Job Title: LAC Mentor and Coaching Support
Reports To: Care and Support Manager
Working Hours: 37.5 hours
Salary: £27,189.82 increase to £27,989.82 after passing probation
Contract Type: Permanent
Location: Leicester, UK
Make a Lasting Impact: LAC Mentor & Coaching Support
Are you resilient, empathetic, and passionate about helping young people succeed?
At Park Lodge Project, we don’t just provide a roof over someone’s head—we provide a foundation for life. Supporting young people in Leicester since 1968, we have spent over 50 years standing by those who need stability, mentorship, and a place to call home.
We are looking for a dedicated LAC (Looked After Children) Mentor & Coach to join our team and help shape the journey of young people (aged 16–18) as they transition from care to independent adulthood.
The Role: Why it Matters
As an LAC Mentor, you aren’t just a staff member; you are a stable figure and a champion for young people who have faced significant challenges. You will provide consistent, person-centred support to help them build the emotional resilience and practical life skills they need to thrive.
What you’ll be doing:
· Mentorship: Providing one-to-one coaching on everything from emotional well-being to practical independence.
· Safeguarding: Acting as a lead professional in ensuring the safety and welfare of every resident.
· Advocacy: Attending Pathway Plan reviews and housing meetings to ensure the young person’s voice is heard by social workers and external partners.
· Community Building: Planning and participating in house activities—from weekend cooking to celebrating cultural holidays and birthdays.
· Reporting: Maintaining high-quality caseload files, risk assessments, and professional reports in line with Ofsted standards.
What’s in it for you?
· Salary: £27,189.82 (rising to £27,989.82 after successful probation).
· Stability: A permanent, full-time contract (37.5 hours per week).
· Growth: Extensive training, including Safeguarding, Trauma-Informed Practice, and Level 3/4 qualification opportunities.
· Legacy: Be part of an organisation with a 50-year history of excellence in Leicester.
· Impact: The opportunity to see the direct results of your work as young people move into their own homes.
About You (Person Specification)
We are looking for someone who balances a big heart with strong professional boundaries.
You must have:
· Experience: A background in working with vulnerable young people or those with complex needs.
· Resilience: The emotional stability to stay calm under pressure and handle challenging behaviours.
· Communication: A high standard of written and spoken English for professional report writing and multi-agency meetings.
· Flexibility: The ability to work on a rota that includes evenings, weekends, and bank holidays (as our support is 24/7).
· Reliability: Our young people need consistency; we need team members we can count on.
A Level 3 in Health & Social Care and a Full UK Driving Licence are desirable but not essential—your values and attitude are what matter most.
Details at a Glance
· Location: Leicester, UK (Park Lodge Project)
· Hours: 37.5 hours per week (Rota-based)
· Requirement: An Enhanced DBS check and two references will be required prior to start.
Keeping Young People Safe: Our Safer Recruitment Promise
At Park Lodge Project, the safety and well-being of the young people we support is absolutely at the heart of everything we do. It's not just a policy; it's a shared commitment, and it all begins with how we bring new staff into our team.
Our safer recruitment process is thorough by design. We want to make sure everyone who works with us, in any role, is genuinely suitable to be around young people. It's about being proactive – carefully checking and preventing anyone who might pose a risk from joining us.
What Our Safer Recruitment Process Looks Like:
Every appointment at Park Lodge Project goes through a robust and transparent safer recruitment process. This includes, but isn't limited to, these key checks:
- Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check: This is a crucial step for anyone working with vulnerable young people, including a check against the Children's Barred List, ensuring individuals aren't prohibited from this vital work.
- Identity Verification: We'll carefully confirm your identity.
- Right to Work in the UK: We'll verify your legal eligibility to work here.
- Thorough Employment History and Reference Checks: We reach out to previous employers for professional references, specifically asking about past conduct, performance, or any safeguarding concerns. We also take time to understand any gaps in your employment history.
- Checking Qualifications and Professional Registrations: If your role requires specific academic qualifications or professional registrations (like with Social Work England), we'll verify these.
- Safeguarding-Focused Interview Questions: During your interview, we'll ask specific questions to understand your knowledge of safeguarding, how you approach professional boundaries, and your genuine commitment to protecting children's welfare.
- Declaration of Criminal Convictions/Cautions: We ask all applicants to be open about any unspent criminal convictions or cautions.
- Disqualification by Association Checks: For certain roles, we'll also check for any disqualification by association.
Our Commitment to You:
While our process is thorough, please know that it's always conducted fairly and transparently. We believe in equal opportunity and will assess every applicant on its own merits. Any safeguarding concerns will always be handled with sensitivity and in line with all legal requirements and best practice.
Your Role as an Applicant:
We ask all applicants to be completely open and honest throughout our recruitment process. It's really important that you share any information relevant to your suitability to work with vulnerable young people.
By applying to Park Lodge Project, you're confirming your understanding and agree to these essential safer recruitment checks.
Got questions about our safer recruitment? Feel free to get in touch with
[email protected]
Diversity & Equality: A Foundation for Success at Park Lodge Project
At Park Lodge Project, we truly believe that our greatest strength comes from our people. We're deeply committed to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment where absolutely everyone feels valued, respected, and truly empowered to bring their whole selves to work. The richer the variety of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives within our team, the better we can support the vulnerable young people in our care.
We're proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We warmly welcome applications from all suitably qualified individuals – no matter their age, disability, gender identity, marital status, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation. We actively champion diversity and genuinely aim for our team to reflect the vibrant communities we serve.
Our recruitment process is designed to be fair, transparent, and completely free from bias, ensuring everyone has an equal chance. We're also committed to making sensible adjustments for disabled applicants and employees, so they can participate fully in our recruitment process and truly thrive as part of our team.
Joining Park Lodge Project means joining an organisation that genuinely celebrates individuality. We believe that a diverse team isn't just a goal; it's how we achieve the best possible outcomes for the vulnerable young people who we support.
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Pay: From £27,189.82 per year
Work Location: In person
