Social care jobs

We're looking for a kind, compassionate and resilient Referral, Assessment and Operational Development Manager located at our Head Office in Islington.

£40,000.00 per annum, working 35 hours per week.

Want to feel valued? You'll feel at home here.

Our benefits include:

• Annual leave increasing up to 30 days with length of service
• Free DBS
• Exclusive discounts and cashback via Reward Gateway® and opportunity to buy a Blue Light Card
• Fully paid induction programme and further training

All applicants must be legally eligible to work in the UK by the start of employment as Look Ahead are not able to offer sponsorship.

The Referral, Assessment and Operational Development Manager is a senior operational role within the Mental Health and Complex Needs Directorate, responsible for leading the end-to-end coordination of referrals, assessments, placements, tenancies, and transitions across the portfolio.

What you'll do:

• Receive, monitor, and respond promptly to referrals from commissioners, brokerage

teams, and direct contacts.

• Coordinate and quality-assure person-centred assessments

• Complete and submit needs assessments, including costings and support package

requirements.

• Build and maintain strong working relationships with commissioners, brokerage teams, care managers, and housing partners.

• Support compliance with Ofsted regulations across assessment and placement reviews.
• Develop and embed best-practice tools and processes aligned with regulatory requirementS

This is not an exhaustive list of all the duties and responsibilities that may be required from time to time and is subject to change in accordance with the needs of Look Ahead

About you:

• Highly customer-focused, championing customer rights, choice, dignity,

independence, and positive outcomes.

• Empathetic and values-led, able to balance compassion with professional boundaries.

What you'll bring:

Essential:

• Significant operational experience within Young People's and/or Mental Health services, including supported living, residential, or health and social care environments.

Desirable:

• Strong understanding of how local authorities, councils, and Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) commission, procure, and agree services, including pathways and decision-making processes.

About us:

We reserve the right to close this advert early if we are able to appoint to the vacancy before the advertised closed date.

Hours: 37.5 hours per week (excluding breaks)

Days: To be worked over 5 days, Monday to Friday, with core hours between 8am – 6pm

Contract: Initial 12 months fixed-term contract (with option to extend), subject to the successful completion of a 6-month probationary period

Responsible to: Senior Strategic Lead (People and Place)

Place of work: Salford CVS’ offices in Eccles, Salford, M30 0FN

We are seeking to recruit to a brand-new post and are looking for an experienced and strategically minded person to strengthen Salford CVS’s strategic VCSE leadership role within Salford.

Main purposes of the post

To provide strategic leadership for Salford CVS’s place-based work, ensuring the VCSE sector is influential, represented and embedded within key strategic partnerships, boards and system-wide initiatives across Salford. The postholder will work closely with the Senior Strategic Lead for People and Place to shape strategic agendas, strengthen cross-sector relationships and ensure VCSE voices help influence the city’s long-term plans relating to Pride in Place, regeneration, housing, social value, climate action, culture, and wider place-based priorities.

For more information, please download the full Job Pack.

How to apply

Please download and complete our application form via the ‘Apply’ button.

Closing date: Noon on Wednesday 13th May 2026.

Interview date: Thursday 21st May 2026 at Salford CVS offices in Eccles.

Our Purpose

Unlocking Potential is the charity that supports schools and communities to ensure no child or family struggles alone with their social, emotional and mental health needs. We provide flexible, over-time, multi-disciplinary therapeutic support that meets children and families where they are, and enables them to feel safe, understood and the best version of themselves.

Vision

Everyone feels supported, equipped and able to achieve their potential.

Mission

Our mission is to provide tailored therapeutic support to more children, while training the practitioners of the future to build holistic, resilient social systems that equip children and their families with the confidence, tools, and skills to thrive at school and within their communities.

Values

Individual: Everything we do is about the individual and what is right for them – no two children, families or schools are the same.

Innovative: We look for new solutions, evolving our thinking and approach – ensuring the use of bold, co-designed practice.

Collaborative: We choose to work with others to find the best solutions – we are stronger together.

Overview

We launched our new programme in September 2025, initially as a pilot working with families across Wandsworth, with aims to be able to expand and continue beyond this. This service will offer flexible, relationship-based support to families facing a range of challenges, helping them navigate systems, strengthen protective factors, and improve outcomes for children. Operating across extended hours, the service will be accessible and responsive, with a strong focus on early intervention, collaboration, and building trust with families.

The role

This is a unique opportunity to take on a senior, hands-on role within an innovative early help service working within a small, dynamic team to make a tangible difference to the lives of children and their families. As a Senior Family Support Worker, you will deliver flexible,and therapeutically minded support to families often facing multiple and complex challenges, drawing on your experience to provide guidance and mentorship to less experienced colleagues. You will build trusted relationships through home visits, school meetings, and provide practical support—facilitating parents and carers to feel empowered to strengthen routines, manage behaviour, improve attendance, and access services. Your work will be informed by detailed needs assessments and focused on achieving meaningful outcomes with each family.

At St. John's, we have a proud history of making a positive difference to the lives of young people. We are now looking for amazing Learning Support Workers to support us in continuing that impact. Could that be you?

Why join our inclusive team?

St. John's is one of the largest employers in Brighton and Hove.

What can we offer you?

