Lead youth development worker jobs

We’re an award-winning charity running local learning centres in the heart of the communities where the young people we support live. Our centres provide a high-impact education programme which includes practical learning support, pastoral care, and motivational and confidence-building activities for young people aged 7-18. Our aim is to enable students from the least advantaged neighbourhoods to realise their ambitions and achieve their wonderful potential.

As the UK’s leading university access organisation, our staff team is helping over 50,000 young people each year at its 44 learning centres and extension projects across England and Scotland, and we plan to scale-up our provision to 50 centres over the coming years.

We are looking for someone who will enjoy working each day with young people and who will thrive in a frontline, community-based, fast-paced and rewarding role. You will be taking up a fixed-term contract as an Education Worker at our
centre in Southampton.

Location: IntoUniversity Southampton
Contract: Full-time, fixed-term until July 2026
Applications close: 9am Tuesday 31st March 2026
Start date: As soon as possible, to be agreed directly with the successful candidate

Salary

£28,250 per annum

What could my day look like?

The Education Worker role is a frontline, fast-paced and rewarding role where no two weeks will look the same. A typical day will have different activities, possibly spread between the IntoUniversity centre, partner schools and the offices of a corporate partner.

In the morning, you might be setting off with resources to run a workshop for sixth-form students in their secondary school. In the afternoon you may be setting up the classroom ahead of running Primary Academic Support for young people in your IntoUniversity centre. On other days, you may be travelling to a corporate partner to run a business simulation workshop for 15 year-olds or leading a group of final year primary school students on a campus visit for their graduation.

As an Education Worker, you’ll always be delivering the programme as part of your centre team, which means that any delivery is always a team effort. 

About the role:

Step into a role where your drive, resilience and belief in young people can truly change lives. As a Young Person’s Worker across our accommodation services in Islington, Camden and Waltham Forest, you will be right alongside young people at risk of homelessness, helping them move from uncertainty towards stability and independence. This is hands on, purposeful work where every day matters, and where your determination can unlock real opportunity for those who need it most.

In this role, you will manage a caseload of young people, building trusted relationships and empowering them to lead their journey forward. You will create and review personalised support and safety plans, support moves into independent accommodation, and help young people take confident steps into education, training or employment. Working within a trauma informed and strengths based approach, you will champion each young person’s goals while developing practical life skills such as budgeting, self care and cooking. You will also support access to essential services including mental health support, housing advice and employment pathways, motivating and coaching young people to take ownership of their futures.

At Single Homeless Project (SHP), you will be part of a tenacious, values driven team that does not shy away from challenge and believes in doing things differently to achieve lasting change. We will support your ambition with ongoing training, development and the chance to grow your career while making a genuine impact. If you are ready to bring your energy, compassion and persistence to a role that truly matters, we would love to hear from you.

About you:

• You bring experience working with young people in the community and in accommodation services.
• Your toolkit includes practical skills in motivation and coaching young people
• Your approach is creative, analytical, trauma-informed and rooted in a strengths and recovery model.
• You can creatively inspire opportunities for our young people to thrive and to develop to their highest potential.
• A non-judgmental approach to working with complex needs young people and to promote a strengths-based approach and an understanding of and commitment to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion.
• Strong team-working and interpersonal skills, maintaining a collaborative approach to supporting young people achieve the outcomes and goals we support them to set for themselves.

About Us:

We’re London’s leading homelessness charity – and we get things done.

In a city where hundreds are forced into homelessness every day, our work has never been more needed or more challenging. And we’re not shying away. We’re rolling up our sleeves to make change and helping over 10,000 Londoners every year. We prevent homelessness, provide safe places to live and give people the opportunity to rebuild their lives and transform their futures. And we never give up. 

We’re here for Londoners wherever they are on their journey. We start with trust, building relationships that help people feel safe, supported, and ready to move forward. Every day, we put people first in everything we do, challenging injustice and barriers that keep people from the safety, stability and opportunity they deserve. We stand alongside people as they rebuild and shape a future that feels their own. 

Joining Single Homeless Project means joining a team that’s bold, compassionate and determined to do better for the people we support and for each other. You’ll work alongside colleagues with lived experience, in a space that’s trans-inclusive, disability-friendly, and actively striving to be anti-oppressive and equitable. 

We’re not perfect, but we’re real. We listen. We learn. And we push forward, together. Because this isn’t just a job. It’s a chance to lead with empathy, spark change, and help build a London where no one is left behind.

