We're Hiring: Play & Youth Work Lead | Doorstep Homeless Families Project
Location: North London
Salary: £28,000 - £31,000 per annum.
Hours: 28 Hours per week - 20 hours face to face and 8 hours for admin
Benefits:
- Pension scheme with an employer contribution of 5% of gross salary
- 30 days paid holiday
The hours onsite will be worked over Monday, Tuesday Thursday and Friday, with normal working hours falling between 9.30am ( the earliest start) and 8pm (the latest finish).
Job Introduction
At Doorstep, we open more than just doors — we open possibilities.
Every day, we stand alongside families experiencing homelessness, providing a safe, welcoming space within a large family hostel where children can play, learn, and simply be themselves.
We are looking for a passionate and creative Lead Play and Youth Worker to guide and inspire our work with children and young people aged 0–18. This is a special role — one that blends leadership, imagination, and empathy. You will manage a small, dedicated team, shaping and delivering play and youth activities that bring light, laughter, and a sense of belonging to children whose early experiences have often been marked by instability.
At Doorstep, relationships are at the heart of everything we do. We work with families over years, not weeks — building trust, celebrating progress, and helping each young person discover their strengths. Our unique model of support is widely respected and deeply valued, and this role offers the chance to make a genuine, lasting difference in young lives.
If you are someone who believes in the power of play, creativity, and care to transform childhoods — we would love to hear from you.
About the Role
As Lead Play and Youth Worker at Doorstep, you’ll be at the heart of our mission — creating moments of joy, stability, and growth for children and young people who are living through uncertain times. No two days are the same. One moment you might be leading an energetic after-school club session; the next, you’re supporting teens to express themselves through art, music, or discussion.
You’ll manage and inspire a small, talented team of play and youth workers, ensuring that every activity we offer — whether it’s creative play, learning support, or outdoor adventure — reflects Doorstep’s core values of respect, belonging, and hope. You’ll plan and deliver programmes across all age groups (0–18 years), adapting to the needs and interests of children and young people as they grow.
Collaboration is central to this role. You’ll work closely with families, colleagues, and partner organisations to provide continuity and care, helping to make Doorstep a place where children feel seen, valued, and free to thrive.
This is not just a leadership role — it’s an opportunity to build something lasting. Your creativity, empathy, and commitment will help shape the next chapter of Doorstep’s play and youth work, ensuring that every child who walks through our doors is met with warmth, opportunity, and care.
Key Responsibilities
Leadership and Team Management
- Lead, supervise, and support a small team of play and youth workers and volunteers.
- Provide regular supervision, guidance, and professional development opportunities to team members.
- Foster a positive, inclusive, and collaborative working environment that reflects Doorstep’s values.
Programme Planning and Delivery
- Design, plan, and deliver a varied programme of play, creative, and youth activities for children and young people aged 0–18 years.
- Ensure all activities are engaging, developmentally appropriate, and responsive to the needs and interests of participants.
- Encourage children and young people to express themselves, build confidence, and develop positive relationships.
- Plan and oversee trips, events, and holiday programmes, ensuring safety and inclusivity at all times.
Safeguarding and Wellbeing
- To fulfill the statutory responsibilities of Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead.
- Take responsibility for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and young people involved in Doorstep’s services.
- Ensure staff and volunteers follow safeguarding procedures and receive appropriate training.
- Respond appropriately to any concerns, working in partnership with relevant agencies where necessary.
Partnership and Family Engagement
- Build positive, trusting relationships with parents, carers, and families, encouraging their involvement in children’s play and learning.
- Work collaboratively with other professionals and partner organisations to enhance support for families.
- Represent Doorstep at relevant meetings, forums, and networks to share best practice and strengthen partnerships.
Monitoring, Evaluation, and Administration
- Maintain accurate records of attendance, participation, and outcomes in line with organisational requirements.
- Contribute to monitoring, evaluation, and reporting processes to demonstrate impact and inform future development.
- Support funding applications and project reports by providing relevant data and case studies.
General Duties
- Uphold Doorstep’s ethos, values, and commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion.
- Contribute to the overall running and development of Doorstep as a small, specialist organisation.
- Undertake any other duties reasonably required to support the effective delivery of Doorstep’s mission.
About You
Experience and Knowledge
- Relevant qualification in playwork, youth work, early years, or a related field (Level 3 or above) or equivalent.
- Significant experience of planning, delivering, and evaluating play and youth activities for children and young people aged 0–18 years.
- Experience of supervising or managing staff and/or volunteers within a play, youth, or community setting.
- Strong understanding of child development and the role of play in supporting wellbeing, resilience, and growth.
- Sound knowledge of safeguarding and child protection policies and procedures.
- Experience of working with families facing disadvantage, housing instability, or other complex challenges.
