CARE Together Boys and Young Mens Worker in Chelmsford

CARE (Child at Risk of Exploitation) Boys and Young Men Practitioner — Permanent contract but funding ends March 31, 2027 (with potential for further funding). 35 hours per week. Essex – Countywide role based in Chelmsford.

The Children’s Society has been helping children and young people in this country for over 140 years. We run local services that support young people when they are at their most vulnerable and in desperate need of help. We’re there for young people, every step of the way.

This role sits within our children and families directorate, which works to provide immediate one-to-one and group support for young people who urgently need support. Your role will be to help us maintain and develop innovative practice to support our work in our services within the Essex area.

We wish to recruit a specialist Boys and Young Men worker to join our established Essex CARE (Child At Risk of Exploitation) Together team, supporting male young people aged 8-25 who are at medium risk of exploitation; criminal, sexual, financial or domestic servitude.

You will provide direct therapeutic support to vulnerable young males and support and signpost families who are affected by exploitation. You will provide professional expertise in various panels that review individual risk as well as offer training and resources for other professionals supporting potentially exploited young people.

Support offered will include one-to-one face to face interventions, targeted group work & online support across the County as well as consultation with professionals. The young people will require a skilled practitioner who is experienced in working with hard to reach, vulnerable young people at risk through the use of therapeutic approaches. You should have experience of facilitating groups or delivering training with knowledge of the issues and legislation affecting young people who are at risk of exploitation.

• You will provide direct therapeutic support to vulnerable young males and support and signpost families affected by exploitation.
• You will provide professional expertise in panels that review individual risk and offer training and resources for other professionals supporting potentially exploited young people.
• Support will include one-to-one face-to-face interventions, targeted group work and online support across the County, plus consultation with professionals.
• Contribute to maintaining and developing innovative practices within the Essex CARE Together team.
• Assist in delivering training to a range of professionals and support multi-agency interventions with young people.
• Facilitate groups or deliver training as part of professional development and capacity building.

• Substantial experience in working with vulnerable young people, in paid or unpaid capacity; ability to build positive relationships with groups of young people to raise awareness about substance use and associated risks and impact.
• Experience of carrying out individual and group work interventions with young people and/or adults, in an intervention or educative capacity.
• An understanding of exploitation, including weapon-carrying risk.
• Experience in using Microsoft Office Applications and other relevant data systems.
• Ability to work on own initiative as well as contribute to a multi-agency approach, including delivering training to professionals.
• Hold a full UK driver’s license and have access to transport.

We offer a generous holiday entitlement, a contributory stakeholder pension, childcare vouchers and flexible working.

The Children’s Society runs over 100 local services that help thousands of young people who desperately need our support, and we campaign to get laws and policies changed to make young people’s lives happier and safer.

The Children’s Society is committed to safeguarding and protecting the children and young people that we work with. All posts are subject to a safer recruitment process, including the disclosure of criminal records and vetting checks. We ensure policies and procedures that promote safeguarding and safer working practices across our services.

Therefore, candidates applying for work in our Youth Impact Domain will be required to complete an “Employment history_template” document prior to interview. The fully completed document should be uploaded at the point of uploading your CV.

The closing date for applications is midnight on Sunday 7th June 2026. If, after 14 days, we have received enough applications we reserve the right to close this vacancy from Tuesday 19th May onwards. Interviews will be held on 15th - 16th June 2026. Please note that interviews will be held in person at our Chelmsford office.