Important Info:

Please note we will be reviewing applications as they are received and progressing those suitable to interview at our Head Office in Kings Cross on an adhoc basis. Therefore please submit your application as soon as possible as we reserve the right to close the advert once suitable candidates are identified. 

Please note there will be a second round of interviews in service for progressed candidates.

This post will require an Enhanced DBS check to be processed (by SHP) for the successful applicant.

Please note applications are reviewed for AI use in application questions. Applications requiring sponsorship or with insufficient right to work will not be accepted or progressed.

This position is offered on a full-time basis, though we welcome applications from candidates interested in working 3–4 days per week

This is a really exciting time to lead on Service Design at UK Youth. The Government’s recently-launched National Youth Strategy represents a shift in youth work’s recognition. UK Youth is about to launch its own new Strategy and we have big ambitions for the coming year – in this crucial leadership role, you’ll drive forward our ambition to design, test and scale the very best solutions to the challenges faced by young people and the professionals supporting them. 

UK Youth’s Impact Function has grown over the last year – we’re investing in the power of evidence, human-centred design and influential storytelling to improve the equity and effectiveness of youth work. Join us and help build a society that backs every young person – through each spark, struggle, and success.​

Purpose of the job

This role is responsible for the design of UK Youth’s support to young people, youth organisations and youth workers. This could include structured youth work programmes, funding and grants+ programmes, professional development initiatives, and campaigns.

You will lead and oversee end-to-end design processes, ensuring that UK Youth develops fully packaged offers that respond to the evidence base and people’s needs, drive forward our strategy and achieve incredible impact. You will work across UK Youth teams, with external design partners, and meaningfully involving young people and the professionals who support them in the design process.

You will be experienced in developing high quality funding propositions (proactively and in response to new business opportunities). You will be confident in taking a human-centred design approach to tackle some of the youth sector’s knottiest problems.  You will design solutions to important problems, ensuring that they are feasible, equitable, impactful and scalable.

In 2026, our priority topics for youth work programmes and network development are: mental health and wellbeing, employability, social cohesion and community safety.

 As a leader, you will work closely with research, evaluation, policy, service delivery, network development, and fundraising teams. You will help to improve the skills and confidence of colleagues across UK Youth to apply design methods in their own work and collaborate effectively with the Design team.

Why work at UK Youth?

UK Youth wants all young people to be equipped to thrive and empowered to contribute at every stage of their lives. Youth work can be life changing (and even life saving.) In 2026, we will be launching our new strategy, positioning UK Youth to unlock youth work so that every young person in the UK can benefit. We work with others to ensure that the youth sector is strengthened and that provision is youth-led, evidence-informed, and delivers high-quality outcomes.

 UK Youth plays a unique role in addressing the lack of investment in the youth sector, the lack of cross-sector understanding in how youth work makes a difference, and the limited opportunities to embed effective solutions. These factors lead to mass inequality of access to youth services for young people. Come and be part of this change in a driven and supportive team that puts evidence at the heart of our work.

Role Responsibilities

• Designing Solutions

• Developing new business and funding propositions

• Embedding Human Centred Design

• Building a strong external network to support the Design team’s work

• Operations

Experience we're after

• Significant experience of leading and overseeing the development of new business propositions and proposals to time-limited funding opportunities

• Significant experience of designing interventions (digital and/or physical) for young people and/or those who support them 

• Experience using human-centred-design methods and mindsets; managing projects across the end-to-end design process

• Proven track record of inspiring and motivating diverse teams and improving collaborative ways of working across teams and departments

• Experience of developing high quality programme content and curricula for young people, youth workers and/or outdoor learning instructors (desirable)

• Experience of commissioning and managing external design freelancers and consultants (desirable)

• Experience of designing and/or delivering professional development programmes (desirable)

What we can offer you

We offer a competitive range of benefits, good work/life balance, excellent learning and development opportunities and vibrant organisational culture:

• Flexible/Agile Working

• 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays (pro rata for part time employees)

• Funded training provided in; Safeguarding, GDPR, Information and Cyber Security & Equality & Diversity

• Other training available in support of your personal and professional development

• Pension scheme (currently UK Youth match employee contributions up to 5%)

• Membership of our life insurance scheme which would pay-out up to 4 times your salary

• Employee Assistance Programme to support employees both professionally and personally

• 20% discount off bookings at Avon Tyrrell, our New Forest Outdoor Centre, including camping, lodges and outdoor activities.

