Support worker jobs in Oxford, oxfordshire

As Community Support Worker you will play a vital role in supporting the Project Manager as well as mentors and mentees in the community to encourage a young man make positive connections to enable him to desist from re-offending and give him a sense of hope for the future.

This will involve:

· Visiting the prison to meet mentees and mentors before release and assisting in development of initial three-month plan.

· Assess what support the mentee has in the community (include family, partners) and what additional support is needed.

· Research what services and agencies are available in the area. Identify relevant services (including probation services) to establish and build working relationships with, especially those who can offer Education, Training and Employment opportunities for the mentees.

· Ensure mentee and mentor needs are being met in the community and supportive measures are in place.

· Facilitating and supporting the mentoring relationship within the community when the mentee is released (through the gate) attending housing, probation, job centre appointments when required; being their advocate for making a claim for benefits; attending DWP appointments; accessing drug and alcohol services etc.

· Support mentors in helping mentees improve social skills, daily living skills, such as shopping, cleaning, self-care – find services that can offer additional support to the mentee/mentor.

· Attend and participate in meetings regarding the successful rehabilitation of prisoners

· Provide support to mentors in the community.

· Support the Project Manager with recruitment and training of new volunteers when required.

Person Specification

Essential experience and Knowledge required:

· The ability to communicate effectively with a broad range of stakeholders.

· A proven self-starter with a high level of self-motivation.

· Ability to work in a challenging environment.

· Good IT skills (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

· Personable in approach.

· Excellent administration and note writing skills.

· Good organisational skills.

· Committed and passionate about the role.

· Experience of work with challenging, hard to engage or disaffected groups of people.

· An understanding of the key issues facing young offenders and the challenges they face in desisting from crime.

· Ability to work independently, make informed decisions but understanding when to access support when needed.

· Driving license required with access to a vehicle.

· Applicants should be based within the Buckinghamshire and Oxford area, with an exceptional knowledge of local services across the specified region.

Preferred experience required:

·       Previous Criminal Justice experience is highly desirable, as well as working with young men or youth.

· Experience of the voluntary sector and ethos of volunteering.

· Experience of working within employment sector.

· Knowledge of the local area and services that are available for mentees and willingness to extend relationships for Trailblazers and other stakeholders.

Applicants should send their CV and covering letter for the attention of John Edu-Amuah

Closing date for applications is 5.30pm on Friday 8th May 2026

Trailblazers Mentoring is committed to equality and diversity and strongly encourages applications from BAME groups and those with personal experience of the criminal justice system.

Join a team that's making a real difference.

Adfam is the leading national charity tackling the effects of alcohol, drug use or gambling on family members and friends. We improve life for thousands of people. One way we do this is by empowering families and friends to get the support they need.

We want anyone affected by someone else's drug or alcohol use or gambling problem to have the chance to benefit from healthy relationships, be part of a loving and supportive family and enjoy mental and physical wellbeing.

This role offers the opportunity to be part of a successful national remote service, offering support via the phone or Zoom to affected adults in the UK. We are looking to recruit experienced Family Support professionals to provide these virtual support sessions to individual family members and sometimes groups. We are offering a number of roles at 15-20 hours per week, across 3-5 days, including Wednesday and at least 2 evenings per week (Mon-Wed).

Experience in supporting family members affected by someone else’s substance use is essential, as is experience with assessing and managing risk. Ideally, you would also have experience of working to support parents with their parenting and / or those experiencing domestic abuse. We offer fixed hours part time contracts within a friendly and supportive team. Whilst based at home and requiring the ability to work autonomously, Adfam prides ourselves on our supportive team ethos and working culture. 

• Salary: £30,000 pro rata
• 6.5% contributory pension scheme
• Contract: One year with likely extension

This is a remote working position based at home.

Please note, although counselling skills and qualifications are welcome and valuable as part of a skillset for this role, these are not counselling roles. This is professional support work and requires additional experience or skills in substance use, social work, complex family work or a related field. The role requires directive and facilitative guidance and input. If you are a counsellor looking for typical counselling work, please do not apply for this role. Thank you.

Closing date: Sunday 19th April

Application packs can be downloaded from our website. Alternatively, please email us to request one.

Adfam actively welcomes applications from all sections of society.