Young people support worker jobs in Devon
Family Support Worker
£24,000 pa + Company Car and benefits (including 25 days annual leave, reward scheme and pension)
South West Team - Bristol and surrounding areas
Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity is going through an exciting time where we are growing, with the aim of reaching more families in need.
About the role:
This Best Companies Top 100 mid-sized organisation and Top 20 Charity is looking to appoint a Family Support Worker to deliver a high-quality family support service as part of our South West Care Team.
Reporting to the Family Support Manager of the South West Care Team and working in partnership with health, education and social care professionals, you will take responsibility for providing needs-led emotional, social and practical support to families where a child/young person has a life threatening or terminal illness.
Having worked in a stressful and emotional environment you have a genuine interest in building supportive relationships and helping people; and having provided bereavement support to families, you understand processes of grief, loss and change - and how best to help others deal with its impact.
Location:
This post will cover the South West of England, with this position focusing on Bristol and the surrounding area.
What we’re looking for:
· An experienced child health, education or social care professional - applications will be particularly welcome from those who have worked in a community environment and those with a recognised qualification in education, health or social care.
· A warm, inclusive approach to achieving goals quickly and correctly.
· Practiced in child protection, information sharing and the rules around data protection - you lead by example, drawing on your own professional experience and working within established guidelines.
· Practical and people-oriented - you will thrive working at a fast pace whilst maintaining accuracy and be a confident user of IT (including MSOffice)
· A persuasive and open communicator, you will work collaboratively with your team and volunteers to ensure delivery of a high-quality service and support fundraising colleagues by writing case studies and family updates
· A practical knowledge of diversity issues affecting children, young people, and their families – aware that being responsive to others needs and concerns, is essential.
What we offer:
We have a range of fantastic benefits that we offer our employees, including:
- Flexible working hours to balance home and working life
- Employee Assistance Programme with access to remote GP, counselling, physiotherapy, resources to support your mental health and financial wellbeing, as well as a 24/7 helpline via Help@Hand
- Company car for front line care posts
- 25 days of annual leave plus public holidays – rising to 26 days after 1 year, 27 days after 5 years and 30 days after 11 years, with an additional 5 years to use in your 10th or 20th year of service (pro rata for part time)
- Time off in Lieu
- Access to the Blue Light Card Scheme, and other rewards and discounts
- Bike to work, season ticket loan and payroll giving schemes
- A recommend a friend recruitment bonus scheme
- Family friendly policies, focused on employee wellbeing, and an active cross-organisational wellbeing group running a number of initiatives throughout the year
- Pension scheme where we contribute 5% of your salary and you contribute at least 3%
- The option to buy/sell annual leave, as well as additional leave for your birthday, wedding/civil ceremony and an extra half day off for Christmas shopping
- Robust training and development programmes to support your learning and growth
We also have a fantastic learning and development programme - the Anne Harris skills development programme - in which we aim to provide a high level of training and development opportunities for all staff, so you are able to perform to the best of your ability, achieve individual and team objectives aligned to Rainbow Trusts strategic plan, supporting staff to be the best they can be, and feel a valued member of a high performing organisation.
Our Family Support Workers are given the opportunity to complete a number of diverse training courses in their first 12 months, including but not limited to: Mental Health First Aid, Makaton, counselling skills, and Introduction to Play.
The programme aims to provide a building block for you to individually tailor your own learning and development needs, with all family support workers having a foundation level of skills within their first year.
About us:
Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity enables families who have a child with a life-threatening or terminal illness to make the most of time together, providing expert, practical and emotional support, where they need it for as long as it is needed. For families living with childhood illness, time is everything. Right now, there are too many families coping alone with no support, no time to think, no time to make memories and no time for each other. We believe that no family should go through this alone, so we are here to change that.
How to apply:
To apply please visit our website via the link.Please disclose on your application form if you have used AI for any part of your job application.
Interview dates: Interview Dates to be confirmed.
Interviews will take place at our South West Care Team office with the dates to be confirmed. We will only contact those applicants who have been successful.
There will be a requirement for flexible working and a full current driver’s licence to accommodate the team and family need. An enhanced DBS disclosure will be required for this post.
Rainbow Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all employees to share this commitment.
