Job Description

Young Persons Practitioner

Salary: £27,500 per annum (£16,722 pro-rata)

Location: Ferndown, Dorset

Contract/Hours:2-year fixed term contract– 22.5 hours per week typically worked over 3 days.

Benefits:

• 29 days annual leave plus bank holidays and options to buy or sell leave (pro-rata for part-time)
• Flexible maternity, adoption, and paternity packages
• Pension with up to 7%  matched employer contribution with included life assurance cover
• Blue Light Card eligibility with 15,000 national retailers discounts
• We are a Real Living Wage accredited employer  

Why Action for Children?

We are one of the largest children’s charities in the UK and have been making a difference to the lives of the UK’s vulnerable children for over 150 years.  

Find out more about Action for Children here: Action for Children and on LinkedIn, Facebook or YouTube to get to know us better.

The difference is what you do. You can learn more about why we do it, by checking out our 'Driven by Love' video.

About the Service

Dorset Nightstop offers emergency, same‑night accommodation for young people aged 16–25 who are homeless or at immediate risk of homelessness.

Stays take place in the homes of trained volunteer hosts, providing a safe, calm environment at a point of crisis. Many young people arrive following family breakdown or the loss of supported or private accommodation. Others face challenges linked to mental health, domestic abuse, exploitation, or structural issues such as poverty and overcrowding.

The service not only provides a safe bed for the night but also acts as a stabilising point of contact, helping young people move toward securing long‑term housing.

A bit about the role

The Young Persons Practitioner provides practical, hands‑on support to young people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

Working as part of a small, supportive team, the practitioner will help with initial needs assessment and decisions ahead of hosting a young person with volunteer hosts. They will help to oversee the young person’s time staying with Nightstop, including liaising with volunteers to confirm availability and making decisions about where a young person will stay.

The practitioner will work more intensively with individual young people to help with life skills and supporting them to overcome difficulties they are experiencing.

This role operates with close partnership working with specialist services, while travelling across Dorset to meet young people on a regular basis.

The role is home-based with travel required to an office in Ferndown, and other areas across Dorset (mileage and time from your home in Dorset is recompensed).

How you’ll help to create brighter futures

• Work with young people to help them manage finances, access education or employment, engage with specialist services, and explore safe move‑on options.
• Encourage young people to develop confidence, life skills, and positive routines.
• Represent their needs in meetings and ensure their voices influence decisions.
• Liaise with social care, housing teams, health professionals, probation, and education providers to ensure young people receive joined‑up support
• Help young people move from crisis accommodation into stable, longer‑term housing or support services.
• Travel to meet young people, hosts, and professionals, attend occasional out‑of‑hours events, and contribute to the on‑call rota where agreed.

Let’s talk about you

• NVQ Level 3 in Youth Work, Health & Social Care, or an equivalent qualification.
• Proven ability working with young people facing crisis, homelessness, or complex needs.
• Able to build trust, liaise with partners, and advocate effectively.
• Confident managing a varied caseload, prioritising tasks, and working flexibly.
• Full driving licence and transport for travelling across Dorset to meet young people and hosts

Good to know

Please note we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role

Interviews to be held 11 June 2026

Contact: recruitmentservice@actionforchildren.org.uk quoting reference 13152. We'll be happy to give you any support you require.

Diversity, equality and inclusion 

At Action for Children, we're dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace. We  actively  encourage  applications from Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic and disabled candidates as they are under-represented within Action for Children. We want to takedeliberate and purposeful action to ensure equal opportunity to all groups in society and for Action for Children.  

Want to know more about Action for Children? 

Find us on  Linkedin,  Facebook or  YouTube to get to know us better.

Job description

See below for further information about working with us:

Action for Children Employee Benefits

AfC Commitment Statement