Youth Services: 16+ Coordinator

**Job title: 16+ Coordinator**

**Work Location**:Based in Cockenzie, but work can be across various locations in East Lothian and Edinburgh

**Division/Department**:Youth Services

**Reports to**:Head of Youth Services

**Contract Length**
36 month

**Overview of Organisation and job role**:
Heavy Sound is a non-profit organisation, registered as a community interest company, based in East Lothian. We have been providing services for over 8 years for marginalised young people and adults.

**16+ Programme**:
Heavy Sound transforms the lives of vulnerable, disengaged and, in the main, care-experienced 12-15-year-olds across East Lothian. Based on their needs, we have developed a new 16+ Programme to extend this support to provide:

- Life skills development
- Qualifications
- Support into further education, training and employment

Participants are referred mainly through education and social work, and engage in a variety of activities including education, music, biking, sports and mentoring, leading to qualifications and awards, and life skills development.

**16+ Practitioner**:
The role is to work as a Practitioner in our 16+ service as follows:

- Continuity - moving on from person-centred learning and school, and support to navigate crisis, address barriers and identify further learning, training, and opportunities taking young people 16+ towards positive future destinations
- Support with immediate needs, e.g. housing, benefits
- Identifying goals and supporting into volunteering, further education, training and employment
- Involvement with specific projects including music, biking and sports

**Essential Duties and Responsibilities**:
Reporting to the Head of Youth Services, the role comprises:

- **Key Worker Role**:

- **Data Gathering**: participate in screening new referrals, formally record initial information and regularly update this; collect information as needed by funders
- **Relationship Building and Maintenance** with each young person, regularly check in and schedule a termly review
- **Systemic Support**: Advocate for and support each young person's functioning outwith Heavy Sound; build relationships with relevant parents/carers
- **Record Keeping**: Record all necessary information relevant to each young person, document attendance, regularly review and update information as required
- **Information Sharing**: With appropriate consent share information at Young Person Meetings and Reviews, be mindful of keeping the young person at the centre of any decisions made, ensure each young person understands the limits to confidentiality
- **Report Writing**: Reports may need to be written in contribution and in preparation for formal outwith agency meetings
- **Child Protection**: Be aware of the content and protocols of the Safeguarding Guidelines, record and report safeguarding concerns as required and appropriate
- **Project Work Role: 1:1 and small group**:

- **Monitoring and Evaluation**: Remain abreast of each young person's interests and strengths, track and evaluate progress, monitor impact, reflect and review project work effectiveness
- **Record Keeping**: Write up daily/weekly session review notes for each young person
- **Information Sharing**: Include insights, monitor impact and each young person's progress at appropriate meetings and in any written report required
- **Project Work**: Plan and prepare interest-based project work; deliver project work 1:1 and to small groups
- **Maintenance and Resourcing**: Ensure all necessary equipment and materials are readily available, store and maintain equipment, regularly have relevant equipment serviced as needed
- **Promotion of a Positive Social, Emotional, and Learning Environment**: Ensure each young person's physical safety, create a structured and consistent physical and social environment, actively support purposeful engagement, promote the development of individual self-efficacy and provide developmentally appropriate co-regulation in response to any distressed behaviour
- **Professional Development**: Demonstrate an openness to constructive support, development and capacity building; initiate and engage in self
- driven professional development and learning

**Education and/or Work Experience Requirements**:

- Experience and capacity to support young people achieve literacy and numeracy school qualifications is ideal
- Understanding and experience of trauma informed practice, working with young people who have experienced complex trauma
- Youth work experience
- Good IT Skills (Outlook, Word, Excel, MS Office) and ability to maintain updated, accurate records on a CRM system
- Openness to collaborative engagement in reflective practice conversations
- Participate in the monitoring, evaluation and recording of service impact
- Experience planning, delivering, and facilitating, and co-facilitating groups project activities
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Ability to work collaboratively with partner agenci