Rainbow Trust is an equal opportunities employer and a Best Companies One-Star rated organisation. Registered Charity No: 1070532
Salary: £26,650 - £32,600 per annum
Hours: 35 hours per week, with one late evening and occasional weekends
Contract: Permanent
Location: Various local authority locations across Oxfordshire/Community settings
Job reference number: 1636
About Us: Here4YOUth Oxfordshire, part of Cranstoun, is a social justice and harm reduction charity with a global ambition. Our vision is to be a world-class leader in rebuilding lives, and our purpose is to inspire and empower people to live healthier and safer lives. We value being ambitious, creative, compassionate, collaborative, and respectful.
A word from one of our team members…
“ Being part of the Here4YOUth team at Cranstoun is incredibly rewarding. Every day, I see the difference we make in the lives of families and young people. The support, encouragement, and genuine care from colleagues creates an environment where you can truly grow and help others thrive.”
Job Purpose: Support families affected by substance use by delivering a whole family programme. You will help strengthen family resilience, improve communication, and support positive change for children, young people, and their families in Oxfordshire.
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Deliver the Cranstoun Here4YOUth Whole Family Programme, including comprehensive whole-family assessments exploring challenges, coping strategies, and readiness for change.
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Lead the co-ordination of group interventions for children, young people, and whole families.
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Contribute to service evaluations and service level reporting
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Mentor and participate in induction for volunteers within the family service.
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Provide guidance and peer supervision to team members working with children and young people who are affected by substance use
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Use trauma-informed and evidence-based approaches in your work and facilitate practical activities for engagement and skill-building, including mindfulness and grounding techniques.
Person Specification:
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Experience of community engagement and delivering group work.
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Ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team as well as a strong ability to liaise with and build effective working relationships with other agencies.
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Good written and verbal communication skills.
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Experience working with families and young people affected by substance use or similar challenges is highly desirable.
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Willingness to undertake relevant training (e.g., Drawing & Talking, group skills, internal programme delivery).
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Excellent understanding of safeguarding, harm reduction principles, and multi-agency working.
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High standard of IT and case management skills and ability to support others through basic IT tasks as needed.
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Ability to manage own time, prioritise activities, and maintain accountability and support others to do this.
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Cultural awareness, sensitivity, and ability to work non-judgementally in all arenas.
Benefits: As part of joining Cranstoun, and successfully completing your probation period, you will be able to access a diverse benefits package including access to store discounts, a car lease scheme, gym membership discounts, health cash plans and a yearly wellbeing day on top of annual leave.
To find out more about this role and to apply, please visit the website via the apply button.
Closing date: 26 January 2026.
Additional Information: This post will be subject to an Enhanced DBS Disclosure. Due to the nature of the role, being a driver is essential, with access to a car and business insurance required.
We are an inclusive employer, committed to promoting equality and diversity in all areas of our work.
Registered Charity No: 1061582
We are looking for two Senior Facilitators and Coordinators to join our Sports Project.
- Salary: £36,190 per annum pro rata (£14,476 per annum for 2 days a week)
- Hours: Part-time (2 days/week, 15hrs/week) with potential to expand to 3 or 4 days
- Location: Remote (UK-based) with regular in-person deliveries across the UK, and primarily in London and the West Midlands
- Contract: 3-year fixed term contract starting March 2026, with possibility to extend if new funding is secured
- Reporting to: Sports Department Manager
About Beyond Equality
Beyond Equality works with men and boys towards gender equality, inclusive communities, healthier relationships and better mental wellbeing. We have a range of activities, centering on interactive workshops that have reached over 100,000 people in schools, universities, sports environments, workplaces and community organisations, as well as research and expert advice, external communications and professional development training. In everything we do, we prioritise compassion, mutual respect, and evidence-based practice.
The Role(s)
We are looking for two Senior Facilitators and Coordinators to join our Sports Project. You will deliver impactful workshops using Sport for Change (S4C) approaches within professional football academies, community foundations, youth centres and schools.
You will contribute to the design and testing of new learning materials and piloting of new workshops.
You will also be responsible for coordinating session logistics, maintaining stakeholder communications and ensuring data collection (Salesforce).
Both roles will combine direct delivery and project coordination. However, each role will also have specialised responsibilities:
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Senior Facilitator and Coordinator - Events & Network Building: Focusing on social media, outreach and events.
