Listening Ear Link Worker at Sunderland Counselling Service

Contract Type: Fixed term

Role Type: Employment

Hours: Part time

Application deadline:

Based: Sunderland

Salary: £31,049 Pro Rata

Salary Type: Salary Scale

Location: Tyne and Wear

Role description: Project Support

Listening Ear Link Worker

Contract Type: Fixed term for one year

Contract Hours: 30 hours p/w

Salary: AfC Band 5 comparable (£31,049) Pro rata

Application deadline:  24th October 2025

Sunderland Counselling Service (SCS) is seeking to appoint a link worker to work in our Listening Ear service. The service will be set within a unique independent mental health charity, which is acknowledged for its contribution to the community by mental health professionals, health practitioners and local and regional voluntary and statutory agencies.

The post holder will be required to work flexibly from a variety of locations throughout the City of Sunderland and South Tyneside, including our SCS office, GP surgeries, schools and other community venues. The post holder will also be able to work flexibly and confidentially from home at times to suit client and service needs.

The post holder will deliver holistic, person centred support to parents and carers of children and young people who are engaged with or awaiting support from mental health services, who in their own right, have support needs with their own mental health and emotional wellbeing. This may include parental anxiety about their child’s presentation, access to treatment services or unrelated child issues, such as housing difficulties, financial worries or a listening ear. By taking a whole family approach, the service aims to improve parental mental health and improve outcomes for children and young people by supporting the parents and carers around them. This role will focus on the needs of the parent / carer and is not intended as an advocate or support role for children and young people.

This activity is envisaged as additional non-clinical emotional and practical support, it is NOT intended to operate as a crisis service or an alternative to crisis services, nor as a clinical intervention and would not take on care planning or case management functions which clearly must be provided by clinical staff.

To allow flexibility and to respond to client need, services may be delivered from the GP surgeries across Sunderland and South Tyneside as well as SCS office and other community venues in Sunderland and South Tyneside that suit client need. The post holder will be called upon to use a personal means of transport while engaged in the work of the service for which travel expenses will be available.

The post holder will be employed on a fixed term contract of one year which will be subject to a probationary period of 6 months. Continued employment is subject to obtaining ongoing project related funding.

If you have any questions about this role, please contact Alicia Harris (Senior Mental Health Link Worker) on 0191 514 7007.

Further information can be found below.