• £27,976.00 FTE for 52 weeks (Your actual salary will be £25,286.00 as your contract will be term time only). 
• 32-days paid holiday (plus bank holidays) - 32-days are taken outside of term time
• Fulfilling and meaningful work – make a difference!
• Career development plans that are tailored to you
• Discounts across businesses in the local community.

Who are we?

St. John's is a non-maintained specialist provision, working with autistic people, the majority of whom also have learning disabilities. Some of our learners have co-occurring conditions such as epilepsy, hearing or visual impairments, or mental health needs. We also support autistic learners who have an additional profile of Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) syndrome. We have a team built up of support workers, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, nurses, PBS practitioners, assistant psychologists, and more, to support us in our holistic approach to development.

Each learner's curriculum is shaped by their individual strengths, interests, and challenges. St. John's is awarded with Autism Accreditation by the National Autistic Society (NAS). We support our learners to develop their skills in the NAS's four focus areas of:

• Difference in social communication and interaction
• Self-reliance and problem-solving
• Sensory
• Emotional Well-being

What are we looking for?

We've been doing this long enough to know that, whilst desirable, experience is not everything! Our amazing learning and development team and our passionate managers have coached people new to this field into support working roles. We know that if you have, the passion and desire to learn, and the want to empower others, you already have the foundations of an outstanding support worker. We are looking for drivers to support our young people to access the community, but having a licence isn't essential.

Sound like you? Then keep on reading!

What will you be doing?

• Supporting the young people in a classroom setting and during breaktimes
• Implementing the learner's behaviour support plan and risk assessment
• Working within a team of multidisciplinary professionals across the charity
• Tracking the progress of individuals and reporting to the teacher, care manager, and/or parents at review meetings.

Exciting opportunity? We think so! Click apply to start your journey as part of the St. John's College family as a Learning Support Worker

Please note that interviews will be arranged progressively as suitable applications are received. Early application is therefore advisable.

This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship, renewals or transfers. Candidates must have the right to work in the UK at the time of application.

Ambitious about Autism is committed to fostering equity, diversity, and inclusion at every level of our organisation. We warmly welcome applications from all qualified candidates, valuing the diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives they bring. We encourage applications from individuals regardless of race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy or parental status, disability, or age.

Our recruitment process promotes equal opportunities, and we are committed to providing reasonable adjustments for candidates with disabilities or additional needs throughout the recruitment process. Please contact our Recruitment Team for accommodations. We recognise disability as a physical or mental impairment that significantly and long-term affects a person's ability to perform day-to-day activities, as defined by the UK Equality Act 2010. All applications will be considered solely on merit, aligned with our mission to support autistic children and young people.

Ambitious about Autism is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and successful candidates will be subject to an Enhanced DBS check. As part of our Safer Recruitment checks, an online search maybe carried out in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education.

The Safeguarding responsibilities of the post as per the job description and personal specification.
Whether the post is exempt from the rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendment to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2021. This means that when applying for certain jobs and activities certain spent convictions and cautions are ‘protected', so they do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account. Further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS Filter Guidance.

Documents

• Learning Support Worker- Recruitment Pack 2026.pdf (1.42 MB)

Salary: £32,800 - £39,960 per annum, depending on experience 

Hours: 35 hours per week  

Contract: Permanent

Location: North Somerset - Working flexibly across the county and home working

Job Reference Number: 1680

An exciting opportunity has arisen to lead and manage the delivery of the North Somerset Integrated Domestic Abuse Service (North Somerset DASS). North Somerset DASS is a new integrated DA service delivering support to adults and children experiencing domestic abuse.

As Service Manager, you will lead and manage the delivery and development of the service. You will have oversight of service delivery and lead on partnership working and collaboration across the county. You will support all staff in their work, ensuring high quality and safe practice.

You will have management experience and a demonstrable track record within the field of domestic abuse and/or health and social care. You will have a wide-ranging understanding of all forms of domestic abuse. You will be able to demonstrate passion for collaboration, partnership, strategic and service development.

The postholder will be subject to an Enhanced DBS check against relevant barred lists.

For more details and to apply, please visit our website via the apply button.

Closing date: 3 May 2026. 

We're looking for a kind, compassionate and resilient Waking Night Support Worker to join our Mental Health Social Care Service in Lambeth. No personal care or experience required, just the right values.

£30,784.00 per annum, working 40 hours per week.

Want to feel valued? You'll feel at home here.

Our benefits include:

• Annual leave increasing up to 30 days with length of service
• Free DBS
• Exclusive discounts and cashback via Reward Gateway® and opportunity to buy a Blue Light Card
• Fully paid induction programme and further training

All applicants must be legally eligible to work in the UK by the start of employment as Look Ahead are not able to offer sponsorship.

What you'll do:
This is not an exhaustive list of all the duties and responsibilities that may be required from time to time and is subject to change in accordance with the needs of Look Ahead

• Deliver all aspects of support to enable a customer with complex needs to develop independent living skills as appropriate to their individual needs.
• Support customers to undertake all domestic tasks wherever possible, including practical assistance where they have not yet developed the skills, to ensure customers enjoy a high quality of accommodation.
• Undertake support planning and risk management.
• Deliver robust medication support informed by external partners and in compliance with our Medication Policy & Procedure
• Undertake a case load of customers with key work responsibilities.
• Maintain solid knowledge of relevant referral partnerships and specialist support agencies.
• Working together with family, primary and secondary health agencies to reduce risks and increase independence.

