Lead Youth Worker (10–18) — Inclusive & Impactful in Whitley Bay

Are you looking for a new opportunity for 2026? Are you passionate about working with children and young people? Are you enthusiastic about developing and overseeing excellent and inclusive services with young people to enhance their wellbeing, happiness and opportunities?

Barnardo’s Young People and Families Team are seeking to recruit a Senior Youth Worker to develop, manage and support youth work services from ‘The Base’ in North Tyneside. The 128 Service provides targeted, holistic group and 1:1 support including for LGBTQ+ young people, aged between 10-18. It is offering a safe space to meet weekly with peers, make friends, access 1:1 support from Barnardo’s youth workers, and to take part in a range of activities that enable building skills and confidence, as well as having fun along the way.

We are looking for applicants who are:

• Skilled in designing and delivering a youth work offer for, as well as with, young people which is safe, inclusive and effective.
• Hold experience and knowledge of managing youth work teams.
• Have supervision and line management experience.
• Confident and creative in engaging and working alongside young people aged between 10-18 years.
• Able to provide emotional and practical support to young people, in line with safeguarding policies and procedures.
• Flexible to work evenings to meet the needs of the service.

When completing your application please refer to your skills, knowledge and experience in relation to the Person Specification, Job Description and Additional Information document.

For more information on our amazing 128 Service and the Senior Youth Work Role, please see our additional information sheet.

We 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.

Workplace Offer: What it means for you

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, in the community, at one of our Collaboration Hubs or depending on the role any combination of these. Please read through the advert carefully to understand the remits of hybrid working that will be specific to the role.

Barnardo’s require colleagues to be UK residents, based in the UK and to complete their roles from within the UK (with the exception of colleagues providing Barnardo’s services in Jersey and colleagues who live in the Republic of Ireland providing services in Northern Ireland).

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 Buy Your Leave 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.

Interest free season ticket loans.

Discounts and cashback from 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.