Job Description

Annually: 34,582 plus 3.5% rota allowance and 200 home working allowance
Region: Northern Ireland
Location: Belfast - Lanyon Building
Department: NSPCC Helpline
Vacancy Type: Permanent
Working hours per week: 35
Closing Date: 4 January 2026


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.



It's a unique and ambitious mission - join us as a Helpline Practitioner and create work that means the world.

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.



Our priority is to empower the public to ensure children and young people are protected from harm. Using empathy and sensitivity, you will provide emotional support, practical guidance and help to anyone who thinks a child may be at risk of abuse. You will encourage and support them to look out for the children around them - to take action and give children a voice when they are unable to ask for help themselves. This is a fantastic opportunity for you to use your professional skills and existing safeguarding knowledge.



You will take ownership of each contact you take and you will be responsible for assessing the risk and liaising with our external child protection partners (including Children's Service and police), as necessary, to ensure prompt and effective action is taken to minimise the risk to any child.

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-10pm on weekdays and 8am-7pm on weekends. This also includes working weekends and bank holidays.

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:


Have a qualification from a safeguarding field such as social care, health, education, law enforcement, youth justice, youth work or counselling AND post-qualification experience of working in a role where you have had a level of responsibility for safeguarding children or families. Have up-to-date knowledge of child protection legislation and practical experience of safeguarding and child welfare issues. Have experience in a high-demand customer focused role Have the ability to collect, assess and summarise essential information in written format Have good IT skills Meet demanding targets in a fast-paced environment, where self-discipline and the ability to work quickly are as essential to enable 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 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.





If you are unable to attend any of the proposed interview dates, you are encouraged to contact the Helpline Recruitment Team to discuss any additional slots which potentially may be available: HelplinesRecruitment@NSPCC.org.uk.




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.


We have a number of employees at the NSPCC who are regrettably at risk of redundancy, following a significant restructure. In keeping with our values and our policies, if any of these individuals apply for a role and meet the minimum essential criteria, they will be given priority consideration. We hope that you understand our position on this and that this will not discourage you from applying. We cannot predict who, internally, will apply for a role, or whether they will meet the minimum essential criteria. Where no at risk candidates meet the minimum essential criteria, all applications will be considered as normal.