Lead Youth Worker – maternity cover, part time

Essential:  Youth Work Practice qualification (level 6 preferred, level 3 minimum)

The Frith Youth Centre is highly valued by young people across the local community. They enthusiastically attend the wide range of activities and sessions which the centre offers.

The Frith Youth Centre is currently seeking an experienced and enthusiastic Lead Youth Worker to lead and develop further our provision for young people locally. The team leader will deliver open access youth sessions, lead, and manage a small team of youth workers and contribute strongly to the development of the centre. 

The post is for 18-20 hours per week, to include running youth sessions at the centre on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays, between 3:30pm – 7:30pm. There is flexibility in where and when the remaining hours are worked.

As well as facilitating youth sessions, the role will focus on the development of the youth service in the parish of Chalford, alongside a proactive funding strategy to expand the work further. The Lead will work alongside a small team of youth workers and an administrator.

Specific duties and responsibilities:

With young people:

• Develop, deliver and maintain a creative and successful programme of youth sessions.
• Develop and maintain positive, professional relationships with those attending the youth sessions and identify and assess their social and informal educational needs.
• Enable young people to develop new skills through involvement, participation, and advocacy.
• Carry out informal assessments and regular reviews of participants at the centre.
• Oversee the development of youth volunteering across the organisation.
• Ensure the safety and well-being of all young people through the youth centre’s safeguarding policies and procedures.

With the team:

• Show leadership and inclusion to the youth work team.
• Support individuals in their knowledge, understanding and continuous professional development.
• Prepare themes and activities for youth sessions.

Other:

• Maintain and develop relationships with funders.
• Collaborate with local schools to build on current relationships and develop innovative ways of working.
• Increase awareness of the centre’s activities for young people and its facilities through social media and other appropriate channels.
• Assist the youth work administrator with human resources and administrative tasks relating to staffing and expenditure.
• Recruit and manage volunteers.
• Promote equality and diversity in all aspects of the centre’s work.
• Act as safeguarding lead for the centre, have a duty of care and a responsibility for the safeguarding and welfare of the young people attending the centre.
• Provide regular reports to the management committee and trustees.

Person specification

Essential:

• Level 6 (level 3 as a minimum) qualification in Youth Work Practice.
• Minimum basic first aid training.
• Experience in providing youth sessions for young people, aged 10-18.
• A good understanding of the opportunities and challenges that young people face, including with their mental and physical health.
• The capacity to assess the needs and wants of young people, and to plan and deliver a programme accordingly.
• Excellent relationship building skills with young people and the ability to communicate effectively both with young people and with adults.
• Experience of assessing and dealing with challenging situations whileacting in accordance with established policies and procedures.
• Strong leadership skills including the ability to recruit, train, lead and manage volunteers and youth workers.
• The skills to organise one’s own time and that of others and to demonstrate initiative.
• A non-discriminatory approach to working with young people and adults, including those with protected characteristics.
• A solid understanding of safeguarding and child protection within the context of youth work.

Desirable:

• DBS on the update service.
• Experience of leading and inspiring a team.
• Personal interests which aid working with young people in areas such as music, sport, art, etc.
• Experience of fundraising
• Experience working with young people facing challenges.
• An awareness of the issues facing young people living in areas such as the Chalford Parish.
• Experience in community-based work with young people and/or their families.
• Education to degree level or equivalent

Start date: Immediate, but flexible to suit successful applicant.

Please contact Bev for more information or for any questions you may have by clicking on Apply Now.