What you'll bring:

Essential:

• NVQ Level 2 or equivalent or experience within charity/social care sector or mental health.
• At least 1 years' experience of support work with people with mental health related support needs.

Desirable:

• Experience of working with vulnerable people.

About us:

We have a strong social purpose and we live and work by our values:

• We focus on Excellence and innovation.
• We are Caring and Compassionate.
• We are Inclusive and Trusted.
• We work in Partnership and are One-Team.

Look Ahead is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk, and expects all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment.

Job Title: Advocate (Maternity Cover)

Service: Coram Voice: Swindon

Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract (12 months)

Hours: 15 hours per week

Salary: £10,491 (FTE £24,479) for a 12 month period

Location: Swindon (Home based with travel across countries)

Our work

About the Role

We are looking for an Advocate to join our team in Swindon. We are seeking applicants who have transferable skills, a willingness to learn, a desire to promote the rights of children and young people or already have an IAP City and Guilds Level 3 or IAQ City and Guilds Level 4 in Advocacy.

You will work directly with care experienced children and young people and those on Child Protection Plans providing them with advocacy support in the community and a variety of settings.

You will empower and support them to ensure their voices are heard within decision–making processes that effect their lives.

You will be a capable ambassador for Coram Voice with the ability to engage effectively with professionals, carers, other stakeholders and most importantly children and young people.

If you have the necessary experience and skills and a commitment to promoting the rights of young people, we would like to hear from you.

About Coram:

Coram is committed to improving the lives of the UK’s most vulnerable children and young people.

We support children and young people from birth to independence, creating a change that lasts a lifetime.

Coram is the UK’s oldest children’s charity founded by Thomas Coram in London helping vulnerable children and young people since 1739. Today, the Coram group helps more than one million children, young people, families and professionals every year by providing access to the skills and opportunities they need to thrive.

About Coram Voice:

Coram Voice is a national independent children’s charity established in 1975 and has grown to become one of the leading organisations for children and young people in the UK.

Coram Voice exists to enable and equip children and young people to hold systems to account, to challenge and support them to do their jobs properly and to uphold the rights of children and young people to actively participate in shaping their own lives.

Coram Voice strives for a society which recognises, and willingly accepts, its responsibilities to children and young people, where the inequalities and discrimination they currently face have been eradicated. Where those children and young people are fully engaged in all decisions that are made about their lives. Where the views, needs and feelings that they express are at the core of those decisions.

Our Advocacy services we provide advocacy direct to children and young people in a variety of situations. Advocates around the country support children and young people to get their voice heard in decisions about their lives. This may be through the telephone helpline or through an advocate working directly with a child, for instance, to support them at a review meeting or to help them make a complaint about their care. Coram Voice provides visiting advocacy services to most of the secure units nationally, to Secure Training Centres, Juvenile Young Offender Institutions, psychiatric hospitals, residential special schools and children’s homes.

What you will receive

We wish to reward and recognise the valuable contributions our staff make to the organisation and offer an attractive benefits package to do so. Coram Voice benefits package includes a competitive salary, a matched pension scheme up to 5% of salary, generous leave entitlements of up to 25 days’ annual leave and an additional 3 days paid leave between Christmas and New Year. A supportive work environment fostering a good work/home life balance and a suite of family friendly policies, which promote employee wellbeing.

You will get a genuine opportunity to make a difference every day.

Recruitment process

Our Advocates will undertake Shortlisting. Successful candidates will be invited for interview.The interview process comprises of a written exercise and a panel interview.Successful candidates will have a further one to one interview in accordance within Warner recommendations. Internal candidates will need to notify HR of their interest in the post and they will provide further information on the internal application process.

Returning your application:

• We cannot accept general CVs.
• When completing your application form, you need to address each point of the person specification and demonstrate how you meet it.
• Applications must be fully completed.
• If you are a current Coram Voice employee you may submit a supporting statement only addressing the person specification requirements for the post.

Closing date: 27 April 2026

Interview date: Tuesday 05 May 2026

General consideration for applications:

• DBS checks: all posts are subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring check.
• Training: All successful candidates are required to complete our compulsory training programme which includes training in Advocacy (Being a Voice) Safeguarding and Diversity
• Conflict of interest: the independence of the service is important to Coram Voice. Prospective applicants need to raise any other potential conflicts of interest when initially contacting Coram Voice about this post.

Coram is an equal opportunities employer and we believe a diverse workforce enables us to improve the services to the children and families we help. We are genuinely committed to encouraging candidates from all sections of the community we seek to support. This includes those from, Asian, African, Caribbean and other minority ethnic backgrounds, those that identify as LGBQT+, those with disabilities, those with lived experience of care, those with neuro-diversity, and those from other groups who are underrepresented at Coram.

If applicants feel comfortable, we would encourage them to draw on lived experience as well as professional experience in their personal statement as part of their application.

We are committed to the safeguarding of children and where appropriate will require the successful applicant to undertake a check from the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Registered Charity No. 312278.