• IT equipment provided for the duration of contract

• CycleScheme and TechScheme

How to apply

If you would like to be considered for this fantastic opportunity, please complete an application via our completely anonymised recruitment system provided by Applied which looks to create a fair and unbiased application process for all. Scroll to the top of the page and start your application.

Closing date: 25th March 2026 at 23:59pm (midnight)

Provisional Interview Dates: 1st and 2nd April (In person at our London Office)

As this role involves working in a regulated environment with young people, any offer will be conditional to satisfactory background checks, which include criminal record check and employment reference.

Good relationships shape our health and happiness, yet we are taught so little about them. LMK (Let Me Know) is on a mission to change that. We are a young and thriving charity providing education about healthy and unhealthy behaviours so that young people have the knowledge and skills to avoid abuse and thrive in their relationships. We work in schools, community organisations and workplaces across London. 

LMK’s Head of Programmes leads, develops and delivers LMKs high quality education programmes for young people and the trusted adults around them, ensuring our programmes are responsive to the changing experiences of young people and the feedback from our programme evaluation. Leading a passionate and talented team of employees and freelance youth workers, this role is an important ambassadorial role for LMK, bringing gravitas and insight from your experience of education provision to evidence LMK’s impact to fellow education professionals, youth workers, funders and the media. Working with the CEO, and our Youth Advisory Board, this role helps shape the strategic direction for LMK. 

We’re especially keen to hear from candidates who have:

• Strong understanding of RSHE / relationship education

• Senior leadership experience

• Experience in designing and delivering youth-focused education programmes

• Safeguarding expertise (DSL experience highly desirable)

• The ability to inspire, lead and support a diverse team.

Working from home, but with regular travel around London, so must be based in or near London.

Recruitment Timeline
Vacancy closing date: Sunday, March 22, 2026, 11:30 pm
First round interview date: Wednesday, April 1, 2026

Please see job description for more details.

We’re an award-winning charity running local learning centres in the heart of the communities where the young people we support live. Our centres provide a high-impact education programme which includes practical learning support, pastoral care, and motivational and confidence-building activities for young people aged 7-18. Our aim is to enable students from the least advantaged neighbourhoods to realise their ambitions and achieve their wonderful potential.

As the UK’s leading university access organisation, our staff team is helping over 50,000 young people each year at its 44 learning centres and extension projects across England and Scotland, and we plan to scale-up our provision to 50 centres over the coming years.

We are looking for someone who will enjoy working each day with young people and who will thrive in a frontline, community-based, fast-paced and rewarding role. You will be taking up a fixed-term contract as an Education Worker at our
centre in London.

Locations: This role will be based in London. We have 12 IntoUniversity centres in London. The exact centre(s) in London that this role will be based in will be confirmed with the successful candidate. 
Contract: Full-time, fixed-term until August 2026
Applications close: 9am Tuesday 31st March 2026

Start date: As soon as possible, to be confirmed with the successful candidate

Salary

£30,950 per annum (inclusive of £2,700 London contribution)

What could my day look like?

The Education Worker role is a frontline, fast-paced and rewarding role where no two weeks will look the same. A typical day will have different activities, possibly spread between the IntoUniversity centre, partner schools and the offices of a corporate partner.

In the morning, you might be setting off with resources to run a workshop for sixth-form students in their secondary school. In the afternoon you may be setting up the classroom ahead of running Primary Academic Support for young people in your IntoUniversity centre. On other days, you may be travelling to a corporate partner to run a business simulation workshop for 15 year-olds or leading a group of final year primary school students on a campus visit for their graduation.

As an Education Worker, you’ll always be delivering the programme as part of your centre team, which means that any delivery is always a team effort. 

Youth Focus West Midlands (YFWM) is looking for a Regional Development Lead to work as part of the Network of Regional Youth Work Units to build an inclusive and equitable approach to youth voice and youth engagement, ensuring the most marginalised and under-represented young people have their voices heard and acted upon across the UK.

The Development Lead will manage the Amplify funded programme of work across the region. This will include the facilitation of learning networks, peer support groups and peer research approaches, overseeing of project communications and delivering training and support programmes. Along with the collation of best practice around youth voice and contributing to evaluation and impact reporting requirements.

