Job Description
Brent Mencap has been passionate about a healthier and fairer Brent since 1979. We’ve developed and run successful housing, employment, health, advice, wellbeing and self-advocacy services. During austerity and Covid we diversified, successfully taking on NHS work with people with long-term health conditions. We provide social prescribing support and health and wellbeing coaching to patients for Brent GPs. In 2024-5 we helped over 18000 people. We’re a leading partner on the Brent Health Educators Programme. Recently we’ve focused on developing and retaining a much larger staff group, using our data better and improving our marketing.
Brent Mencap offers fantastic free creative and wellbeing activities for people with a learning disability, autism and long-term health conditions. These have flourished since Covid. People love yoga, poetry, singing, gardening, Breathe and Move, self-advocacy, campaigning, awareness raising, CREATE art activities for young people, external trips and parties. Small grants, donations and our reserves fund this while we get longer term funding. Our self-advocates want us to focus on paid employment, youth services and making Brent Council use accessible information properly. People with a learning disability, neurodiversity and their family carers are inclusively supported by social prescribers for advice and by health educators/coaches for health-related matters if needed.
Our current Executive Director, who has led Brent Mencap so well for 25 years wants to retire. The successful candidate will build on Brent Mencap’s history, current success and potential so our long-term passion for a healthier and fairer Brent can evolve and improve the lives of Brent People. Are you the amazing successor to lead and inspire our talented, committed team?
We are looking for someone who
· Has the relevant voluntary sector experience, vision, determination and leadership skills
· Is committed to developing and supporting our diverse staff group
· Can see the bigger picture but also focuses on the important details
· Supports our ethos of person-centred service delivery and activities
· Can communicate well with users, partners, staff, trustees and funders
· Enjoys influencing and raising awareness
· Is entrepreneurial, savvy, confident and can maintain our current financial stability and diversify our income streams
· Understands the lived experience of disability, long term health conditions and inequality and wants to improve their lives
· Understands the importance of marketing and data to challenge inequality, promote positive change and attract new funds.
· Can prioritise reviewing and improving our data collection
· Can develop funding project plans that includes staffing for enhanced wellbeing and creative activities, for young people, employment related support and other identified needs
In addition, they will have to:
· Work with the Board of Trustees and staff to develop our vision, implement strategic plans and deliver agreed objectives
· Be able to ensure all aspects of our work are done safely, legally, in line with our articles/constitution and able to assess risks and mitigate them
· Be responsible for staff development, management and all aspects of the administration of the organisation
· Be an ambassador for Brent Mencap, meeting and working with leaders with statutory and voluntary sector, Royal Mencap and local Mencaps
· Represent the lived experiences and voices of people with learning disabilities, neurodivergence, long term conditions and their families who inform our work and the work of others in Brent
· Work late occasionally, attend evening events, meetings and occasional weekends and undertake any other necessary tasks as required to ensure Brent Mencap functions safely.
In order to deliver services effectively, a degree of flexibility is required and the post holder may be required to perform work not specifically referred to above. This job description will be subjected to review with the post holder, from time to time to ensure it accurately reflects the duties and range of the post.
This post is:
• subject to Enhanced DBS Disclosure
• subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975. It will be necessary for a disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and barring Service for details of any previous criminal convictions.
• Candidates must be eligible to live and work in the UK
• Please note: Our office base is on the first floor of a Victorian building with steep stairs.
To be shortlisted,
· Candidates must fully complete our application form, and show clearly how their previous experience and knowledge meets all aspects of the person specification with examples given of actual actions/experience relating to the person specification. Please go to our website to complete the application by 9.00am on 28th August. We do not accept CVs
· Be prepared to visit Brent Mencap so key staff and self-advocates can meet them informally before the interview day or have a 60–90-minute Teams meeting with them. To arrange a face-to-face or Teams meet up on a Wednesday only please contact our office manager Simon via the website.
Interview details
· A 4-part Interview with senior staff, self-advocates, operational managers and trustees, will take place at Brent Mencap on Friday 5th or 12th September 2025. Shortlisted candidates will be given a paper-based scenario to complete and send to us on the Thursday before the interview
· We anticipate the full interviews will take 2.5 hours with a 30-minute break at some point.
Registered Charity 
6 - 10
Thank you!
This is an exciting opportunity to join the friendly, dynamic, multi-disciplinary team at the Centre of expertise on child sexual abuse (CSA Centre) as our new Policy and Communications Assistant. This is an important role within the CSA Centre, central to our ambition to raise awareness of the true scale and nature of sexual abuse and to drive evidence-informed improvements in policy and practice.
About the role:The CSA Centre aims to reduce the impact of child sexual abuse through improved prevention and better response, and our work in influencing and shaping policy and communications at local, regional and national level is key to that mission.
As our Policy and Communications Assistant, you will play an important role in supporting the CSA Centre's policy and communications activity over the immediate and longer term, helping our evidence, learning and resources to have the widest possible reach and impact at both local and national level.
