Job Description

Barnardo's is commissioned by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to provide an Independent Children's Rights and Advocacy (ICRA) service to children. Barnardo's has held this contract across England and Wales since 2008, and in January 2019 were awarded the contract for a further 5 years.



The ICRA service is child led and independent of the secure estate; our service is delivered within Wetherby to ensure children can freely access support for a range of issues linked to their needs, rights & experiences of custody, resettlement, and safeguarding. As such this is a child-facing service, and at times involves lone working in the establishments, so we are seeking someone who can see the child, not the offence, who can hold children at the heart of all they do and be a voice for children.



The Project Worker 2 position (

Children's Rights and Advocacy Worker

) is based within Wetherby YOI, York Road, Wetherby, LS22 5ED (please note, the location of secure establishments may mean they are not easily accessed by public transport and may be in a remote area). The post is line managed by a Team Manager (TM) reporting to an off-site senior manager. Other than the TM who is based on-site, the wider management team are based offsite and a significant distance away from the establishment. Therefore at times, the post holder will need to be able to work autonomously, working to the requirements of the contract and the regime of the YOI. The secure estate is a highly structured environment; as a Barnardo's service working within this environment, we are delivering support whilst still having to follow and adhere to this structure. There are a considerable number of regulations which have to be followed and can at times make the function of the job challenging.



This role includes lone working in this challenging prison environment. It is therefore critical that the successful candidate in this respect is able to follow guidance and policy and is able to take a proactive and individual responsibility to understand and access the support mechanisms in place and encouraged by the service as required.



The child's voice is held front and centre of the service and their own words have been captured to describe the service here:



"You feel more confident when Barnardo's is with you."



"They help sort issues or complaints; they help you understand your rights if you feel you ain't being treated right."



"They will help you get your voice heard, they are a voice for young people that don't want to speak and they talk to people for us when no one is listening."



"They help with advice on how to do things properly. They show how you can deal with things and help you get what you're entitled to."



If you would like an informal chat about the role, please contact Lisa sale at Lisa.sale@barnardos.org.uk



When completing your application please refer to your skills knowledge and experience in relation to the Person Specification, and Additional Information document (if applicable). This should be done with an understanding of the context of the service described.





Internal secondments will be considered



Please note due to the high volume of applications for some posts, this advert might close before the displayed closing date. We recommend that you apply for this role as soon as possible.


Pay & Reward FrameworkWe know that our colleagues go above and beyond in delivering our vital work, driven by their passion and commitment to Barnardo's values. We also know that we can only realise our ambitions and achieve better outcomes for more children, thanks to the talent, hard work and creativity of our people.


For all these reasons, we are committed to a new approach to pay and reward, to ensure it is fair, attractive and progressive, which was rolled out in April 2023. This is a positive change for the charity, and a part of our People & Culture Strategy. It will assist us in supporting colleagues to belong, thrive and grow in their colleague journey at Barnardo's and in time will offer clear routes of progression for colleagues in both their career and their pay.


Whilst the full pay band and salary range is advertised, our approach to starting salaries is to appoint between the minimum to mid-point of the pay band - this ensures that pay steps are available to reward our colleagues annually based on their contribution to excellence and alignment to our values and behaviours. More details on Barnardo's pay framework can be found upon application.



Benefits

Workplace Offer: What it means for you

The world of work has changed. We are understanding of what works best for our colleagues both current and future as we look to embrace this new way of working. Our hybrid working initiative is based on trust, flexibility and empowerment. We understand our workplace offer means different things to different people, and we encourage those conversations. This may mean working at one of our stores, services, working at home, at one of our Collaboration Hubs or any combination of these.


Barnardo's believe in creating equality of opportunity in the workplace and supporting people to manage their work-life balance; we are therefore open to offering flexible working arrangements. Annual Leave entitlement for full-time colleagues is 26 days per annum, increasing to 27 days per annum, after 3 years Barnardo's service, 29 days per annum, after 5 years Barnardo's service and 30 days per annum, after 7 years Barnardo's service. Those working less than full time are entitled to the same level of holiday pro rata The ability to buy up to another 5 days annual leave via our HolidayPlus scheme A host of family friendly leave options including company Maternity Paternity and Adoption pay; together with all family additional leave options Service related sick pay from day 1 Access to a Group Personal Pension with a matched 4% or 6% contribution from Barnardo's. Ability to pay via salary sacrifice to garner both tax and NI savings on your own contribution Death in service cover of 4x annual earnings for all staff contributing to our Group Personal Pension Cycle2work scheme Interest free season ticket loans Discounts and cashback from at high street shops including major supermarkets, cinemas, gyms, leisure/theme parks, holidays and much more via our Benefit Portal 20% discount at Barnardo's stores Opportunity to purchase a health cash plan to claim towards dental, glasses, therapy etc Free access to round the clock employee assistance program for advice and support Access to Barnardo's Learning and Development offer

T&C's apply based on contract

About Barnardo's


We are committed to being an inclusive employer and cultivating a culture where everyone can belong and thrive through inclusion and connectivity. We want our workforce to be reflective of the communities we work with, and for equality, diversity and inclusion to be embedded in everything we do. We are a Disability Confident Leader, are progressing our ambition to be an anti-racist organisation with Anti-Racism Commitments and actions in place and have networks for colleagues who are disabled, LGBT+, Black and Minoritised Ethnic and Women. We particularly encourage applications from Black and Minoritised Ethnic and/or disabled candidates who are currently underrepresented in our workforce. For disabled applicants, we offer reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.

Our basis and values

Reference number: 21606
Job Title: Children's Rights and Advocacy Worker
Location: Barnardo's Advocacy Service (Secure Estates) - HMYOI Wetherby
Contract type: Permanent
Hours: Up to 37
Salary: 27,573 - 36,389 FTE
Closing Date: 14 September 2025
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Benefits

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Discounts at 100's of retailers
Employee suggestion scheme
Company pension
Employee Assistance Programme