Most outreach roles trap you behind a desk or shuffle you through surface-level support that barely scratches the surface of real change. This is different: you'll be out in the community building genuine relationships with young people and care leavers who need someone who actually gets it, helping them find their feet in education, employment and independent living. If you've got a car, a driving licence, and the kind of heart that can't walk past someone struggling, this could be the role that reminds you why you got into this work in the first place
Picture this: you arrive at a young person's flat on a Tuesday morning. They're 19, care-experienced, and three months ago they couldn't see a way forward. Today you're helping them fill in a college application. Last week you attended their benefits review meeting with their social worker. The week before that you sat with them through a difficult conversation about their mental health and helped them connect with the right counselling service. You're not just ticking boxes - you're witnessing real progress, and they know you believe in them
The caseload here is genuinely diverse. You might support a 17-year-old care leaver one day, an unaccompanied asylum-seeking young person another, and a mother and baby placement the next. Some of the people on your list are managing complex mental health challenges like psychosis or autism. Some have been in the care system their whole lives. Every single one needs someone steady, someone who knows how to de-escalate, someone who can help them access the services they actually need - not just tell them where to find them
You'll be building independent living skills from the ground up: supporting budgeting, helping with tenancy agreements, accompanying people to appointments, writing detailed assessments that actually capture where someone is and where they're heading. You'll liaise with social workers, healthcare practitioners, and other professionals who care about these young people. And because you've got access to a vehicle and you're willing to travel across the Manchester area, you'll be the consistent presence they can rely on
What you will be doing
- Manage your own caseload of young people and care leavers, building independent living skills and helping them move towards greater autonomy
- Attend meetings with social workers, healthcare practitioners and other professionals, actively participating and contributing your frontline insight
- Write detailed reports that assess each person's independent living skills and progress, painting a true picture of where they are
- Carry out weekly inspections of service users' properties, checking in and identifying any support needs early
- Support young people to access and maintain education or employment, and signpost them to mental health services, drug rehabilitation, counselling and other support as needed
- De-escalate challenging situations with calm, experienced presence and promote physical, mental and emotional wellbeing
Why you will love working here
- Competitive salary of £26,829.86 per year for permanent, full-time work
- The chance to work with a provider that's been doing this for 25 years, has supported over 24,000 people, and still measures success by real transformation - not spreadsheets
- A diverse, experienced team of over 300 people across the service who understand the complexity of this work and genuinely support each other
- The opportunity to develop your skills and gain recognised qualifications while doing frontline work that matters
- Genuine autonomy: you'll manage your own caseload and make real decisions about the support young people need, not deliver a predetermined script
Is this you?
- You have real experience supporting young people, families or individuals to gain independence - you've done this work before and you know what it actually looks like
- You hold a full driving licence, have your own vehicle insured for business use, and you're genuinely prepared to travel across the Manchester area - this isn't optional, it's core to the role
- You have thorough knowledge of safeguarding vulnerable children and young people, and you take it seriously
- You're either qualified to NVQ Level 3 in Health and Social Care or you're genuinely willing to work towards it while you're in the role
- You're computer literate and comfortable writing detailed reports and managing admin
- You've got the interpersonal skills to build trust with young people who've often been let down before
Applications close on 12 October 2026. Great roles like this are filled quickly, so the sooner you apply the better.
Safeguarding: We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. All roles are subject to an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory references.