Upstream Practitioner

Contract:Fixed Term,2 year contract

Term-time Role (41 weeks total, 39 term time plus 2 additional weeks), 37.5 hours per week

Salary:Term-time salary – £20,173 - £24,632(plus paid annual leave)

Location: Manchester based school

Closing Date:24thAugust 2026

Interviews will be held w/c 14th September
2026

Centrepoint, the UK’s leading youth homelessness charity, is looking for apassionate and proactive Upstream Practitioner
to join our Team based in Manchester.

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 in order to get them 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.

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, and young people, you will support early intervention and prevention activities, ensuring that young people at risk receive the help they need before reaching crisis point.

This is a term-time position, working 37.5 hours per week and based within a school setting in Manchester. The role is offered on a 41-week working pattern, comprising 39 weeks during term time plus 2 additional weeks. As this is a term-time role, annual leave is paid in addition to the salary rather than being taken separately.

• Delivering a school-based early intervention programme aimed at preventing youth homelessness
• Administering the Upstream Survey to students aged 11–16 to help identify hidden risk factors
• Managing and maintaining a caseload of young people, carrying out holistic assessments to understand their wellbeing, relationships, and home life, working proactively with them and their families before issues escalates to crisis point
• Leading and delivering workshops and providing early intervention support focused on emotional wellbeing, resilience, healthy relationships, and independent living skills
• Working closely with schools, families, and community services to support sustained positive outcomes
• Collecting, monitoring, and recording impact data to track progress and support continuous improvement

• Experience supporting children, young people, and families in a preventative or early intervention context
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to build trusted relationships with young people, families, and professionals
• Strong skills in completing risk assessments and managing safeguarding concerns and be committed to safeguarding and trauma-informed practices
• 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
• A relevant qualification in Family Mediation, Social Work, or a related field is desirable

In return for your efforts, you’ll receive a competitive salary, excellent training and development, and a host of staff benefits including:

• 25 days of annual leave per year, rising by one day per year to a maximum of 27 days. Term-time roles do not include annual leave. Instead, the annual leave is paid in addition to the salary.
• Healthcare cash plan (Cover the costs of a wide range of medical treatment including Dental, Optical,Complementary and Alternative therapies).
• Private Medical insurance
• Income protection
• Employer pension contributions of 5%
• Access to 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…