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Senior Facilitator and Coordinator - Research & Learning: Focusing on focus groups, data collection and curriculum design.
Please note that you only need to submit one application. We will discuss which role best suits you during the interview process.
Our Ideal Candidate(s)
We are looking for someone who has:
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Experience facilitating workshops with young men and adults;
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A strong interest in and an understanding of Sport for Change approaches;
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Strong organisational skills, to manage session logistics, data reporting and their own workload;
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A commitment to compassion, transparency and accountability.
Equal Opportunities
Beyond Equality strives to be an inclusive employer. We want to provide a working environment, and a recruitment and hiring process, that is welcoming, accessible and supportive for everybody - including and especially those who are marginalised in society. With this in mind, we’ve worked to create an application and recruitment process that is as straightforward and transparent as possible.
We welcome applicants with non-traditional educational backgrounds. If you are not sure whether you are qualified or experienced enough for a role, but you think you meet the person specification, we encourage you to apply anyway.
We particularly welcome applications from people of colour, LGBTQ+ people, women, new or expectant parents/carers and disabled people.
If there is anything else we can do to make the application and/or interview process more accessible for you, we want to hear about it, and will do our best to meet your requirements.
We are a diverse organisation and we appreciate the value of lived experience. When our team members want to draw on their own lived experience to inform aspects of their work, we do our best to support them - but we’ll never expect or require you to draw on your own experiences if you don’t want to, or to do extra work on the basis of any aspect of your identity.
Safeguarding
Beyond Equality is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults and expects all staff to share this commitment. Employment offers are subject to pre-employment checks including DBS, references, online checks and right to work.
How to apply
Closing Date: Wednesday 21st January at 23:59
To apply, please download the Job Pack PDF attached to this advert. It contains:
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The full details on the responsibilities and requirements for the roles,
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The link to our virtual Q&A session,
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The link to our Diversity Monitoring Form,
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The five application questions you'll need to submit via email with your CV.
If you’re unsure whether this role is for you, sign up for our virtual Q&A Session on Tuesday 13th January at 10:30am (link to sign up in Job Pack).
At Beyond Equality, we aim to disrupt the cycle of restrictive masculinity, eradicating resulting harms and improving well being for men and boys.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Change lives in a life-changing career
When a child or young person is diagnosed with cancer, their whole world can feel like it’s falling apart. Independence is taken and confidence is stolen. Stability no longer exists. The future suddenly feels uncertain.
The impact of cancer on young lives is more than medical. And that impact can be felt by entire family. That’s why we exist. Our specialist social workers help children and young people with cancer and their families navigate the emotional and practical impact of cancer.
We remove barriers, solve problems and prioritise wellbeing. And we stop at nothing to make their voices heard and their unique needs understood, so they can get the right care and support at the right time
About the role
We’re looking for a Individual Giving Officer with Individual Giving or project management experience to join our Individual Giving, Legacies and E-commerce Team.
Working within the Individual Giving, Legacies and E-commerce Team, you’ll have a varied role managing and supporting the delivery of fundraising appeals which will recruit, retain and develop supporters across our acquisition and retention programmes. These appeals will include utilising online and offline channels such as direct mail, organic and paid social advertising, email, face-to-face fundraising, Payroll Giving and telemarketing.
This role would suit someone with some experience of marketing or fundraising or who would like to expand their experience of Individual Giving.
What will I be doing?
No two days are the same at Young Lives vs Cancer. So, summarising your ‘day to day’ isn’t easy. Here are some of the main things you’ll be doing, but you’ll find more details in the job description.
As part of the ambitious Individual Giving, Legacies and E-Commerce Team you will:
- Work with the Individual Giving Manager (Loyalty) to develop and implement Individual Giving campaigns
- Support development within the team by researching and implementing innovative campaigns, testing and rolling out successful areas
- Work with suppliers to ensure the smooth running of campaigns and maximum impact from the relationship with them.
What do I need?
Diverse perspectives and unique skillsets are at the heart of Young Lives vs Cancer. If you're passionate about making a positive impact and eager to learn, we encourage you to apply, even if you don't meet the criteria and person specification fully. Your potential is what matters most to us, and we’re committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive work environment to help you develop.
