Head of Change, Children’s Services 

Salary:£54,300 per annum, depending on experience  

Location:  Central London or Hybrid*(see below) 

Contract: 2-year fixed term contract

Closing date for applications: 12 pm on Monday, 1st June 2026 

Interview dates: Week commencing 15th June 2026 

About the Youth Endowment Fund 

All of us will experience violence at some point in our lives. For many children, it is a daily reality. Each year, tens of children are killed, hundreds are hospitalised, 1 in 5 teenage children are victims and the majority admit to feeling afraid of violence. It scares them when they travel home from school, prevents them from going out and makes the most vulnerable feel like they don’t matter. It is taking lives, traumatising families and dividing communities. It robs potential, progress and hope.    

But it doesn’t have to be this way.    

The Youth Endowment Fund believes that no child should be affected by violence. We research violence to understand it; we find, fund and test what works to prevent it; and we are building a movement to end it.   

A big part of the movement that we need to build is in the world of children’s services. We need to inspire and connect with senior leaders in England and Wales to spread what works and make our country safer for some of our most vulnerable children. We need someone who can deliver this whilst understanding and working within the context of the major sector reforms that are currently being delivered via the Families First Partnership programme. 

Key Responsibilities  

We are at an exciting moment in our work. In June we will publish our children’s services practice guidance, setting out the evidence for what works to reduce serious youth violence in the children’s services sector. 

We have plans to work with the sector over the rest of the financial year and beyond, including designing a self-assessment tool to help senior sector leaders benchmark their existing practice against the evidence. We will also launch a new change programme, working hand-in-hand with the sector to implement the evidence for what works, gaining valuable insights in the process.

Your role is to help us turn these plans into a reality. 

This will include launching the self-assessment tool and promoting its use within the sector. It will also involve planning, designing and delivering the change programme to turn the theory into reality.

You will also contribute by designing and delivering a range of sector engagement activities, such as webinars, events and learning opportunities, that reach the sector, helping to build momentum, understanding and commitment across children’s services.

Lastly, you will support the Head of Change for Children’s Services with government engagement as required and support the establishment of a new network for senior sector leaders to share the latest evidence and best practice. 

Key responsibilities will include: 

• Supporting the launch and roll-out of the children’s services self-assessment tool, driving up demand and ensuring widespread completion of the tool across the sector; 

• Work hands-on with Local Authorities to help them put evidence into practice via our change programme; planning, delivering and learning as the work continues; 

• Continuously capture and act on learning from the self-assessment tool and deep dive change programme to inform future work; 

• Supporting the design and roll-out of a children’s services network to spread learning of what works to reduce serious youth violence; 

• Spend time genuinely understanding the pressures, priorities and constraints facing children’s services leaders to inform our longer-term approach to change. 

As part of your wider contribution to the organisation, you will also: 

• Build a culture where it is natural to perform well and support colleagues brilliantly.

• Contribute to setting the strategy, delivering results and building and modelling the culture that we need to succeed.

You are this sort of person: 

• You are fascinated about change and are experienced in making it happen. You have outstanding analytical judgment alongside the emotional intelligence and experience needed to identify the right opportunities for change, then make them happen. You understand why people find change difficult. You come alive talking about how people make decisions and why they do the things they do. 

• You understand the children’s services sector. You understand how the sector really works. This could include experience of working with/supporting senior sector leaders to facilitate change and improvement that improves the lives of young people.

• You win people over. People tend to warm to you and respect you. You have built good relationships with very senior people and with very junior people. You are good at chairing meetings, connecting people and having good introductory meetings. You are comfortable talking to a government minister, a youth worker, a company CEO, a social worker and a 15-year-old student. Listening to people from all backgrounds matters to you.

• You have experience of developing resources which support children’s services. You understand and take a curious approach to learning about the needs of sector leaders. You are able to skilfully translate these insights into helpful resources and tools which support leaders to improve practice. 

• You learn fast but remain humble. You are very quick at getting your head around things. You like learning. You are very good at synthesising information. You know how much you don't know. You know that you can learn more. You know that it's easy to assume you know when you don't. You care more that good things happen than who gets the credit. You are a great and supportive team player. 

• You don't want your days to pass without making a difference. You want to play a significant part in reducing violence.

• You understand young people. You understand what the lives of vulnerable young people can be like, and you understand some of the organisations that work with them, ideally through first-hand experience.

• You are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. 

You must have this sort of experience 

• Delivering positive change within children’s services: You have significant experience of working with sector leaders to support the development and improvement of practice.

While it’s not a criteria, we’re especially interested to hear from applicants who have lived experience of violence affecting children and young people. 