This is a part-time (17.5 hours per week) role on a Fixed Term Contract of 4 years, offering £29,000–£30,000 per annum pro-rata depending on experience (£14,500 – £15,000 before deductions). The role is remote (equipment provided) but with frequent travel required across the West Midlands. Occasional evening and weekend working will also be required. 

To find out more please read the role description and person specification provided. To apply, please complete our official application form (CVs and cover letters will not be considered). The deadline for applications is 5pm on Wednesday 18th March. Interviews are expected to take place on 22nd April. 

Sheffield Cathedral stands at the heart of the city as both an iconic Christian landmark and a living centre of prayer, worship, and mission. Guided by our commitment to be “A Place for All People,” the Cathedral is investing in new forms of sacramental mission across the Diocese of Sheffield.

The Community of St Paulinus (CsP) is a pioneering, non-residential community focused on resourcing sacramental church planting, forming disciples, and strengthening partnerships across the diocese.

This newly created role of Marketing & Content Lead reflects a strategic investment in building the public voice, identity and reach of CsP. We are seeking a creative and strategically minded marketing professional who will establish and grow CsP’s digital platforms from the ground up, developing a distinctive brand voice and presence that is rooted in Sheffield Cathedral while clearly expressing the unique identity of the Community of St Paulinus.

The postholder will shape CsP’s emerging communications strategy, build audiences, develop campaigns, and contribute to wider marketing thinking within the Project Resource Team.

The Marketing & Content Lead will sit within the Project Resource Team (PRT), alongside the Project Manager, Administration Assistant, and Fundraising Officer. The postholder will be line managed by the Project Manager and will be a key part of the agile Project Resource Team, which serves the CsP.  The postholder will also collaborate with the Cathedral Marketing and Communications Team, where appropriate, to ensure alignment and shared opportunity, with the wider Cathedral communications strategy and work. 

[This is a post which is funded by a grant from the National Church currently up to the end of 2028.  There will be further opportunity for us to review and extend the role if further funding is available with the current expectation that this could be until 2031.  Regular reviews on this will take place.  We have a strong record for applications and grants, but we are not in a position to give guarantees.]

£27,278 per annum (4 days per week or 30 hours per week) - Flexible working arrangements available by negotiation

A full job information pack is available from Sheffield Cathedral website.  Please visit.[A CsP Explainer document forms part of this job pack.]

Applications must be made on the Cathedral's own application form (which is also available on the Cathedral website).

Applications must be submitted by 12 noon on Thursday 9 April.

Short-listing by the panel will take place on Monday 13 April 2026.

Interviews will take place at Sheffield Cathedral Thursday 30 April 2026.

For an informal chat about this role, please email or telephone Paul Trathen, Project Manager, Community of St Paulinus. [Details through Cathedral website.]

Can you inspire and support a young person through the many challenges they face? Are you looking to work for an organisation that enables you to make a real difference in the life of a young person? Would you like help to develop your skills and aspirations in this field?

The Hebe Foundation is a Christian Youth charity working with all young people to help them discover and use their gifts & talents; whilst building the character to sustain their gifts. We have a burning passion to see young people grow in every area, and for us to be able to provide them with the environment and tools for that growth. We create innovative, inspiring, educational, fun projects for all young people, with an emphasis on those who are from challenging circumstances.

We are seeking an organised Assistant Project Manager & inspirational Lead Youth Worker to assist the Project Manager & leadership team to plan, coordinate and manage our various youth projects. You’ll engage directly with the young people in an authentic creative way providing support and facilitation. You should be confident to deputise for the Project Manager.

Location: Clapham, London UK, however the option of hybrid working is available at times.

Responsibilities include:

Project Management

· Assist in planning, implementing, coordinating and reviewing projects

· Engage with and deliver projects to participants (young people)

· Ensure monitoring, evaluation and reporting of projects

· Manage social media platforms -content & design

· Liaise with young people, parents/carers and other stakeholders

Youth Work

· Lead our team of sessional youth workers and volunteers

· Provide pastoral support and guidance to young people

· Deliver quality focused youth provision across our sites including schools

· Co-developing programmes

· Identify and draw out gifts and talents in our young people

· Assessing character development

· Ensuring participant safety during interaction (following Hebe policies & protocols)

Key Requirements/Desirables:

· Evidence of Youth Work experience

· SEN experience

· Project planning

· Excellent organisational skills

· Social Media competency

· Great IT Skills

· Excellent people skills and ability to interact with a wide range of client staff and demands.

