Missing and Exploitation Prevention Family engagement worker (6125)

The Children's Society; Manchester; On-site; GBP 23,000 - 29,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

36 days leave (incl. bank holidays)

Pension matching up to 8%

Free counselling

Volunteer time (2 days)

Training and development

Job summary

The Children’s Society in Manchester is seeking a dedicated professional to join our Missing Service. You will support families and young people, build strong relationships, and work with a multidisciplinary team to reduce risks and improve outcomes.

We offer training, a supportive environment, and a clear path to develop skills in safeguarding and youth work within a national charity.

Qualifications

• A qualification relevant to working with parent/carers and young people is desirable but experience is more important.
• Ability to work with families and young people in challenging contexts.
• Interest in safeguarding and working collaboratively with professionals.

Responsibilities

• Deliver support to families, parents and carers in Manchester Missing Service.
• Engage with young people and carers to reduce risk of exploitation.
• Maintain effective relationships with partners and stakeholders and document progress.

Skills

Experience with families

Relationship building

Negotiation

Problem solving

Time management

Communication skills

Publicity materials

Monitoring and evaluation

IT skills

Education

Degree or NVQ in related field

Tools

MS Office

Case recording systems

Job description

Permanent with Funding until 31st March 2027

35 hours a week, however please note we are open to considering part-time hours or term-time-only hours

£26,100 per annum

Location: Manchester

Benefits include but not limited to:

• 36 days' annual leave, inclusive of flexible bank holidays, increasing with length of service
• Enhanced maternity/paternity leave
• We match up to 8% pension
• Free counselling service
• Opportunities to develop and widen your skills
• 2 days of paid volunteering time per annum to support another part of the organisation

About us:

The Children's Society has been helping children and young people in this country for over 140 years. We deliver essential local services that provide safe, trusted support to children and young people during times of significant need.

Our Youth Impact domain creates impact for children, young people and families. With highly skilled and experienced staff working across England and Wales, we provide direct support to children, young people, parents and carers, as well as conduct research and influence Government to make changes. We also provide training for professionals. Our value driven team change the lives of children in this country for the better, and with your help and expertise, tomorrow we can support even more.

About the role:

You'll play a key part in our Manchester Missing Service delivering support to families, parents/carers and young people, who have had missing episodes and are at risk of exploitation. You will be part of a passionate team, and will have access to ongoing training, and will be making a real impact on the lives of children and young people.

Key skills and experience:

Skills - Essential

• Experience of working with families
• Relationship building skills.
• Negotiation and influencing skills
• Problem solving skills
• Ability to plan and manage own workload
• Communication skills - specifically for: communicating with young people and parent/carers where there may be barriers i.e. language/learning need, communicating around sensitive issues and communicating with a range of professionals and stakeholders
• Presentation and facilitation skills and ability to produce publicity and educational materials
• An ability to monitor, record and evaluate the work of the project
• IT skills, particularly using Microsoft Office software package and case recording systems online

Qualifications

• A qualification relevant to working with parent/carers and young people e.g. degree in social work, certificate in youth and community work, or related NVQ is desirable but experience is more important.

Closing date: Midnight on 21st October

Interviews: TBC

The Children's Society is committed to safeguarding and protection of the children and young people we work with. As such, our safer recruitment process includes a Basic or Enhanced DBS check, 5 years of references, and additional vetting checks relevant to the role. We have a comprehensive range of policies and procedures in place to promote safeguarding and safer working practices across all areas of our organisation.

In support of our commitment to diversity and inclusion, shortlisting is carried out on an anonymised basis. Personal details are hidden from the shortlisting panel, and candidates are referenced by a candidate number only. As part of this process, we ask that your CV is anonymised before submission - this means removing personal information such as your name, contact details, age, and any other identifying details.

AI tools can support your application but only when used appropriately. You're welcome to use them to improve clarity, structure, and research. However, overuse or misuse (e.g. inventing experience or using AI during assessments) may lead to rejection at any stage. We want to hear the real you - authenticity matters.