It’s also important to us that the people we hire do not discriminate. We believe in being inclusive and giving everyone an equal chance to succeed. Applications are welcome from all regardless of age, sex, gender identity, disability, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, race, sexual orientation, transgender status or social economic background.

All appointments will be made on merit, following a fair and transparent process. In line with the Equality Act 2010, however, the organisation may employ positive action where candidates from underrepresented groups can demonstrate their ability to perform the role equally well. 

Hybrid Working 

The office is based in Central London. Those living in and around London are expected to be in the office a minimum of 2 days per week. If you live outside of London and work remotely, you’ll be expected to work from the London office 2 days per month. 

To Apply 

Please click on the "Apply for this" button and submit your CV, your completed monitoring form and ensure your covering letter answers the following three questions below. Please submit your application by Monday 1st June 2026 at 12pm. 

Application Questions 

1. How have you used evidence to deliver effective change and improve outcomes? How did you gather and use the evidence and influence senior leaders to act differently? 

1. Describe your experience and understanding of working in or with the children’s services sector, in particular working with senior sector leaders. Please be specific about the context and impact you made.

1. What personal and professional experiences shape your understanding of the children’s services sector and its role in preventing youth violence? 

As part of our commitment to flexible working we will consider a range of options for the successful applicant. All options can be discussed at the interview stage. 

Interview Process 

This will be a two-stage interview process. Interviews will take place the week of 15th June 2025. 

Please Note: We do not sponsor work permits and you will be required to provide proof of your eligibility to work in the UK. 

Benefits Include 

• £1,000 professional development budget annually 

• 25 days annual leave, 3 days end of year shut down, plus Bank Holidays 

• Four half days for volunteering activities 

• Employee Assistance Programme – 24hr phone line for free confidential support 

• Volunteering days - 4 half days per year 

• Death in service - 4 times annual salary 

• Flexible hours. Core office hours 10am – 4pm 

• Financial support including travel and hardship loans 

• Employer contributed pension of 5%. 

Your Data 

Your personal data will be shared for the purposes of the recruitment exercise. This includes our HR team, interviewers (who may include other partners in the project and independent advisors), relevant team managers and our IT service provider if access to the data is necessary for performance of their roles. We do not share your data with other third parties, unless your application for employment is successful, and we make you an offer of employment. We will then share your data with former employers to obtain references for you. We do not transfer your data outside the European Economic Area. 
 

Are you looking to make a difference to children and young people’s lives?

Anna Freud is seeking a Senior Wellbeing Practitioner to join our world-leading mental health charity for children, young people and their families. Our mission is to close the gap in wellbeing and mental health by advancing, translating, delivering, and sharing the best science and practice with everyone who impacts the lives of children, young people and their families. More information about Anna Freud is available on our website.

Our EDI commitment

We are dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace and being an equal opportunities employer, whereby equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are core to our recruitment practices. All candidates who meet the job criteria will be considered for employment, regardless of ethnic origin, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, socioeconomic background, caring responsibilities and care experience.

We ask candidates to share their diversity dimensions with us to help us identify, tackle and prevent bias across the employee lifecycle. We believe a diverse workforce enhances our ability to support mental health and wellbeing, allowing us to better meet the needs of the children, young people and families we serve.

As a Disability Confident employer, disabled candidates meeting our criteria are guaranteed an interview. Applications are submitted anonymously and assessed using a fair evaluation process based on the criteria set out in our job profiles.

What we offer

We offer a range of staff benefits, including an all-in-one rewards and recognition platform called Perkbox and wellbeing offers such as finishing early on Fridays and free counselling through our Employee Assistance Programme. We are proud to have staff-led Diversity Networks offering unique opportunities for learning, connection and impact.

MindWorks is a research programme designed as a randomised controlled trial to test a specialist intervention for young people at risk of school exclusion due to challenging behaviour. Grounded in CBT and systemic approaches and underpinned by a strong anti-racist framework, the programme recognises the impact of structural inequality and works closely with schools, families and communities, with young people recruited directly through education settings.

Please note: the role is known internally as Senior Practitioner.

What you’ll do

You will play a key role in supervising and supporting practitioners to deliver evidence-based interventions for young people at risk of exclusion, ensuring high-quality, consistent practice across the service. You will provide expert clinical oversight, including safeguarding and risk management, while also delivering direct support to young people, families, and schools where needed. You will support the research trial by maintaining fidelity to the intervention model and working collaboratively with education and community partners to improve outcomes for young people.

