jobfacts

Welfare professionals n.e.c.

SOC 2020 2469

Job holders in this unit group perform a variety of welfare-related professional occupations not elsewhere classified in minor group 246: Welfare professionals.

Also calledFamily mediatorSpecial educational needs officerRestorative justice managerMental health officerChild protection consultantFamily aidand 22 more titles
Typical full-time pay£40,6002025 Provisional
People in the job23,000across the UK
New adverts a month495↓ 0.2%on last year · 269th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025
What full-time welfare professionals n.e.c. earn, 2025
£40,600 typical£25,900lowest 20%n/ptop 10%
n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less thanNot published
Lowest 20% earn less than£25,900
25%£27,900
Median£40,600
75%Not published
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £40,600
London!£46,000
East of England!£41,500
South West!£39,600
North EastNot published by ONS–
North WestNot published by ONS–
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS–
East MidlandsNot published by ONS–
West MidlandsNot published by ONS–
South EastNot published by ONS–
ScotlandNot published by ONS–
WalesNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £40,600
London£46,000 (small sample)
East of England£41,500 (small sample)
South West£39,600 (small sample)
North EastNot published by ONS
North WestNot published by ONS
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS
East MidlandsNot published by ONS
West MidlandsNot published by ONS
South EastNot published by ONS
ScotlandNot published by ONS
WalesNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £33,400
  • 2024 £43,500
  • 2025 Provisional£40,600
↑ 21% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 495 jobs for welfare professionals n.e.c. are advertised each month.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (2 in all)
Show as table
Aug 2026432
Jul 2026493
Jun 2026Not published
May 2026488
Apr 2026463
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 2026495
Jan 2026600
Dec 2025322
Nov 2025520
Oct 2025603
Sept 2025536
Aug 2025527
Jul 2025608
Jun 2025523
May 2025534
Apr 2025470
Mar 2025513
Feb 2025512
Jan 2025497
Dec 2024376
Nov 2024444
Oct 2024487
Sept 2024505
Aug 2024451
Jul 2024586
Jun 2024606
May 2024597
Apr 2024582
Mar 2024499
Feb 2024507
Jan 2024606
Dec 2023522
Nov 2023485
Oct 2023455
Sept 2023465
Aug 2023535
Jul 2023707
Jun 2023823
May 2023771
Apr 2023581
Mar 2023734
Feb 2023775
Jan 2023804
Dec 2022635
Nov 2022827
Oct 2022872
Sept 2022800
Aug 2022786
Jul 2022896
Jun 2022824
May 2022939
Apr 2022783
Mar 2022905
Feb 2022783
Jan 2022772
Dec 2021629
Nov 2021805
Oct 2021768
Sept 2021733
Aug 2021656
Jul 2021875
Jun 2021757
May 2021704
Apr 2021632
Mar 2021845
Feb 2021685
Jan 2021718
Dec 2020548
Nov 2020634
Oct 2020826
Sept 2020581
Aug 2020628
Jul 2020590
Jun 2020604
May 2020485
Apr 2020468
Mar 2020668
Feb 2020776
Jan 2020771
Dec 2019548
Nov 2019710
Oct 2019687
Sept 2019606
Aug 2019648
Jul 2019808
Jun 2019877
May 2019757
Apr 2019508
Mar 2019656
Feb 2019543
Jan 2019613
Dec 2018465
Nov 2018660
Oct 2018605
Sept 2018601
Aug 2018463
Jul 2018524
Jun 2018564
May 2018499
Apr 2018439
Mar 2018501
Feb 2018488
Jan 2018519
Dec 2017353
Nov 2017444
Oct 2017506
Sept 2017429
Aug 2017543
Jul 2017467
Jun 2017712
May 2017668
Apr 2017571
Mar 2017605
Feb 2017521
Jan 2017606
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
28%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for business, media and public service professionals, which includes welfare professionals n.e.c.. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London289
Birmingham82
Tewkesbury50
Manchester50
South Gloucestershire39
Bristol, City of26
Leeds23
Exeter23
Cornwall19
Glasgow City19
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where welfare professionals n.e.c. are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. 16 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026, most to people from United States, India, Ghana, ranking it 194th of 313. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of welfare professionals n.e.c.
n/p
n/p
23%!
18%!
33%!
n/p
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–24Not published
25–34Not published
35–4423% (small sample)
45–5418% (small sample)
55–6433% (small sample)
65+Not published
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent82%
Higher education below degree!6.1%
A levels or equivalent!16%
GCSEs or equivalent!4.6%
No qualifications–
Not published
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent82%
Higher education below degree6.1% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent16% (small sample)
GCSEs or equivalent4.6% (small sample)
No qualificationsNot published

