Helpline Advisor - Call Handling

NSPCC; Salford; Hybrid; GBP 22,000 - 28,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual leave 29 days

Pension matching 7%

Life Assurance

Family-friendly policies

Wellbeing support

Job summary

The NSPCC in Salford is seeking a proactive Helpline Advisor to be the first point of contact for adults reporting concerns about child protection. You will provide reassurance, gather key information and signpost to safeguarding services, while maintaining confidentiality and empathy.

This is a full-time, hybrid role (35 hours per week) requiring you to work a rota including some weekends and bank holidays.

Qualifications

• Call centre experience providing public support by telephone.
• Excellent interpersonal, written and oral communication skills.
• Strong attention to detail and enquiry skills developed in high-demand customer service.

Responsibilities

• Be the first point of contact for adults reporting child protection concerns.
• Work to a rota including weekends and bank holidays, in a hybrid home/office setup.

Skills

Call centre

Empathy

Communication

Attention to detail

IT skills

Targets

Tools

MS Office

Job description

Are you a someone who wants to make a difference to babies, children, young people and families?

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. We are looking to recruit to a full-time (35hr) position in Salford.

This is your opportunity to build on your front-line enquiry and communication 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.

If this sounds like the job for you and you want to join us in the fight for every childhood.

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 Salford Helpline office. Helpline staff work two full weeks in the office and one full week at home on a rolling basis.

What does the Helpline do?

At the NSPCC, our vision is to end cruelty to all children in the UK. An ambitious but worthwhile mission - and one you will help us achieve as a Helpline Advisor.

At our UK-wide Helpline, our priority is to empower the public to protect children and young people. With sensitivity and common sense, the Helpline Advisor is an essential role; they are the initial point of contact for people, offering support and assurance to anyone who thinks a child may be at risk of abuse.

What skills and experience are we looking for?

This is a fast-paced national Helpline with demanding targets, where self-discipline and the ability to work quickly are as essential to enable us to effectively deliver a child focused service.

• Call centre experience where you have offered support to members of the public via telephone
• The drive to make a difference
• Excellent interpersonal, written and oral communication skills
• A strong attention to detail and great enquiry and questionning abilities, which have been acquired by previous experience in working in a high demand customer service environment
• Good IT skills
• Ability to meet targets, to allow us to effectively deliver a child focused service that positively impacts on the lives of children and families

What shifts will you work?

The Helpline operates a hybrid-working model, with the opportunity for one in three weeks to be 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 post holder will be required to participate in a rota working pattern and support a team that covers the period 8am to 9pm on weekdays. Advisors may also be required to work 9am-6pm on weekends as part of their contract. This also involves bank holiday working/weekend working. (Please see the attached rota information document for full details)

What do we offer in return?

• Generous annual leave entitlement starting at 29 days per year. After 5 years this increases to 32 days per year.
• Employee discounts on everyday goods and services offering up to 35% off your favourite brands
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) and access to our Wellness Hub
• We match your pension up to 7%
• Life Assurance Scheme
• Family friendly policies including paid parental and carers leave
• Bicycle and Season Ticket Loans

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: 27/09/2026
• Shortlisting: 28/09/2026
• Optional telephone information call to shortlisted candidates: 29/09/2026 - 04/10/2026
• First stage Interviews: 12/10/2026 - 25/10/2026
• Second Stage Interviews: 19/10/2026 - 30/10/2026
• Cohort start Date: 18/01/2027

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 would like any further information about the role, please contact the hiring manager via email: [e-mail]

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] .

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.

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.