- Understanding of equality, diversity, and inclusion, and commitment to anti-discriminatory practice.
Skills and Abilities
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build positive relationships with children, young people, parents, and professionals.
- Creative and resourceful approach to planning activities that engage children of different ages and abilities.
- Strong organisational skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and maintain accurate records.
- Ability to lead, motivate, and support a small team to achieve shared goals.
- Confidence in managing behaviour in a positive, trauma-informed way.
- Competent IT skills for administration, reporting, and communication purposes.
Personal Qualities
- Warm, approachable, and empathetic, with a genuine commitment to improving outcomes for families experiencing homelessness.
- Reliable, flexible, and resilient in the face of challenging circumstances.
- Reflective, open to learning, and committed to professional development.
- Enthusiastic about play and youth work as powerful tools for change and belonging
How to Apply
Please apply with your CV and a covering letter stating why you would like the job and what you believe you can bring to it.
Closing date for applications is Friday 16th January 2026.
Interviews will take place week commencing 2nd February 2026.
Please send your CV and a covering letter stating why you would like the job and what you believe you can bring to it.
Registered Charity 
1 - 5
Thank you!
Tender is an arts charity working with children and young people to prevent domestic abuse and sexual violence through creative projects. Our programmes are safe, enjoyable, age-appropriate spaces where young people can engage with sensitive topics and “rehearse” for real-life scenarios. Participants are encouraged to be both consumers and producers of learning through script-work, role-play and creative media such as films and art. Throughout, we enable young people to explore their choices, rights and expectations in relationships and to recognise the early warning signs of abuse.
We have an exciting opportunity for someone who is interested in both research and converting that research into compelling data and stories to support our policy and influencing work.
This role will sit within our Research & Impact team, but will work across our communications, fundraising, and policy & influencing teams, particularly working closely with our senior leadership team to support our policy & influencing work. By converting the evidence and research from the research & impact team in to actionable insights and recommendations which can be shared with our funders, supporters and key decision makers such as policy makers and civil servants, you will play an important role in promoting the importance of prevention work as a tool to prevent domestic abuse and sexual violence.
We are looking for someone with some experience in research and evaluation who has a passion for communication and storytelling. You will enjoy exploring quantitative and qualitative data to pull out meaningful insights, building relationships with a range of internal and external partners, and using data and evidence to persuade others to prioritise prevention-focused approaches to addressing societal issues.
Key responsibilities
The main responsibilities of this role are:
- EnsuringTender’s projects implement Tender’s Theory of Change and evaluation processes, and ensure learnings from evaluations are used to improve Tender’s work
- Analysing Tender’s evaluation results and carrying out secondary research to produce reports and guidance on best practice approaches to preventing domestic abuse and sexual violence
- Using the findings from Tender’s evaluations and research to author and disseminate (on behalf of Tender and working in partnership with other organisations) recommendations for policy makers on preventing domestic abuse and sexual violence
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Part time EMPLOYMENT AND JOB SKILLS COACH/TUTOR
£13.85 per hour (£25,207 per annum)
Immediate start
Fixed contract - until 31 March 26 (with possibility to extend)
About us
The Adanna Women’s Support Group provides training and skills to help women into employment and to help women excel in the jobs they are doing. Our training is in Business skills, administration, IT, childcare and employability.
We are looking for an employment coach who can support women who are economically inactive to improve their skills and find employment
The Role
This role will support a small caseload of women with a range of needs who are looking to move into work, enabling them to find the right opportunities and sustain the roles through improved skills training. The coach will also need to be skilled in working with employers to source jobs and support them to make their roles accessible. Growing and maintaining a strong employer base will be a central part of this role.
Minimum Criteria
· An understanding of the employment needs, and challenges faced by BAME women who are economically inactive or experience multiple barriers to employment.
· Experience of working with individuals on a one-to-one basis, developing personalised plans and goal setting
· Experience of managing a range of tasks at any one time, and holding positive relationships with different stakeholders
-Experience of designing and delivering entry level training e.g. digital skills, confidence building, English as a second language conversation sessions
Working hours
· The role is a part time fixed contract position with the possibility of extending pending receipt of funding. Working 21 hours per week, Monday, Thursday and Friday. Hours are flexible but ideally 9.30 to 4.30pm.
·
Next steps
· If this sounds like the perfect opportunity for you and you’d like to become our new Employment and Skills Coach then please send in your CV today
· Closing date: ongoing recruitment will close once a suitable candidate is found
· Interview date: ongoing
· An enhanced DBS disclosure is a requirement for this post. Our recruitment checks, induction and ongoing support and supervision reflect our commitment to safeguarding our clients.
· Adanna Women’s Support Group strives to be equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community.
· This role is open to women only under the Equality Act 2010
