Mental health peer mentoring worker jobs

At Likewise, the core of what we do is build meaningful one-to-one relationships with people who are finding life difficult, and use those relationships to help people feel supported and make change.

We're recruiting up to three Hostels Mental Health Support Workers to join a brand new service, starting this autumn. In this role, you would be doing that work inside Camden's homelessness hostels, going in to work alongside residents and the staff teams who support them. You would be embedded in a set of hostels, aligned to a part of the borough, with a regular on-site presence and a caseload of up to 15 people.

The people you work with are adults experiencing homelessness with complex needs, whose mental health is often a practical barrier to moving on. Much of the work is about helping someone stabilise and build the confidence to take their next step.

Camden's Adult Pathway is made up of 16 hostels, supporting around 600 people experiencing homelessness with complex needs. Mental health need in those hostels has risen sharply, and hostel staff are holding far more of it than they are set up or supported to hold. This is a new service, funded by government for three years. The model is designed but not yet lived, and whoever joins will help shape how it actually works.

Likewise is a community-centred mental health and wellbeing charity based in Camden. We believe that people thrive when they have access to meaningful relationships, supportive communities and opportunities to contribute. We're also committed to building a different kind of organisation, one that values trust, learning, autonomy and shared responsibility.

You don't need a specific qualification to apply, and we welcome people from a range of backgrounds. But this is not an entry-level role: we need people with real support work experience behind them. We care more about how you are with people, how you think and how you work than about your CV on paper.

If that sounds like you, we'd love to hear from you.

Islington Mind is recruiting a Team Leader for our Mental Health Recovery Pathway service, a trauma-informed mental health provision based across three sites in Islington and responding to the mental health needs of residents through a range of therapeutic interventions and community engagement.

You will be responsible for the running of the Isledon Road day centre, leading and supervising a team of staff and volunteers and managing the mental health open-access drop-in provisions, including:

• risk, health and safety and safeguarding management;
• overseeing the running of a programme of therapeutic activities;
• engaging and collaborating with partner service providers in the borough.

As a Service Manager, you will lead the day-to-day delivery and ongoing development of the Newham Together Cafe, ensuring the service provides safe, high-quality, recovery-focused support to people experiencing or approaching a mental health crisis.

What you'll do 

• Lead the operational delivery and development of the service, ensuring it meets contractual requirements, quality standards and the needs of the local community
• Provide effective leadership, line management, supervision and support to staff and volunteers, promoting a positive, inclusive and high-performing team culture
• Monitor service performance, outcomes, capacity, safeguarding and risk, using data and feedback to drive continuous improvement and ensure effective service delivery
• Build and maintain strong partnerships with NHS services, commissioners, local authorities and community organisations, representing the service at partnership meetings and multi-agency forums.

Please see the job pack for more information. 

Role: Dads’/Partners’ Peer Support Worker
Location: Birmingham wide / Hybrid working
Hours: 37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday (with some occasional evening and weekend work)
Salary: £25,363 – £26,419 per annum, subject to experience
Contract: Fixed-term for 12 months
Benefits: Flexible working, 36 days leave (including bank/public holidays), 5% matched pension contribution, ongoing support and supervision sessions

Reports to: Operations Director

Please note: To allow Acacia to provide specialist, relatable peer support, there is a Genuine Occupational Requirement (GOR) for this role to be filled by a male, who is a dad or partner and has relevant lived experience of perinatal mental health and/or other mental health difficulties.

What will the role involve?

The Dads’/Partners’ Peer Support Worker will play an important role in helping us reach and support more fathers and partners across Birmingham. The role will be community-based and will involve regular travel across the city, working closely with Family Hubs, community organisations and other local partners.

A key part of the role will be establishing and facilitating dads’ stay-and-play groups across Birmingham’s Family Hub areas. These groups will provide opportunities for dads to spend quality time with their children, meet other fathers, build supportive relationships and access support in a welcoming and informal environment.

The postholder will also provide one-to-one peer support, drawing appropriately on their own lived experience to build trust, offer encouragement and help fathers and partners feel less alone. They will support individuals to access relevant mental health, wellbeing, family and community services where needed.