Main employers: other social work activities without accommodation nec (39%), other human health activities (12%), hospital activities (8.6%), residential care activities for learning disabilities, mental health and substance abuse (7.1%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
82%
as their highest qualification
Apprenticeships
3
from level 3
Apprenticeships take
18 months to 2 years
typically

Routes in

You can get into this job through:

University

You could do a degree or postgraduate diploma to get some of the skills you need for this job.

Relevant subjects include:

  • social work
  • law
  • counselling
  • psychology
  • psychotherapy
  • education
Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
  • a degree in a relevant subject for postgraduate study
More about this route
Training programmes

You'll improve your job prospects if you take an accredited training programme after university. The programme has to be approved by the Family Mediation Council (FMC).

Training programmes include:

  • a taught course
  • practical experience
  • support to build a portfolio

In addition to a degree, training providers may expect you to have experience dealing with conflict and managing relationships.

Other ways in

Volunteering

You might find it easier to join a training course if you volunteer to work with families at places such as:

  • family support centres
  • counselling services
  • child contact centres
  • local community mediation services
Apply directly

You can apply for a job as a trainee family mediator if you have a higher education qualification and experience in law, social work or counselling.

When you apply, you'll need to show you have the right personal qualities and skills to be a family mediator.

Other routes

You've also got the option to train with a professional association.

Each association sets their own criteria to join but most will expect you to have experience from paid work or volunteering.

Professional associations that offer training include:

  • Family Mediators Association
  • National Family Mediation
  • Resolution

What you’ll need

  • pass enhanced background checks

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

Many people become a family mediator as a second career. Employers will like it if you have life experience and evidence of supporting people with challenging problems.

Further information

You can get more advice about working in family mediation from the Family Mediation Council.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for family mediator. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Apprenticeships

3 for this job
Level 3About 18 months

Safeguarding support officer

Employers may ask for
A satisfactory enhanced DBS check will be an entry requirement for the programme. Employers may set their own entry requirements which might typically include…
Details on Skills England

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Other qualifications

QualificationTypeLevel
CertHE Health and Social CareHigher technical4
CertHE Integrated Health, Social Care, and Well-beingHigher technical4
FdA Children, Young People and Families Practitioner and ManagerHigher technical5

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • provides activities to assist young people develop and fulfil their potential as individuals and within the community
  • advises and supports families experiencing stress or crisis
  • acts as an advocate for and represents individuals and families at tribunals and similar hearings
  • oversees, supervises and provides counselling for the process of adoption
  • mentors and counsels those with mental health problems
  • provides rehabilitation services to individuals
  • manages volunteers and part-time workers, and liaises with other relevant professionals
  • keeps records and controls budgets

Skills

  • accept own accountability
  • apply quality standards in social services
  • apply socially just working principles
  • assess social service users' situation
  • assess the development of youth
  • communicate professionally with colleagues in other fields
  • communicate with social service users
  • communicate with youth
  • cooperate at inter-professional level
  • deliver social services in diverse cultural communities
  • demonstrate leadership in social service cases
  • empower individuals, families and groups
  • follow health and safety precautions in social care practices
  • handle conflicts

Knowledge

  • adolescent psychological development
  • counselling methods
  • legal requirements in the social sector
  • social justice
  • social sciences
  • supervision of persons
  • client-centred counselling
  • pedagogy

Suits people who like

  • Helping and caring for people
  • Working with ideas and solving problems

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for business, media and public service professionals, a group of 32 jobs that includes welfare professionals n.e.c..
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 26%about 670,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 20352.1 millionincluding people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

jobfacts is independent. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education, Skills England, the National Careers Service, the Home Office, the European Commission or the U.S. Department of Labor.