The key skills we’re looking for in this role are:
- Proven experience of managing successful Individual Giving or similar campaigns across all channels, including print and digital
- Experience of project management and reporting
- Experience of managing external agencies and suppliers
- Experience of implementing marketing plans
- Experience of budgeting and forecasting
What will I gain?
For people to reach their full potential, they need the right environment. As a member of Team Young Lives, you’ll be made to feel supported, valued and appreciated. Here’s how we do it:
- Flexible working: we’re open to working hours outside of 9 - 5 and we can talk through your flexibility requirements at interview stage
- Wellbeing, Thinking & Growth Days: four days a year to to step back from the day-to-day and focus on your own learning and development
- Generous annual leave allowance
- Great family/caring leave entitlements
- Enhanced pension
- Access to our employee savings scheme
To find out more about our benefits package, have a look on our website.
Our commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging
At Young Lives vs Cancer, we recognise that opportunities for too many people remain a condition of their sex, ethnicity, class, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation – or a combination. This has never been acceptable to us as an organisation. We don’t just accept difference, we value it, celebrate it, nurture it and we thrive because of it.
We’re on a journey to be reflective of the diverse children, young people and families we support. We know we aren’t there yet, and we’re passionately committed to taking actions and making changes to be a truly diverse, inclusive and equitable organisation. This includes taking anti-oppressive action and removing barriers in our recruitment practices. We particularly welcome applications from members of minoritised communities. Our Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Belonging strategy will tell you more.
We operate an anonymised shortlisting process in our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. CVs can be uploaded, but we won't be able to view them until we invite you for an interview. Instead, we ask you to fully complete the work history sections of the online application form for us to be able to assess you quickly, fairly and objectively.
Accessibility
We’re committed to providing reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment process and we’ll always aim to be as accommodating as possible.Please let us know in your application form of any adjustments or access requirements we could make to help you with the application process and interview.
We are looking for a dynamic, values-led, strategic leader to drive our mission for migration justice and social work solidarity. The role entails oversight of the operations and strategy of the organisation, responsibility for financial management and fundraising, maintaining the health of the organisation and embedding anti-racist and anti-opressive values into every aspect of the organisation.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Job summary
Job title - Fundraising and Membership Officer
Responsible to - Fundraising Operations Manager
Salary - £24,645 - £26,275 FTE per annum (pro rata)
(£19,716 - £21,020 actual) Exact salary dependent on experience
Hours of work - Part time - 28 hours per week (0.8 FTE). We consider part-time/job-share and flexible working requests
Annual leave - 30 days + 8 bank holidays per year pro rata
Location - This role is hybrid - split between home working and our Bristol office. You will be required to work a minimum of 50% of your hours from the office each week.
Job purpose
This role will underpin the operation of our fundraising and membership programmes, with a mixture of public facing interactions and focused operational, database work.
Our long-standing membership scheme is an integral part of our fundraising at Action for ME, and we are fortunate to have a generous membership base of over 3,000 loyal supporters. You will be the main point of contact for our members, ensuring they feel valued and connected to our work, as well as supporting efforts to increase our current membership.
You will also be responsible for the smooth running of crucial operational processes for our membership, trading and individual giving income streams, both during fundraising campaigns and day to day. With a commitment to continuous improvement of these systems, you will help us to increase the efficiency and quality of our stewardship, retain our donors and bring in new supporters.
Key duties
Membership
- Be the main point of contact for our members and provide high quality stewardship over the phone, by email and by letter, always ensuring consistent and high-quality communication.
- Be responsible for delivering operational tasks relating to the membership scheme and improving their efficiency. Including, but not limited to, gift importing and processing, data administration, thanking members, processing renewals and sending out renewal reminders.
- Work with the Fundraising Operations Manager and our Senior Supporter Engagement Officer to monitor the performance of the membership programme and support its growth.
- Maintenance and creation of the mailing lists for our membership magazine, InterAction. Assist with the distribution of the magazine across all channels (post, email, audio).
Individual Giving & Trading
- Ensure that gifts are processed, recorded and thanked appropriately in a timely manner; and that database records are kept up to date, in line with fundraising data regulations.
- Assisting with the administration of our Winter and Spring raffles and Lottery programme.
- Work with the Fundraising Operations Manager and the wider team to maximise fundraising potential using data and donor insights/feedback.
