The Role

Would you like to improve the outcomes for young people who have been in care?

Would you like to support young people to have their voices heard so that they can build bright and stable futures for themselves?

Would you like to spend every day at work knowing that you have made a difference in the lives of marginalised young people?

If yes, we have the perfect role for you!

Our Future First Care Leavers Service are looking to recruit a dynamic and enthusiastic Participation Officer to join our Wandsworth Leaving Care Service to support us in achieving positive outcomes for young people!

What does the team do?

Future First, the Wandsworth Leaving Care Service, support young people aged 16-25 who have been in the care of Wandsworth Borough Council under the Leaving Care Act 2000. We support them to build stable and successful independent adult lives by supporting them to access housing, education/employment, health, leisure activities, stable relationships and support networks. We also support them to achieve financial stability.

We work with over 440 young people in a team which includes over 28 staff members. We are a vibrant and enthusiastic team looking for new people to join us! We have been fortunate enough to be selected as participants within the New Belongings Programme, delivered by Coram Voice and we now need a dedicated Participation Officer to support the work of this programme.

What will your role be?

With knowledge and experience of working within the framework of statutory legislation, New Belongings guidance and local Leaving Care procedures, you will ensure the provision of a quality Participation service to Care Leavers. Using a Person Centred approach, you will deliver a quality participation service which maximises young people’s engagement in New Belongings-led service improvement, you will be responsible for increasing engagement in the in-house  ‘Skilled Up’ life skills course participation and you will take the lead on delivering a social event offer for young people.

You will be highly motivated to improve outcomes for young people and use creative ways to engage care leavers. You will be motivated to maximise Young People’s involvement in Leaving Care Service improvement. You will seek to maximise young people’s engagement in Participation work within the Leaving Care Service and be an innovator who strives to create new opportunities. You will be a confident networker who is motivated to seek out new community partnerships or opportunities for young people within their community.

You will have excellent communication skills- both written and spoken- and will be able to engage Socially Excluded young people and advocate on their behalf. You will be able to provide good quality reports and written assessments and be able to use IT systems confidently. You will be knowledgeable in the use and application of Social Media in participation work and you will have some skills (or willingness to learn) Microsoft Publisher to create high quality publicity materials.

To be shortlisted your CV and personal statement will demonstrate:

• That you can handle challenges and that you are committed to achieving positive outcomes for young people who have been Looked After
• You have experience of Participation work with marginalised young people and are confident in delivering group activities.
• That you have experience working with young people who have been Looked After and that you have a good working knowledge of key legislation like the Leaving Care Act 2000
• You must have strong assessment and report writing skills and must have experience of working with Safeguarding and Child Protection procedures.
• That you are motivated innovator who is committed to anti-discriminatory practice and who has experience managing challenging adolescent behaviours.
• You are a strong and committed networker who seeks out new opportunities for the people with whom you work.

Benefits

In return, we can offer you working arrangements that will enhance your work-life balance and a generous holiday allowance of 31 days plus bank holidays.  In addition, we offer a range of staff benefits such as membership of the Local Government contributory pension scheme, childcare vouchers, new technology scheme, interest-free loans on annual travel cards, discounts at many leisure activities, restaurants, shops, and other establishments. A wide range of developmental opportunities is also offered.

Indicative Recruitment Timeline

• Closing Date: Sunday 5^th January 2020
• Shortlisting Date: Week Commencing 6^th January 2020
• Interview Date: Monday 13^th January 2020

Useful Information:

Please note that these dates are only indicative at this stage and could be subject to change.

The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you complete and return your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Equality Statement

Richmond and Wandsworth Councils are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions to the Councils and can improve the way we deliver services.

We are pleased to be Disability Confident employer.

Important Information

This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) helps employers make safer recruitment decisions and prevent unsuitable people from working with vulnerable groups, including children. It replaces the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA).

Richmond and Wandsworth Councils are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Richmond and Wandsworth Councils