Children and Young People Play Therapy Worker

TipTopJob; Bedford; On-site; GBP 32,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading domestic abuse services provider is seeking a compassionate Play Therapy Worker to deliver age-appropriate therapy for children and young people affected by domestic abuse. This unique role involves using creative techniques to empower children and working collaboratively with families. Applicants should have a recognised qualification in psychotherapy or counselling and experience in therapeutic settings. This is a fixed-term contract position until March 2027, based in Central Bedfordshire.

Qualifications

• Recognised qualification in psychotherapy or counselling and registration with a professional body.
• Experience delivering outcomes-focused therapy to children and young people.
• Ability to work creatively and flexibly in a non-judgemental way.

Responsibilities

• Deliver age-appropriate play therapy to children and young people in refuge accommodation.
• Use creative techniques to help children express themselves.
• Collaborate with families and multi-agency partners.

Skills

Psychotherapy or counselling

Therapeutic play

Communication skills

Understanding of child development

Education

Dip/PGDip in psychotherapy or counselling

Job description

Children and Young People Play Therapy Worker : Domestic Abuse Services

Location: Central Bedfordshire Refuge

Salary : A GBP 31,612 per annum

Vacancy Type: Fixed Term Contract until March 2027

Expiry date: 02 February, 2026

Make a real difference to the lives of children and young people affected by domestic abuse.

At Stonewater, we believe every child deserves a safe space to heal and thrive. We’re looking for a compassionate and creative Play Therapy Worker to join our Domestic Abuse Services team. This is a unique opportunity to use your skills to empower children and young people through therapeutic play and person-centred support.

What you’ll do

• Deliver age:appropriate, strengths:based play therapy to children and young people living in our refuge accommodation.
• Use a variety of creative techniques : from storytelling and art to music and role play : to help children express themselves and build resilience.
• Work with the children, young people and families development workers to create individual support plans and work closely with parents to create safe, nurturing environments.
• Collaborate with multi:agency partners and contribute to safeguarding best practice.
• Play a key role in shaping our children and family support programme.
• You will work across both of our refuges in the north and south of Central Bedfordshire.

What we’re looking for

• A recognised qualification in psychotherapy or counselling (Dip/PGDip or above) and registration with a relevant professional body (e.g., UKCP, BACP, BAPT).
• Experience delivering outcomes:focused therapy to children and young people.
• Strong understanding of child development, attachment theory, and the impact of domestic abuse.
• Ability to work creatively, flexibly, and in a non:judgemental way.
• Excellent communication and partnership skills.

Ready to make an impact?

Apply today and help us create safe, supportive spaces where children and young people can flourish.

This post is restricted to female applicants only under the provisions of the Equality Act 2010, Schedule 9, Part 1. The role is based within a female-only domestic abuse refuge, where the provision of services requires a female worker to ensure the privacy, dignity, and safety of residents.

Discover Stonewater

Stonewater have 20+ years experience delivering refuge, safe accommodation and community based domestic abuse services. Our services include Women and Childrens Refuges, LGBTQ+ Safe Space, a South Asian Womens Refuge and dispersed accommodation to support those that are unable to access traditional Refuges such as male survivors, those with pets and those facing multiple and complex disadvantage. Our dispersed model of safe accommodation ensures equal access for all.

Stonewater is a leading housing provider. We manage around 39,000 homes, serving 82,000 survivors across our portfolio of affordable properties for general rent, shared ownership and sale, alongside specialist accommodation, with an ambitious house:building programme.

Our mission is to provide quality homes and services for people whose needs are not met by the open market.

We’re looking for like-minded people to join our team of over 800 talented colleagues who embody our values of being ethical, ambitious, passionate, agile and commercial, as well as people who want to make a difference and transform peoples lives.

We are a Disability Confident Employer and working towards accreditation for becoming a Disability Confident Leader, which allows us to record and report on disability, mental health and wellbeing in the workplace to better support our colleagues. We have also achieved accreditation for being an Advanced Employer for Investing in Ethnicity Maturity Matrix. We are committed to being a Menopause Friendly employer and working towards accreditation our Menopause Friendly accreditation.

Are you ready to DiscoverStonewater?

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