Youth Worker

Are you ready for a new challenge? 
Do you have a passion for working with young people, helping them grow in confidence, discover their strengths, and explore new opportunities? If so, we'd love to hear from you! 

Location 

This is a hybrid role, combining work from home with work in the community across Sedgemoor, Somerset. You'll also have access to our Barnardo's office in Taunton if you'd like to use this space.

Working Hours 

Negotiable, between 18.5–25 hours per week, including some evening work (fixed term until 31st March 2027) 

About the Role 

The Barnardo's Co-op Partnership is an exciting and innovative programme aiming to support more than one million young people to build positive futures. Our Sedgemoor for our Future service is co-designed with young people and centred around a vibrant social kitchen concept. We create inclusive spaces where young people can: 

• Learn to cook healthy, nutritious meals

• Share food and eat together

• Enjoy games and activities

• Explore issues that matter to them

• Build confidence, teamwork, and essential life skills

Session Details 

You must be available to lead the following weekly sessions:

• Tuesdays – Highbridge, 4:30pm–6:00pm

• Wednesdays – Bridgwater, 4:30pm–6:00pm

As part of your role, you will design and deliver these workshops in a variety of settings, helping young people develop skills and confidence. You'll also attend community events, explore creative ways to engage young people across Sedgemoor, and support evaluation by recording outcomes.

What We're Looking For 

• Experience working with children, young people, and families

• Strong understanding of safeguarding and child protection procedures

• Excellent listening and communication skills with a diverse range of service users

• Creativity and confidence in designing inclusive workshops and group sessions

• Good written and IT skills to accurately record case notes

• Flexibility to adapt to the needs and interests of young people

Interested and want to know more? Please contact Jess Hanson, Children's Service Manager - Jessica.hanson@barnardos.org.uk 

When applying, please refer specifically to the Person Specification and Job Description, explaining how your skills and experience meet the requirements. 

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:22717
• Job Title:Youth Worker
• Location:Somerset Taunton Office
• Contract type:Fixed term
• End date:31st March 2027
• Hours:18.5 - 25 hours (Negotiable)
• Salary:£28,124 - £37,117 (FTE) + £312 Office at Home Allowance per annum
• Closing Date:15 April 2026
• Interview Date:TBC