The role will also help to raise awareness of fathers’ and partners’ perinatal mental health through community events, online resources and social media. Working alongside Family Hubs and other local services, the postholder will help dads and partners develop coping strategies, strengthen their support networks and feel more confident about moving forward.

Travel expenses incurred as part of the role will be reimbursed in line with Acacia’s Expenses Policy.Due to the post requiring regular travel across Birmingham, the applicant should ideally have access to a car for work purposes.

Please note the role will be subject to criminal record, right to work and reference checks.

Interested in applying?

If you are interested in being considered for the role, please read the attached job pack and complete the attached application form, explaining how you meet the points in the person specification. Your application should outline your relevant skills and experience, along with the qualities you feel you would bring to the role.

Please return completed application forms by Sunday 06 September 2026.

If you have any specific questions or would like to talk through any aspect of the role, please contact the recruiting manager for further information. 

Lead a pod in our long-running Floating Support service: hold the relationships, develop placement students, and stay close to the work.

At Likewise, the core of what we do is build meaningful one-to-one relationships with people who are finding life difficult, and use those relationships to help people feel supported and make change.

We're recruiting a Pod Leader to join our Floating Support team. As a Pod Leader, you are the person who holds that relationship with every client in your pod. You know them, stay alongside them over the long term, and are accountable for their support, even though many of the visits are carried out by the placement students you lead. You're the person who stays, while others come and go around the work.

You also play a big part in developing your students. Most arrive with no experience of this kind of work, and a lot of what makes a pod work well is the way you help them learn to do it.

Floating Support has been running for over twenty years. It's long-term, flexible support for adults in Camden, in sessions of around two hours, wherever works for the person. We reopened referrals in 2024, and the service is growing, which is part of why this role matters.

Likewise is a community-centred mental health and wellbeing charity based in Camden. We believe that people thrive when they have access to meaningful relationships, supportive communities and opportunities to contribute. We're also committed to building a different kind of organisation, one that values trust, learning, autonomy and shared responsibility.

You don't need a specific qualification to apply, and we welcome people from a range of backgrounds. But this is not an entry-level role. We need people with a good amount of work experience behind them, including some real experience of support work, whether paid or through volunteering. We're more interested in how you are with people, how you think and how you work than in your CV on paper.

If that sounds like you, we'd love to hear from you. 

Early applications are encouraged - we may conduct interviews as suitable candidates apply and we're ready to hire if we find the right person before the job ad closes.

Spectra is looking for a Research and Community Development Coordinator to join our growing Sex Worker Support Service.

Spectra is a health and wellbeing not-for-profit with a strong LGBTQ+ heritage. We design and deliver programmes for people from marginalised communities, including LGBTQ+ communities, particularly trans and gender diverse communities, sex worker communities, young people, and people living with and affected by HIV. Our work includes sexual health programmes, HIV and STI testing and outreach, counselling, advocacy, peer support and mentoring. 

Our Sex Worker Support Service has grown significantly since it was formed in 2023, and we are now looking for someone who can support the next stage of its development through community engagement, partnership work, participatory research and shared learning.

About the role

This role will support the ongoing development of Spectra’s Sex Worker Support Service by working closely with the Head of Sex Worker Support Services and the wider team. The postholder will help develop collaborative working with community and grassroots organisations, experts by experience, statutory agencies and other stakeholders.

You will lead on developing projects that support cross-community development in the sex worker support sector across London. This will include building external partnerships, helping to develop training, and supporting Spectra to play a positive and useful role in the wider sector. 

The role will also involve recruiting for and facilitating community participatory research projects and focus groups, contributing to data analysis and report writing, and sharing learning with colleagues and external stakeholders. The postholder will also occasionally contribute to outreach sessions and community support training, to build a direct understanding of the needs of the sex workers we work with.

Key areas of work

In this role, you will:

• Support the development of collaborations with agencies, grassroots organisations, collectives and experts by experience.
• Assist with the production of peer-led needs assessments and reliable, usable data and research. 
• Facilitate regular community participatory groups with service users and share learning with colleagues. 
• Create and distribute a monthly newsletter to stakeholders.
• Coordinate training opportunities and awareness-raising sessions with external organisations, delivering training alongside the Head of Service and/or other colleagues.
• Assist with funding proposals and applications. 
• Contribute to monitoring, evaluation and reporting.
• Help create, review and monitor resources for service users. 
• Work with Spectra colleagues and external partners to increase community engagement and develop resources for service users.

