Job title: Community Youth Worker - Health
Hours: 3 or 5 days (21 or 35 hours) a week, including evenings and weekends. Fixed term contract until 31st March 2028.
Reporting to: Lead for Health
Salary: £29,829
Closing date - Sunday 12th July
Interviews - Wednesday 22nd July.
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Overview
We’re looking for an enthusiastic Community Youth Worker to join our growing team at Young Swindon and Wiltshire (YSW)! We exist to empower young people to be their best self by increasing their confidence, improving relationships and increasing engagement in healthy and positive activities. We’ve been doing this for more than 25 years and would love you to join us on the adventure.
We are looking for a self-motivated, enthusiastic and organised person who will support the delivery of our hospital-based youth work through supporting young people frequently presenting at hospital. The role is part time, however if you are looking for a full time role, this will be complemented by supporting the delivery of our Community Youth Clubs in and around Salisbury.
If you are the ideal person we’re looking for, you are a person who loves listening. You feel comfortable supporting people at their time of need. You are self-motivated and enthusiastic and you enjoy taking initiative within your area of work. You get great satisfaction from seeing people and projects that help make life easier for young people. You’re well organised, great at communicating - both verbally and in writing, as skilled at building rapport with a range of people. You’re resilient and great at problem-solving - you treat problems like puzzles and look at them from all angles to find the best solution. You are looking to continually develop your work through conversation, supportive challenge and collaboration. You are comfortable working in a fast moving, values-driven organisation with an innovative spirit, which means that you won’t always have all the information or answers when starting out. You’ll be able to live in the tension of needing to be organised in a changing landscape.
Ultimately, finding someone with the right character and personality is the most important thing for us, so if you don’t have direct experience of this, please don’t let that stop you from applying – we are happy and able to train you up as we go.
For our part, we will be a charity that you love being part of, offering you all the support and encouragement you need to not just do the job well, but flourish as a person. How we care for our team really matters to us, and this will reflect in how this job looks and how we look after you.
We are deliberately advertising this post beyond our own network because we hope we’ll find applicants with a diverse range of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. We value diversity in all forms and we believe that increased diversity will only make our charity better.
Job Purpose
As our Community Youth Worker you’ll be part of the Health team supporting young people across a wide range of our projects, with a particular focus on young people with long-term health conditions. The role will involve coordinating and undertaking all aspects of the service offered, including handling referrals, session preparation and delivery monitoring and evaluation. The post-holder will represent YSW externally in the course of their work.
You will adopt a holistic, compassionate and trauma informed approach, having the time and experience to begin to forge trusting relationships with CYP. The role will involve face to face and virtual support (using secure and safe virtual platforms) and will act as a link to longer term support available in the local community. Your role will build trust, support them through understanding positive change, and then work with them to build a referral to ongoing services in the community to connect them with a local support agency/charity that would best meet their needs, building resilience, and providing mentoring to prevent repeat occurrences that could lead to their hospitalisation.
The role will include working at times when the hospital would value our presence, including regular evening and occasional weekend sessions. The role will involve coordinating and undertaking all aspects of the service offered, including handling referrals, session preparation and delivery monitoring and evaluation. The post-holder will represent YSW externally in the course of their work.
Main Duties
- To champion YSW’s vision and values through facilitating excellent youth work aimed at supporting young people to make positive choices and have their voices heard.
Specific Duties
- Connect with young people referred to you by the Project Leads, supporting them in the community following their attendance at Salisbury Hospital.
- Work within a busy hospital departments including A&E, Medical Assessment Unit (MAU) and Childrens and Adult wards.
- Listen to and support participants wellbeing through encouraging youth-led engagement.
- Work in a trauma informed and culturally sensitive way
- Abide by YSW’s safeguarding policies and procedures.
- Assist in gathering outcome related data in relation to funding requirements.
- Attend team meetings for personal and service development.
- Report to Line Manager participant feedback, complaints or concerns in a timely manner.
- Ensure the service remains compliant with statutory, legal and best practice obligations and YSW policy.
- Record and capture participant attendance using relevant recording systems.
- Ensure that all identifiable participant and volunteer application data is held in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and YSW’s Data Protection Policies.
- Maintain awareness of, and implementing the requirements of, health and safety policies and risk assessment(s) for each venue/location.
- Refer concerns or issues about the premises or participants to your Line Manager.
- Promote and share the benefits of programmes and services within the community.
- Act as an ambassador at all times while representing YSW in public.
- Any other duties that are fair and reflective of the role requirements.
Skills, Experience + Knowledge
Essential
Experience
- A robust understanding of the world of young people, health, and community development.
- Experience of following safeguarding guidelines, especially in relation to lone working and working in the evening
- Experience of designing and delivering youth work sessions with and for young people
- Understanding of developing successful networks and partnerships.
- Knowledge of relevant legislation and local/national policies.
Professional skills
- The ability to communicate effectively with both adults and young people
- Able to maintain clear and appropriate boundaries
- Strong relationship-building and influencing skills
- Flexibility to adhere to the time commitments of the programme
- A commitment to on-going professional development
Interpersonal skills
- An understanding and acceptance of the YSW values and the centrality of these to the work of the charity.
- Confident, with a calm and resilient nature – not easily phased.
- The ability to instil self-belief and support personal development of participants.
- Ability to use an empathic approach to establish rapport quickly and develop relationships at all levels.
- Assertiveness and ability to manage expectations.
Additional requirements
- Access to a vehicle and a full clean driving licence.
- Other activities relating to the general charitable purposes of YSW as and when they may be required.
Desirable
Education/training/qualifications
- JNC qualification in Youth Work, or qualification in health or youth engagement
- Mental Health First Aid trained
- Trauma Informed Practitioner
- First Aid Trained
Experience
- Direct work with young people in a medical or community context.
- An understanding of working in the voluntary sector.
- Successful development of community partnerships.
- Awareness of the ACEs criteria and their impact on young people
Professional Skills
- Creativity.
- Training and development skills.
- Good IT skills and knowledge (Microsoft)
- Able to organise own time and work on own initiative
Interpersonal Skills
- Ability to take and give direction.
Additional Requirements
- Access to a vehicle and a full, clean driving licence.
The nature of the work means that the post holder will be expected to work outside of office hours and occasionally at the weekend in order to meet the client group’s requirements
In accordance with the provisions of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 take reasonable care for the health and safety of yourself and of other persons who may be affected by your acts or omissions at work.
In line with our safer recruitment practices, any appointment will be subject to an enhanced DBS check, receipt of two satisfactory references and a probationary period
Pay: £29,829.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Employee mentoring programme
- Free parking
- On-site parking
- Sick pay
Work Location: In person
