Senior Children and Young People's Link Worker
| Posting date: | 13 February 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £28,124.46 to £37,117.07 per year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 28 February 2026 |
| Location: | Melksham, Wiltshire |
| Remote working: | On-site only |
| Company: | Barnardo's |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 22490 |
Summary
Barnardo's, in partnership with NHS Oxford Health Trust, are seeking a suitably qualified and highly motivated full time Senior Link Worker to join a service in Wiltshire. The Senior Link worker will work as part of a team of Link workers, alongside Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) to offer non-clinical support to children and young people, including:
1:1 and group support for wellbeing
Social prescribing and community navigation
Community and school-based support
Advice and guidance, including self-help
This role offers a unique opportunity to work within both the Barnardo's framework and under an honorary NHS contract, contributing to the wellbeing of the community's youth. Senior Link Workers will be adaptable and flexible to the needs of children and young people, offering support in places and spaces across Wiltshire. CAMHS offices are located in Melksham, Marlborough and Salisbury; successful candidates will be based primarily in Melksham and Marborough.
Successful candidates will have experience in line management and will provide supervision and guidance to the volunteer workforce.
Person Specification
Essential Criteria
Qualifications:
Qualification in a relevant field such as Youth Work, Psychology, Education, Social Care or equivalent.
Willingness to complete Social Prescribing – Learning for Link Workers Training.
Experience:
Demonstrable experience working with children, young people, and families in a mental health or social care setting.
Proven ability to conduct assessments, develop support plans, and provide advocacy for vulnerable individuals.
Experience in establishing and maintaining effective partnerships with external agencies and professionals.
Experience in line management.
Knowledge:
Understanding of child and adolescent mental health issues, including common disorders, symptoms, and the role of the CAMHS Link Worker.
Familiarity with safeguarding protocols and procedures, ensuring the welfare of children and young people.
Knowledge of local community resources, mental health support services, and referral pathways.
Understanding of the positive impact of the volunteer workforce.
Skills:
Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to engage diverse audiences.
Strong interpersonal skills, enabling effective collaboration with multidisciplinary teams and external stakeholders.
Organisational skills to manage caseloads, documentation, and reporting requirements efficiently.
IT proficiency, including experience with relevant software for recording and reporting purposes.
Personal Attributes:
Compassionate and empathetic approach to supporting the mental health needs of children, young people, and families.
Ability to work autonomously and make sound decisions within established guidelines.
Flexible and adaptable, capable of responding to changing priorities and demands effectively.
Commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion, promoting a culture of respect and understanding.
Desirable Criteria:
Experience working within the CAMHS or similar mental health services.
Experience of supporting a team of volunteers, offering support, guidance and supervision, and maintaining up to date volunteer records.
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.
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
1:1 and group support for wellbeing
Social prescribing and community navigation
Community and school-based support
Advice and guidance, including self-help
This role offers a unique opportunity to work within both the Barnardo's framework and under an honorary NHS contract, contributing to the wellbeing of the community's youth. Senior Link Workers will be adaptable and flexible to the needs of children and young people, offering support in places and spaces across Wiltshire. CAMHS offices are located in Melksham, Marlborough and Salisbury; successful candidates will be based primarily in Melksham and Marborough.
Successful candidates will have experience in line management and will provide supervision and guidance to the volunteer workforce.
Person Specification
Essential Criteria
Qualifications:
Qualification in a relevant field such as Youth Work, Psychology, Education, Social Care or equivalent.
Willingness to complete Social Prescribing – Learning for Link Workers Training.
Experience:
Demonstrable experience working with children, young people, and families in a mental health or social care setting.
Proven ability to conduct assessments, develop support plans, and provide advocacy for vulnerable individuals.
Experience in establishing and maintaining effective partnerships with external agencies and professionals.
Experience in line management.
Knowledge:
Understanding of child and adolescent mental health issues, including common disorders, symptoms, and the role of the CAMHS Link Worker.
Familiarity with safeguarding protocols and procedures, ensuring the welfare of children and young people.
Knowledge of local community resources, mental health support services, and referral pathways.
Understanding of the positive impact of the volunteer workforce.
Skills:
Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to engage diverse audiences.
Strong interpersonal skills, enabling effective collaboration with multidisciplinary teams and external stakeholders.
Organisational skills to manage caseloads, documentation, and reporting requirements efficiently.
IT proficiency, including experience with relevant software for recording and reporting purposes.
Personal Attributes:
Compassionate and empathetic approach to supporting the mental health needs of children, young people, and families.
Ability to work autonomously and make sound decisions within established guidelines.
Flexible and adaptable, capable of responding to changing priorities and demands effectively.
Commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion, promoting a culture of respect and understanding.
Desirable Criteria:
Experience working within the CAMHS or similar mental health services.
Experience of supporting a team of volunteers, offering support, guidance and supervision, and maintaining up to date volunteer records.
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.
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
Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme
Disability Confident
About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.