· Ability to problem solve and work independently

Full Hebe training, security checks and Enhanced DBS checks will be undertaken by the successful applicants

16hrs per week (base which increases during project delivery).  Rate is £14.50 per hour.

Benefits

• Flexible working arrangements around 10am-4pm core hours
• 40 days paid leave per year: 25 days annual leave (pro-rata), 8 bank holidays, 3 days between Christmas and New Year and 4 wellbeing days (pro-rata)
• Strong commitment to professional development with a dedicated training budget
• Up to 5% pension contribution
• Cycle to work scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme offering access to free therapy
• Work phone and laptop
• A supportive and inclusive culture with regular team social events

We are actively trying to increase the diversity of our workforce and we encourage applications from people from minoritised ethnic backgrounds. We are dedicated to being a workplace where everyone feels a sense of belonging and where diversity is celebrated. In our last staff survey, 95% said they feel a sense of belonging at Settle. Please see our website for more information on our approach to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

Settle is committed to increasing the representation of lived experience of the care system in our team. Therefore, care-experienced applicants who meet the essential criteria above will be guaranteed an interview. Plerase see the job description for a definition of care-experience.

The role

As a Senior Coach you will be working on the frontline delivering high quality one-to-one support to a caseload of young people across London. You will support young people to recognise and capitalise on their strengths by taking a coaching approach. You will work with young people who have been identified as having higher support needs and be proactive in taking steps to manage risk across your caseload. We are looking for a Senior Coach who can lead on demonstrating best practice across the coaching team and support the Programme Management Team to maintain an excellent standard of support.  You will use your insight and experience to act as a mentor to new coaches and support coaching colleagues in their practice, and to look to actively improve our support offer in collaboration with other Senior Coaches and Programme Managers. We are looking for someone who is compassionate in their work with others and celebrates examples of good practice whilst highlighting where there are areas for improvement, approaching this in a collaborative way.

You will draw on your experience to build and strengthen relationships with external professionals and develop Settle’s network across the boroughs where young people live. 

What we're looking for

We are looking for a driven, experienced individual, with the relevant skills to provide high quality support to a caseload of young people and ensure we give the very best we can. We are interested in someone who has a good grounding in a related frontline service and experience of proactively managing a caseload, collecting high quality data and keeping accurate notes. You will have the ability to take initiative and be comfortable flexing your priorities to support young people alongside holding Settle’s strategic goals.

You will be comfortable managing a level of heightened risk with the young people you are supporting, keeping timely and high-quality records, liaising with other professionals from a range of backgrounds, and providing support to colleagues to work towards positive outcomes for young people. You will have experience in managing safeguarding concerns well and thrive in the ups and downs of support-based work.

Overall, we are looking for a compassionate frontline worker, with an understanding of the value in coaching, and who has a level head at times of crisis. You are not afraid of shying away from difficult conversations and will challenge others appropriately to help them see a different perspective or viewpoint, always holding young people at the centre of your work.

As Youth Worker you will use your experience of working with children and young people to:

• Work alongside the Youth Coordinator to develop and deliver an agreed project plan that meets the requirements of funders and local team priorities, in line with Diabetes UK processes and policies.
• Support young people and volunteers to understand and grow their strengths and skills, empowering them to take action, support others and make change happen.
• Continuously improve our impact and engagement with young people and the diabetes community, identifying opportunities to share learning and good practice across teams.
• Work with colleagues to grow and enhance our engagement with young people, creating opportunities for long term relationships and involvement of young people in the wider work of the charity.

Location: Tower Hamlets
Hours: 35 hours per week
Starting Salary: £33,500 (Top Salary Band for this role: £35,000)
Job title: Young Person Intervention Coach: Targeted Intervention Casework and Street Work.
Contract: Permanent, subject to funding

Do you have the values, personal qualities, and experience to support high risk young people who are hard to engage and those involved in harm and affected by exploitation and violence?

Do you have the tenacity, resilience, determination and consistency to identify, disrupt, challenge, and support young people to move out of harm and prevent further involvement in harmful activities. Are you committed to social justice, equity and inclusion?

