Telephone counsellor jobs

Acorns Children’s Hospice provides specialist care and support for babies, children, and young people who are life-limited or life-threatened. When time is short, every moment is precious. Acorns helps children and families fill the time they have together with love, fun, and laughter to create lasting memories.

Palliative care for children aged 0-18 is delivered at Acorns’ hospices in Birmingham, Worcester, and Walsall, as well as in family homes or elsewhere in the community. Their holistic, tailored approach meets each child’s clinical, emotional, cultural, religious, and spiritual needs. Supporting over 750 children and nearly 1,000 families annually, Acorns is a vital lifeline for families across the West Midlands and Gloucestershire during unimaginably difficult times.

This is a brilliant opportunity to take on a high-performing team at a time when Acorns is really moving forward. Supported by strong internal resources, the Head of Public Fundraising will drive growth across Individual Giving, Legacy, In-Memoriam, Digital and Prize-led Giving in the context of a highly collaborative, whole-organisation approach to fundraising.

The immediate focus will be on making the most of existing programmes, strengthening audience insight, and getting the team ready to play a major part in the organisation-wide appeal launching in 2025.

Growing Individual Giving income from £1.6 million to £2 million over the next two years will be a central priority, alongside expanding digital and prize-led fundraising and sharpening supporter journeys across the board.

As Head of Public Fundraising, you will: 

• Develop and implement a data-driven strategy for all areas of public fundraising to meet growth targets.

• Lead the Individual Giving portfolio, ensuring growth across direct mail, face-to-face acquisition, mid-value development, and telemarketing.

• Oversee the successful delivery of cash appeals, ensuring they meet both income and ROI targets.

• Drive the expansion of digital fundraising and prize-led giving, including managing the growing digital fundraising portfolio and prize-led initiatives.

• Work closely with cross-functional teams, including Marketing & Communications, to ensure campaigns are well integrated and aligned with the overall fundraising strategy.

• Manage and develop a high-performing team, providing leadership, coaching, and clear performance metrics.

• Collaborate with senior leadership and internal stakeholders to drive the strategic direction of public fundraising.

About you

The role needs someone who’s as comfortable setting long-term plans as they are getting hands-on when needed, whether that’s developing appeals, working with agencies or supporting new product ideas. Collaboration across fundraising, care and supporter engagement teams will be essential to making this happen and building an even stronger supporter-first culture at Acorns.

If you’re a senior Individual Giving expert who’s ambitious for supporters and income, this is a chance to take ownership of a strong portfolio, drive innovation, and make a real impact on Acorns’ future.

You will have:

• Extensive experience in Individual Giving (substantial direct marketing experience is essential), Legacies, In-Memoriam, Digital, and Prize-led Giving.

• A history of successfully leading fundraising teams and delivering significant income growth.

• Strong strategic vision, with the ability to adapt and innovate based on data insights and audience understanding.

• Exceptional team leadership skills, able to inspire and engage your team to deliver exceptional results.

• Experience in working collaboratively across teams to achieve shared objectives.

• Excellent communication and networking skills, with the ability to build strong relationships internally and externally.

Hybrid working

This is a mostly home-based role, with c.2 days per week in the (Birmingham) office. If you require flexibility around this, please don't hesitate to apply - we can discuss options during the briefing call. 

Employee benefits

Benefits include:

• 31 days annual leave including bank holidays, rising to 35 days after 3 years’ service
• 7.5% employer pension contribution
• Life assurance scheme (2 x annual salary)
• Retail discounts (including the Blue Light card)
• Cycle to work scheme
• Discounted gym membership
• Access to expert financial health and wellbeing support

Role: To support adults (19+) or young people (aged 12 – 19) who have experienced any form of sexual violence

Hours required: Flexible, although most sessional counsellors work with a minimum of 8 clients a week.

Rates: Rates are £25-£30 per session, counselling rooms provided free-of-charge.

Qualifications:  Counsellors must be qualified and have completed a course by a recognized accrediting body such as, but not limited to, BACP or UKCP.

Time/Locations: Counsellors work flexibly, but we are currently prioritising counsellors able to work face-to-face and at the times outlined in the role description to meet the needs of our clients.

To Apply: Please complete the application form, which can be downloaded from our website 

Application deadline:  10am, Monday 2nd June 2025.

