Exploitation Support Worker

Missing People; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 28,000 - 35,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

28 days annual leave per annum/pro rat

Company pension contribution

Life insurance (3 x salary)

Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)

Season Ticket Loans

Additional maternity/paternity pay

Flexible working

Job summary

Missing People invites applications for a fixed term role to support young people and families affected by exploitation and missing persons. You will provide confidential, safe conversations via phone, email, SMS and live chat, working with partners to ensure access to needed services.

A strong advocate and safeguarding mindset are essential. You will join a flexible, supportive team, with 35 hours per week and potential home-working options, based in South West London with office bases in

Qualifications

• Significant experience working directly to support at-risk young people and families.
• Advocating for young people and families to access needed support.
• Experience of safeguarding procedures to protect children and vulnerable individuals.
• Ability to design and implement support plans to improve wellbeing and safety.

Responsibilities

• Deliver national anonymous support via phone, email, SMS and live chat as part of the exploitation service.
• Assess referrals for service suitability and plan user support with managers as needed.
• Advocate for service users and represent the charity professionally in relevant contexts.

Skills

Experience with at-risk youth

Advocacy skills

Safeguarding experience

Record keeping

Tools

Client databases

Job description

South West London (Central Office is based in Mortlake – 12 mins from Clapham Junction and 23 mins from Waterloo)

Services

Full time

Fixed Term Contract

Fixed term contract until 31st May 2027

£31,490 per annum.

35 hours per week, Monday to Friday 10:00 am - 18:00 pm. Happy to talk about flexible working.

About the role

You will support young people who have been affected by child criminal exploitation and missing. You will also work with many parents and carers who need emotional support, advice, information and/or advocacy because their child is being criminally exploited. You will provide a safe and confidential space for them to talk through their experiences and help them to understand their options and how to stay safe. You will be a strong advocate for young people and families, working with them and other agencies to ensure they get the help they need to stay safe, and to reduce the risks of harm they face.

Support families, carers, children, and young people who have been affected by exploitation / missing

• Deliver national anonymous support via phone, email, SMS, and live chat, working collaboratively with the helpline team to offer a wraparound exploitation support service.
• Promptly assess referrals from police, local authority staff, project workers and children / young people as well as families for service suitability.
• Hold case discussions and consult managers as necessary to assess risk and plan service user support where the risk is heightened.

Speak up for children, young people, parents and carers who are at risk

• Support individuals receiving our service to have their voice heard by the various professionals, carers and family members in their lives.
• Represent the person and the charity professionally and constructively in any context where advocacy is required.

Support parents and carers to understand the service and the wider support available through the charity

• Be sensitive to the distress parents and carers may be experiencing following a child’s disappearance, which can sometimes be ongoing in relation to CCE
• Provide advice and on-going support to parents and carers which promote their and their child’s safety and wellbeing.
• Effectively signpost supported individuals to other partnered services including Missing People’s various services.

About you

Could you bring your expertise in working with young people to support Missing People's Exploitation Service? You will need to have the right to work in the UK and relevant experience, knowledge and skills including:

Experience

• Significant experience working directly to support at-risk young people and families in a social care, statutory or voluntary sector setting;
• Significant experience of successfully advocating for young people and families to get the support they need from other agencies;
• Experience of assessing needs, recognising risk and implementing safeguarding procedures to safeguard children, young people or vulnerable adults.
• Experience of designing and implementing support plans which promote increased wellbeing and safety for young people and families;

Abilities, Skills and Knowledge

• Working (proven) knowledge of:
  • the risks faced by children and young people who are missing, associated with a gang, involved in county lines and experiencing child criminal exploitation;
  • effective methods for safeguarding children and young people who are missing, associated with a gang, involved in county lines and experiencing child criminal exploitation;
  • how statutory services respond to victims of county lines and child criminal exploitation and their families.
• Excellent record keeping skills including the effective use of client record databases.

What you will get in return

Missing People is a friendly and supportive place to work – it’s a welcoming, caring organisation which really makes a difference to people affected by the issue of missing throughout the UK. We offer generous paid holidays, a range of enhanced family friendly benefits and are happy to talk about flexible working in most roles.

About Missing People

Somebody goes missing in the UK every 90 seconds. Missing People exists to ease the heartache experienced by those missing someone, and to help people who are away from home find their way back to safety. Our vision is for every missing child, adult and family left behind to find help, hope and a safe way to reconnect. We are a non-judgemental, highly skilled team of staff and volunteers working for everyone who needs us. We provide free, confidential support, help and advice by phone, email, text and live chat. We coordinate a UK-wide network of people, businesses and media to join the search for the estimated 170,000 people who go missing each year. Missing People aims to put people with lived experience at the heart of our work, amplifying their voices to achieve change.

Closing date: 23:59 on 8th November 2026

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient interest.

Interviews: To be confirmed.

£31,490 per annum

Hours

35 per week Monday to Friday,10 am to 6 pm. Happy to talk about flexible working. High degree of flexibility to work from home.

Missing People offers the following benefits:

• 28 days annual leave per annum/pro rata plus statutory holidays on appointment. Additional annual leave days awarded on length of service*
• Company pension contribution
• Life insurance (3 x salary)*
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) including 24/7 support helpline
• Interest-free Season Ticket Loans*
• Additional maternity pay and leave*
• Additional paternity pay*
• Additional sick pay*
• *available after probation period passed