Service Description:

West London Mind deliver services across 5 West London Boroughs, and our children and young people’s team deliver services in communities and in schools. Focusing on increasing access and having inclusive services, our diversity of provision, staff and approaches means we can offer an assistant psychologist a range of experience, and fun.

This role sits within our schools-based offer in the borough of Hammersmith and Fulham  which supports young people via our Mental Health Support Teams in both primary and secondary schools, as well as working with parents and school staff.

We also offer Be Kind to Your Mind (BK2YM) which provides a psychoeducation programme (Learn Well) which offers a multi-tiered level of support for children with additional SEND needs.

Job Description. You will be:

1. Dealing with our referrals from schools:

· Liasing with referrers, families and young people to ensure that clients and other organisations are kept up to date with what stage their referral is at (e.g. on a waitlist).

· Overseeing inboxes to ensure quick and appropriate responses.

2. Delivering interventions:

· Delivery of Be Kind to Your Mind SEND/Inclusion interventions across schools, colleges and alternative education, and co-delivering our out of school offer.

· Ad-hoc creation of bespoke content to complement existing materials.

3. Supporting promotion of Children and Young People’s Services:

· Coordination of outreach on universal days/mental health specific days in line with West London Mind’s CYP Youth Services Calendar (across schools in Hammersmith and Fulham and within the local community).

· Co-facilitation of psychoeducational sessions.

· Working closely with the Whole Schools Approach Lead and Co-Production Coordinator to ensure that our offer is relevant and Young Person Centred.

· Attend events to promote our Core CYP Youth Service’s offer (such as the Circle, MHST, BK2YM, Mind in Music and community programmes) to Children & Young People, families and professionals

4. Data, Evaluation and Impact Reporting:

· Assisting in the composition of internal, quarterly and other reporting.

· Support data analysis for routine, service evaluation, research and improvement.

· Completing pre and post-evaluations of intervention delivered to ensure that delivery is effective, reviewed and meeting objectives.

5. Partnership Working and Communication:

· Communicate information effectively with CYPs, relatives and carers where there may be barriers to understanding.

· Work closely with West London Mind staff leading on communications.

6. General:

· Maintain awareness of, and actively follow, our policies -especially related to safeguarding, GDPR and confidentiality.

· Attend all trainings set out by West London Mind.

· Ensure compliance with statutory requirements regarding the welfare of Children and Young People as well as vulnerable adults.

Person Specification

We need you to have:

· An undergraduate Psychology degree (or equivalent) that confers British Psychological Society’s Graduate Basis for Chartered membership (GBC).

We’re looking for someone with:

· Knowledge and understanding of the key socioeconomic and systemic factors that contribute to poor mental health of children, young people and parents/carers from Black, Asian and other Minority groups.

· Understanding the importance of safeguarding and maintaining confidentiality.

· Experience of conducting literature reviews, data collection and data analysis.

· Knowledge of mental health and/or social care services

· Experience of working with, and adapting delivery to, children and young people as well as young adults with SEND/Inclusion needs.

You will have:

· Excellent written skills and the ability to distil complex issues in clear language with a wide range of audiences with varying needs.

· Ability to work both productively as part of a team as well autonomously where appropriate.

· A compassionate and inclusive approach to working with children, young people, their families and your colleagues

· An understanding of the specific mental health needs of children and young people who have additional needs (e.g. Neurodiversity/learning disabilities)

· Data literacy and attention to detail – especially in relation to compiling reports.

· Ability to accurately keep notes and record data.

· Ability to prioritise and work on several tasks in parallel.

· Good time management and organisational skills.

· Strong interpersonal skills.

· The ability to be creative and adaptive during intervention delivery.

General:

· A valuing of, and commitment to, tackling discrimination, inequity and ensuring equality of opportunity.

· Advanced IT skills, in particular with Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint and Teams.

· Proactive approach to problem solving.

You might also have:

· Masters and/or postgraduate qualification.

· Experience of using IAPTUS CYP patient record system.

· Experience of group facilitation and delivery.

This job description does not provide an exhaustive list of duties and may be reviewed in conjunction with the post holder in light of service development. 

We are an equal opportunities employer; and are proud to employ a workforce that reflects the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons from all backgrounds. 

HFEH Mind are committed to creating and fostering a culture that promotes safeguarding and the welfare of all children and adults at risk. Our safer recruitment practices support this by ensuring that there is a consistent and thorough process of obtaining, collating, analysing and evaluating information from and about candidates to ensure that all persons appointed are suitable to work with children and vulnerable adults. 

Post is subject to an enhanced DBS check. 

Background

We are Humane World for Animals, formerly called the Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International. Since 1954, we have worked to create a more humane society for animals. Working side by side as the Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International, we have helped to pass thousands of landmark laws, rescue hundreds of thousands of animals, and cared for and protected millions more.

In 2025, to convey our mission and make sure that everyone understands who we are and the bold work that we do, our organisations are standing together under a new shared name: Humane World for Animals. 

We are dedicated to changing the world for animals. We drive change with human action. We help people, communities, governments, and corporations shift behaviour, providing the right support and advocating for policy change to stem the root causes of suffering and cruelty.