Interviews:  Young Person’s Sessional - Monday 16th June / Adult Sessional - Monday 23rd June.

Start date: As soon as possible, subject to receipt of satisfactory references and enhanced DBS check.

Mandatory specialist sexual violence training dates: To be confirmed. 

What we expect from our sessional counsellors:

· All counsellors must abide by BACP’s Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy.

· All counsellors must attend and complete specialist training.

· Attendance at one CARA Meeting per month.

· Attendance at monthly meetings with a CARA Point of Contact.

· Attendance of clinical supervision, in line with BACP guidance, provided by a CARA-approved supervisor.

· Commitment and understanding of the importance of clinical supervision.

· An open, non-judgemental and reflective attitude.

· Commitment to keep and maintain confidential database records.

· Demonstrable understanding of safeguarding, both in relation to children and to vulnerable adults.

· Reliability.

· Counsellors will be working with clients on behalf of CARA and not on a private basis.  As such, they will be bound by CARA’s processes, policies and procedures.

· Commitment to the feminist ethos of CARA.

· Willingness to commit the necessary time to supporting vulnerable clients.

What the counsellor can expect from us:

· Full training and support will be provided.

· Ongoing training opportunities.

We welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds and those with additional language skills, including BSL.

The successful candidate will be working with adults in a residential setting delivering assessments, group sessions and one-to-one therapy to those admitted to the service. The post-holder will offer an intensive, abstinent-based programme with high levels of group therapy and a strong emphasis on aftercare support. The role will include facilitating specialist psycho-educational groups, 12 step, relapse prevention therapeutic groups and individual counselling sessions.

You will work closely with our Supported Housing team and be required to participate in regular team meetings. You will also be required to liaise with external agencies and work creatively to provide the most appropriate treatment plans for clients with complex needs. You may be required to cover occasional evening Aftercare groups.

Main Responsibilities
•  Undertake assessments of people entering the service through various referral sources.
•  Develop, facilitate, and review a group work programme that meets the needs of our clients. These might include dual diagnosis, trauma, cross-addiction, criminal justice issues and various types of substance use.
•  Provide a holistic package of care to people which meets their needs and includes working with colleagues across other teams to help residents with diversionary activities, employment, training, and education.
•  Work with the Supported Housing team to ensure residents are safe, secure, and maintain their tenancies and are prepared to move onto independent living.
•  Provide a range of one-to-one interventions that might include MI, person-centered care, CBT, DBT and trauma work.
•  Manage a caseload of individuals with a wide spectrum of needs.
•  Assist residents to understand the effects and benefits of any medication prescribed for them and the importance of complying with treatment regimes. This might include liaising with pharmacists, doctors, and psychiatrists for monitoring purposes.
•  Provide psychoeducation to raise awareness and understanding of substances and their effects.
•  Provide onward referral and liaison with wrap-around support within SCT to enable our residents to achieve social integration and personal development.

Client Management
•Coordinate and carry out assessments of new residents and the referral and acceptance process, ensuring that each client has a programme appropriate to their needs.
•  Conduct joint 3 and 6-monthly reviews with Supported Housing team colleagues.
•Provide group and individual counselling as required by the service.
•Support residents from admission until completion of treatment.

Operational Support
•Comply with all monitoring and evaluation requirements.

General Responsibilities
•Engage with and inspire people in recovery.
•Ensure a safe and secure environment for residents, free from alcohol and drugs, and free from abusive behaviour and exploitation.
•Ensure that all SCT activities are carried out with due regard to Health and Safety legislation, SCT policies and procedures, as well as good practice.
•Work within the policies and procedures of SCT.
•Implement SCT’s Equal Opportunities Policy, understanding its implication in the development of services to clients.
•Attend regular supervision sessions, both internal and external.
•Attend meetings within and on behalf of SCT as appropriate.
•Undertake other tasks consistent with the post or as delegated by your line manager.

