Why work for us
A charity working hard to change the lives of families with complex difficulties.
The people who work with us are passionate about what they do – whether it’s in our residential houses or out in the community with young parents.
A charity with big ideas
From our radical roots we have shifted, changed and grown into an organisation that embraces people from all backgrounds. But making sure children have the brightest possible future remains at the heart of our work.
We are a smaller charity but we make a huge difference to the people we work with. The families we help come in many shapes and sizes, all with different problems and needs.
Benefit from our expertise and our training
The charity itself is like a big family with many of the senior team leaders being with us for over 10 or 20 years (our director’s been working here since 1973). Most have worked their way up. They are bursting with knowledge and experience when it comes to issues around child protection and supporting young parents.
Our specialist knowledge includes issues around teen domestic violence, emotional resilience and working with young dads.
Over the years we’ve built up a brilliant network with universities and academics carrying out research in areas of child protection and social care and offering teaching.
We offer all members of staff the opportunity to expand their knowledge and skillset with training throughout the year. From Anti-Racism workshops, to trauma-informed practice. There may also be opportunities to take a course that may further support your work, with one of our Young Parent Practitioners (Ayoola) recently completing a Diploma in Narrative Therapy in December 2023 and receiving a distinction!
As a member of several important networks such as The Teenage Pregnancy Knowledge Exchange and LEAP Lambeth Early Action Partnership, our work has national influence on policy and practice.
We offer Newly Qualified Social Workers (NQSWs) the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE) programme. The ASYE is a twelve month, employer-led programme. It offers support and assessment set against the Knowledge and Skills Statement for social workers in children and adult services. It provides planned access to regular and focused support and development within the workplace. Plus the assessment of individual professional practice against national standards.
Taking part in the ASYE supports newly qualified social workers to
- consolidate their degree learning,
- develop capability
- strengthen their professional confidence in an employment environment.
We’ve been involved in the ASYE programme from the beginning and supported a number of NQSW staff through the programme.
After an initial three month induction, ASYE participants receive 1:1 reflective supervision, protected development time and ASYE practitioner support groups.
We need people with ideas
We are innovators, working at the hard edge of child protection and stopping childhood adversity and trauma by working with young mums and dads. We are always looking for new ways of working, teaching and talking with families and young parents.
Being smaller, we can move fast, be dynamic and try out new ideas.
Sometimes families leave our residential houses with their children. Heartbreakingly, even when they have tried their hardest, this doesnt always happen because it’s not safe for the child. We know that leaving our assessment centre is just the start of another journey for these parents and we do our best to prepare them for it.
Tough work with incredible rewards
A lot of what we do is tough work but the rewards are plenty. Knowing that you are part of a team helping parents be the best they can be; helping parents, who might themselves suffered from neglect and abuse break the cycle is a pretty amazing feeling.
Not just for social workers
St Michael’s offers those looking for careers in social care a solid foundation to work from. But we’re also looking for people who have worked with children and/or parents and who have a wide range of experience and knowledge – educators, artists, and psychologists, for example, who can bring different perspectives to our work and help support families with complex needs.
And, we want people to grow and develop with us. So we offer plenty of structured training and support along the way.
Our work is needed more than ever
Our work with young parents is needed more than ever, as poverty, adversity and trauma disproportionally affects young mums, dads and their children. We understand the importance of co-parenting. Jigsaw – Our family contact centre is helping keep families together, making sure children have the chance to spend time with both parents, and the other important people in their lives.
Work with us and you will also be making a difference to their lives and helping us break the intergenerational cycle of poverty and neglect.
More in About Us
What we do
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Professionals
Professionals can refer parents into all our services.
Parents
Parents can sign-up themselves for our outreach young parents support or Caring Dads programmes.
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Stories
Letoria – Student Social Worker
Click here to read about one of our student social worker’s experiences with St Michael’s Fellowship!
Radio Jackie – Father’s Day Interview
Click to listen to our interview with Radio Jackie’s Chloe Norman about our 2024 Father’s Day campaign: #FatherFigures.
Father’s Day 2024 #FatherFigures
This Father’s Day support our campaign #FatherFigures by sharing or donating!