• Are you looking for a new challenge?
• Do you want to be part of a new and exciting project?

Barnardo’s is seeking to recruit an experienced Children’s Service Manager for it’s new Ubuntu project and also to manage it’s Refugee  support and Irish Traveller services.

Ubuntu “I am because we are” is an exciting new project funded by The National Lottery Community Fund and delivered by Barnardo’s.

Ubuntu will be managed by Barnardo’s Northern Ireland and delivered in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Hertfordshire.

Aims of the Ubuntu Project 

• Ensure that providers work together jointly across geographies, sharing aims, information, tasks and responsibilities to prevent problems arising which may impact on the health and educational outcomes of children from a sanctuary-seeking background.
• Support the positive integration of families from a sanctuary-seeking background using a community development approach and providing training and support.
• Support parents from a sanctuary-seeking background to develop positive parenting skills that will reduce the risk of poor health and educational outcomes in their child.
• Identify systemic issues impacting negatively on families seeking sanctuary which can be addressed through devolved structures and working with local and regional government agencies to effect change.
• Identify systemic issues impacting negatively on families seeking sanctuary which are reserved matters and advocate to effect change at national level.
• Ensure that young people’s voices are heard by decision makers and inform policy and strategy in the sector.
• Ensure that the practice models developed in NI are effectively implemented in Scotland and Central England with the learning from the project is disseminated across the partnership.

Refugee Support Service

Established in 2015 as part of the UK Vulnerable Person Relocation Scheme, NIRSS works in partnership with local statutory and voluntary organisations co-ordinated through the NI Executive Office and the Home Office to support the integration of families who have fled conflicts and arrived in Northern Ireland through government schemes.  The service is currently supporting those who have arrived from Syria, Ukraine and Afghanistan.

Irish Travellers Service

Barnardo’s NI has been working with Irish Travellers since 1993.  The Travellers Early Years’ Service provides home based family support to Traveller families. The service also delivers the Travellers Transition Service. This service is a year-long programme for Traveller young people as they transition from primary to post primary.

25 hours of this post will be for the Ubuntu Project which is funded until 31st Dec 2028.

12 hours are for the Refugee and Travellers Service.

Please make sure you demonstrate how you meet the following essential criteria in your application:

• Qualification to degree level or equivalent in Youth and Community Work, Community Development, Teaching, Social Work or other relevant degree
• Demonstrable experience of developing and leading projects including supervision of staff
• Demonstrable experience of working with networks of agencies in the children and family sector
• Demonstrable experience of managing complex budgets and reporting to funders
• Demonstrable experience of setting up, managing, monitoring and evaluating projects
• Understanding of the issues affecting ethnic minority families in Northern Ireland and the UK
• Experience of influencing and advocating for change
• Demonstrate you can meet the travel requirements required for the role

A waiting list may be held for similar roles.

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

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

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.