Peer advocate worker jobs in Birmingham, west midlands
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Are you an experienced and compassionate leader 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 motivated Project Coordinator, working 28 hours per week, to lead the delivery of Project Unity across England. Project Unity provides high-quality, rights-based advocacy and intensive support to care-experienced young mothers who are pregnant or have recently given birth, helping to empower young mothers, strengthen outcomes and prevent children from entering care.
About Project Unity England
Project Unity England improves outcomes for care-experienced young mothers and their children through collaborative, multi-agency working, delivered through cluster-based areas bringing together local stakeholders for coordinated, community-focused support. Cluster one is based around London and cluster two around Yorkshire, with a third cluster area to be identified in year three. Travel between cluster areas is expected, particularly from year two onwards.
As Project Coordinator, you will support delivery and development of Project Unity within your assigned cluster areas, working closely with partners and internal teams. Key responsibilities include:
- Coordinating project activities and line managing senior practitioners
- Supporting planning, implementation and monitoring of local initiatives
- Facilitating communication between partners and stakeholders
- Organising professional meetings, workshops and events
- Tracking progress and sharing best practice across clusters
This role offers the chance to work across diverse cluster areas, influence at both local and Parliamentary level, and make a direct impact on services for care-experienced young mothers and their children.
About the role
You will provide day-to-day leadership of Project Unity, supporting a team of Project Workers and volunteers to deliver high-quality, advocacy-led, trauma-informed support that empowers young mothers to understand their rights and have their voices heard.
Working with local authorities, health partners, safeguarding networks and community organisations, you will build relationships and referral pathways, monitor outcomes, and identify opportunities to strengthen and grow the service – leading meaningful work within a values-led organisation.
About you
You are passionate about supporting vulnerable young people and families, confident leading teams within a trauma-informed environment, and able to balance operational oversight with a person-centred approach.
You will have experience working with vulnerable young people or families in a social care, advocacy or support setting, alongside experience managing or supervising staff and/or volunteers, plus a strong understanding of safeguarding frameworks and relevant legislation. Excellent communication and organisational skills are essential, with the ability to manage competing priorities and make sound professional decisions, demonstrating NYAS’s values of Collaboration, Accountability, Respect and Empowerment.
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
- Experience managing or supervising staff and/or volunteers
- 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.
Registered Charity
101 - 500
At NYAS, we listen to what children, young people and vulnerable adults want. We empower them to have their voices heard.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
Using Anonymous Recruitment
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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!
About Kinship
We are Kinship. The leading kinship care charity in England and Wales. We’re here for kinship carers – friends or family who step up to raise a child when their parents aren’t able to.
Together, let’s commit to change for kinship families.
Purpose of the role:
As a Kinship Family Worker for Kinship Reach, you will deliver this online programme to families in your commissioned area. You will provide virtual one-to-one support to kinship carers and their families to help them become resilient and informed, with a strong support network to help them care for the children in their care.
Key responsibilities:
One-to-one support
Provide up to 6 one-to-one support sessions bespoke to the kinship carers and their families over a three-month intervention, working within the Kinship Reach delivery model. This may include, but is not limited to:
- Signposting or referring to relevant national and local services.
- Providing practical and emotional support to kinship carers.
- Liaising with other professionals and organisations.
- Making referrals to other Kinship services such as Advice, Someone Like Me, Peer-to-Peer.
- Providing support for carers to secure grants from local and national funders.
- Set goals for change following Kinship Reach processes, in partnership with the kinship carer.
- Monitor, review and revise these goals to ensure carers are on track and goals remain relevant.
Peer group facilitation and management
Kinship delivers virtual peer support groups which carers from Kinship’s programmes can access, coordinated by Senior Kinship Family Worker(s). This role could include:
- Developing existing groups and setting up new groups as required.
- Working closely with Kinship’s peer-to-peer service where appropriate.
- Collaborating with kinship carers, the local authority, and community partners to set up virtual and in-person peer support groups.
- Planning, preparing, facilitating virtual and in-person peer support groups.
- Promoting groups in the area you are delivering in to kinship carers and organisations who work with them, including contributing to the creation of promotional materials.
Participation
- Recruit kinship carers as volunteers to lead and support the development of virtual peer support groups.
- Work proactively to enable kinship carers to influence the design and delivery of the peer support groups delivered in their area (such as topics, time / date).
- Support Kinship’s communications and engagement strategy, such as helping to provide case studies and sourcing images for newsletters and local media to promote the programme and recruit participants.