- Maintain a high standard of data quality and record keeping on our database, ensuring our fundraising processes and procedures are applied in line with all regulatory and governance requirements including GDPR and those of the Fundraising Regulator.
- Processing all outgoing post for the Fundraising team, including online shop orders, from our Bristol office. Complete other office-based tasks as required. You will be required to work at least 50% of your hours from the office.
- Work alongside the fundraising team to deliver our strategy and workplans, including involvement in projects and fundraising campaigns as required.
Other duties
- To attend and contribute constructively to team meetings and other meetings as required
- To positively promote the work and activities of Action for ME at all times
- To contribute to the team’s overall strategy delivery, annual planning and budgeting.
- To undertake any other reasonable activity in line with the responsibilities of the post as requested by the Fundraising Operations Manager, Director of Fundraising & Development or the Chief Executive.
- Act as an advocate for the Charity and its work.
Person Specification
Experience and knowledge
- Demonstrable experience in building relationships with customers or stewarding supporters and donors.
- Experience using Microsoft Excel for work, including basic excel functions, basic formulas and list tools.
- Experience of using a CRM database, preferably Raiser’s Edge
- Minimum 2 years previous fundraising experience (desirable)
Skills and Behaviours
- A confident multitasker who is comfortable dealing with a variety of enquiries and managing a varied workload.
- Excellent verbal communicator, skilled in engagement, empathy and interpersonal skills.
- Excellent written communication skills including creating reports to measure progress.
- Ability to use own initiative, solve problems, work independently and to work well in a team.
- An understanding of data protection including UKGDPR
- Strong IT skills, including the ability to use Microsoft Office, databases and web-related programmes and software.
- An understanding of ME and the impact on people affected by it (desirable).
Attitudes and values
- Enthusiasm
- Integrity
- Resilient
Key competencies
- Effective communicator
- Results driven
- Attention to detail
Our mission is to improve the lives of people affected by ME. Better meeting their needs today while taking action to secure change for tomorrow.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Children & Partnerships Manager
We have an exciting opportunity for a Children & Partnerships Manager to play a vital role in expanding our national referral network and ensuring more children across the UK can access the life-changing breaks we provide. This new role will work closely with our Development Director and Referrals Team to strengthen relationships with schools, Local Authorities, charities and community groups who support children aged 8–13 facing significant challenges.
Position: Children & Partnerships Manager
Location: Home-based with national travel
Salary: £32,000–£35,000 per annum
Hours: Full-time preferred (part-time considered)
Duration: 12-month fixed term (potential to extend)
Closing Date: Sunday 11th January 2026 at 11.59pm
About the role
As Children & Partnerships Manager, you will be at the forefront of driving national growth by identifying, engaging and nurturing the referral and delivery partners who help us reach the children who need us most. You will map areas of greatest need, build trusted relationships with key organisations, and support frontline professionals to confidently refer children onto our fully funded five-day breaks.
Some of your key responsibilities will include:
- Mapping UK regions with high child poverty and low current engagement to identify priority areas.
- Developing and delivering a national strategy to grow the referral base.
- Proactively seeking new partnership opportunities with MATs, Local Authorities, schools, charities and community organisations.
- Cultivating strong relationships with existing referrers and encouraging them to champion the charity within their networks.
- Representing the charity at events, networks and forums to raise awareness of our impact.
- Meeting directly with teachers, social workers and other professionals to showcase our service and explain the referral process.
- Working closely with the Referrals Team to ensure smooth onboarding of new partners and clarity around referral requirements.
About you
We are looking for a proactive and determined relationship-builder with a strong understanding of the challenges facing children and young people.
You will have the following essential skills and experience:
- Proven experience in partnership development, stakeholder engagement or network building
- Outstanding communication and influencing skills, comfortable engaging with a wide range of professionals.
- Strong relationship building capabilities and persistence in reaching key decision makers.
- Ability to work independently, prioritise tasks and travel nationally when required.
- Commitment to improving outcomes for disadvantaged children and championing equality and inclusion.
- A collaborative approach and confidence working across teams to support shared goals.
It would be desirable if you also have:
- Experience working within or alongside schools or Local Authorities.
- Understanding of child poverty, early intervention and barriers to support.
- Knowledge of safeguarding and data protection principles.
