Barnardo's is commissioned by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to provide an Independent Children's Rights and Advocacy (ICRA) service to children. Barnardo's has held this contract across England and Wales since 2008, and in January 2019 were awarded the contract for a further 5 years.
The ICRA service is child led and independent of the secure estate; our service is delivered within Wetherby to ensure children can freely access support for a range of issues linked to their needs, rights & experiences of custody, resettlement, and safeguarding. As such this is a child-facing service, and at times involves lone working in the establishments, so we are seeking someone who can see the child, not the offence, who can hold children at the heart of all they do and be a voice for children.
The Project Worker 2 position (Children's Rights and Advocacy Worker) is based within Wetherby YOI, York Road, Wetherby, LS22 5ED (please note, the location of secure establishments may mean they are not easily accessed by public transport and may be in a remote area). The post is line managed by a Team Manager (TM) reporting to an off-site senior manager. Other than the TM who is based on-site, the wider management team are based offsite and a significant distance away from the establishment. Therefore at times, the post holder will need to be able to work autonomously, working to the requirements of the contract and the regime of the YOI. The secure estate is a highly structured environment; as a Barnardo's service working within this environment, we are delivering support whilst still having to follow and adhere to this structure. There are a considerable number of regulations which have to be followed and can at times make the function of the job challenging.
This role includes lone working in this challenging prison environment. It is therefore critical that the successful candidate in this respect is able to follow guidance and policy and is able to take a proactive and individual responsibility to understand and access the support mechanisms in place and encouraged by the service as required.
The child's voice is held front and centre of the service and their own words have been captured to describe the service here:
“You feel more confident when Barnardo's is with you.”
“They help sort issues or complaints; they help you understand your rights if you feel you ain't being treated right.”
“They will help you get your voice heard, they are a voice for young people that don't want to speak and they talk to people for us when no one is listening.”
“They help with advice on how to do things properly. They show how you can deal with things and help you get what you're entitled to.”
If you would like an informal chat about the role, please contact Lisa sale at [email protected]
When completing your application please refer to your skills knowledge and experience in relation to the Person Specification, Job Description and Additional Information document (if applicable). This should be done with an understanding of the context of the service described.
Internal secondments and part-time hours will be considered