Do you want to be part of a growing and developing Charity that is ambitious for the young communities that we serve? If yes, then you could be joining our innovative, specialist Intervention Team

Benefits Summary:

• Working in a values-led, award-winning charity with local, national, and international connections.
• 25 annual leave days plus bank holidays per year
• A fair and benchmarked salary with consistent salary reviews and structured career progression pathway with opportunities for senior roles.
• A generous Pension Scheme
• A supportive working culture with Employee Assistance Scheme available 24/7.
• Comprehensive, ongoing training and professional development across fields of targeted intervention, harm reduction, youth development.
• A Referral Bonus Scheme of up to £150
• An Individual training budget (up to £200 pa) for external professional development training once completed first 12 months of employment
• Excellent professional supervision with monthly and quarterly reflective practice sessions.
• Great location near tubes, Spitalfields, Brick Lane, and direct access to Central London.

DBS Requirement: Enhanced DBS

Who we are: Streets of Growth is an award-winning, value-led, outcome-driven charity, working to reduce harm and positively transform the lives of the most vulnerable and at-risk young people in Tower Hamlets East London. We do not wait for young people to walk through our doors, instead we are relentless in reaching out to at risk hard to reach young people across the streets and neighbourhoods. Working to build a relationship of trust, truth, and transformation with each young person, coaching and enabling them to support themselves to change negative lifestyles, move away from violence and harm, stay out of prison, get good jobs, and create a better future for themselves.

The role: As a Young Person Intervention Coach (YIC), you will be responsible for the assessment and implementation of tailored intervention coaching plans for each young person on your caseload. You will work to achieve progression outcomes for each young person that includes reducing mental, physical, and emotional harm and supporting each young person transition to positive, thriving lifestyle both on a one-to-one basis, and in partnership with other individuals and agencies involved in the lives of each young person.

Your purpose is to identify, disrupt, challenge, and support young people to move out of harm and prevent further involvement in harmful activities. This will involve targeted street work, specialised one to one harm reduction and life skills coaching. You will receive specialist training in Streets of Growth emotional regulation skills programming which will underpin your Life-Skills Coaching with each young person.

Who we are looking for: You will have robust frontline experience of working with young people, including experience in engaging, assessing, and delivering interventions designed to support young people to build personal resilience and move away from harm and violence. You will also possess sound risk assessment skills and safeguarding knowledge. A key component of the job role is case management and knowledge of good practice models in harm reduction which underpin Streets of Growth practice, is essential.

To apply: Please submit an up-to-date CV and covering letter of no more than 2 A4 sides which explains how you meet the criteria set out in the person specification.

Closing date for applications: 11:59pm on Sunday 29th March 2026.

Interviews: We will be reviewing applications and conducting interviews on a rolling basis. If shortlisted, there will be a first stage 30-minute informal interview (online) and if selected an in-person formal interview (approx. 50 minutes) at our offices in Aldgate, London E1.

Streets of Growth is committed to diversity in all that it does and strongly encourages applications from every part of the communities we serve. All appointments are made on merit. At Streets of Growth, we would like to encourage applications from people both with and without criminal convictions, however the job offer has to be subject to vetting. The successful candidate will be required to apply for an enhanced criminal record check through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). Due to the nature of the work, you are applying for you are required to disclose any criminal convictions that you have.

No agencies please.

You may also have experience in the following: Youth Intervention Worker, Youth Worker, Young People’s Support Worker, Targeted Youth Worker, Outreach Youth Worker, Street Outreach Worker, Youth Engagement Worker, Youth Violence Intervention Worker, Exploitation Intervention Worker, Harm Reduction Worker, Caseworker (Young People), Youth Case Manager, Youth Mentor, Youth Support Practitioner.

REF-226 981

Are you looking for a rewarding, flexible role that fits around everyday life? Passionate about positive change while helping create opportunities for young adults with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities. InterAct is seeking an enthusiastic, self-driven individual to support groups of young adults aged 18–25 across Essex who have Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND).

This role focuses on empowering young people to develop independence, confidence, and meaningful social connections through personalised support and engaging community activities. Whilst seeking opportunities within local communities.

Key Responsibilities

• Create and deliver individual personal development pathways tailored to each young person’s goals, strengths, and aspirations.

• Organise and coordinate fun, innovative clubs and activities that encourage participation, social inclusion, and the development of long-term, meaningful friendships.

• Build positive relationships with families and carers to gain a deeper understanding of each individual’s achievements, skills, and support needs.

• Engage with local communities and partners to identify and promote enrichment opportunities that benefit service users.

• Support young adults to achieve meaningful outcomes by breaking down barriers, encouraging independence, and demonstrating measurable successes.

