UNISON and Unite are balloting more than 1,000 Action for Children members for strike action, following a pay freeze and attack on terms and conditions.
The move follows the breakdown of eight months of pay negotiations and comes against a backdrop of rising inflation.
Terms and conditions at Action for Children are being reduced overall. The charity is currently consulting on changes proposed to the redundancy policy. These include reducing the period of protected pay, following redeployment to a lower paid job, from two years to under a year.
Last year, the defined benefit pension scheme was also closed, leaving employees with an inferior defined contribution scheme.
Dave Prentis, UNISON