About the charity
The charity gives children and young people across the UK who face serious challenges in their lives the chance for a break that lasts a lifetime. For over 30 years, more than 20,000 children have enjoyed a week of adventure, creativity, and new friendships at our centres in Derbyshire and Cornwall. When they go home, they take with them confidence, resilience, and memories that last forever.
Everyone who works for the charity has a responsibility to promote the safeguarding and welfare of children. All successful applicants will require a DBS Disclosure.
You may also have experience in roles such as: Partnerships Manager, Engagement Manager, Network Development Manager, Children’s Services Manager, Education Partnerships Lead, Community Engagement Manager, Outreach Manager, or Stakeholder Engagement Officer, etc.. #INDNFP
PLEASE NOTE: This role is being advertised by NFP People on behalf of the organisation.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
TACT is recruiting caring, committed, and resilient individuals and families to become foster carers and help transform the lives of children and young people who need a safe, stable, and nurturing home.
Fostering is not an employed role, but as a self-employed foster carer you will receive competitive fostering fees and allowances, comprehensive training, and ongoing professional support every step of the way.
Eligibility
To become a foster carer with TACT, you must:
- Be over the age of 21
- Be a UK resident or have Indefinite Leave to Remain
- Have a spare bedroom
Financial Stability & Recognition
We value your dedication and expertise – and ensure you are rewarded fairly:
- Up to £27,053 per year (£520 per week) when a child is placed
- Additional payments and allowances available
- Special fostering tax exemptions, meaning lower tax compared to most employed roles
The Support You’ll Receive
At TACT, you are never alone. We provide high-quality support to help you feel confident and supported in your fostering role:
- A dedicated Supervising Social Worker for guidance and supervision
- A Family Wellbeing Worker to support you and the child
- Access to a network of specialist foster carers for peer support
- Comprehensive training, including therapeutic and neurodevelopmental courses
- Psychological consultations and access to specialist therapeutic input
- 24/7 out-of-hours support whenever you need it
How to apply
Interested in finding out more? We’d love to hear from you. Apply today on the TACT website.
Foster carers are self-employed and subject to fostering regulations and approval processes, including checks, training, and assessment.
TACT is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all foster carers to share this commitment.
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
TACT is recruiting caring, committed, and resilient individuals and families to become foster carers and help transform the lives of children and young people who need a safe, stable, and nurturing home.
Fostering is not an employed role, but as a self-employed foster carer you will receive competitive fostering fees and allowances, comprehensive training, and ongoing professional support every step of the way.
Eligibility
To become a foster carer with TACT, you must:
- Be over the age of 21
- Be a UK resident or have Indefinite Leave to Remain
- Have a spare bedroom
Financial Stability & Recognition
We value your dedication and expertise – and ensure you are rewarded fairly:
- Up to £27,053 per year (£520 per week) when a child is placed
- Additional payments and allowances available
- Special fostering tax exemptions, meaning lower tax compared to most employed roles
The Support You’ll Receive
At TACT, you are never alone. We provide high-quality support to help you feel confident and supported in your fostering role:
- A dedicated Supervising Social Worker for guidance and supervision
- A Family Wellbeing Worker to support you and the child
- Access to a network of specialist foster carers for peer support
- Comprehensive training, including therapeutic and neurodevelopmental courses
- Psychological consultations and access to specialist therapeutic input
- 24/7 out-of-hours support whenever you need it
How to apply
Interested in finding out more? We’d love to hear from you. Apply today on the TACT website.
Foster carers are self-employed and subject to fostering regulations and approval processes, including checks, training, and assessment.
TACT is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all foster carers to share this commitment.
Medical Detection Dogs trains dogs to save lives.
We train specialist dogs to detect the odour of human disease, providing life-saving alert assistance dogs to people with complex health problems across the UK and collaborating with NHS Trusts and other researchers and Universities both in the UK and internationally to advance the early diagnosis of disease.
We have an exciting new opportunity to join this innovative charity that is a world-leader in its specialist field.