Strategic Excellence
•Be an effective role model, with the ability to inspire and motivate others.
•Work collaboratively with the Recovery Hub team.
•Ensure you are kept up to date with developments within the sector, thus enhancing your knowledge and practice
•Capture the outcomes of the therapeutic programme with all monitoring and evaluation methods that are required by your line manager, to capture the impact of SCT work, whilst ensuring the voice of SCT clients are heard.
Qualifications and Experience

ESSENTIAL
•   Educated to degree level or Diploma Level 4 in Counselling.
•Two years’ experience of therapeutic work with: people in recovery, people experiencing homelessness or people with significant trauma histories / adverse childhood experiences.
•   One year’s experience of one-to-one counselling.
•A solid working understanding of CBT, MI, Relapse Prevention techniques and/or other interventions applicable to working with people in recovery.
•Experience in delivering therapeutic group work.
•Experience in encouraging individuals to reflect on their behaviour (consequences and risks), recognise the benefits and potential for change and provide support and encouragement to help residents achieve change positively within an abstinent community.
•Using effective support systems and networks to develop own knowledge and practice.
•Adhere to the principles of confidentiality of information.
•The ability to understand and work with others’ points of view, values and beliefs.
•The ability to change working techniques based on new information or evidence.
•Able to encourage others to express their views, feelings and wishes.
•Contributes positively to debate within the staff team.
•Promotes SCT by their own standards of conduct.
•Encourages, values and respects contributions from other team members.
•Possesses good written and oral communication and IT skills.

DESIRABLE
•Knowledge of local services and geography.
•Knowledge of the addiction, homelessness sector, social housing and the benefits system
•Experience of working with people with complex needs.

As we celebrate our 16th Birthday year, We Are Survivors are currently looking for an individual that has the passion, drive and determination to help us deliver our OUT Spoken Talking Therapy Services (prison based).

We Are Survivors provide survivor-focused therapeutic and advocacy support to male (including Trans and Non-binary) victims/survivors, and their loved ones, of sexual harms. We have developed a three-tiered approach to services and underpin everything we do with a ‘trauma and recovery’ framework pioneered by Dr Judith Herman.

We are currently commissioned to deliver trauma-informed therapy services in 15 prisons across the Northwest of England and we need your help delivering these services in:

· HMP Haverigg (Part-time – 2 days per week)

Believe you are right for this role?

You will be a qualified counsellor / psychotherapist who holds at least a Diploma in Counselling / Psychotherapy or equivalent and be registered with BACP or equivalent (preferably an accredited member). You will understand issues relating to trauma, be able to work as part of a team and feel confident working in a prison setting.

In return for your time, experience, and commitment to the organisation, you will receive an annual salary of £11,124.00; annual leave and bank holiday package; annual length of service increase; birthday leave; company sick pay; monthly clinical supervision; pension contribution; a range of training opportunities; and access to different benefit schemes.

Note: salary and annual leave is based on WTE. 

If this is a role that you think you could achieve great things in, then we want to hear from you.

The closing date for applications is: 01/06/2025 at 6pm.

Start date:  Mid-August 2025 (subject to Enhanced DBS Check and satisfactory references).

Salary: £36,411 - £38,261 per annum, pro rata.

Hours: 35 hours a week, with some flexibility possible.

Contract: This is a 9 month maternity cover contract, with possibility of extension to 12 months

Place of work: To work flexibly at CARA premises across mid and north Essex, including Braintree, Chelmsford, Clacton, Colchester, Harwich and Dunmow, with some remote home working.

Holiday: 25 days per year pro-rata, plus additional closure days between Christmas and New Year.

To apply: Please complete the application form, which can be downloaded from our website, explaining how your skills and experience relate to the person specification. 

Applications must specifically address each essential and desirable criteria, giving evidence from previous experience or qualifications.

Application deadline:  10am, Monday 2nd June 2025 

Interviews:  Monday 9th June 2025 

Start date: Mid-August, subject to receipt of satisfactory references and enhanced DBS check.

Mandatory Training Dates: To be confirmed.

This post is restricted to women applicants under the Equality Act 2010, Schedule 9, Part 1.

Job Description

The role of CARA’s Child and Young Person’s Practice Manager is to lead CARA’s teams of Young Person’s Practitioners and Child and Family Practitioners and manage the provision of specialist sexual violence counselling for young people, play therapy and support for parents and carers.  The post holder may hold a small caseload of clients and undertake some assessments, but the main emphasis of this role will be on the management, support and coordination of the team.

