Sessional children play worker jobs
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We're Hiring: Play & Youth Work Lead | Doorstep Homeless Families Project
Location: North London
Salary: £28,000 - £33,000 per annum (pro rata)
Hours: 28 Hours per week - 20 hours face to face and 8 hours for admin
About Doorstep
Doorstep is a vibrant community organisation providing inclusive support services to children, young people, and families. Our offerings include creches, stay-and-play sessions, after-school and youth clubs, holiday programmes, adult workshops, and practical help such as laundry facilities and a weekly community bazaar.
Our mission is to help local families thrive — and we’re now looking for a Play & Youth Work Lead to join us in delivering this vision.
The Role:
As the Play & Youth Work Lead, you'll be at the heart of our children and youth services — designing and leading a dynamic, inclusive programme that supports the wellbeing, development, and empowerment of local young people and their families.
You’ll manage our play and youth team, run a variety of sessions and events, and work collaboratively with partners and the local community. This is an exciting opportunity for a passionate, experienced practitioner to make a real difference in young lives.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead engaging, inclusive sessions across age groups (under 4s to 18s) including after-school clubs and youth programmes.
- Develop and deliver creative, youth-led programmes including play, learning, leadership, and personal development activities.
- Coordinate and support a team of staff, sessional workers, and volunteers.
- Act as Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead, ensuring a safe environment for all.
- Develop strategic partnerships and represent Doorstep in the wider community.
- Monitor outcomes, manage budgets, and produce reports for trustees.
- Promote youth voice and participation across our programmes and beyond.
What We’re Looking For:
Essential:
- Minimum Level 3 qualification in Youth Work or related field
- 3+ years’ experience working with children and young people
- Strong safeguarding knowledge and ability to lead a team
- Experience designing and delivering inclusive play/youth programmes
- Passionate about empowering young people and families
- Excellent communication, organisational, and leadership skills
Desirable:
- Play work qualification and/or sports coaching experience
- Knowledge of local support networks (e.g., mental health, housing, education)
- Experience managing partnerships or community engagement projects
Why Join Us?
- Be part of a passionate, close-knit team making real community impact
- Shape and lead innovative programmes that reflect the needs and voices of local children and young people
- Access training and professional development opportunities
- Enjoy a supportive, inclusive, and creative working culture
Location: Bexley Refuge
Salary: Unqualified: £28,255 - £29,913 per annum (dependent on experience)
Qualified: £29,923 - £32,623 per annum (with an accredited VAWG /domestic abuse qualification)
(Please note that applicants are usually appointed at the bottom of the relevant band)
Hours: 37.5 hours per week
Contract: Fixed Term Contract (Until 31st March 2026 –with possible extension)
Closing Date: 18th July 2025
Closing Time: 00:00am
Are you looking for a rewarding role working for an intersectional feminist organisation? If so, we have an incredible opportunity for you to join our team as a Refuge Worker at Solace Women's Aid.
You will be joining a team of committed and inspiring individuals whose dedication has saved the lives of thousands of women, men and children in the capital. We are looking for friendly and diligent individuals to join our services and help us make a difference.
Our core values reflect our history and were developed in consultation with staff and service users. Feminism and intersectionality are key to our work and we are committed to the principles of being survivor-led, trauma-informed, empowering, diverse, anti-racist and anti-discriminatory.
About the Service
We have three refuges in Bexley, which provide emergency accommodation to women and children fleeing domestic abuse and sexual violence. We are there for women at a time of crisis and help families take their first steps to freedom and recovery.
We exist to end the harm done through gender-based violence. Our aim is to work to prevent violence and abuse, as well as providing services to meet the individual needs of survivors, particularly women and children. Our work is holistic and empowering, working alongside survivors to achieve independent lives, free from abuse.
About the Role
You will provide advice and support to women who have experienced domestic abuse in a refuge setting, across two sites. You will carry out risk and needs assessments, develop support plans and carry out key work with women survivors. You should have a minimum of two years’ experience of working with this or a similar client group. An in depth understanding of the needs of women and children from a diverse background is essential.
As part of both roles, one of the job posts will be located in one refuge, with the other job post located across three refuges.