JOB TITLE:Regional Assistance Dog Instructor Scotland
LOCATION:Scotland (Central belt, between Glasgow and Edinburgh)
SALARY:£24K - £29K per annum, depending on experience
JOB TYPE: Part time and full time hours considered, with occasional evening and weekend work required
REPORTS TO: Instructor Manager
The Job
We are looking for a passionate and driven person who ideally has previous experience and skills working as an Instructor within an Assistance Dog organisation, who has worked with clients and partnerships. The role includes supporting both clients who have had a MDD dog placed with them and also our own dog applicants with their puppies and young dogs to ensure they receive the highest standard of socialisation and early training in terms of obedience, public access and developing an alert to the applicant’s condition, with the aim to reach an accreditable assistance dog partnership status. It is also will include carrying out client specific and odour training for MDD own dogs, placing these dogs with their new clients and looking after a number of established partnerships. This role would suit somebody residing in the central belt of Scotland, between Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Duties that encompass the role of an Instructor include:
- Be the first point of contact for the allocated partnerships in your area, covering all areas of Scotland. To provide guidance and instruction to applicants who have applied to the charity to have their own dogs considered for the training programme guidance and instruction on handling, behaviour and obedience and odour training as well as newly placed partnerships.
- Alongside the Instructing team, to run puppy classes, public access training, recall sessions in small groups for applicant own dogs that are in line with the charity’s quality standards and in accordance with timescales and targets.
- To also carry out support visits and home interviews for applicants and clients that have been allocated to you.
- Regularly monitor progress of the puppies and partnerships in training in your area and provide detailed, evidenced feedback to Instructor Manager and Head of Assistance Dog Programme.
- To carry out client specific training with any MDD owned dogs that have been matched, including the required odour scent training.
- Instructing, guiding and supporting new assistance dog clients in managing and handling a Medical Alert Assistance Dog effectively, via pre training, placement training and aftercare visits.
- Supporting partnerships in training in successfully reaching an accreditation standard and in maintaining this
- standard throughout the life of the partnership.
- To support a number of established partnerships in the form of aftercare, refresher training and yearly re-accreditations, assisting further afield on occasions as required.
Responsibilities
- To escalate issues and problems to the Instructor Manager as appropriate.
- To assist the Dog Supply Team with carrying out scent assessments on any MDD dogs in socialising as and when required with the support of the Instructor Manager and rest of the Instructing Team.
- To plan, organise and deliver practical and theoretical training to clients, meeting their individual needs in line with agreed standards to include areas such as dog welfare, appropriate handling, commanding and overall management. This will involve working with the parents as Team Leader and child as Client and working with adult clients.
- Assess the team dynamics of the family & balancing the needs of all family members as well as those of the dog.
- Assess the individuals preferred learning style and amending as relevant to aid a client.
- To accompany the client into all regular environments that they will take the dog to, ensuring the dog behaves in an acceptable manner and that the client and others are aware and clear in terms of where they dog should reside and behave for eg public transport, place of work. To complete a check list of environments for any applicant own dogs in training who are on the programme to be assessed within.
- To support and advise clients in transferring the odour training from pot training and recognising alerting behaviours to establish real life alerting.
- To monitor the correct and false alerting percentages of allocated partnerships via data analysis, advising where necessary until the correct alerting levels are achieved.
- To complete comprehensive reports and paperwork for any time spent with applicants or partnerships in training or established. Maintain accurate records by providing verbal and written information with agreed timescales about clients, dogs, applicants and apprentices as appropriate.
- To work alongside allocated partnerships with the aim of the partnership reaching an accredited standard and feeding back to the Instructor Manager and Assistance Dog Programme Manager if there are any concerns that the accreditation cannot be achieved.
- To provide clients with appropriate aftercare services at regular intervals in their own homes in the form of annual visits, support visits or at refresher workshops run at the Centre to agreed standards. This will include continual re-assessment of the dynamics of family and dog, formulating and training on appropriate solutions, as well as offering additional dog training advice.
- To deliver handling days as part of an applicant’s pre training to include ‘Introduction to Assistance Dog’ ‘Advanced Handling’ and Family Handling.
- To scent train and seizure proof advanced dogs in preparation to be partnered with an adult or child client and ensure that applicant own dogs have received this at the earliest opportunity.
- To maintain the ongoing public access training with any advanced dog in scent training that has been allocated to them.
- To provide local support to the growing puppy socialisation scheme, based in and around Perth.
- To provide support to the Charity’s public relations and fundraising functions as required, specifically in your area.
- To act as the ‘contact’ person for the assistance dog programme in relation to training policy procedures with clients and their families, other professional service providers and members of the public. This will include on-going research and development of the project.