This is a varied and interesting role, giving the post holder opportunity to lead a talented and committed team of practitioners.   As well as overseeing day-to-day operations of the team, the post holder will be part of CARA’s management team and will have the opportunity to play a key role in CARA’s wider development, working closely with the CEO and Deputy CEO.   The post holder will work with our sister centres, SERICC and SOS Rape Crisis to gain an understanding of Child and Young Person’s services across Essex and coordinate these as appropriate.   

Main Responsibilities

Leadership and Management

• To manage all operational aspects of CARA’s Child and Young Person’s Practice, including overseeing the delivery of our specialist young person’s counselling service, play therapy and support for parents and carers.    This may also include managing any new Child and Young Person’s Practice projects that CARA develops.

• To work in accordance with CARA’s policies and procedures and embed a feminist approach in CARA activities.

• To co-ordinate, review and develop effective processes within the Child and Young Person’s Practice, working closely with the Deputy CEO, the Young Person’s Practitioners and the Child and Family Practitioners.

• To line-manage a team of Young Person’s and Child and Family Practitioners, providing day-to-day support, monitoring performance and identifying training and development needs.   This will include keeping up to date notes of line management meetings and conducting and recording annual staff appraisals.

• Work with our Adult Practice Manager to oversee the work of a wider team of sessional counsellors, including supporting Practitioners in line managing sessional and volunteer counsellors and identifying training needs. This will include helping to co-ordinate a monthly sessional and volunteer counsellor meeting. 

• To support practitioners and sessional counsellors in maintaining up-to-date client records and ensure that gaps in data are proactively addressed, as required.

• To work with CARA’s Deputy CEO to recruit and train new staff and sessional and volunteer counsellors, as required.

• To lead regular Young Person’s Practice and Child and Family Practice meetings, producing notes to share with team members and with senior management.

• To maintain an overview of waiting lists, working closely with practitioners and with the Deputy CEO and CEO to ensure that staff and resources are deployed effectively.

• To keep up to date with relevant legislation, policy and practice issues, including BACP and child safeguarding guidance and ensure the practitioners are aware of changes.

• To liaise with CARA’s other teams and more widely with Synergy Essex teams, resolving problems and ensuring good communication and mutual understanding of respective roles and ways of operating.

• To liaise with external agencies, including children’s mental health and social care, ensuring CARA is represented at meetings as required and developing effective relationships to ensure our services co-ordinate with statutory and voluntary services.

• To be part of the CARA management team and attend regular management team meetings, contributing to CARA’s ongoing development.

Counselling and client support

• To oversee client work within the teams, working closely with all team members to resolve client issues and ensure high quality service provision.

• To undertake client assessments and make appropriate arrangements for support.

• To provide specialist counselling for young people and/or play therapy for children and support for their parents, holding a small caseload of clients.

• To keep client records up to date. 

• To work flexibly at CARA centres across mid and north Essex, providing face-to-face and remote sessions, as required.

General

• To work flexible hours, including some evening work and occasional weekends.

• To participate in CARA team meetings, supervision, training and development.

• To provide specialist advice to other workers and agencies, including participation in delivery of training sessions.

• To raise awareness of sexual violence and its impact in the community and within other agencies.

• To keep appropriate records in accordance with CARA policies and procedures.

• To adhere in full to all CARA’s organisational policies and procedures, including safeguarding procedures.

• To be administratively self-servicing.

• To report to the Deputy CEO, CEO and Trustees as required, including the production of regular written reports and verbal reports.

• To undertake any other related activities as required by the Deputy CEO, CEO or the Chair of the Board of Trustees.

About CARA 

CARA (Centre for Action on Rape and Abuse) works with victims and survivors of sexual violence and child sexual abuse, providing independent, specialist support and promoting and representing their rights and needs.

CARA is a registered charity working with adults of all genders, young people and children from across mid and north Essex.  We have a head office in Colchester and outreach premises in Braintree, Chelmsford, Clacton-on-Sea, Great Dunmow and Harwich. We also provide remote services.

CARA seeks to be an inclusive organisation that actively encourages, supports and values diversity amongst both our service-users and our workers.  We wish to create a culture in which discrimination, in all its forms, is recognised and addressed.

You can read more about CARA’s commitment to diversity and inclusion here.   We encourage and welcome applications from candidates from diverse backgrounds.

About Synergy East

CARA is part of Synergy East and we work closely with South Essex-based SERICC and Southend-on-Sea Rape Crisis (SOS Rape Crisis) to deliver the contract for the Office for the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex for services for victims and survivors of sexual violence and child sexual abuse across Essex.