We are looking for a motivated person keen to learn and to build their skills and experience in a policy and communication role. This is an extremely diverse job, supporting all aspects of the CSA Centre's busy and impactful policy and communications functions, from assisting in the production and design of digital content for our website, social media channels and newsletter, to helping us respond to emerging trends in policy and practice. It would be a great opportunity for someone looking to broaden their experience and expertise across a wide range of different workstreams - no two days are the same in this role!
As Policy and Communications Assistant at the CSA Centre you will play a key role in tackling child sexual abuse, alongside the work of our colleagues across practice, research, policy, communications and training. This is important work - the CSA Centre conservatively estimates that one in ten children will experience some form of child sexual abuse before age of 16, and our ambitious programme seeks to improve the knowledge, skills and confidence of professionals (social workers, teachers, social workers, nurses etc.) in identifying and responding to child sexual abuse. We have already made great progress, but there is much more to be done – and we need your help to do it!
This role is currently funded until 31 March 2026, in line with the current grant funding arrangements for the CSA Centre. This will be reviewed in late 2025, as future funding for the CSA Centre from 2026/27 onwards is clarified.
Although this contract has a permanent status, please be aware that this post is subject to funding currently until March 2026 and therefore should this funding not be extended further, you may be subject to a redundancy consultation or a TUPE arrangement. This contract is due to expire on 31.03.26.
About us
We are the Centre of expertise on child sexual abuse (CSA Centre). Our aim is to reduce the impact of child sexual abuse through improved prevention and better response. To tackle child sexual abuse we must better understand its causes, scope, scale and impact.
First established in 2017, we are a multi-disciplinary team that is funded by the Home Office, hosted by Barnardo's and we work closely with key partners from academic institutions, local authorities, health, education, police and the voluntary sector. We're proudly independent and our team will challenge any barriers, assumptions, taboos and ways of working that prevent us from increasing our understanding and improving our approach to child sexual abuse.
We bring about change by:
- Collating and analysing existing research, policy, practice and the real experiences of those affected, and filling the gaps we identify with new research, insights and analysis;
- Using that evidence and insight to challenge and improve existing policy and practice, develop new approaches and increase everyone's knowledge and confidence to more effectively tackle the issue.
This role is home-based with regular travel required, usually to London.
The CSA Centre acknowledges that tackling child sexual abuse can feel challenging but is incredibly rewarding and positive when actively making change. Our open working environment ensures that there is support for all employees, across the team and with access to a therapist, if needed. Please do get in touch if you would like to discuss any aspect of this further.
When completing your application please refer to your skills knowledge and experience in relation to the Person Specification and Job Description.
Please note due to the high volume of applications for some posts, this advert might close before the displayed closing date. We recommend that you apply for this role as soon as possible.
Thank you!
Location: Home-based, with occasional travel to Respect’s office at Voluntary Action Islington (VAI), 200A Pentonville Rd, London N1 9JP or other meeting locations including staff meetings twice a year
Responsible to: Head of Helplines
Salary: Point 31-34 £34,016 - £36754 (a London Allowance of £3299 will be applied to employees who live in London)
We are pleased to offer a starting salary at the beginning point of the salary band. This position offers opportunities for salary increases based on performance and tenure.
Hours: 35 Hours per week; Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm
Job type: Fixed Term Contract until 31st March 2026, with a possibility to extend, subject to funding.
Benefits:
- Friendly and collaborative working environment
- Remote working
- 25 to 30 days holidays per annum plus bank holidays (depending on length of service and pro-rata for part-time employees)
- Contributory pension scheme including 6% employer’s contribution (subject to employee’s minimum 2% contribution)
- Enhanced maternity, adoption and paternity pay
- Occupational sick pay depending on length of service and pro-rata for part-time employees.
- Access to Employee Assistance Programme
- Access to staff discounts
Closing date: 27th August 2025, 17:00
Interviews to take place: Week commencing 10th September 2025 (TBC). These will be held online via Teams link
About the role:
Respect is seeking two Helplines Advisors to provide support to male victims of domestic abuse on the Men’s Advice Line and perpetrators of domestic abuse on the Respect Phoneline.
You will support service users by phone, email and webchat, providing emotional support, practical advice, information on the available options, and signposting to other services. As well as work with male victims and perpetrators of domestic abuse in ways that support them to increase safety and reduce harm, as described in the Models of Work and relevant policies and procedures.
About you:
- An understanding of the nature of domestic abuse and its effects on victims, in particular male victims
- An understanding of the help-seeking barriers for male victims of domestic abuse
- An understanding of the reasons why perpetrators use abusive behaviours towards partners in relationships
- Experience of providing information, advice, and support by telephone, email and webchat in a helpline environment
- A commitment to anti-discriminatory practice and an approach that centres survivors, in particular Black and minoritised survivors.
About Respect
Respect is a pioneering UK membership organisation in the domestic abuse sector. Founded in 2000, we have built our expertise over the last 25 years in what was then a fledgling sector and recently have seen significant and rapid growth.
How to apply
You must download an application form from Respect's job page, and submit in word doc. format only, please.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.