About you

We are looking for someone who is organised, thoughtful and community-minded, with good communication skills and a strong commitment to the rights and wellbeing of people from marginalised backgrounds.

You will have lived experience of sex work or transactional sex, or substantial experience working in trusted, peer-led sex worker support settings. Spectra delivers this service using a peer-led model, and lived experience is considered essential to this role because it supports trust-building, meaningful engagement, culturally competent service delivery, and the development of services that reflect the needs and experiences of sex workers and people engaged in transactional sex. 

You will also bring experience of developing good working relationships with stakeholders while maintaining professional boundaries, and experience of community research projects, data analysis and report writing.

We would particularly welcome applications from people who have experience of direct work within sex work community projects, online or in-person group facilitation, and/or knowledge of community participatory research methods.

About Spectra

Spectra’s values shape how we work, how we support one another, and how we work with the communities we serve. Our values are grounded in lived experience and reflect our commitment to equity, care and collaboration. We aim to be inclusive, supportive, emotionally aware, accessible, anti-oppressive, lived experience-centred and community-driven. 

We strive to provide a strong and supportive working environment for our staff team, many of whom have lived experience and are from the communities we serve.

How to apply

To apply, please complete the application form and return it by Thursday 3 September at 9am.

Interviews will take place in person on Monday 14 September.

The arts for mental health – peer support delivered creatively

Sound Minds is a user-led charity transforming lives through music, film and art. We are a thriving community bound together by creativity and a shared belief in mutual learning and peer support.

Main purposes of the job:

Sound Minds is recruiting a Head of Operations to join our team in Wandsworth.

The Head of Operations is a member of the senior leadership team at Sound Minds and leads the management and day-to-day operations of a vibrant community premises.

Sound Minds is in a period of review and consolidation, following growth of its programmes and having secured Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation status. The Head of Operations will further develop and implement robust systems to support this growth and the charity’s future aims.

The role leads on all operational, health and safety, premises, IT, systems, human resources, evaluation, and reporting activity. The Head of Operations manages the delivery of Sound Minds’ Peer Support service and will act as Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead. They deputise for the CEO as required.

They will assist the CEO on maintaining key relationships with external stakeholders and external communications.

Sound Minds is a creative place, and the Head of Operations will need a passion for organisation and administration.

Salary: £42,833 per annum(pro rata) & 3% contribution to pension

Hours: 28 hours per week

This fixed term contract ends on 16th June 2030 and is renewable depending on funding.

Strong IT skills are essential for this role. You will be required to have a DBS (criminal records check) and satisfactory written references before starting.

The full job description and application pack are available from Sound Minds’ website.

Closing date: 10:00am, Monday 7th September 2026

First interviews: Friday 18th September 2026

Could you help parents and carers of LGBTQ+ children and young people create space for their child to thrive?

Allsorts is seeking a Parents & Carers Service Support Worker to join our team and help make a real difference to our growing community of parents & carers who support the LGBTQ+ young people in their lives.

Working with the Senior Practitioner, you will help facilitate groups and provide 1:1 support to parents and carers, as well as supporting family-focused events.  The role also leads on administration and data management for the service.

Come help us make a difference to families across Sussex.

Job Title:   Parents & Carers Service Support Worker 

Hours: 18.5 hours

Key Responsibilities:

Delivering and developing the Parents & Carers Service

● Facilitate and co-facilitate online and in-person groups, activities, and events in a wide range of locations across Sussex.

●Provide welcoming one-to-one support to parents and carers, mostly online and occasionally in person

●Co-deliver the Evolve project for families with young people on the NHS waiting list to build their resilience, confidence, and strengthen family relationships.

●Attend in-person and online meetings, events and networking opportunities with other organisations and professionals to promote our service.

●Nurture the development of a safe, supportive and empathetic Parents & Carers community by encouraging connections and attendance at events and groups.

