Job Information
Achieving for Children is a Community Interest Company that has a public sector ethos, combined with the freedom to innovate enabling us to do things differently. As a not-for-profit social enterprise owned by three local authorities (Windsor & Maidenhead, Kingston and Richmond), we offer the freedoms of a social enterprise with the employment benefits of local government. To find out more about us .
Participation Worker
We're proud to announce that AfC's Children's Services in Richmond have been awarded an Outstanding rating by Ofsted. This places Richmond alongside Kingston, which also holds an Outstanding rating, as a top-performing service. Our separately inspected Fostering Service has achieved a strong ‘Good’ rating, recognising our skilled and dedicated fostering workforce.
Come work with a skilled, stable workforce and be part of an organization that's truly making a difference.
The SEND Participation Team is dedicated to facilitating comprehensive engagement of children and young individuals with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Our efforts are centred on providing accessible information, promoting active and meaningful dialogue, and integrating their perspectives into decision-making and strategic planning processes, spanning both individual and broader operational contexts. Aligned with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, our approach is firmly grounded in a rights-based framework.
This is a part time position and salary advertised will be calculated pro-rata when offered.
Operational area Kingston and Richmond Primary place of work Moor Lane, KT9 Appointment type Permanent Business area Health Services Full time/Part time Part-time Salary from £40,182 (SCP26) Salary to £42,771 (SCP29) Hours 15 Estimated Interview date/s w/c 30/03/2026 Closing Date 15/03/2026 Ref No 2253 Documents
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About the role
The role of the SEND Participation Worker entails direct engagement with children and young individuals, serving as a central figure in fostering direct youth involvement. This role extends to collaborating with professionals throughout the organisation on various participation initiatives. Through cooperation with both external and internal stakeholders, the aim is to integrate participation practices comprehensively. A pivotal responsibility of this role involves daily interaction with young people and assuming a leadership role in overseeing our recruits' crew programme. Recruits Crew programme is the young people's recruitment process of key members of staff working with children and young people. The post holder will be expected to:
2. Maintain and improve the participatory support and mechanism
3. Recruit, nurture, and guide young participation members while also conceptualising opportunities that encompass a diverse range of children and youth
4. Champion and support engagement of young people in decision making
5. Contribute to the wider development and plans of participation/engagement across AfC
6. Champion diversity and equality in all aspects of service delivery; demonstrate confident application of ethical reasoning to professional practice
7. Ensure the collection and dissemination of children and young people's viewpoints to professionals
For further information about this role, please contact Caroline Faerber for an informal discussion.
About you
The successful candidate will be:
8. Educated to A level or equivalent (essential)
9. Youth work qualification (desirable)
10. Experience in working with young people, some knowledge around recruitment
11. Knowledge and understanding of a wide range of communication methods and strategies, and be able to support other professionals to communicate effectively
12. Experience working with children and young people with SEND. Be an advocate for children and young people with SEND and support them in communicating their needs and input
About our benefits
We are focused on creating a positive supportive environment, where you will have access to a really wide range of resources, as well as a competitive salary and all the perks to enable hybrid working. In AfC you will also have access to:
13. 29 days annual leave, increasing to 33 days after 2 years and 35 days after 4 years with an additional day off in your birthday month (Or for term-time workers, your leave entitlement consists of the non-working periods in your contract)
14. Tailored induction sessions commencing on the date you start working for AfC
15. Local Government salary and pension scheme (LGPS or Teachers Pension)
16. Flexible working options - helping to keep a good work life balance
17. A comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme
18. A range of staff benefits and discounts
19. An excellent learning and development offer to support your career pathway
To find out about all of the breadth of benefits of working for Achieving for Children. For our social work offer. For our Recruitment Journey,
Important Information
Start dates: Achieving for Children have meaning successful candidates join on a set date in each month. Candidates are advised to prepare for this should a job offer be accepted to ensure eligible continuous service is not affected.
Right to work: The UK has introduced a new points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the for right to work guidance.
Equality: We particularly welcome applications from sections of the community who are currently underrepresented within our teams. Achieving for Children are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions and can improve the way we deliver services. We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer.
Safeguarding: We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you complete and return your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.