Purpose of role

As the Program Manager, Media and Communications, you will support the Program Director on the design, development and implementation of communication strategies and plans to advance Humane World for Animals UK’s strategic priorities with regard to campaigns, brand-building and fundraising. You will lead on producing and delivering a content strategy for a broad range of channels to increase audience engagement. The position will support campaigns and fundraising stewardship and give strategic advice regarding social media market insights and trends in the UK digital sphere and emerging channels. This will be vital to achieve successful brand building in the UK market through impactful storytelling, campaign activations, fundraising recruitment and stewardship through compelling content on the earned channels and holistic management of thematic work.

If you are results-oriented, organised and creative and have 5+ years of experience as a media and communications professional then we would like to hear from you.

Key areas of responsibility

• Communications strategy and planning:Lead the development and delivery of storytelling and social media strategies to support the UK’s wider communications strategy.Guide public affairs, campaigns, and fundraising colleagues in ideation sessions to develop creative and impactful activations.Provide insights on digital communications trends and opportunities.
• Content creation and storytelling:Produce high-quality digital content, including video, for use on social and digital channels.Turn campaign and policy work into clear, engaging stories.Collaborate with Head Office to integrate global storytelling content.
• Social media:  Plan, schedule and manage day-to-day (and occasional out-of-hours) social media activity, engaging online communities, managing paid social media advertising and delivering campaigns that support advocacy, fundraising and recruitment. Maintain the visual asset library and manage a social media volunteer.
• Influencer and partnership engagement:Identify and recruit influencers and celebrities to extend our reach and support our campaigns
• Administration: Monitor and report on performance using tools like Google Analytics and social monitoring platforms to guide continual improvement.Coordinate activities with colleagues using planning platforms.

About you

Our successful candidate will be confident, creative and positive with a proven track in media and communications roles. A proactive self-starter, you will have demonstrable experience of achieving significant growth and development in regard to audience reach and will take a solution-focused approach to overcoming obstacles. You will have experience of delivering media and communication strategies and plans in a fast-paced environment. You will have ambition and drive for creating positive change for animal welfare; a willingness to constantly learn and develop the most impactful, cost-effective communications for our target audiences; and your work will be solidly underpinned by regular evaluation of progress and impact with a view to further improving strategies.

We are searching for an experienced media and communications professional to make a difference and be part of our ambitious team. If that’s you, please get in touch!

Application Instructions

To apply for this role, please submit a copy of your CV and a cover letter outlining your interest in the role and how you fulfil the requirements set out in the job ad.

The deadline for applications is Thursday, 30 April 2026, 11pm GMT. Applications without covering letters will not be considered.

You must have an existing right to work in the UK, and you must reside in the UK, to be considered for this role. 

Mind in Haringey is an independent charity organisation providing vital mental health services to our community in Haringey since 1989.

We have a broad and exciting range of services and projects running in a dynamic, evolving environment. We are constantly striving to develop and improve our services through listening to our community, peers, and staff team to evaluate and deliver the best possible projects for our community.

Working with Mind in Haringey will give you the opportunity to join a small, creative team with many opportunities for learning and progression. We are a diverse and passionate team, who welcome experiences and perspectives from all backgrounds. 

We particularly encourage applications from those with lived experience of mental health, from racialised communities, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and residents of Haringey who are passionate about changing things for the better in the borough. 

Haringey is a melting pot of culture, history, and resilience. Though there is much that needs to be improved, we are proud to work as part of a community that has displayed great strength in hardship both in the past and in more recent years. Interested in joining us in this work? We look forward to receiving your application for the role.

Mind in Haringey are looking for a passionate energetic individual who will become part of a growing successful mental health charity.

The successful candidate will be responsible for managing the charity’s operations and systems to ensure the charity is run effectively and in compliance. You will also   manage a small team and be dealing with all general facilities management and human resources.

The post requires someone who is exceptionally well organised and a caring, efficient leader, that is used to dealing with a diverse staff team and workload, has strong numeracy and literacy skills and excellent communications skills.

The ideal candidate will have a minimum of five years’ experience in health and social care /mental health or related field with experience of planning and managing people budgets and a strong commitment to equity and social justice.

Multiple Schools across Telford and Wrekin.

Are you a proactive, collaborative and compassionate individual with a proven record of working with children and young people affected by criminal exploitation, gang involvement, county lines, grooming, or serious youth violence?  Do you have experience of working within a multi-agency safeguarding environment, collaborating effectively with services such as social care, youth justice, police, education, and community organisations?

If so, St Giles is looking for a Specialist Mentor to form part of a newly established team to support Children and Young People (CYP) under 18 at risk of or experiencing significant harm, including involvement in criminality, the justice system, gang affiliation, exploitation, and grooming in partnership with the Children’s Services Child Abused Through Exploitation (CATE) Team

About St Giles Trust

An ambitious, well-established charity that helps people facing adversity to find jobs, homes and the right support they need. Central to our ethos is our belief that people with first-hand experience of successfully overcoming issues such as an offending background, homelessness, addictions and gang involvement, hold the key to positive change in others.

About this key role

Our successful candidate will provide 1:1 mentoring sessions within schools, creating safe, confidential, and supportive spaces to 36 young people annually who are affected by criminality, exploitation, gang involvement, or the justice system, improving their safety, wellbeing, and life outcomes. You will be expected to build positive relationships with CYP and their families and work directly with them to promote positive change, build resilience, reduce risks, and prevent continued significant harm, plus work collaboratively with the Children’s Services CATE Team, Community Safety, Youth Justice, Police, and other stakeholders.