●     Collaborate with colleagues to integrate the Parents & Carers Service with Allsorts Youth Services to provide wide-ranging and high-quality service for the whole family.

Administration for the Parents & Carers Service

● Manage the referral system to ensure that data is recorded in a timely and accurate manner, and that referrals are processed within expected timeframes.

● Use Eventbrite to manage and promote events.

● Use Mailchimp to write a monthly newsletter for Parents & Carers, and to manage our mailing list.

●      Update our digital notice board with information, and monitor the Parents & Carers private Facebook group.

Salary: £13,202 (full-time salary equivalent is £26,403)

 NJC Scale 4, Point 7

Hours: 18.5 hours

Contract: Fixed term until March 31st 2028, with possible extension subject to funding

Annual Leave:  27 days, plus bank holidays pro rata

About You:

You are a warm, engaging professional with experience of working in support roles with adults or children.  You bring excellent collaboration and communication skills and the confidence to lead group discussions.  You’ve got an eye for detail and strong administration skills. 

You don’t have to be LGBTQ+, but you must have a deep understanding of the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ children and young people and families and a commitment to equity and inclusion.

Why Join Us?

This is a rare opportunity to join a respected children and young people’s organisation in a role that has enormous potential. You’ll be part of a team that’s passionate about making a real difference in the lives of LGBTQ+ children, young people, and their families.

About Allsorts

At Allsorts Youth,  we are on a mission to make sure every LGBTQ+ child in Sussex has the chance to make friends, build community & feel proud of who they are.

We want parents & carers to know they are not alone & feel confident supporting their children. We want every adult in an LGBTQ+ child’s life - from their teacher to their GP - to be safe & welcoming.

Our vision is of a world where LGBTQ+ children & young people can be themselves and enjoy their lives.

By placing children and young people’s voices at the centre of our work, we ensure that our understanding of their ongoing and evolving needs continues to inform our service provision.

There are three main strands to our service provision, all of which aim to improve the lives of LGBTQ+ children and young people.

Youth Service: We offer youth groups and programmes, youth coaching, activities, residential trips, and much more for children and young people across Sussex.

Parents & Carers Service: We offer groups, one-to-one support, activities, information sessions, and much more for parents & carers of LGBTQ+ children and young people across Sussex.

Training and Education Service: We provide LGBTQ+ Inclusion Training for a wide range of organisations, with a focus on organisations working with children and young people. We also run a schools programme.

Job Title:

Parents & Carers Service Support Worker

Salary:

£13,202 (full-time salary equivalent is £26,403)

NJC Scale 4, Point 7

Contract: Fixed term until March 31st 2028, with possible extension subject to funding

Part time

Hours of Work:

18.5 hours per week

Location:  Brighton & Hove

Annual Leave:

27 days, plus bank holidays pro rata

START are recruiting for an Operations Manager.

Job Title: Operations Manager
Location: Salford
Employer: START
Hours: 4 Days per week (28 hours) worked across Monday to Friday, specific work pattern to be agreed, with flexibility required)
Salary Band: £33,860 - £40,000 FTE (£27,088 - £32,000 per annum actual for 28 hours per week)
Contract Type: Permanent
Pension: 5% employer contribution
Annual Leave: 30 days plus statutory holidays (pro rata for part-time staff)

About Us

START is a Salford based mental health charity, of over 30 years, that uses creativity, connection and recovery interventions to help improve people's lives.

Job Overview

We are looking for an experienced, proactive and highly organised Operations Manager to join our Senior Leadership Team. This is an exciting opportunity to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of START by ensuring the organisation operates safely, efficiently and in line with best practice.

Core Responsibilities

As Operations Manager, you will oversee the day-to-day operational management of the charity, leading on health and safety, facilities management, information governance, H.R, organisational policies and procedures, and the continuous improvement of our operational systems. You will also manage operational staff, lead key organisational projects and work collaboratively with colleagues, trustees, partners and external contractors to support the delivery of our strategic objectives.

This varied and rewarding role requires a confident leader with excellent organisational, communication and problem-solving skills, who can manage multiple priorities while maintaining high standards of compliance and service delivery. You will be passionate about creating efficient systems, fostering a positive working environment and ensuring the organisation remains compliant with relevant legislation and best practice.

