outreach coordinator

Outreach Coordinator (Part-Time)

Contract: Part-time, 2 days/week or 0.4 FTE
Location: Dorset (hybrid; travel across West Dorset + some home/Bridport hub)
Salary: £25,000 FTE pro rata + expenses

Pension: Workplace pension provided if applicable
Closing date: 5th December 2025 • Start: 5th February 2026

About us

The Bank of Dreams & Nightmares is a Dorset children’s creative-writing charity working in both primary and secondary schools. We run free clubs and in-school storymaking projects, publish the youth-made newspaper What’s Going On?, and produce one-off events and platforms including BankFest (our teen writing festival) and Resonate(youth performance/showcase). Our focus is on harder-to-reach young people, including those who are care-experienced, NEET, or in alternative provision, removing barriers so their voices are heard, published, and celebrated.

The role (what you’ll drive)

A people-first Outreach Coordinator who can build and steward referral pathways with partners serving harder-to-reach young people, and work closely with schools to identify pupils who would benefit from our programmes, especially for after-school club participation. This role has been funded with the support of The National Lottery Reaching Communities grant.

You’ll work with:

  • Social care & early-help teams, leaving-care/16+ services

  • Virtual Schools (children in care/previously in care)

  • AP/PRUs, inclusion/attendance leads

  • Youth justice and targeted youth services

  • Post-16 NEET support (Jobcentre Plus, participation teams)

  • SEND services (EHCP coordinators, CAMHS links)

  • School leaders and DSLs to spot pupils who’d thrive in our after-school clubs

  • Foster/kinship carers, residential homes, and local charities

What you’ll do

  • Map priority partners; open doors.

  • Liaise with primary & secondary schools to identify and refer pupils for clubs; coordinate taster sessions/assemblies and teacher briefings.

  • Manage referrals and onboarding (consent, info-sharing, reasonable adjustments, carer comms).

  • Coordinate outreach pop-ups in AP/PRU/residential settings; support access to BankFest and Resonate opportunities.

  • Solve access barriers (transport bursaries, timings, venues, quiet spaces).

  • Keep a simple CRM/pipeline, track attendance and progression; produce short outcome notes for funders.

  • Champion trauma-informed, youth-led practice; represent BDN at multi-agency meetings; share success stories ethically.

About you (essential)

  • Proven experience engaging care-experienced, NEET or marginalised young people via multi-agency partnerships.

  • Confident working with social workers, Virtual School leads, AP/PRU staff, youth justice and school inclusion/DSL teams.

  • Safeguarding-literate & trauma-informed; excellent judgement on confidentiality/consent.

  • Practical organiser; clear communicator by phone, email and in person.

  • Able to travel across Dorset; flexible around school/shift patterns.

Desirable

  • Lived experience or prior work in care/edge-of-care, youth justice or AP.

  • Understanding of SEND inclusion and reasonable adjustments.

  • Light-touch data/admin: Google Workspace, spreadsheets/CRM, outcome notes.

  • Basic copywriting for partner updates/social posts.

Safeguarding & inclusion

Appointment subject to enhanced DBS, references and safer-recruitment checks. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds; lived experience is valued.

What we offer

  • Purposeful work with visible impact for those furthest from opportunity.

  • Flexible pattern; mileage/expenses; training & mentoring.

  • A chance to shape how creative writing reaches young people who rarely get it.

How to apply

Email CV (max 2 pages) + 1-page cover letter to nick@thebankofdreamsandnightmares.org with subject “Outreach Coordinator - Your Name.”

We will be running a rolling interview process so we strongly advise that you apply as soon as possible.