Play Worker

**We are looking for a motivated, enthusiastic, reliable and adaptable Playworker or person with experience of working with children and young people, who is passionate about play and understands the essential role it has in children and young people’s lives. Translating that passion, experience, knowledge and drive to contribute to an effective playwork team that is dedicated to providing a welcoming and safe space for all children to play.**

**In this role, you will work to the play principles and deliver a play offer on an adventure playground working with other Playworkers, partners and the wider community to ensure a high-quality service. This will involve delivering and contributing to outreach and communication of the free play service, to ensure that the adventure playground is operating at or near full capacity. While also supporting structure building and repairs and facilities management of the adventure playground as part of a playwork team.**

**Please note the post requires full time in school holidays.**
- **18.5 hours in school term time Monday - Friday, 2.15pm - 6.45 pm and**:

- **35 hrs in school holidays Monday - Friday. 10am - 6pm**

**Reporting to the Adventure Playground Manager, you will deliver best practice Playwork to improve play opportunities for children who access the service by planning and implementing a playwork programme as part of a team according to local priorities and co-create environments with children, which stimulate children’s play and maximise opportunities for a wide range of play experiences.**

**You will need to be a strong advocate for children and young people and understand the difference that Play makes in children’s development.**

**Being playful, creative, fun and having good communication and interpersonal skills, both written and verbal, with a good understanding of how to develop positive relationships with children, young people, families and the wider community are essential.**

**MAIN PURPOSE OF JOB**
- **To deliver a play offer on an adventure playground working with other Playworker’s and the Adventure Playground Manager ensuring a high quality service.**:

- **To support all children and young people in the creation of a space in which they can play, recognising the playworker impact on the play space and also the impact of children and young people’s play on the playworker**:

- **Providing play opportunities for children and young people that provide for**:
**Challenge and risk, social education, personal development, movement and physicality, intellectual challenge, creativity, which enabling children to acquire new skills in supporting their emotional development and play needs**
- **Carrying out administrative duties and collecting relevant management information as directed by the Adventure Playground Manager in accordance with Awesome’s procedures.**

**CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE’S REQUIREMENTS**

**We expect all staff to incorporate these into their day to day work**:

- **UN Convention on the Rights of the Child**:

- **The Playwork Principles**:

- **Managing Risk in Play Provision**:

- **Quality in Play or a similar quality assurance process**

**Main Tasks of Job**
- **Deliver best practice Playwork to improve play opportunities for children who access the service by planning and implementing a playwork programme as part of a team according to local priorities and co-create environments with children, which stimulate children’s play and maximise opportunities for a wide range of play experiences.**:

- **To work with under the direction of the Adventure Playground Manager ensuring that**:

- **service is delivered according to Professional Quality Standards**:

- **all evidence of delivery and projects is properly documented**:

- **consultation with children and young people is carried out and acted on**:

- **aims and objectives are addressed**:

- **to plan and reflect in conjunction with the staff team, taking into account children’s needs and Awesome’s service priorities**:

- **playwork curriculum supports all play opportunities for children**:

- **work is evaluated and reports are produced on current and future work**:

- **To take responsibility for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and to take personal responsibility for ensuring attendance at regular free Child Protection training at a level commensurate with role.**:

- **To contribute to research, design and facilitation of self-directed play and co-created play opportunities, effectively using resources to provide an inclusive, stimulating and exciting play environment.**:

- **To operate within professional boundaries when developing and maintaining relationships with children, young people and the wider community and contributing to a strategy for children and young people to engage in the service.**:

- **Work with the Adventure Playground Manger to identify major issues affecting children & young people and developing appropri