We will also count on you to support the development of professional knowledge within the CATE team and wider network on criminal exploitation and to produce risk management plans based on assessments, while promoting inter-agency collaboration in the assessment and planning process, and including appropriate agencies in the delivery of the service.

What we are looking for:

• Experience of conducting risk assessments and developing intervention/support plans, with a clear understanding of safeguarding frameworks and thresholds
• Experience delivering community-based outreach, including working in non-traditional settings and building relationships with local stakeholders
• Knowledge of child criminal exploitation, county lines, gang involvement, and grooming
• Knowledge of trauma-informed practice and its application when working with vulnerable or high-risk young people
• An understanding of risk assessment and risk management processes in relation to exploitation and serious youth violence
• Excellent interpersonal, relationship-building and communication skills, verbal and written
• A flexible, collaborative and professional approach to your work

In return, you can expect a competitive salary, generous leave allowance, staff pension, flexible working, a mentoring programme, an advice and counselling service, access to clinical supervision, season ticket loan and much more.

We are an equity and inclusion-confident employer. We welcome all applications, and we particularly encourage applications from people of the global majority (black, brown, multi-heritage) and those who identify as disabled, neuroexpansive, or neurodiverse, with any protected characteristics and/or social barriers or challenges. We value the empowering and informative impact that all lived experiences and diversity of thought can offer the organisation.

Please note St Giles will guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria set out in the Job Description for the vacancy.

An enhanced Children’s Barred List DBS check is required for this role.

PERSON SPECIFICATION In your application form, please provide a written statement (maximum 1,000 words) showing how you meet the criteria outlined in the Person specification. 

Closing date: 5 May 2026 at 9 a.m. Interviews: 11 May 2026 in Coventry.

This is a service commissioned by Liverpool City Council to deliver Children's residential support in line with statutory requirements, utilising therapeutic approaches.

The service provides a nurturing environment within our high-quality home, supporting the needs of children who have experienced trauma, neglect, rejection, and whose basic needs have not been met.

Our home offers children a safe space to enjoy themselves with activities such as karaoke, pamper, movie and games nights alongside encouraging them to enjoy a wide range of community based activities.

Children also benefit from having the opportunity to enjoy an annual holiday/short break. 

We support our children to learn independence skills e.g. cooking meals, baking, budgeting, completing domestic tasks etc.

In line with Barnardo's Equality, Diversity & Inclusion values, we promote awareness and acceptance in a variety of forms, including monthly theme nights.

On top of that, Saturday is takeaway night, so you even get a night off from cooking!

The support we provide today is vital in sustaining our children in the next chapter of their lives. You would play a huge part in this exciting role, making a real impact to changing the lives of our children.

The home provides a truly therapeutically focussed environment that can meet the needs of children who require support to manage their behaviours safely, develop their resilience and prepare them for the demands of future life with their own families or within other settings.

As a Senior Residential Children & Young People Worker you will, on a rota basis, undertake the following:

• 3 on 4 off pattern across the year, with rotas completed at least one month in advance.
• Sleep ins - approximately 2 per month with an additional payment of approximately £68/sleep,
• Waking nights (approximately 2 per month)
• Opportunities to complete additional hours at an enhanced rate of pay.
• Some weekend working, on a rota basis
• Some bank holiday working – enhanced rates of pay for bank holiday working.

Designated days off are given following sleep ins and waking nights to promote wellbeing and recovery.

Your role:

• Engage with and support children in all aspects of their lives, attending to their practical, physical, and emotional needs, whilst safeguarding each young person at all times.
• Support allocated keyworkers to ensure all information pertinent to the child's everyday life is completed and collated, to demonstrate the journey of the child whilst residing at the home.
• Provide practice based supervision to our As & When (bank) workers, liaising with managers to ensure continuity of care, Continued Professional Development and regulatory compliance.
• On a rota basis you will support the management team to provide out of hours on call cover, for which you will receive an additional payment.
• On a rota basis, you will also share the responsibility (alongside other SRCYW) of being allocated as shift leader; ensuring each day is purposeful and coordinated, enhancing opportunities for positive achievements and outcomes for the children.
• Support children to engage in education and enhance their social opportunities by accessing hobbies & activities in the home and in the community.

If you have residential experience, are passionate about making improved changes to childhoods and can show understanding, tenacity, consistency of care and the ability to engage with a wide range of children – this may be the opportunity for you!

For a full description of the role, please refer to the Job description & Person specification.

What you'll get from us

In addition to the extensive organisational benefits identified below, you will receive:

• A full induction within our trauma informed charity,
• Ongoing comprehensive training package,
• Be part of a team supported by a Therapeutic Co-ordinator and also receive reflective group/individual sessions with our consultant psychotherapist,
• Monthly practice focussed supervision,
• On successfully passing probation, enrolment on a fully funded residential Diploma (if not already held)

Quote from a young person who previously lived in the home:

“…You've all really helped me become the person I am today. The amount of love you all put in, you all wanted the best for me. I'm going to miss the team of great people I have had around me”

Pay & Reward Framework

We know that our colleagues go above and beyond in delivering our vital work, driven by their passion and commitment to Barnardo's values.  We also know that we can only realise our ambitions and achieve better outcomes for more children, thanks to the talent, hard work and creativity of our people. 

