Job Purpose
As our Outreach Worker, you will be a pioneer in expanding our provision's reach. You will act as a vital bridge between our main site and the wider Oxfordshire community, working directly with vulnerable young people whether they are accessing support inside the RAW building or through bespoke offsite learning pathways. A core priority of this role is delivering targeted behaviour support: you will work closely with young people experiencing complex emotional or social challenges, helping them manage their behaviour choices, de-escalating difficult situations, and creating a calmer, more productive environment for everyone. This high impact position offers you the freedom, autonomy, and strategic support to directly shape the future of our youth provision, drive new school partnerships, and transform lives where support is needed most.
Additionally, this position serves as a crucial early-intervention bridge for young people struggling with severe school avoidance, reduced timetables, or complex needs helping re-engage them with meaningful education in line with the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026.
Key Responsibilities
1. Outreach & Direct Support
- Deliver tailored, 1:1 engagement and wellbeing sessions for disengaged or low-attending students in community settings or via home visits.
- Provide dynamic offsite support for young people struggling with complex situations to keep them engaged in learning.
- Conduct targeted attendance, wellbeing and behavioural assessments to identify barriers to learning and create actionable re-engagement plans.
- Support young people currently on reduced hours, behaviour reports, or at risk of exclusion to help them transition back into positive, structured pathways.
2. Referral Growth & Partnership Building
- Act as a dedicated member of the team to unlock and manage new referral streams from local council and local schools.
- Proactively build and nurture collaborative relationships with local school networks, positioning our outreach provision as a primary support partner for schools.
- Strengthen multi-agency working relationships, acting as a liaison between families, schools, OCC, social care and our internal team.
- Building and strengthening RAWs community engagement.
3. Family Engagement
- Work directly with parents and carers to establish trusted, professional relationships, fostering a supportive environment at home to encourage onsite and outreach participation.
- Provide transparent feedback and clear strategies to families to assist in long-term educational re-engagement.
4. Compliance, Safeguarding & Tracking
- Maintain rigorous records of attendance, student progress, and dynamic risk assessments for all offsite activities.
- Align practice with the statutory requirements of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, ensuring full compliance with local Children Not in School (CNIS) register duties and support-first attendance guidance.
- Report, record, and escalate any safeguarding concerns immediately in accordance with organisational policies and local multi-agency safeguarding procedures.
Person Specification
We are seeking a compassionate, resilient, and proactive individual who thrives in non-traditional educational environments and excels at building authentic relationships with young people.
Person Specification
Qualifications & Experiences
· Significant experience working 1:1 with vulnerable or disengaged young people presenting complex social, emotional, and mental health (SEMH) needs or challenging behaviours.
· Demonstrated track record of delivering successful community-based outreach or home visits.
· Up-to-date knowledge of safeguarding standards (KCSIE) and statutory attendance guidance (including knowledge of local authority mechanisms like OCC referral processes).
· Evidence of continuous professional development in youth work, education, or social care.
· Relevant qualifications in Youth Work, Social Care, Mentoring, Education, or Counselling.
· Trauma-Informed Practice certification or Mental Health First Aid qualification.
Skills & Competencies
- Exceptional skills in trauma-informed practice, de-escalation, and managing challenging behaviour calmly in non-traditional environments.
- Ability to rapidly build trust with young people, families and professionals.
- Strong time-management and organisational skills to work independently and manage a community-focused caseload safely.
- Flexibility to adjust day-to-day engagement techniques based on a young person’s immediate emotional needs.
Other requirements
- Full UK Driving Licence with access to a reliable vehicle insured for business use.
- Enhanced DBS Check registered on the Update Service (or willing to undergo a check prior to commencement).
Pay: £30,000.00 per year
Work Location: In person