Part-time post: pro-rata 2.5 days per week, parental leave cover until December 2025 with possible scope for extension

Spectra CIC delivers peer to peer counselling services across London. The post holder will coordinate Spectra’s LGBTQ+ Youth Counselling Service. This will include the delivery of counselling sessions, client allocations, service development and waiting list management. In addition to liaison with members of the counselling team.

You will have good understanding of the health and well-being needs of young LGBTQ+ people, and an understanding of access barriers in underserved groups within communities.

You will have a good working knowledge of Office programmes including Excel, Word and PowerPoint.

To better serve marginalised communities we currently particularly welcome applications from trans people, people of colour and/or those with key language skills.

The role offers a combination of working online and at Spectra’s office based in South London.

Please complete and return the application form, including the personal statement and diversity monitoring form from our website – we do not accept CVs or incomplete applications.

The Noah’s Ark Charity supports the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales in providing world class care, helping to ensure the best outcome and experience possible for children and their families.

Scope of role

The digital marketing officer is a new role within the communications and engagement team, reflecting the charity’s strategic ambitions to shape and improve our digital approach.

We are a friendly, creative, and supportive team, responsible for raising awareness, demonstrating impact,  growing the brand and supporting both our  fundraising colleagues and our committed community of fundraisers, donors and volunteers to raise as  possible in aid of our nations children’s hospital.

As digital marketing officer you will play a key role in developing and implementing our digital strategy, working closely with the fundraising and wider comms and engagement team to deliver tangible results.  It is also an exciting time to join our team, as this role will begin at a critical point in the redevelopment of our website. The digital marketing officer will play a vital part in the ongoing rollout of the site.

Working closely with the wider charity team, this new position offers a real opportunity to help develop and grow the charity’s positive impact on the lives of children and families.

Person specification

We are seeking a digital marketing officer with extensive experience in a digital marketing role, including SEO, paid search and display advertising, paid social media and email marketing

This is a great opportunity to join a small but highly motivated team.

For the full person spec and job description, please see our website.

INDIVIDUAL GIVING AND EVENTS FUNDRAISER

OASIS HUB WATERLOO

32 hours per week (negotiable)

Two-year Fixed Term Contract

£26,737 per annum (Including London Weighting) £33,422 for 1 FTE

We are looking for a person with:

· Great character, chemistry and competency.

· Recent and proven experience in raising funds from individuals and events.

· Progressive and successful fundraising experience and approaches.

· First class team spirit and cohesion.

Is this you? Great – read on.

Oasis Hub Waterloo co-develops and co-delivers a wide range of integrated community services including a community centre, primary and secondary Academies, adult and further education opportunities, early years support, a Foodbank, advice services, a community farm, and well developed and diverse programmes for young people.

Purpose of job

This new role will lead on individual giving and events fundraising for Oasis Hub Waterloo with a focus on securing funds for Lambeth & Croydon Foodbank and our associated advice services. This will include developing our awareness and capacity to gain income from high-net-worth individuals, events and legacies.

To apply please email your CV (max of two pages) and a Supporting Statement.

Your Supporting Statement (max of two A4 pages) must share specific and relevant examples demonstrating how your qualities and experience will enable us to increase our income generation through individual giving and events.

Inspire and impress us!

Return your CV and Supporting Statement by Midday on Thursday 15th May 2025

Face to face Interviews will take place in London Waterloo Date: TBC

If you want an informal chat about this role, please visit the Oasis Charity Jobs Website. 

As part of the package, Oasis offers:

· Flexible working where possible with family friendly policies

· A non-contributory pension scheme, currently offering 7% employer contribution

· A generous holiday allowance, starting at 25 days per year (plus 8 Bank Holidays)

We actively encourage applications from people of all ethnic backgrounds and minority and underrepresented groups.

Oasis is committed to making a difference to the lives of the communities it works in, and as such you must show a willingness to demonstrate commitment to the values and behaviours which flow from the Oasis ethos. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children/young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff to share this commitment and to undergo appropriate checks, including enhanced DBS checks. 

The successful candidate must have the right to work in the UK.

Oasis supports Equal Opportunities. Registered Charity No. 1163889