Additional Information

If you are an experienced operational leader who thrives on driving improvement, building strong relationships and supporting an organisation that makes a real difference in people's lives, we'd love to hear from you.

Closing date for receiving applications will be Tuesday 18th August 2026 at 12 noon.

PLEASE PRESS THE 'HOW TO APPLY' BUTTON FOR MORE INFORMATION.

START are committed to equality of opportunity, to eliminating discrimination and to creating an inclusive working environment for all. With this in mind, we welcome applications irrespective of age, disability, race, religion and belief, gender identity, sex or sexual orientation

No agencies please.

Change Grow Live are a charity dedicated to the belief that we can make a difference to our Service Users lives, offering support and respect in a safe environment, treating each person as an individual and working with them to find the right treatment and care options.

Our core values are ‘Be open, be compassionate and be bold’ and our team members apply these daily to achieve our mission of helping people change the direction of their lives, grow as individuals, and live life to its full potential. 

An exciting opportunity has arisen within our Buckinghamshire Service for you to join a dynamic team committed to supporting children and young people who have been affected by someone else’s drug and/or alcohol use. The role of a Children and family Worker will support children and young people under the age of 18 on a one-to-one basis in a confidential space. The role will deliver a wide range of interventions/ education though activities, such as games, arts and crafts and emotional wellbeing resources. The role will utilise a young person-centred approach, empowering them to explore situations which they feel they have little control over to support them to lead a safe, happy, and healthy life.

The role will work in partnership and liaise with other young people services throughout Buckinghamshire, to provide holistic support to young people accessing the service. We need to record information about what we do, so enjoying a bit of admin work and attention to detail is important, but most of the time you’ll be enjoying working with young people from all backgrounds, making a difference to their lives. You will be required to work flexibly across operational sites as required so must hold a full UK driving license and have access to a car. Don’t worry, there is a wide array of training and development opportunities to help support you in your work.

Where: This role will be based across Buckinghamshire County

When: We're looking for the right person to join our team ASAP on a permanent contract

Hours: 37.5 per week

Full-time hours at Change Grow Live are 37.5 hours per week. For part-time roles, the salary and payments will be pro rata based on contracted hours. 

Responsibilities

About the role: 

• To holistically support CYP affected by parental substance misuse, using a range of interventions including group work, 1:1 work, whole family interventions, safety planning and safeguarding working closely and proactively with the family unit to support positive and sustainable outcomes.
• Identify families in conjunction with other agencies, who will benefit from a Think Family / Whole family approach, negotiating participation and engagement with the programme of care.
• Identifying and responding effectively to potential safeguarding issues. 
• Reducing drug and alcohol related harm to young people and the wider community. 
• Working with young people to support positive, holistic outcomes in relation to their health and wellbeing, enabling them to lead safe, healthy, and purposeful lives: reducing risk and increasing resilience 
• Working flexibly across sites where required

About you: 

• Experience of working with young people and knowledge of the issues they face 
• Knowledge of safeguarding concerns in relation to children and young people and the Fraser Competence framework 
• Have an excellent understanding of drug and alcohol issues and experience of working within a related field 
• Knowledge of working with evidence-based practice around young people’s substance misuse treatment services and methods, including relevant best practice guidance 
• An accomplished communicator, both verbal and written with a high degree of personal IT competency 
• Be able to accurately update and maintain records and to work to deadlines for the submission of information, e.g., reports 
• Have excellent team working and interpersonal skills, maintaining a highly cooperative approach to supporting colleagues in delivering service objectives 

What we will give to you: 

• 25 days holiday (+ bank holidays) rising by 1 day for each years’ service “Capped at 30 days” 
• Paid ‘Wellness’ hour each week along with a ‘Wellness’ hub and Employee Assist Programme 
• Contributory pension scheme 
• A great selection of benefits incl. discounts for shopping, cinema, holidays, etc. 
• A friendly and supportive team 
• Training, career development & progression opportunities 
• Refer a friend scheme.

