Project Worker 2 (Safe Space)

The Positive Identities PW2 (Safe Space) will support further development activity and training across the wider service as required.

Supplementary Information 

The Barnardo's Positive Identities Service has provided support to children and young people, through targeted 1:1 sessions, youth groups, school workshops and family sessions for 14+ years.  

We provide support to young people around the following areas:

• Exploration of gender identity and/or sexuality, and feeling confident and proud of their identity
• Emotional health and wellbeing support for LGBTQ+ young people
• Empowering families to support children and other family members around their identity
• Restorative sessions for young people who have themselves used discriminative language or engaged in homophobic, biphobic or transphobic (HBT) bullying.
• Safe Spaces award (quality assurance accreditation)
• Gender Space – young person and family direct support, groupwork and therapeutic programme.
• Safe Zone – LGBTQ+ training programme

We deliver a range of training and guidance, supporting organisations and community groups to embed cultures of inclusivity of LGBTQ+ identities and to proactively challenge discrimination.

We are dedicated to expanding our team and developing further opportunities and increasing representation. We welcome applications from candidates with protected characteristics.

You will have received a Project Worker 2 job description and person specification. This is a generic role in use throughout the organisation and therefore Barnardo's uses generic job descriptions and person specifications when advertising for such roles.

Please ensure you include information relating to the additional information below in your application.

Initial Specific Responsibilities

This role will lead on Positive Identities Safe Spaces Award.

Key responsibilities:

• Support services across Barnardo's to complete submissions to Safe Space Awards.
• Offer advice to services and Retail stores on how to make their environments accessible and safe for LGBTQ+ colleagues, children, young people, and customers.
• Monitor Safe Space Award submissions and be efficient in use of Excel spreadsheets to record submissions.
• Update Safe Space Award charter as required.
• Develop the Safe Space Award as required.
• As appropriate, engage children and young people with further developments of the Safe Spaces award.
• Administer Safe Space Award scheme.
• Market the Safe Space Award scheme (in conjunction with Safe Zone training) externally and internally.
• Work closely with the administrator, service manager, PW2 Trainer and EDI Team to ensure all Safe Spaces submissions are captured, responded to, and developed if required.
• Prepare reports and presentations in relation to Positive Identities Safe Space Award.
• The role will adopt a hybrid approach in terms of location so a mixture of working from home and in our Leeds based office will be required.
• A valid driving license is preferred as you may be required to visit various Barnardo's sites.

Although this contract has a permanent status, please be aware that this post is subject to funding currently to 31 March 2027 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 March 2027.

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.

We know that our colleagues go above and beyond in delivering our vital work, driven by their passion and commitment to Barnardo's values.  We also know that we can only realise our ambitions and achieve better outcomes for more children, thanks to the talent, hard work and creativity of our people. 

For all these reasons, we are committed to a new approach to pay and reward, to ensure it is fair, attractive and progressive, which was rolled out in April 2023. This is a positive change for the charity, and a part of our People & Culture Strategy. It will assist us in supporting colleagues to belong, thrive and grow in their colleague journey at Barnardo's and in time will offer clear routes of progression for colleagues in both their career and their pay. 

Whilst the full pay band and salary range is advertised, our approach to starting salaries is to appoint between the minimum to mid-point of the pay band – this ensures that pay steps are available to reward our colleagues annually based on their contribution to excellence and alignment to our values and behaviours.  More details on Barnardo's pay framework can be found upon application. 

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.

• Barnardo's believe in creating equality of opportunity in the workplace and supporting people to manage their work-life balance; we are therefore open to offering flexible working arrangements.
• Annual Leave entitlement for full-time colleagues is 26 days per annum, increasing to 27 days per annum, after 3 years Barnardo's service, 29 days per annum, after 5 years Barnardo's service and 30 days per annum, after 7 years Barnardo's service. Those working less than full time are entitled to the same level of holiday pro rata
• The ability to buy up to another 5 days annual leave via our Buy Your Leave scheme
• A host of family friendly leave options including company Maternity Paternity and Adoption pay; together with all family additional leave options
• Service related sick pay from day 1
• Access to a Group Personal Pension with a matched 4% or 6% contribution from Barnardo's. Ability to pay via salary sacrifice to garner both tax and NI savings on your own contribution
• Death in service cover of 4x annual earnings for all staff contributing to our Group Personal Pension
• Cycle2work scheme
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Discounts and cashback from at high street shops including major supermarkets, cinemas, gyms, leisure/theme parks, holidays and much more via our Benefit Portal
• 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

We are committed to being an inclusive employer and cultivating a culture where everyone can belong and thrive through inclusion and connectivity. We want our workforce to be reflective of the communities we work with, and for equality, diversity and inclusion to be embedded in everything we do. We are a Disability Confident Leader, are progressing our ambition to be an anti-racist organisation with Anti-Racism Commitments and actions in place and have networks for colleagues who are disabled, LGBT+, Black and Minoritised Ethnic and Women. We particularly encourage applications from Black and Minoritised Ethnic and/or disabled candidates who are currently underrepresented in our workforce. For disabled applicants, we offer reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.

• Reference number:22573
• Job Title:Project Worker 2 (Safe Space)
• Location:Leeds Support Office
• Contract type:Permanent (Fixed term funded post)
• End date:March 2027 (with potential for extension if successfully funded)
• Hours:14.8
• Salary:£28,124.46 (FTE) £11,249.78 (Pro Rata)
• Closing Date:16 March 2026

Benefits

Vacancy Alerts

Additional Info

• Information Sheet for Applicants Applying for Positions Working with Children and Vulnerable Adults (updated July 2021).pdf (107.00 KB)
• Barnardo's Workplace Offer Visual Summary.pdf (27.58 KB)
• Project Worker 2 - Job Description and Person Specification.pdf (0.59 MB)
• Recruitment of Ex-Offenders Policy Dec 2024.pdf (164.07 KB)
• 2026 Additional information sheet PW2 SafeSpace.pdf (43.41 KB)