Community development worker : Employers and vacancy sources

The most common employers of community development workers are:

• voluntary sector organisations;
• local authorities;
• community education;
• rural community councils;
• social services;
• housing associations;
• NHS trusts.

With reduced state provision (e.g. reduced benefit entitlement for young people, care in the community and general socio-economic changes), the need for community development workers has increased. The shift in recent years from central government funding to project-based funding, distributed by rounds of bidding, has led to an increase in workers employed on a short-term basis by voluntary sector organisations. There are also signs that central government is looking toward the voluntary unpaid sector for managing community projects and this might affect future funding.

Organisations within the voluntary sector are varied and include community associations, women's groups, environmental groups, children's charities, homeless projects, shelters, churches and other faith groups, and health and mental health organisations. Because of the broad remit of community work, a community development worker could be employed by any of these organisations doing a variety of different types of work.

Sources of vacancies

• Guardian Jobs  
• New Statesman
• The Big Issue
• The Voluntary Agencies Directory 
• Social Services Yearbook
• The Herald
• The Scotsman
• Local Government Jobs
• Regional and local press.
• Local authority vacancy bulletins.
• The ethnic press.

Specialist recruitment agencies handle vacancies but many community organisations would not use employment agencies on ethical and/or cost grounds.

Get tips on job hunting, CVs and covering letters and interviews.