Development Officer – Therapeutic Practice & Service Standards
Home-based (UK) with occasional national travel
About Us
At Family Action, we transform lives by providing practical, emotional, and financial support to those experiencing poverty, disadvantage, and social isolation.
Since 1869, we have been building stronger families, and today, we work with over 60,000 families across more than 150 community-based services. We also support thousands more through national programmes and grants, ensuring everyone has the tools to overcome challenges and thrive.
We are now undertaking an ambitious organisation-wide programme to strengthen and unify standards, governance and workforce expectations across all counselling and psychotherapy services. Bringing together clinical leads, service managers and senior practitioners, the Therapeutic Practice & Service Standards Development Programme is helping shape consistent, high-quality therapeutic practice across the organisation.
We are now looking for a Development Officer to join us on a part-time basis, working 22.5 hours per week for an 18 month fixed-term contract.
The Benefits
- Salary of £32,635 FTE per annum, rising to £36,158 FTE per annum (Pro-rated £19,581 to £21,694.80)
- Additional £480 per year home-based allowance
- An annual paid leave entitlement of 30 working days plus bank holidays
- Up to 6% matched-pension contributions
- Flexible working arrangements and new starters have the right to make flexible working requests from day one of employment
- Enhanced paid sick leave and paid family leave provisions
- Eye care and winter flu jabs vouchers
- Cycle to work scheme
- Investing in your professional development with ongoing quality training and career development opportunities
This is an exciting opportunity for a project or service development professional with experience drafting or co-ordinating policies, frameworks or guidance development to join our nationally respected charity.
You will have the chance to play a pivotal role in our ambitious organisation-wide programme, building valuable expertise while helping shape the future of therapeutic practice and clinical standards.
And, with a part-time schedule of just 22.5 hours per week and a fully home-based setup, you’ll have the flexibility to shape your work around life’s priorities, creating a healthier balance without compromising on career fulfilment or meaningful work.
The Role
As a Development Officer, you will support the delivery of our Therapeutic Practice & Service Standards Development Programme, helping strengthen and unify standards, frameworks and guidance across our counselling and psychotherapy services.
Working closely with senior clinical leads, service managers and therapeutic teams, you will help co-ordinate governance processes, consultations and multi-stakeholder working groups that support consistent, high-quality therapeutic practice across the organisation.
You will also contribute to the drafting and refinement of policies, supervision models and workforce standards, while supporting research synthesis, implementation guidance and workforce monitoring to help strengthen and unify practice standards across our therapeutic services.
Additionally, you will:
- Maintain project plans, action logs, risk registers and dependency maps
- Support reporting to governance forums and senior stakeholders
- Co-ordinate feedback processes, consultations and document version control
- Support the development of practical tools, templates and implementation resources
- Maintain workforce registration and membership tracking data
- Co-ordinate learning events, workshops and briefing materials
About You
To be considered as a Development Officer, you will need:
- Strong project management or service development experience
- Experience drafting or co-ordinating policies, frameworks or guidance
- Strong written communication skills, including report and guidance writing
- The ability to analyse and synthesise information from multiple sources
- The ability to build positive relationships with clinical and operational leaders
- A relevant degree or equivalent experience in a related sector, such as counselling, social care, mental health, clinical governance or service development
The closing date for this role is 21st June 2026.
Other organisations may call this role Service Development Officer, Clinical Governance Officer, Therapeutic Services Co-ordinator, Counselling Services Officer, Mental Health Project Officer, or Clinical Standards Officer.
Our Commitment to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion:
We are happy to consider any reasonable adjustments that candidates may need during the recruitment process, and you will be asked whether you require any adjustments if shortlisted for an interview. We also make reasonable adjustments on the job, where required.
We are committed to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion in all that we do and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Intersectionality is important to us, and we particularly welcome applications from ethnically diverse communities, LGBTQIA+ candidates and disabled candidates because we are committed to increasing the representation of these groups at Family Action. We know that greater diversity will lead to even greater results for families and children, and we strive for our workforce to be truly representative of the diverse communities we support. We offer a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the role, and we will reimburse your travel costs if you attend an interview in person.
So, if you’re ready to step into a role with real impact as a Development Officer, please apply via the button shown. This vacancy is being advertised by Webrecruit. The services advertised by Webrecruit are those of an Employment Agency