For all these reasons, we are committed to a new approach to pay and reward, to ensure it is fair, attractive and progressive, which was rolled out in April 2023. This is a positive change for the charity, and a part of our People & Culture Strategy. It will assist us in supporting colleagues to belong, thrive and grow in their colleague journey at Barnardo's and in time will offer clear routes of progression for colleagues in both their career and their pay. 

Whilst the full pay band and salary range is advertised, our approach to starting salaries is to appoint between the minimum to mid-point of the pay band – this ensures that pay steps are available to reward our colleagues annually based on their contribution to excellence and alignment to our values and behaviours.  More details on Barnardo's pay framework can be found upon application. 

Benefits

Workplace Offer: What it means for you

Our hybrid working initiative is based on trust, flexibility and empowerment. We understand our workplace offer means different things to different people, and we encourage those conversations. This may mean working at one of our stores, services, working at home, in the community, at one of our Collaboration Hubs or depending on the role any combination of these. Please read through the advert carefully to understand the remits of hybrid working that will be specific to the role.

• Barnardo's believe in creating equality of opportunity in the workplace and supporting people to manage their work-life balance; we are therefore open to offering flexible working arrangements.
• Annual Leave entitlement for full-time colleagues is 26 days per annum, increasing to 27 days per annum, after 3 years Barnardo's service, 29 days per annum, after 5 years Barnardo's service and 30 days per annum, after 7 years Barnardo's service. Those working less than full time are entitled to the same level of holiday pro rata
• The ability to buy up to another 5 days annual leave via our Buy Your Leave scheme
• A host of family friendly leave options including company Maternity Paternity and Adoption pay; together with all family additional leave options
• Service related sick pay from day 1
• Access to a Group Personal Pension with a matched 4% or 6% contribution from Barnardo's. Ability to pay via salary sacrifice to garner both tax and NI savings on your own contribution
• Death in service cover of 4x annual earnings for all staff contributing to our Group Personal Pension
• Cycle2work scheme
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Discounts and cashback from at high street shops including major supermarkets, cinemas, gyms, leisure/theme parks, holidays and much more via our Benefit Portal
• 20% discount at Barnardo's stores
• Opportunity to purchase a health cash plan to claim towards dental, glasses, therapy etc
• Free access to round the clock employee assistance program for advice and support
• Access to Barnardo's Learning and Development offer

*T&C's apply based on contract

About Barnardo's

We are committed to being an inclusive employer and cultivating a culture where everyone can belong and thrive through inclusion and connectivity. We want our workforce to be reflective of the communities we work with, and for equality, diversity and inclusion to be embedded in everything we do. We are a Disability Confident Leader, are progressing our ambition to be an anti-racist organisation with Anti-Racism Commitments and actions in place and have networks for colleagues who are disabled, LGBT+, Black and Minoritised Ethnic and Women. We particularly encourage applications from Black and Minoritised Ethnic and/or disabled candidates who are currently underrepresented in our workforce. For disabled applicants, we offer reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.

Our basis and values

St Nicholas Hospice Care is a successful charity serving the local area of West Suffolk and Thetford. Every year we support nearly 2,000 local people, delivering care across multiple settings. Our services are not just for patients, but for their family and friends too, and include everything from specialist medical care to bereavement support and practical help.

Are you highly organised, confident in all forms of communication and known for your attention to detail? In this role, you’ll use your strong administrative and planning skills to keep events and community activities running smoothly, whilst providing reliable and proactive support to colleagues and volunteers. If you thrive in a busy environment, enjoy coordinating moving parts, and take pride in delivering work to a high standard, this could be the ideal next step for you.

As our Fundraising Assistant (Events & Community), you’ll be at the heart of supporting imaginative, meaningful and well‑run events that truly bring people together. Playing an integral part of the supporter journey — from planning the details to coordinating volunteers and supporting our fantastic local fundraisers — you’ll help create moments that matter and ensure every supporter feels valued from their first contact through to their thank‑you.

Working alongside colleagues and volunteers, you’ll help share inspiring stories, support the delivery of engaging activities, and play a part in connecting people to a cause that truly matters. Through each conversation, task and event you support, you’ll be contributing to St Nicholas Hospice Care’s mission to provide compassionate care to nearly 2,000 people each year.

This is a role for someone who enjoys variety and takes pride in providing reliable, well‑organised administrative support. One day you might be assisting colleagues with the logistics for a flagship event; the next, helping a community group with the practical steps needed to develop their fundraising idea. You’ll play a supportive role in building relationships, coordinating information, and helping to keep tasks moving smoothly — bringing your calm, friendly approach to every interaction.

You’ll be joining a supportive, enthusiastic fundraising team where your ideas are welcome, your development is encouraged, and your work genuinely makes a difference. You’ll see the impact of what you help deliver — in the smiles, stories and shared moments created at each event.

What you’ll bring:

• Strong organisational and administrative skills
• A friendly, confident communication style
• A positive attitude with the ability to stay motivated under pressure
• A passion for teamwork and working with your local community
• Good IT skills and great attention to detail

Why join us?

