Young persons practitioner

Young Persons Practitioner

Salary: circa £23,500 per annum, pro rata

Location: Base is South Lanarkshire and role will cover South Lanarkshire and Clydesdale

Contract/Hours: Fixed Term contract until March 2024 Part-Time – 14.8 hours per week

Reward: 29 days annual leave PLUS bank holidays (pro rata), professional qualifications, excellent training and development opportunities, flexible maternity, adoption and paternity packages, up to 7% employer contribution pension, discount portal with your favourite brands.

Vulnerable children in the UK need your help

Wherever you work in the Action for Children family, you'll be helping to change the lives of the most vulnerable children in the UK.

Last year, we helped more than 670,000 children and families across the UK. From direct work in communities to national campaigning, we are focused on making sure every child has a safe and happy childhood, and the foundations they need to thrive.

Why Action for Children?

Working here is more than a job. Everyone in the Action for Children family is passionate about protecting and supporting children. It's the sense of purpose that drives us every single day. Because we know that, when we work together, we can make a huge difference to bring lasting improvements to vulnerable children's lives.

A bit about the role

Action for Children's Unpaid work service is commissioned by South Lanarkshire to provide support to young people aged 16-26 years who are involved in offending behaviour. The young people we support are referred through the court procedure and receive a community pay back order as an alternative to custody.

Our aim is to reduce the risk of re-offending and minimise the likelihood of young people returning to custody. By working with partner organisations, we seek to successfully maintain young people in their local communities and to move them into a positive destination such as employment training and further education.

The contract initially runs until March 2024. It will enable you to grow your experience and build your network with a wide range of organisations across the region and gain invaluable experience within a great Charity.

How you'll help to create brighter futures

The key objectives of the Unpaid Work Service is: to provide support for Service Users to complete their unpaid work orders through accessing industry based certification and to reduce further breaches of unpaid work orders.

You'll be part of a small team working in the community, putting the needs of young people first. You will facilitate group work, as well as 1-2-1's and help guide and support them onto positive destinations.

Some key responsibilities of the role are:

• Offering support and management for young people referred to the service to complete their community pay back order.
• Upskilling young people with support into the construction industry or tailoring their support to their strengths.
• Partnership working between agencies to ensure the best outcomes are achieved.
• Facilitating groups for outdoor programmes and delivering group programmes, as required.

Let's talk about you

Do you have experience working with young offenders and/or those at risk of offending.

Do you have knowledge of the criminal justice system and the barriers young people experience in their communities? We also openly welcome applications from those with lived experience and may have first-hand experience that some of young people are facing and have chosen to give back to the Social Care sector.

• Whilst an HNC/ SVQ in Social Care is desirable, we are very open to relevant experience, rather than a qualification.
• Prior experience working towards multi-agency approach to service delivery. Knowledge experience of the youth justice/criminal justice services.
• A construction or similar background will be advantageous
• Experience of managing cases, in accordance with agreed procedures and completing assessments, planning and reviews to ensure positive outcomes. Experience of safeguarding and risk management processes.
• Driving licence and access to a car is required due to the geographical area the role covers.

We understand that there are a lot of jobs out there just now but if this role connects with you, and you really want to make a difference to the lives of young people, then we'd love to see your application.

Good to know

Application Process

There are five sections to complete: Personal Details, CV, Supporting Statement & Information, Equality & Diversity, Submission & Declaration.

Talent Pool

We know talent when we see it. But sometimes we find the right person but not for the right job. We'd love to keep your details for when the right job comes up. Let us know if you'd rather we didn't.

Contact: If, for any reason, you need support with your application, please contact Jessica Jarvis at Jessica.Jarvis@actionforchildren.org.uk. We'll be happy to give you any support you require.

Diversity, equality and inclusion

At Action for Children, we're dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace. We actively encourage applications from Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic and disabled candidates as they are under-represented within Action for Children. We want to take deliberate and purposeful action to ensure equal opportunity to all groups in society and for Action for Children.

For Children Service roles only: Male staff are under-represented within our Children Service roles. We would like to encourage more male applicants for our Children Service roles.

Don't meet every single requirement?

Studies show that women and Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic people are less likely to apply for a job unless they meet every qualification. So, if you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't align perfectly with the job description, we'd love you to apply anyway. You might just be the perfect person for this role, or another role within the Action for Children family.

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