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30 hours per week / £30,150 per annum pro rata / fixed term until 31 March 2028 / working four days a week, working pattern to be discussed at interview. The role involves frequent travel across Surrey to schools and joining colleagues at key meetings, with occasional travel further afield. Therefore, a full UK driving licence and access to a car are essential. YMCA DownsLink Group is the leading charity for children and young people across Sussex and Surrey. We offer safe homes, mental health support and trusted advice. We believe that every child and young person has the right to be safe, heard and to shape their own future. We work alongside them to make that happen. We are here for children and young people, many of whom face multiple challenges and need our support. Our Values - we do what s right, we work with heart, and we build real connections guide us in all our actions. YMCA WiSE (What is Sexual Exploitation) is our specialist project supporting children and young people across Sussex and Surrey who are affected by, or at risk of, exploitation. Through education, awarenessraising and empowerment, we help young people understand healthy relationships, recognise harmful behaviours, and build safety and resilience. Unlike statutory services, WiSE has a youth focussed offer that is voluntary to engage in. Our team understand young people, lived experience and trauma, and how this shapes their understanding of the world. We have an exciting opportunity to join the WiSE team as an Early Intervention CSE Worker. In this role, you will deliver preventative and early intervention work across Surrey, supporting young people, schools, and professional networks to recognise and respond to the risks of sexual exploitation and harmful sexual behaviours. Key responsibilities are: Deliver a programme of targeted group sessions aimed at preventing sexual exploitation and addressing emerging harmful sexual behaviours (complementing the universal and enhanced RSE offer delivered by the Sex Ed Forum). Build professional relationships with Surrey education providers, arranging and delivering group sessions across a range of settings. Maintain accurate case notes and monitoring data, contributing to timely reporting for the service and funders. Work collaboratively with key partners including Children s Services, Public Health, Police, LSCB, the Sex Ed Forum, and Community Safety teams. Support the development and delivery of awarenessraising campaigns targeting young people, parents and carers, professionals, and the wider community. Work closely with WiSE staff and wider professionals to identify young people at higher risk and refer them to WiSE project workers for specialist intervention. We recognise the emotional weight of this work and prioritise a reflective, supportive environment for all team members. To ensure you feel supported and able to deliver highquality practice, you will receive regular line management supervision focused on wellbeing and supportive weekly team meetings. If you are enthusiastic about this opportunity but don t meet every single requirement, we still encourage you to apply. Your skills and experiences may be more transferable than you think, and you could be exactly the person we re looking for. Qualifications, experience and knowledge: Qualification in Youth Work/Social Work or equivalent, or comparable experience working with vulnerable young people Proven experience in safeguarding young children Experience providing casework support young people aged 10 to 25 years old Group work experience with young people Safeguarding children and young people at risk of serious harm Delivering and risk assessing outreach work with young people Knowledge of risks posed to vulnerable young people through sexual exploitation and harmful sexual behaviour If you would like any further information or an informal discussion about this role, please contact . Should you require any assistance with our application process, please email us at . CLOSING DATE: Sunday 5 April 2026 at midnight. PLEASE NOTE: We are unable to provide work permits or visa sponsorship for this role, so applicants must already have the right to live and work in the UK independently. An inclusive workplace We are committed to policies and practices of equity, diversity, and inclusion and to supporting our people to make sure our culture is consistent with this commitment. Accessibility If you require assistance or have questions regarding the application process, please do contact us. YMCA DLG requires all staff and volunteers to be committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and to respond proactively to safeguarding concerns. Successful applicants will undergo a thorough background screening process, conducted by an accredited third-party provider. This includes an Enhanced DBS check (with Children s and Adults Barred Lists) as well as comprehensive reference and activity check.

Context This is an opportunity to play a pivotal role in a pioneering programme that could reshape how kinship families are supported across England. Kinship is undertaking a pilot Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) of Kinship Connected, a Kinship Navigator programme designed to provide intensive, specialist support to kinship carers and help them navigate complex systems. This is a multi-partner programme involving funders, independent evaluators, participating local authorities, internal delivery teams and kinship carers with lived experience. Kinship Navigators are at the heart of delivery. You will work directly with kinship carers in the community and in their homes, providing intensive 1-to-1 support and facilitating local support groups, while working closely with local authority partners and other services. Because the programme forms part of a pilot RCT, maintaining high-quality case records and accurate data collection is critical. Your work will contribute directly to the evidence base about what works for kinship families. Each Navigator will support around 40 kinship carers over the delivery year, holding a caseload of approximately 20 families at any one time. Navigators will be based in Blackpool, the London Borough of Newham, Oxfordshire and Rochdale. You will be part of a wider delivery team including the Programmes Manager, Mobilisation and Delivery Project Manager, research colleagues and other Kinship teams, working together to ensure the programme is delivered ethically, consistently and to a high standard. Purpose of the role The Kinship Navigator provides intensive, time-limited support to kinship carers through the Kinship Connected programme, a structured six-month intervention designed to help kinship families stabilise placements and access the support they need. Working directly with kinship carers, you will build trusting relationships while completing structured assessments, goal setting and reviews to help families strengthen support networks and navigate services such as children's social care, education, health and community support. This is a community-facing role, working directly with kinship carers in homes, community spaces and through co-location with local authority teams and partner organisations. The role requires a combination of high-quality relational practice and disciplined case recording. As part of the pilot RCT, accurate documentation of activity, progress and outcomes is essential to ensure the programme can be evaluated and improved. You will work closely with the Programmes Manager, delivery team, researchers and local authority partners to ensure the programme is delivered consistently, ethically and to a high standard, with a strong commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion in supporting kinship families from all backgrounds. Key deadlines and information We have really short timescales for these roles as they are part of a research project. If you are interested, please read the information below and make sure you can be available all the dates highlighted: Closing date: 9am on Monday 16 March 2026 Interview date (in-person in Greater Manchester or London depending on role): Tuesday 24, Wednesday 25 or Thursday 26 March 2026 Starting in post If you are successful at recruitment, we will need you to be available to start in role, at the latest by the w/c 27 April 2026 , and ideally by w/c 20 April 2026. This will mean all references, contracts and DBS checks are completed. If you do apply for this role, we will ask for some of these details up front. We will also ask you to attend an overnight in-person residential on Wednesday 29 and Thursday 30 April at our London office for induction into the role. How to apply: Any applications arriving after the closing date will not be considered for shortlisting unless there are exceptional reasons. Please ensure you have read the application timelines and the full job pack, attached. Please apply for the role of Kinship Navigator by sending a CV and answering the 5 questions on the job listing on our website. Please use actual examples to demonstrate your experience. 1. Why do you want to work for Kinship as a Kinship Navigator, and how does this role align with your values and experience? 2. Describe a time you supported a family or carer facing complex challenges. How did you assess their needs and decide what support was most important? Guidance: Please describe a real example from your work. Tell us what you did personally, the actions you took and what happened as a result. 3. Tell us about a situation where you had to work with professionals from different organisations (for example schools, social workers or community services) to support a family. Guidance: Explain how you built relationships, managed differences of opinion and ensured the family received appropriate support. 4. Give an example of a time you had concerns about the safety or wellbeing of a child or their family member. What steps did you take and how did you decide what to do? Guidance: Describe your role in recognising and responding to the concern and any safeguarding processes you followed. 5. Tell us about how you have managed a caseload or multiple families at once. How did you keep accurate records and make sure important information was documented? Guidance: Please describe the systems or processes you used and why accurate recording was important.