You’ll be part of a supportive fundraising team, helping to deliver meaningful events and activities that raise vital funds—and celebrating the impact you help create every day.

Working for us
As an employee you will receive the following benefits:
• Opportunity for some home working
• Health Cash Plan & Wellbeing programme (dentistry, optical, emotional wellbeing support)
• 25 days annual leave increasing with service (pro rata for part time employees)
• Enhanced Occupational sick pay scheme
• Home-made meals available in our onsite bistro
• Access to a group pension plan or continuation of NHS Pension (subject to criteria)
• Life assurance
• Free onsite parking
• Access to Blue Light Card scheme discounts
• Social events (such as photography group, quiz nights, picnics and more)

If you’re ready to grow your skills, take on new challenges, and play a key role in making hospice care possible… we’d love to hear from you.

Mind BLMK works across our communities to support positive mental health and wellbeing. Working closely with a range of partners, we offer a number of activities from our wellbeing centres and local venues to make a difference to the mental health and wellbeing of people in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes, and our aim is to make sure that no-one has to face a mental health problem alone.

Community Connector (Mental Health Resilience Worker)
Post no: 654
Working base: Dunstable CMHT (Community Mental Health Team) LU5 – Occasional cover at Leighton Buzzard
Contract type: Permanent
Salary: £26,600 per annum
Hours: 37 hours per week, Monday to Friday

Thank you for your interest in this exciting role as a Community Connector.

About the Service

We work under the supervision of the NHS Community Mental Health Teams (CMHT) across Central Bedfordshire, Luton and Bedford, employed and managed by Mind BLMK, who receive funding for this transformational offer. We are privileged to be able to work holistically with people who are under the CMHT, struggling with a range of mental health issues.

Our service users are people with a range of mild/moderate/severe mental health diagnosis of anxiety, depression, paranoid schizophrenia, bipolar, EUPD, BPD, substance misuse including alcohol and people with suicide ideation. Often people present with high risks and once we take them onto our caseload we support them in managing their symptoms to reduce risk and to enable them to access wellbeing tools and services, leading to improved mental wellbeing and a better quality of life.

About the Role

Community Connectors work as part of an integrated, blended mental health offer to support people, for approximately a 6 - 12 week duration, with emotional, social and practical needs to access a range of local, non-medical and non-clinical services, to improve confidence, social inclusion and independence.

This role will involve working as part of a multi-disciplinary team with statutory, third sector and NHS colleagues to support clients who are suffering from moderate to severe mental health difficulties. You will need to have experience working with those suffering with mental health illness as well as being able to demonstrate in depth knowledge of the services, support networks and local resources that may assist in improved outcomes for those dealing with complex and enduring mental health issues.

The ability to be adaptable, work independently and the resilience to work in some challenging environments are key attributes for this role.

A typical day in the life as a Community Connector:

• 9.15 – 11.30: Attend MDT – discuss a number of patients and treatment. This is a weekly meeting at each CMHT for reviews of those under the CMHT and includes people who are currently on the mental health wards and individuals under a section.
  Discuss any high risk cases and next steps.
  Discuss those who are ready for discharge.
• 11.30 – 12:15: Add notes to database - that have been taken during the meeting – reporting on the discussion and outcome for patients (this includes identifying next steps for professionals and tasks which the admin team need to follow up on).
• 12.15 – 13.15: First Initial assessment with a new service user – introductions and getting to know them.
  Discuss goals and what recovery means to them.
  Carry out a dialog+ (diagnostic tool).
  Clarify areas for signposting and discuss wellbeing practical support.
• 13.15 – 13.45: Lunch break
• 3.45 – 14.30: Signposting for service user
  Update data base with notes from the initial assessment and upload any documents sent to services for the new service user.
• 14.30 – 15.30: Meeting with service user in local cafe. Review of goals and progress. Review any signposted services – has the service user attended? How are they feeling? What has worked/not worked and what could be improved? Set goals to be worked towards by next session – these could be simple practice of self-affirmation/ attending a yoga class/meditation or continuing work with P2R etc. OR more practical self-care – showering/ going for a walk etc.
• 15.30 – 17.00: Catch up on admin tasks; respond to new referrals; call service users to book in appointments or to offer any well-being check-ins.

Entitlements/benefits:

• 25 days (pro rata) Annual Leave plus Bank Holidays (pro rata)
• Auto-enrolment NEST pension scheme (employer contributes 3%, employee contributes 5%)
• Health Plan with a wide variety of benefits
• Discounts available through Blue Light Card & Tickets for Good
• In-house and external Learning and Development as appropriate for the role.
• Flexible Working On request (in line with Mind BLMK policy on Right to Request Flexible Working)

If you have a passion for working in mental health and possess the required skills, we would love to hear from you.

Closedown: 5pm on Friday 8th May 2026
Please note: We reserve the right to close this advert early if enough suitable applicants apply
Start date: ASAP

Interested?

If you would like to find out more, please click the apply button. You will be directed to our website to complete your application for this position.

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all sections of the community.

Mind BLMK has been committed to the Mindful Employer charter and the Disability Confident Employer Scheme since 2008. If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know.

Please note: Mind BLMK follows Safer Recruitment practices and we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults. Therefore all our roles are subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

No agencies please.