What you’ll bring

Essential requirements:

• Qualified and experienced clinician with a recognised background in child and adolescent mental health, including therapeutic work and specialist interventions such as trauma-informed CBT.
• Skilled in working with complex needs and risk, including safeguarding, neurodiversity, and supporting young people in community or school settings.
• Strong collaborative practitioner able to build effective relationships with schools, families, and multidisciplinary professionals while working independently when required.
• Effective communication and supervision skills, with the ability to support practitioners, convey complex information clearly, and adapt to different audiences.
• Committed to research-informed practice, maintaining accurate records, upholding confidentiality, and ensuring fidelity to intervention models within a trial setting.

Please note: a comprehensive training programme in the intervention and trial requirements will be provided in late August and early September 2026. You must be available to complete this comprehensive training, which is a core requirement for the role.

Key details

Hours: full-time, 35 hours per week.

Salary: £51,803 FTE per annum, plus 6% contributory pension scheme.

Location: community sites, schools and colleges, and Anna Freud (4-8 Rodney Street, London N1 9JH). Face to face delivery predominantly. Ability to travel is essential.

Contract type: fixed-term until July 2028.

Next steps

Closing date for applications: midday (12pm), Wednesday 27 May 2026. Please note that due to high application volumes, we may close this advert early. We encourage you to apply promptly and to keep an eye on our future vacancies for more opportunities.

Notification of interview: shortlisted applicants will be notified no later than Friday 29 May 2026. During shortlisting, applicants are anonymously assessed using the criteria visible in the Job Profile. Please note: due to the high volume of applications received, we will not be able to provide feedback to unsuccessful applicants.

Interviews: will be held remotely on 2 and/or 3 June 2026.

How to apply: visit our careers website to apply online. We are unable to accept CVs and kindly request no contact from agencies.

Questions?

Please email Recruitment with any job enquiries, or if you require assistance or experience difficulties when applying. Please note that successful candidate(s) will be asked to evidence their Right to Work in the UK post-job offer – we do not hold a sponsor license therefore we are unable to provide Visa sponsorship.

Do you have significant strategic leadership, operational management and budget management experience?

AFK is looking for a visible leader of our organisation to inspire and motivate the team through your presence and engagement. 

Context of Job
AFK is a national charity whose mission is to create opportunities for children and young people who are disabled or neurodiverse, to increase their independence, reach their individual potential and remove the barriers they face.
Our vision is a world where there are no barriers to independence for children and young people who are disabled or neurodivergent.
In response to this we offer bespoke employment skills training and organise work experience across North London. At a national level, we provide mobility equipment not available on the NHS for disabled children and young people up to the age of 25.

Overall Job Purpose
The Chief Executive Officer will provide strategic leadership and operational management for the charity, working closely with the Board of Trustees to deliver our mission and ensure AFK's sustainability and growth. You will lead a team of around 30 staff and volunteers, managing an annual budget of approximately £2 million.
As the visible leader of the organisation, you'll inspire and motivate the team through your presence and engagement. You'll be responsible for building strong team relationships, providing hands-on support when required, and will demonstrate the charity's values in everything you do. By leading from the front and showing the commitment and passion that drives AFK forward, you'll create a culture where everyone is motivated to deliver their best work.

Working Conditions
The post is 35 hours a week, normally 9:00am to 5:00pm, Monday to Friday. The post holder may be expected to work some evenings and weekends as required by the job.
28 days annual leave will be given in addition to public holidays.
There is a TOIL policy.

Working Relationships
The CEO will maintain close working relationships across all levels of the organisation and with external stakeholders. You'll work collaboratively with a Board of eight trustees to drive the charity's strategy forward, providing regular updates and ensuring effective governance.
You'll line manage members of the Senior Management Team, ensuring a cohesive and effective leadership group.
Building and nurturing relationships with key funders, partners, and supporters will be essential to the role. You'll act as an ambassador for the charity with AFK’s stakeholders, representing our mission and impact. Developing strong networks within the sector and maintaining meaningful connections with service users will be vital to ensuring the charity remains responsive and relevant to those it serves.
You'll also build visible and accessible connections with the wider staff team through regular communication and engagement across the organisation.
Importantly, this is a hands-on leadership role with a direct portfolio responsibility. In addition to your organisational leadership duties, you will lead and manage one of our core functional areas, whether that is Service Delivery, Fundraising, or Finance and Operations. You'll bring your specialist expertise and people management skills to this area, taking ownership of its performance and development.
This means the CEO role combines strategic leadership of the whole organisation with active, day-to-day accountability for a defined part of it.
AFK is a successful charity with well-established processes and an experienced team, meaning you'll be well supported to fulfil both dimensions of this role effectively.

Interview Schedule
First round of interviews will be held by mid June
Second round to be confirmed

For a full job decription, please sign into your CharityJob candidate account to access this attachment.