About You
The ideal candidate will have in-depth knowledge of domestic abuse and its impact on women and their children, as well as experience of providing emotional and practical support to victims of domestic and sexual violence.
You will have experience of managing risk and following case management procedures to meet the needs of the client group, and the ability to work with women to help them to understand their needs, risk assess, develop safety plan and support them in linking with other agencies.
You will have a working knowledge of the available legal remedies, housing and welfare benefits, as well as experience of providing workshops.
Outside of this, you will have excellent administrative and time management skills and the ability to effectively manage a caseload.
What we can offer you
We provide a comprehensive benefits package to all our employees, including:
- Flexible working
- Focus on learning and development (internal career progression and training)
- Generous holiday entitlement
- Employer pension contribution
- Family-friendly leave and enhanced maternity pay
- Access to Inclusion Networks
- Daily clinical debriefing
- Employee Assistance Programme providing free 24/7 support and advice
- Employee Benefits Platform offering staff discounts, benefits and savings
- Flow & Restore yoga classes
- Meditation sessions
- Cycle to Work Scheme
How to apply
When applying for this role, kindly highlight in your Supporting Statement how your values, knowledge, transferrable skills, and experience align with each point within the following sections of the Job Profile Document:
- Values, Behaviours & Competencies
- Knowledge, Experience and Skills
Solace Women's Aid values diversity, promotes equity, and challenges discrimination. We encourage and welcome applications from candidates of diverse cultures, abilities, perspectives, and lived experiences. We have policies and processes in place to ensure that all employees are offered an equal opportunity in recruitment and selection, promotion, training, pay, and benefits. Our Inclusion Networks support staff with protected characteristics and offer inclusive spaces to connect.
We are a Disability Confident Employer and committed to an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. We anticipate and provide reasonable adjustments as needed and support employees who acquire a disability or long-term health condition, enabling them to stay in work.
This service is run by women for women and is therefore restricted to female applicants under the Equality Act 2010, Schedule 9, and Part 1. Section 7(2) e of the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 apply. The post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act.
As part of safer recruitment practices, we carry out pre-employment checks including references, Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and right to work in the UK checks.
No agencies.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Using Anonymous Recruitment
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224 Youth Zone is set to be a significant new part of South Bristol’s play and youth landscape – and we’re looking for a bold, experienced, and inspiring Head of Play, Youth & Partnerships to lead the charge.
As we scale up towards opening, this is your opportunity to shape a high-impact, seven-day-a-week frontline offer for up to 250 children and young people each night – energising a team, building a culture, and delivering at scale.
This senior leadership role sits at the heart of delivery, partnerships, and safeguarding, with the power to help shape the future of inclusive, relational, and values-led play and youth provision in the city – working alongside an incredible network of partners and community organisations.
What you’ll be doing:
· Lead the strategic development and operational delivery of our open access play and youth programme 40 hours a week of activities that are responsive, inclusive, and exciting!
· Line manage Team Leaders and oversee a large team of part-time and sessional staff, embedding a culture of reflection, excellence and relational practice
· Shape a delivery model rooted in Play Work and Youth Work theory, focused on progression, relationships, and personal development
· Be the Designated Safeguarding Lead ensuring all children and young people are safe and supported
· Build powerful partnerships with local organisations, schools, and services to strengthen our reach and offer
· Champion the use of CRM and data systems to track, evidence and grow our impact
· Play a vital role in organisational planning and decision-making as part of the Senior Leadership Team
What we’re looking for:
· A dynamic, experienced leader of services for Children and Young People, passionate about relational, inclusive, high-quality delivery
· Confident in staff management and programme design – able to motivate, support and inspire large teams
· A safeguarding expert, with a strong understanding of duty of care and safe practice
· A strategic thinker with the ability to lead both day-to-day operations and long-term vision
· Someone who thrives in a fast-paced, purposeful environment and believes deeply in the power of play and youth work
If you’re a thoughtful, values-led leader who puts children and young people at the centre and brings both strategic insight and a strong sense of purpose to your work, we’d love to hear from you!
For Further information please check out our website:Youth Moves
Everyone is welcome. Everyone is valued. Everyone matters.




The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.