Helpline Advisor - Call Handling

National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children; Belfast; Hybrid; GBP 10,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A child protection charity in Belfast is seeking a Helpline Advisor to be the first point of contact for adults reporting child protection concerns. This role requires empathy and effective communication skills to provide support while identifying key concerns. The position offers a hybrid working model with full-time and part-time opportunities, delivering an impactful service to families across the UK. Successful candidates will undergo a cohort induction with a focus on team support. Salary reviews are conducted annually, along with a generous leave policy and wellness benefits.

Benefits

Annual salary review

29 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Pension matching up to 7%

Access to online discounts

Wellness Hub resources

Qualifications

• Experience in a high demand customer service environment.
• Strong enquiry and questioning abilities.
• Ability to meet demanding targets with self-discipline.

Responsibilities

• Be the first point of contact for adults reporting child protection concerns.
• Provide reassurance to callers while identifying key points of concern.
• Work a rota shift pattern covering mornings, evenings, weekends, and bank holidays.

Skills

Excellent interpersonal skills

Written and oral communication skills

Customer Service experience

Attention to detail

IT skills

Job description

Please note that this vacancy involves a hybrid arrangement of home and office working and therefore candidates will need to be within a commutable distance of our Belfast Helpline office.

What is the NSPCC vision?

At the NSPCC, our vision is to end cruelty to all children in the UK. Every childhood is worth fighting for. This is our belief. It drives us. And it's why our Services team never stop sharing our learning, information, advice and support with everyone who needs it.

What does the NSPCC Helpline do?

We are a fast-paced national Helpline which provides advice, information and support to members of the public and professionals who wish to access the NSPCC via telephone, email and social media.

As a Helpline Advisor you will be the first point of contact for adults wishing to report child protection concerns. With empathy and sensitivity, you will be able to provide reassurance to callers whilst also ensuring you efficiently identify initial key points of the concerns being shared.

This is your opportunity to build on your front‑line enquiry and safeguarding assessment skills within a unique and highly influential national service. It is also a chance to work for an organisation whose core value is putting children first and for you to make a positive impact on thousands of families across the UK.

What are the expected shifts at the NSPCC Helpline?

The Helpline operates a hybrid‑working model, with an option that one in three weeks is worked from home; these will be a mix of day and evening shifts. IT equipment will be provided, but you will need to have an ergonomic workspace at home that will allow you to work confidentially and keep organisational information secure.

The NSPCC Helpline is operational every day and the post holder will be required to work a rota shift pattern that covers the period 8am‑9pm on weekdays and 9am‑6pm on weekends. This also includes working weekends and bank holidays. We are looking to recruit to a full‑time (35hour) and part time (17.5hr) position.

What are the benefits for working at the NSPCC?

Our people are at the heart of everything we do, they are the reason we can keep working to protect children and prevent abuse. So, to ensure our employees feel happy, supported, and valued, we offer a range of fantastic benefits. Below are just a few:

• Your salary is reviewed every year to ensure it's at least comparable with the UK's top 5 charities
• You are entitled to 29 days annual leave, plus bank holidays (if you work full‑time). After 5 years this increases to 32 days!
• We match your pension contributions up to 7%
• You have access to our online discount portal with over 3,000 discounts & offers
• You have access to our Wellness Hub which provides tools to support your wellbeing (Employee Assistance Programme, emotional resilience training, mindfulness resources and more!)

What skills are we looking for?

You will:

• Be someone with excellent interpersonal, written and oral communication skills with previous Customer Service experience.
• Have a strong attention to detail and great enquiry and questioning abilities, which have been acquired from previous experience in working in a high demand customer service environment.
• Have good IT skills.
• Meet demanding targets, where self‑discipline and the ability to work quickly are essential, to allow us to effectively deliver a child focused service that positively impacts on the lives of children and families.

Join us and you'll become part of a team that cares about the work they do and the people they work with. You'll discover opportunities to grow, along with challenges and a shared purpose that'll bring the best out in you. And you'll get to find your own way to make a difference that means more, and that impacts millions of young lives.

The NSPCC is committed to equality and diversity and wants to attract a range of talented people. The NSPCC fully supports the rights and opportunities of all staff to seek, obtain and hold employment and to enjoy equal employment opportunities without discrimination.

The Helpline operates a cohort induction model

The Helpline operates a cohort induction model where we aim for new starters to commence their employment at the same time as other new starters to the Helpline. This will allow you to have a more supportive group learning environment within the induction period.

The following dates will apply to this current vacancy, so that the next cohort can take place.

• Closing Date: 11/01/2026
• Shortlisting of Candidates: Week beginning - 12/01/2026
• Telephone calls to shortlisted candidates: Week beginning 16/01/2026
• First stage Interviews: Week beginning - 21/01/2025
• Second Stage Interviews: Week beginning - 03/02/2026
• Cohort start Date: 20/04/2026

If successful candidates are unable to commence their employment on this start date, they will be placed in the next available induction cohort.

If you are unable to attend any of the proposed interview dates above, you are encouraged to contact the Helpline Recruitment Team to discuss any additional slots which potentially may be available: [e-mail].

Our rolling recruitment process ensures that we remain agile and responsive to all applications submitted

Our rolling recruitment process ensures that we remain agile and responsive to all applications submitted, allowing us to progress candidates through the recruitment process prior to the vacancy closing date.