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Are you looking for a new opportunity for 2026?

Can you build positive, supportive relationships with young people in a group setting and help them grow in confidence?

Are you passionate about creating safe, supportive spaces where young people can build confidence and try new experiences?

Do you enjoy connecting with young people and supporting them to feel confident and included in group activities?

If the answer is yes, this could be the role for you!

Our partnership with the Co-op is an exciting, innovative project where we are aiming to support over 1 million young people, aged 10-25 years across the UK. Together, we're supporting belonging, reducing division, and helping create communities that are safer, kinder and more inclusive for young people

We are recruiting two dynamic Youth Support Workers, who can support us to deliver our Co-op Partnership service in Aberdeen– a service that has been designed by young people, for young people.

We're looking for someone who can support us in delivering our regular youth session, The Hangout, designed to support and improve young people's mental wellbeing, access to food through food/cooking activities and develop skills and confidence. The group is currently facilitated on Tuesdays after school. We have up to 60 young people attending this session at any one time and we're incredibly proud of how this session has developed and grown.

There will be further opportunities to support the team with delivering weekly sessions in schools as well as supporting the team at local events.

If successful, in return for your commitment, you will be supported with meaningful and supportive 1:1's, ongoing personal development and opportunities to make positive change in young people's lives.

We are looking for applicants who are:

Confident and creative in engaging and working alongside young people aged between 10-25 years.
Inclusive, kind and non-judgemental in their approach to engaging with young people.
Able to provide emotional and practical support to young people, in line with safeguarding policies and procedures.
Flexible to work evenings and weekends where required to meet the needs of the service.

Fixed term until 31 August 2026.

For an informal chat about the role, please contact Nicola Williams, Children's Service Manager, Nicola.Williams2@barnardos.org.uk

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

Pay & Reward Framework

We appreciate our colleagues' dedication and their commitment to delivering excellence in the vital work we do, 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.

We are committed to a rounded colleague experience with an approach to both pay and rewards that are fair, attractive, and progressive. This is in support of our strategic ambition to ensure Barnardo's is a place everyone can belong, grow and thrive.

The salary range advertised is in line with our pay principles, for consistency and fairness while recognising the skills and experience applicants bring to the role. Appointing salaries can be discussed further at appointment stage; we do seek to appoint within this range always exercising responsible stewardship.

Benefits

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
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.

Our basis and values