Youth worker : Employers and vacancy sources

Youth workers are employed in the public sector through local authority provision or via public sector organisations and charities. The principal employers are:

• local authorities (including the new Integrated Youth Support Services (IYSS));
• voluntary organisations such as the YMCA  and Barnardo's ;
• schools and colleges;
• housing associations;
• Connexions ;
• churches and community or faith groups;
• drug and alcohol services;
• Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) (see the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales );
• social services;
• the National Health Service. 

There is a steady demand for trained youth workers as a result of the development of government policies aimed at helping disengaged young people address issues such as truancy, crime, and drug abuse. Many initiatives involve multi-agency projects. The youth service itself, however, is not a statutory agency, and all participation by young people is voluntary.

Sources of vacancies

Search graduate jobs on this site.

• Children & Young People Now Jobs  
• jobsgopublic  
• Local Government Jobs  
• Community Care  
• TBI Jobs  
• Guardian Jobs  
• The Herald  
• The Scotsman   

To find voluntary opportunities in youth work, see the Volunteering England , Volunteer Scotland , Volunteering Wales  or Volunteer Now  (Northern Ireland) websites.  The Voluntary Agencies Directory also has contact details for over 2,000 voluntary and community sector organisations in the UK.

Recruitment agencies rarely handle vacancies.

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