Please ensure that when completing your application form and supporting statement, you reflect on the details outlined in the job description. This will help us understand how your skills and experiences align with the requirements of the role.

A note about using AI in your application

AI can be a really helpful tool when putting together your application, and we're happy for you to use it. However, what we're most interested in is you.

We want to understand your experiences, achievements and strengths, so please make sure your application reflects your own story and clearly shows how you meet the essential criteria and the impact you've made in previous roles.

There's no need to write in a particular style. The strongest applications are those that are authentic, specific and clearly demonstrate your skills, experience and potential. We look forward to learning more about you.

Direct applications only — we will not be engaging agencies for this vacancy. 

Please note: This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Applicants must already have the right to work in the UK at the time of application. For applicants with time-limited visas, unfortunately, we are unable to support new visa applications or extensions. 

We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if we receive a high number of applications, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible. 

Salary Range (pro rata if part time)

CGL points 23 to 28 (£28,557.79 - £32,802.41)

ILW / OLW /Fringe

N/A - Outside London Weighting Area

Interview Date

24/8/2026

Closing Date

17/8/2026

This post is subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check at an enhanced level.

Are you an experienced practitioner with a passion for empowering young people and making a difference?

At NYAS (National Youth Advocacy Service), we are dedicated to making a lasting impact on the lives of children, young people, and adults at risk. We believe no child or young person should ever be alone or voiceless in the care system, in family court, or when decisions are being made about their future.

We are seeking an experienced and compassionate Senior Practitioner to join Project Unity England, working 28 hours per week. This is an exciting opportunity to deliver intensive, trauma-informed support to care-experienced young mothers who are pregnant or have recently given birth, helping families stay together and supporting young mothers to build positive futures.

About Project Unity England

Project Unity England is an innovative national initiative focused on improving outcomes for care-experienced young mothers and their children through collaborative, multi-agency working. The project aims to keep families together, strengthen service delivery, promote innovation and ensure that local needs are addressed effectively across England.

At the heart of Project Unity is a collaborative approach that brings together local authorities, health partners and community organisations to provide coordinated, community-focused support. By working closely with partner agencies, Project Unity helps ensure young mothers receive the right support at the right time, enabling them to make informed decisions and achieve the best possible outcomes for themselves and their children.

About the role

As a Senior Practitioner, you will manage a complex caseload, providing independent, rights-based advocacy and one-to-one support to care-experienced young mothers. Working autonomously while supported by the Project Coordinator, you will empower young mothers to understand their rights, navigate statutory processes and make informed decisions that help keep families safely together.

You will build trust, complete assessments, develop support plans and advocate on their behalf within multi-agency settings. You will work alongside social workers, midwives, health visitors and other professionals to ensure each young mother's voice is heard and represented.

Alongside direct casework, you will contribute to peer support groups, workshops and community-based activities that reduce isolation, build confidence and strengthen parenting skills. You will also play an important role in safeguarding, quality assurance and service development by maintaining high-quality records, producing case studies and identifying opportunities to improve local services.

This is a rewarding opportunity to make a tangible difference to the lives of care-experienced young mothers while working within an innovative, rights-based national programme.

About you

We are looking for someone who is passionate about supporting vulnerable young people and families. You will be confident working independently while building strong partnerships with professionals across health, social care and the voluntary sector.

You will have experience supporting families or parents with complex social care involvement and a sound understanding of safeguarding, risk assessment and relevant legislation. You will be an effective advocate with excellent communication skills, able to build trusting relationships while maintaining professional boundaries.

You will be organised, resilient and confident managing a demanding caseload, with strong analytical skills and the ability to make sound professional judgements in complex situations.

Above all, you will demonstrate NYAS's values of Collaboration, Accountability, Respect and Empowerment, sharing our commitment to ensuring children, young people and adults at risk have their voices heard.