Safeguarding and risk management
Kinship has a robust safeguarding structure. You will be supported by a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and Designated Deputy Safeguarding Leads (DDSL).
- Recognise and respond appropriately to signs of abuse or neglect, following national legislation and procedures and Kinship’s own safeguarding procedures.
- Liaise with your line manager and safeguarding lead regarding safeguarding concerns, following Kinship’s policies and processes.
- Provide reports and information for managers about cases of concern.
- Ensure you are aware of and follow safeguarding policies and procedures risk of harm protocol.
- Complete risk assessments for events or groups with families in line with Kinship’s policies and processes to be signed off by a DSL or DDSL.
- Follow Kinship’s health and safety policies to keep yourself and your clients safe, such as Lone Working Policy, Home Visit Policy, risk assessment, events.
Monitoring and Evaluation
- Record attendance at virtual support groups and ensure this is reported on the Salesforce database.
- Ensure casework, feedback, and other data related to service delivery are regularly and accurately recorded on our Salesforce database in line with Kinship’s policy and best practice.
- Ensure completion of carer registration forms, review forms, and closure forms, taking details that will be used to evidence impact.
- Collect case studies from your kinship carers to help demonstrate impact.
- Contribute to any reports for local authority partners as required in terms of data and case studies as required.
- Attend monitoring meetings as required.
- Engage in quality assurance processes in line with Kinship processes and policies.
Relationship and stakeholder management
- In partnership with the senior Kinship Family Worker, enable local authorities to understand the programme and pathways for how to make referrals.
- Support practitioners' meetings with local authorities to encourage referrals, discuss cases, and ensure local authority confidence in the programme.
- Where applicable, work with local authorities to raise awareness of kinship care and to reach and support kinship carers through the programme.
- Where possible and relevant, represent Kinship at external events and meetings to raise awareness of the programme and to influence other organisations.
- Where applicable, work with local authorities and voluntary and community groups supporting kinship families.
• Make sure you’ve read the job description and the essential requirements – make sure your application reflects those points in the requirements very clearly.
• Tell us why you want to work for Kinship. We’re interested in working with people who share our values. You can read about our values above.
• Keep your response clear – use bullets points and short paragraphs if that helps. It will help the recruitment team to focus on your knowledge, skills and experience.
• Don’t go over 2 pages on your covering letter.
• Please do not use AI tools like ChatGPT to produce your answers. We use software to check, and your application will be rejected if you do.
Registered Charity
21 - 50
We support kinship carers in their homes and communities, giving advice and helping them work through problems to find the best way forward.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
Key Worker
Salary: £26,630 – £31,490 per annum depending on experience
Hours: 35 hours per week
Contract: Permanent
Location: HMP Birmingham
Job reference number: 1739
Cranstoun is an independent charity and leading provider of specialist treatment, harm reduction and recovery services to those affected by drug and alcohol use. This is an exciting opportunity to become a Key Worker within our high performing psychosocial drug and alcohol service in HMP Birmingham.
We provide a range of services for those affected by drugs and alcohol. Our skilled and compassionate team work closely with people who use our services to change and save lives. We combine proven expertise in treatment and recovery with innovative approaches and actively involve those we help in improving the design of the services we provide.
You will be based in our psychosocial team working with adult males (over 18 years old). You will be responsible for delivering a range of elements of our substance use work including case management, assessments, care planning, the delivery of one-to-one interventions to include harm reduction and motivational work, group work, and engagement support as well as other associated duties. You need to be committed to supporting people who use our services to make positive changes to prepare them for release into the community, and you will arrange continuity of care. You will work in collaboration with the clinical team and integrated working is a key element of this role. You will work within the prison setting and contribute towards the wider prison drug strategy.
Having experience of supporting people with complex health needs including substance use, you will bring knowledge and commitment to deliver drug and alcohol treatment. You will have a non-judgemental attitude and a desire to support the lives of people who use our services to be healthier and safer by delivering a high-quality service.
Experience of working with drug and alcohol use is essential. You will be a competent communicator, with the ability to work independently and be comfortable and enthusiastic, both with the highlighted client group and working in partnership with other service providers. Previous experience or knowledge of working with individuals on opiate replacement treatment, and/or involved in the criminal justice system will be advantageous.
All posts are subject to an enhanced DBS Disclosure.
Sponsorship is not available for this post. Applicants must have the right to work in the UK that does not require employer sponsorship for the duration of the appointment.
For more details and to apply, please visit our website via the link.
Applicants must be able to provide satisfactory evidence of their right to work in the UK at the application stage.
Closing date: 2nd August 2026.