- To liaise with and provide support for Volunteers who may operate as part of the aftercare programme provided by the charity.
- To ensure all partnerships are in line with the ADUK regulations with regards to behaviour, obedience and welfare and branding.
- Due to the nature of the role, flexible working hours may be required in some instances to facilitate the effective delivery of the work e.g. working during the school holidays with school age clients.
Other
- Share best practice with colleagues across the charity.
- Any other duties or tasks that are required to ensure the successful running of the Medical Alert Assistance Dog Department and the Charity overall.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
SKILLS AND ABILITIES
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
- High level of preparation, organisational and co-ordination skills
- Strong and clear teaching and instructing skills
- Experience of running puppy classes and carrying out public access training and recall sessions
- High level of self – motivation and planning
- Approachable, calm and empathetic to children and adults with debilitating and life threatening conditions
- Happy to travel alone within the UK to visit any clients as necessary.
- Happy to be on call at all times for partnerships as and when required.
- Happy to stay away from home and stay in local hotel when the client’s location is too far from your home to travel back.
- Happy and able to have Medical Alert Assistance Dogs in training to reside in their home.
- Good team worker, but equally able to work alone.
- Positive, empathetic and calm attitude
- Able to embrace a constantly evolving organisation
- Flexible
KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE
Essential
- Previous Assistance Dog Instructing or Dog Training with puppy socialisers experience
- Knowledge of AD(UK) and ADI regulations
- Law in relation to dogs.
- Knowledge of medical conditions relevant to puppies between 8 weeks and 2 years of age.
- Dog and human psychology.
- Proven evidence and experience of dog handling and training skills
- Previous experience of teaching and instructing
- Sound dog training and dog behaviour knowledge
- IT literacy and report writing skills
- Experience of using Microsoft based programs such as Outlook, Word,
- Excel, Internet Explorer and Power Point, teams, zoom and Microsoft
- Share point for data etc
- Full UK driving licence
- Pass a DBS (CRB) check due to regular contact with children
Preferable
- Knowledge of debilitating medical conditions and understanding of how they can impact people, both physically and psychologically, particularly when they are unstable and fluctuating.
- Previous knowledge of odour/scent training.
PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
- High level of preparation, organisational and co-ordination skills
- Strong and clear teaching and instructing skills
- High level of self – motivation and planning
- Approachable, calm and empathetic to children and adults with debilitating and life threatening conditions
- Happy to travel alone within the UK to visit any clients as necessary.
- Happy to be on call at all times for partnerships as and when required – to include outside standard working hours.
- Able and willing to stay away from home and stay in local hotel when the client’s location is too far from the Centre to travel back.
- If able, possibility of having Medical Alert Assistance Dogs in training to reside in their home through the 6 – 8 week training phase.
- Good team worker, but equally able to work alone.
- Positive, empathetic and calm attitude
- Able to embrace a constantly evolving organisation
- You should be supportive of the charitable aims of Medical Detection Dogs and capable of working as part of a team, as well as able to motivate yourself.
- You should be adaptable and positively embrace change by not only being flexible towards the ideas of others but also putting forward ideas to colleagues. This will involve creativity in problem solving and making appropriate responses to new ideas and unexpected situations.
DIVERITY, EQUALITY & INCLUSION
We are a welcoming, diverse and inclusive charity. Medical Detection Dogs thrives when everyone feels comfortable bringing their best self to work. We celebrate difference, whilst striving to create an environment where colleagues feel respected and valued for their unique potential. We are committed to our values on equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Values & Behaviours
Working at Medical Detection Dogs will be a richly rewarding experience.
Our Values & Behaviours encapsulate who we are, what we stand for and what it will feel like to be part of our team:
- We are respectful.
- We stay positive.
- We strive for excellence.
- We communicate and listen.
- We are ambassadors.
- We are one team.
And of course, we advocate for Medical Detection Dogs whenever we get the chance, and we pride ourselves on our role as ambassadors for the charity.
Finally, the successful candidate will also be expected to:
- Hold a full UK Driving Licence
- Provide proof of identity and eligibility to work in the UK.
- Undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check
- Work some evenings and weekends
- Be willing to travel to the Centre based near Milton Keynes
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.