Co-Production and Participation Lead

Hours: Full-Time 37 hours per week
Contract: Permanent
Closing Date: 1 st November 2026
Interview Date: 9 th November 2026

Every role at North Kent Mind contributes to improving mental health and wellbeing outcomes for people and communities across Dartford, Gravesham, Swanley and Medway. By working together to deliver high-quality, person-centred support, we help ensure that people experiencing mental health challenges receive the support and respect they deserve.

North Kent Mind is an independent mental health charity supporting people living in Dartford, Gravesham, Swanley and Medway.

We provide a wide range of services that help improve mental health and wellbeing, including counselling, community support, children and young people’s services, wellbeing programmes and employment-related support.

Our vision is that everyone experiencing a mental health problem receives the support and respect they deserve. We are committed to delivering high-quality, person-centred services that make a meaningful difference in our local communities.

We are seeking an experienced and motivated The Co-production and Participation Lead to join our team. Reporting to Lived Experience Manager, this role will play a key part in coordinating the development and delivery of meaningful participation and co-production activity across North Kent Mind’s Children and Young People’s Services and the Medway Therapeutic Alliance (MTA). Contribute to the continued success and sustainability of North Kent Mind.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone who wants to combine professional expertise with meaningful social impact while helping shape the future of mental health support across North Kent.

Whether working directly with people accessing our services or supporting the teams who deliver them, you will be part of an organisation committed to improving mental health and wellbeing across North Kent.

The successful candidate will:
Lead the planning, coordination and delivery of co-production and participation activity across North Kent Mind CYP Services and MTA partner organisations, aligned with organisational priorities and contract requirements.

Ensure children, young people, parents, carers and families have meaningful opportunities to influence service design, delivery, evaluation, governance and continuous improvement.

Develop and maintain a range of participation opportunities, including co-production panels, advisory groups, focus groups, consultations, creative engagement activities, service reviews, recruitment processes and governance forums.

Recruit, support and engage a diverse range of children, young people and families, ensuring the inclusion of underrepresented and seldom-heard groups.

Promote inclusive, accessible and trauma-informed participation practices that remove barriers to involvement.

Support children and young people to build confidence, skills and leadership through training, mentoring, feedback and recognition, and help create pathways into volunteering, training and employment opportunities where appropriate.

Embed a robust “You Said, We Did” approach, ensuring contributors understand how their involvement has influenced decisions, developments and outcomes, and that evidence of impact is captured and reported.

Provide guidance and support to colleagues and partner organisations to build confidence, skills and consistency in co-production practice.

The successful candidate will have:

• Relevant experience in participation, co-production, youth engagement, community development, mental health, social care, education or a related field.
• Relevant qualification or equivalent experience in youth work, participation, co-production,…