How to Apply

Please apply via the the NYAS website. In your application, evidence using specific examples how your skills and experience meet the criteria in the person specification within the attached job description, including:

• Experience with vulnerable young people or families in a social care, advocacy or support setting
• Knowledge of legislation and policy relating to advocacy, safeguarding and children’s social care
• Excellent communication, organisational and report-writing skills, with sound professional judgement

Employee Benefits

We offer the following employee benefits:

• 26 days, increasing to 30 days annual leave plus bank holidays (pro rata for part time)
• Occupational sick pay (subject to completion of qualifying period)
• Enhanced pay for family friendly leave
• Free parking at some of our offices
• Employee assistance programme
• Group stakeholder pension scheme
• Access to BHSF health cash plan
• Cycle to work scheme
• Support and supervision from your line manager
• Learning and Development opportunities

Safeguarding and Compliance

NYAS operates robust safeguarding procedures, and internal candidates will be subject to references in line with our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy. In accordance with UK immigration law, proof of eligibility to work in the United Kingdom will be required as part of the recruitment process. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a high number of applications.

About NYAS

NYAS (National Youth Advocacy Service) is an established rights-based charity ensuring that children, young people, and adults across England and Wales are respected, represented and supported in expressing their views. We work with care-experienced people who are often reliant on statutory services, and our combination of social care and legal services places us in a unique position to ensure their voices are heard.

We are an equal opportunities employer and a Disability Confident Employer, guaranteeing an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria. We welcome applications from all individuals regardless of age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, nationality, religion or belief, or any other protected characteristic.

Our mission as a charity is to create brighter todays and better tomorrow for the children and families of Noah’s Ark. The wellbeing team, comprising of the Programme Manager, Senior Ward Counsellor, Sparkle Co-ordinators and Music Therapist, work collaboratively to provide emotional and practical support to children, young people and families within the hospital. 

This is an exciting opportunity for a skilled and compassionate professional to join us as a ward counsellor. Working closely with colleagues across the charity and NHS teams, the successful candidate will play a key role in delivering high-quality emotional support and will have the opportunity to see the direct impact of their work on the children and families we support. They will provide emotional and therapeutic support to children, young people and families during their time in hospital. This includes delivering counselling sessions, emotional first aid, wellbeing check-ins and Art for Wellbeing sessions on the oncology ward. The role focuses on supporting those experiencing the emotional impact of hospital admission, treatment and diagnosis, particularly children and families facing long or repeated admissions, medical trauma, complex care needs or significant emotional distress. Working closely with colleagues across the hospital and the charity the ward counsellor will help ensure children and families receive timeline, compassionate and coordinated wellbeing support throughout their hospital journey.

See the job description and person specifiation document for more details.

Job Purpose

Sequence ME & Long Covid is one of the most ambitious whole-genome sequencing studies ever undertaken into ME and Long Covid, co-led by Action for ME. Building on the success of DecodeME, this proposed £20 million study will use large-scale, long-read whole-genome sequencing to analyse the entire genetic code of 9,000 people with ME and 9,000 people with Long Covid - making it the world's largest 'long-read' whole-genome sequencing study of any disease.

Current funding supports project mobilisation, partnership development, and the development of the Long Covid arm of the study, including agreeing case definitions and gathering expressions of interest from people with Long Covid. Phase 2 has recently been confirmed, backed by £4.75m from the UK government and a further £174,414 from the WE&ME Foundation, and will focus on sequencing 6,000 ME/CFS samples previously collected through DecodeME using Oxford Nanopore's long-read sequencing technology, running alongside Phase 1.

You will play a pivotal role supporting the Sequence ME & Long Covid project in several different ways. Working closely with the project's management team and other team members, you will help ensure the smooth day-to-day running of this landmark study, providing administrative support to the various people and partners involved in delivering it.

As a self-starter, you will manage a range of tasks including meeting scheduling, taking meeting minutes, preparing governance documents, event administration, and broader project support - no two days will be the same.

You will need to maintain a high level of confidentiality at all times, particularly when supporting governance meetings and handling sensitive project documentation.

As a team player, you will provide comprehensive, confidential and organised administrative support, developing a deep understanding of the project and building strong, effective working relationships with colleagues, researchers and external partners.

Remote working at home can be challenging for some and works incredibly well for others. You will need to be able to work independently, use your own initiative, and remain proactive in maintaining good levels of communication with colleagues.

