Lead for Communities

Job title: Lead for Communities (Wiltshire)

Hours: 4 or 5 days hours) a week, including evenings and occasional weekends. Fixed term contract 24 months with a view to extension

Reporting to: Head of Quality (tbc)

Salary: £31,098

Deadline for Application: Friday 28th November

Interview date: Wednesday 10th December

Overview

We're looking for an enthusiastic youth worker to lead on developing and delivering Community-Based Youth Work.

SMASH exists 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 over 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 take the responsible role in the oversight and development of our community-based youth work, as well as the mentoring of young people leaving care. You will be a self-starter, happy to work on your own, but also able to build a supportive team around you. You will be a clear and confident communicator with both the team, young people and our external partners. Ultimately though, 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 Lead for Communities (Wiltshire), you'll lead the development and delivery of our community youth work– predominately our emerging parish council youth work and our Care Leavers Project - offering support to young people leaving the care system. The role will be both a lead and delivery role, leading the projects alongside managing a case load of 8-10 young people. The post-holder will represent SMASH externally in the course of their work.

Main Duties

• To champion SMASH's vision and values through facilitating excellent place-based youth work aimed at supporting young people to make healthy choices in their relationships and activities.
• Lead the team Wiltshire practitioners to ensure the provision of a supportive environment to young people that encourages community development and confidence building.
• Support a case load of 8-10 young people become independent adults as they leave the care system, developing that project into a wider VCSE offer.

Specific Duties

• Line manage the small team of fulltime, part-time and/or sessional youth workers.
• Develop our Care Leavers project in line with the expectations of our funder, including developing an effective VCSE partnership.
• Support the development of our place-based Parish Council Youth Work offer.
• Act as Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead covering Wiltshire
• Abide by SMASH's safeguarding policies and procedures.
• 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 SMASH policy. Including overseeing the annual servicing schedule of the centre.
• 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 SMASH's Data Protection Policies.
• Maintain awareness of, and implementing the requirements of, health and safety policies and risk assessment(s) for each location.
• Promote and share the benefits of programmes and services within the community.
• Act as an ambassador at all times while representing SMASH in public.
• Any other duties that are fair and reflective of the role requirements.

Skills, Experience + Knowledge

Essential

Experience

• An understanding of the world of young people in care
• Trauma Informed Practitioner
• 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 SMASH 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 SMASH as and when they may be required.

Desirable

Education/training/qualifications

• JNC Youth Work qualification
• Mental Health First Aid trained

Experience

• Direct work with young people in care
• An understanding of working in the voluntary sector
• Experience of volunteer/sessional staff liaison and co-ordination
• Successful development of sustainable community projects
• Awareness of the ACE's 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

• First Aid Certificate

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

Job Types: Full-time, Fixed term contract

Contract length: 12 months

Pay: £31,098.00 per year

Benefits:

• Company pension
• Employee mentoring programme
• Free parking
• On-site parking
• Sick pay

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Devizes SN10 1JT