Play Leader

Challengers is searching for an engaging and playful Leader to join our Guildford Scheme. Supported by our dedicated team of Service Managers, you will plan and deliver a range of exciting and engaging activities for disabled children.

Play & Youth Leader – Job Description

BENEFITS – As a Challengers employee, you will benefit from…
• To work for an organisation who truly consider work life balance and have high expectations for our outcomes not only for those who use our services but for our teams as well.
• Free Training – We regularly invite all our staff to free training courses including Disability and Inclusion Awareness, Medication Administration, Safeguarding, First Aid, Makaton and more!
• Free DBS – As we require all staff to have a DBS before they start with us, we have decided to offer this free of charge.
• Pension & Health Care Cash Plan – All our staff have access to a NEST pension and Simply Health health care plan.

ABOUT US – Challengers is a voluntary sector organisation providing play and leisure services to
disabled children and young people across Surrey, Hampshire and in Richmond, Kingston, and Chichester.
Our values are to be Accountable, Ambitious, Inclusive, Playful and Trustworthy, if these resonate with you find out more here – https://disability-challengers.org/about-us

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES –
• To be a champion and advocate of positive play, youth and leisure for disabled children and young people.
• Liaise on a regular basis with the line manager and/or the Head of Service regarding any issue where you require support to provide a service to children and young people at Challengers.
• To supervise all aspects of the on-the-day care of children and young people (including administration of medication) who attend Challengers schemes while positively encouraging and supporting children to fully realise their abilities in a fun and happy environment.
• To manage all staff whilst being a role model for excellent play and youth work and to provide ongoing support and encouragement to the staff team in an appropriate manner.
• To contribute to the effective liaison and working arrangements between the Challengers schemes, children, their families, schools, local authority departments, other centres and other organisations in the locality.
• To deliver schemes in accordance with Challengers systems, policies and procedures and to participate in and contribute to the development of Challengers schemes and systems.

You’ll be great if you have:
• Experience Leading and motivating a team
• Experience working with disabled children and young people – providing care
• Experience of providing Leisure services
• Skills in administration
• Resilience
• Sense of joy

Confidence can sometimes hold us back from applying for a job- There is no such thing as the perfect candidate. Challengers is a place where everyone can grow. We follow equal opportunities so however, you identify and whatever your background you bring with you, please apply if this is a role that would make you excited to come into work every day.

Challengers is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced DBS Check and satisfactory references.

Closing Date – 12/04/2026

Interview Date – 17/04/2026 & 21/04/2026

Apply

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

- Step 1 of 4

Your details

Legal name *

First

Last

Preferred name *

Address *

Address Line 1

Address Line 2

City

State / Province / Region

Postal Code

Email *

Phone number *

Which role are you applying for?

• 555 Support Worker
• Play Leader
• Play Deputy Leader

Do you need a work permit to work in the UK? *

• Yes
• No

How did you hear about us? *

• Word of mouth
• Google search
• Social media
• Website
• Previously donated to Challengers
• Indeed
• Other

Other details

Please let us know how you found out about Challengers / this job role

Safer recruitment policy *

• I am 18 or older

We require all members of staff to be aged 18 or older.

Disclosure declaration

The position for which you are applying potentially involves significant unsupervised contact with children and is therefore subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. This means that you must disclose details of any convictions, bindover orders or police cautions, warnings or reprimands, including those which are considered “spent” under the terms of the Act. Please use the Disclosure Form below only if this applies to you. This information will not be used to discriminate against you unfairly.

Do you need to complete the disclosure form? (if yes, please complete below) *

• Yes
• No

If you have any convictions, cautions, reprimands or final warnings that are not "protected" as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2013) by SI 2013 1198, please complete the information below and return it with your application. This information will not be used to discriminate against you unfairly. For more information on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act please click here.

Date

Nature of offence

Place offence took place

Details of conviction, bindover caution or warning

Date

Nature of offence

Place offence took place

Details of conviction, bindover caution or warning

NextSave and finish application later

CV Upload *

Drag & Drop Files, Choose Files to Upload

Please upload your CV here. In order to process your application we need to have a full history from your secondary education to present day, including any gaps in your study or work. Please make sure your CV is compliant with this. If you fail to provide a full history within your CV, your application may be rejected, this is due to the nature of our work with vulnerable young people, and the strict Safeguarding and Safer Recruitment Policies we must adhere to.

Additional information

If you need to add further details regarding your CV please do so here, this include explanations for gaps in your CV.

Cover letter upload

Drag & Drop Files, Choose Files to Upload

If you want to add a cover letter please upload it here.

NextSave and finish application later

Supporting information

This section must be completed. Please tell us why you are applying for this role and include any relevant experience to support your application with particular reference to the job description. This statement is crucial to further consideration of your application.

Supporting information *

References

Please supply full contact details of TWO people who will provide a reference for you. They cannot both be from the same place of work or education. We cannot accept applications that do not provide two references. ONE MUST BE FROM YOUR CURRENT OR MOST RECENT EMPLOYER, OR IF YOU ARE A FULL-TIME STUDENT, FROM YOUR PLACE OF EDUCATION. REFEREES MAY NOT BE MEMBERS OF YOUR FAMILY.

Referee 1

Name *

First

Last

Relationship to you *

Organisation *

Email *

Phone number

May we contact this person now? *

• Yes
• No

Referee 2

Name *

First

Last

Relationship to you *

Organisation *

Email *

Phone number

May we contact this person now? *

• Yes
• No

NextSave and finish application later

Equal Opportunities monitoring

Challengers is committed to achieving a Play and Leisure service which provides equality of opportunity and freedom from unlawful or unfair discrimination. Our policy covers all aspects of our operations, including recruitment. Please complete this part of the form. This information will be used only in order to monitor our recruitment processes and prevent unfair discrimination on any grounds.

How would you describe your ethnic background? *White - BritishWhite - IrishWhite - Other White BackgroundDual Heritage - White & Black CaribbeanDual Heritage - White & Black AfricanDual Heritage - White & AsianDual Heritage - Other Mixed BackgroundAsian or Asian British - IndianAsian or Asian British - PakistaniAsian or Asian British - BangladeshiAsian or Asian British - Other Asian BackgroundBlack or Black British - Black CaribbeanBlack or Black British - Black AfricanOther Black BackgroundChinesePrefer not to sayOther

Communication preferences

We really want to keep you up to date with what is happening at Challengers, all the great news stories and information about events you could come along to which help raise vital funds so that we can support more disabled children and their families

Please tick the boxes below so we know what you would like to hear about

• News
• Events
• Future job opportunities
• Fundraising

Please note you can read our full privacy policy here.

Submit application

Please read and sign this section.

I confirm that the information which I have given is true and complete. I confirm that I have read and understood the DBS Code of Practice and the DBS Privacy Policy. I consent for Challengers to carry out the necessary Disclosure and Barring Service checks, and to monitor status of a check online using the DBS Update Service if this is subscribed to. I have read and understood the job description and The Challengers Approach. By submitting this application to us you are declaring your consent. Any false statements or omissions may result in dismissal.

Full name *

First

Last

Date *

Checkboxes

• First Choice
• Second Choice
• Third Choice

SubmitSave and finish application later