Key Duties

• Help monitor inboxes and respond to routine project enquiries in a timely and sensitive manner, escalating more complex matters as appropriate
• Assist the project's management team and other team members with meeting scheduling and diary coordination
• Take accurate minutes at project, management and other project-related meetings, and follow up and track resulting actions to completion
• Prepare, format and proof-read governance documents and papers
• Maintain and update project databases including the Teams channel, ensuring documents are saved correctly, other management information/recording systems to ensure accurate and timely record-keeping. Help with the tracking of expressions of interest from potential study participants.
• Provide administrative support for project events - from planning and logistics through to on-the-day support
• Help prepare presentations, slide decks and briefing materials for internal meetings, funders, partners and participant-facing communications
• Support the drafting, formatting and coordination of project communications, such as updates for partners, funders or the wider ME and Long Covid community
• Support coordination between internal teams and external partners, including research and funding partners
• Maintain project files and documentation in line with agreed communication operating procedures with internal and external partners ensuring information is well organised, up to date and easy for the team to access
• Maintain confidentiality at all times and in line with relevant policies and procedures, ensuring compliance with GDPR and that all data consent processes have been followed in relation to data protection
• Positively promote the work of the Sequence ME & Long Covid project and Action for ME at all times
• Undertake any other reasonable activity in line with the responsibilities of the post, as requested by the CEO, Business Development & Partnerships Manager, Senior Research Manager or the project's Management Team

Person Specification

Essential skills and experience

• Organisational skills - Highly organised with the ability to manage multiple tasks across a fast-moving research project, with attention to detail and accuracy maintained under pressure
• Communication - Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to interact effectively with diverse audiences including researchers, funders and people affected by ME and Long Covid
• IT literacy - Proficient with common office software, including Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, PowerPoint), and able to quickly learn relevant project management, database or communications systems as needed
• Problem-solving - A creative and solution-focused mindset to address challenges and find innovative ways to improve processes
• Adaptability - Capable of managing changing priorities, working flexibly, and adapting to the needs of a fast-paced, ambitious research programme
• Initiative - A proactive approach, with the ability to work independently and take initiative, while also following clear instructions when given
• Teamwork - A collaborative team player with a proven ability to work effectively as part of a team, including a remote-working team spanning multiple partners and stakeholders
• Interest in the sector - A genuine interest in health research, the Third Sector, and a desire to take action to improve the lives of people with ME and Long Covid
• Experience - Demonstrable ability to be an effective administrator, ideally within a charity, research, or project environment. Experience supporting governance processes, events, or communications would be an advantage but is not essential

Desirable skills and experience

• Experience providing administrative support for scientific or research-related projects
• Experience writing and communicating with non-specialist or general audiences

Full Time – 35 hours per week

The Diocese of Chester is seeking to recruit a Diocesan Secretary who will be:

1) A senior member of the Bishop of Chester's core staff team,

2) The chief officer of the charitable business that undergirds the Diocese of Chester, and

3) The most senior, 'lay' officer of the Diocese of Chester.

The role is complex as well as important. You will need an open heart and deep courage, patience, kindness, humility, determination, and constantly reflective practice. We value competence founded on transparent good character, grounded deeply in Christian faith. You will need to be able to see over the horizon without missing the personal needs of team members, enabling both with persistent grace and strategic focus.

The successful candidate will be inspirational, humble, skilled and experienced in leadership in both ‘first-’ and ‘second-chairs’, a change manager, relational and the technical ability to fulfil the role.

This role is based in Church House, Daresbury, Warrington which is a key operational centre for the life of the Diocese.

For informal conversation, contact the Bishop of Chester - contact details in the attached documents or via the apply/redirect to recruiter button. 

The recruitment pack, including job description, person specification and application form can be downloaded from the Diocesan website: Please see website address in the attached documents or via the apply/redirect to recruiter button.

Completed application forms should be returned by email - contact details in the attached documents or via the apply/redirect to recruiter button 

Closing date:  Sunday 23rd August 2026

Interviews: Tuesday 8th September 2026

The Diocese of Chester is fully committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.

An Enhanced DBS Disclosure will be required for the successful candidate.

An Occupational Requirement exists for the postholder to be a practising Christian, in accordance with the Equality Act, 2010.