Upstream Practitioner

Contract: Fixed-term, two-year contract Hours: Term time only, 37.5 hours per week, working 41 weeks per year — 39 term-time weeks plus two additional weeks Salary: £26,403.93-£32,238.68  per year, including paid annual leave.  Location: Based within a Manchester school Closing date:  Monday 16th November 2026 Interviews:  Week commencing 23rd November 2026 Centrepoint, the UK’s leading youth homelessness charity, is looking for a passionate and proactive Upstream Practitioner to join our team based in Manchester. About us Centrepoint is the UK’s leading youth homelessness charity. We help vulnerable young people by giving them the practical and emotional support they need to find a job and live independently. We provide homeless young people with accommodation, mental health support and life skills to help them get back into education, training and employment. We want to end youth homelessness by 2037. Together with our partners, we support over 16,000 young people each year. The Role We have an exciting opportunity for an Upstream Practitioner to join our Policy and Prevention Directorate on a fixed-term, two-year contract. This school-based role will report to the Senior Upstream Practitioner and play a key part in delivering our pre-16 prevention pilot, helping to identify and address the root causes of youth homelessness. Working closely with colleagues, school staff, children and their families, you will support early intervention and prevention activities, ensuring that children at risk receive the help they need before reaching crisis point. You will join Upstream at an important stage in its development. Alongside delivering direct support, you will contribute to a wider Quasi-Experimental Design (QED) evaluation, helping us build robust evidence about the impact of early intervention on young people’s risk of homelessness and other outcomes. Through high-quality data collection, monitoring outcomes and delivering the intervention consistently, you will help shape our understanding of what works in preventing youth homelessness. This is a term-time position, working 37.5 hours per week within a Manchester school. The role follows a 41-week working pattern, comprising 39 term-time weeks plus two additional weeks. The advertised annual salary reflects this working pattern and includes paid annual leave. What you’ll be doing… Delivering a school-based early intervention programme aimed at preventing youth homelessness, ensuring a consistent approach that supports the wider evaluation. Administering the Upstream Survey to children aged 11–16 to help identify hidden risk factors. Managing and maintaining a caseload of children and families, carrying out holistic assessments to understand children’s wellbeing, relationships and home life, and working proactively with them and their families before issues escalate to crisis point. Working closely with schools, families and community services to support sustained positive outcomes. Collecting and recording high-quality data, monitoring outcomes and tracking progress to support the QED evaluation and continuous service improvement. What we’re looking for Experience supporting children and families in a support role. Excellent communication skills and the ability to build trusted relationships with children, families and professionals. Strong skills in completing risk assessments and managing safeguarding concerns, alongside a commitment to safeguarding and trauma-informed practice. Knowledge of local services and referral pathways. Ability to work independently within a school-based environment while collaborating with partner agencies. Interest in using data and evaluation to inform and improve practice, with a commitment to accurate recording and consistent service delivery. A relevant qualification in Family Mediation, Social Work or a related field is desirable. Why join Centrepoint? In return for your efforts, you’ll receive a competitive salary, excellent training and development, and a host of staff benefits, including: Paid annual leave included in the advertised term-time salary. Healthcare cash plan covering a wide range of medical treatments, including dental, optical, complementary and alternative therapies. Private medical insurance. Income protection. Employer pension contributions of 5%. Access to the Cycle 2 Work loan scheme. An interest-free travel loan. At Centrepoint we challenge the discrimination within society that contributes to youth homelessness, and we are just as committed to fairness and equality within Centrepoint itself. We are passionate about ensuring all of our colleagues are made to feel included in the work we do and that we value the rich diversity within the organisation. We are an equal opportunities employer and we welcome applications regardless of sex, gender, race, age, belief in any religion and none, gender identity, ethnic origin, class, sexuality, nationality, appearance, unrelated criminal activities, disability, responsibility for dependents, part-time or shift workers, being HIV positive or living with AIDS, lived experience of homelessness or using young people’s services and any other matter which causes a person to be treated with injustice. Centrepoint’s policy is to recruit, employ and promote people on the basis of their suitability for the work to be performed, and to this end, our aim is to ensure that all applicants, employees and volunteers receive equal treatment. Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity to join our team as an Upstream Practitioner — click ‘Apply’ now!