We’re an award-winning charity running local learning centres in the heart of the communities where the young people we support live. Our centres provide a high-impact education programme which includes practical learning support, pastoral care, and motivational and confidence-building activities for young people aged 7-18. Our aim is to enable students from the least advantaged neighbourhoods to realise their ambitions and achieve their wonderful potential.

As the UK’s leading university access organisation, our staff team is helping over 50,000 young people each year at its 44 learning centres and extension projects across England and Scotland, and we plan to scale-up our provision to 50 centres over the coming years.

We are looking for someone who will enjoy working each day with young people and who will thrive in a frontline, community-based, fast-paced and rewarding role. You will be taking up a fixed-term contract as an Education Worker at our
centre in Birmingham.

Location: IntoUniversity Birmingham
Contract: Full-time, fixed-term until August 2026
Applications close: 9am Monday 23rd March 2026
Start date: May 2026

Salary

£28,250 per annum

What could my day look like?

The Education Worker role is a frontline, fast-paced and rewarding role where no two weeks will look the same. A typical day will have different activities, possibly spread between the IntoUniversity centre, partner schools and the offices of a corporate partner.

In the morning, you might be setting off with resources to run a workshop for sixth-form students in their secondary school. In the afternoon you may be setting up the classroom ahead of running Primary Academic Support for young people in your IntoUniversity centre. On other days, you may be travelling to a corporate partner to run a business simulation workshop for 15 year-olds or leading a group of final year primary school students on a campus visit for their graduation.

As an Education Worker, you’ll always be delivering the programme as part of your centre team, which means that any delivery is always a team effort. 

Step Forward is seeking an experienced Therapeutic Service Lead to join our multi-disciplinary team supporting young people aged 11–25 with their mental health and emotional wellbeing.

Working closely with the CEO and Operations Manager, the postholder will help shape the strategic direction of the therapeutic service in line with organisational priorities. You will contribute to the smooth, safe, and effective delivery of the therapeutic service, ensuring it remains accessible, responsive, and relevant to local young people.

Key Responsibilities

· Be part of the Senior Management team alongside the CEO and Operations Manager and have a key role in the strategic direction of the Therapeutic service

· Co-ordinate the development and day-to-day management of the Therapeutic Service

· Support and line manage a small team including the Senior Counsellor and additional Counsellors & Wellbeing Workers

· Act as joint Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead

· Work with the Senior Counsellor to help support honorary counsellors

· Manage a small caseload of clients, including assessments for newly referred young people

· Manage allocations of clients to staff and volunteers

· Ensure monitoring and evaluation systems capture the impact of our therapeutic interventions

About You

 · A recognised qualification in Counselling or Psychotherapy

· Professional accreditation, or working towards it

· Minimum 5 years’ experience working with young people aged 11-25 years, including at least 3 years of providing post qualification 1:1 counselling support to young people in an organisational setting

· Experience as a team leader or as part of a management team

· Strong understanding of safeguarding principles and experience in managing safeguarding concerns

· A demonstrated commitment to supporting young people

· Confidence delivering evidence-based therapies across short-, medium-, and long-term interventions

· Experience supporting young people with a wide range of presenting issues, including: Anxiety, depression, bereavement, trauma, abuse, identity and relationships

· Ability to work independently and collaboratively within multi-agency teams

· Commitment to embracing diversity and supporting young people in Tower Hamlets

Working with Step Forward

We pride ourselves on providing inclusive, flexible, professional and young people friendly counselling and wellbeing support services.  We provide services both in our own purpose built centre and also on an outreach basis in schools and community/ youth settings. 

As Step Forward is a small charity our multi-disciplinary team work closely together to provide a holistic support service to young people. We expect all members of the team to take part in activities which help ensure the smooth running of the organisation and help us to reach organisational objectives.

Why Join Us

Work in a small, dedicated organisation where your expertise directly influences children and young people’s lives. Join a passionate and reflective  team of staff and volunteers who embrace and uphold our organisational ethos and values to ensure we are: Inclusive, Warm, Empowering, Inspirational and Innovative.

Other terms/benefits include:

· 35 hour (FTE) working week

· Generous holiday allowance -28 days per year plus bank holidays (FTE)

· Organisational closure for 3 days between Christmas and new years

· Employer pension contribution of 5%

· Access to enhanced sick leave after probation

· Ongoing learning and development opportunities

· Enhanced maternity/paternity/adoption leave and pay

· Hybrid and remote working potential where organisational requirements allow