Barnardo's is seeking a motivated and compassionate Children's Therapist/Counsellor to join our Child Bereavement Service (CBS). Funded by the Public Health Agency (PHA), the Child Bereavement Service specialises in postvention support following death by suicide, murder-suicide, or similarly traumatic circumstances.

This specialist service supports children and young people aged 4–18, along with their families, who have been bereaved through suicide.

The service includes:

A dedicated advice line
One-to-one therapeutic support and counselling
Group work programmes
Consultancy and training

All interventions are tailored to the individual needs of each child, young person, and family, and are based on best practice in traumatic grief support.

This is an opportunity to provide meaningful therapeutic interventions to and with children and families navigating trauma and complex grief, as part of a skilled and supportive multidisciplinary team.

Belfast (office-based), with service delivery responsibilities across the Southern Trust area.

We would like to hear from individuals who are:

Passionate about therapeutically supporting children, young people, and families affected by trauma and bereavement
Qualified as a Children's Therapist/Counsellor (Level 5 or above)orArt/Play/Drama Therapist, with:
At least 350 hours of clinically supervised practice(or equivalent)
Accreditation, or currently working towards accreditation
Experienced and confident in working online as well as involved in adviceline work
Registered with a relevant professional body

When completing your application please refer to your skills knowledge and experience in relation to the Person Specification, Job Description and Additional Information document. This should be done with an understanding of the context of the service described.

Additional Information

A waiting list may be held for similar vacancies for 6–12 months
Interviews will take place on Thursday 16^thJuly 26
A driving licence with business insurance and access to a car will be required for the position.

If you are committed to supporting children, young people and families through some of the most challenging experiences of their lives, we would welcome your application.

Although this contract has a permanent status, please be aware that this post is subject to funding currently to 31 December 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 December 2026.

Successful applicants will be required to undertake an Enhanced Access NI with C hild and Adult Barred List Check.

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.

values

People & Culture

Workplace Offer: What it means for you

Our hybrid working initiative is based on trust, flexibility and empowerment. We understand our workplace offer means different things to different people, and we encourage those conversations. This may mean working at one of our stores, services, working at home, in the community, at one of our Collaboration Hubs or depending on the role any combination of these. Please read through the advert carefully to understand the remits of hybrid working that will be specific to the role.

The ability to buy up to another 5 days annual leave via our Buy Your Leave scheme
Service related sick pay from day 1
Cycle2work scheme
Interest free season ticket loans
20% discount at Barnardo's stores
Opportunity to purchase a health cash plan to claim towards dental, glasses, therapy etc
Free access to round the clock employee assistance program for advice and support
Access to Barnardo's Learning and Development offer

*T&C's apply based on contract

Reference number:22974
Job Title:Adviceline Co-ordinator / Therapist (PW2)
Location:Windsor Avenue Family Support
Contract type:Permanent (Fixed term funded post)
End date:31st December 2026
Hours:23.4
Salary:£28,124 - £37,117 (FTE) (£17,786 -£23,473 pro rata)
Closing Date:8 July 2026
Interview Date:TBC

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Adviceline Co-ordinator / Therapist (PW2)

Benefits

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Additional Info