About this role
Job summary
You have a superb opportunity to join our growing Independent Visitors befriending project for children and young people who have experience of being in care. This project works with over 100 children and young people across Tees Valley.
AnIndependent Visitor (IV)is a volunteer, who wants to get to know young people and spends time with them. They are there to support, listen and advise and have fun with young people. These activities can range from going out to eat at a favourite restaurant; sporting activities such as football or basket ball; a trip to the cinema to see the latest films and lots of other things. Children and young people in care have a right to be considered for an Independent Visitor, if its in their best interests to have one. This is a statutory right enshrined in legislation.
Some of your job can be done working from home if youd like to, and at least some of it working from our office in Hartlepool. The ability to travel around Tees Valley is essential as some visits must be done face to face.
You can find out more about the Independent Visitors project at our website, and through the National Independent Visitors network.
Main duties of the job
The key elements of your role will be
Talk to children and young people about the IV role, establish if they'd like an IV and what a good match would look like in a volunteer
Support in recruitment, selection and training of volunteers
Be a constant source of support and guidance to volunteers
Work with and regularly keep in touch with social workers, parents, residential homes, children and young people, volunteers and other stakeholders to ensure matches are going well, are safe, and visits taking place regularly.
Organise and host quarterly events for children, young people and volunteers
Implement the organisations participation framework, ensuring young peoples voices are heard and supporting them to co-deliver aspects of the project
Identify opportunities to broaden the project to better meet young peoples needs
About us
About Changing Futures North East
Changing Futures North East is a vibrant and fast-growing Charity that is in the privileged position to be able to trial new approaches to working with children and families to catalyse their own, sustainable change. Over the past 26 years, we have grown from an estate-based youth club to a provider of children and families work across Tees Valley, particularly specialising in work that supports and is enabled through healthy relationships.
Changing Futures has particular strengths and experience in:
Pioneering delivery of emotional wellbeing and mental health services pioneering mentalisation based therapy for couples in Tees Valley, and providing EMHPs, CWP and Counsellors into the childrens emotional wellbeing system through two partnerships, as well as delivering adverse childhood experiences programmes for parents and children separately.
Supporting care experienced young people through a fostering service (underpinned by a bespoke trauma informed therapeutic training programme, changing futures through fostering) and through mentoring and befriending support
Reducing parental conflict services delivering mediation and groupwork programmes, and supporting statutory agencies across England to embed a reducing parental conflict offer within their systems
Job description Job responsibilities Role Description (Main Duties and Responsibilities)Your DutiesWorking with your Manager(s)1. Work with your Managers to ensure that they receive appropriate advice and information on all relevant matters thus enabling them to fulfill their responsibilities, and to effectively monitor plans and targets.Leading and Managing your Work Areas2. Work with your Managers in developing and implementation of a programme of beneficial and developmental activities for Children and Families.3. Lead sessions for children, young people and volunteers ensuring that activities are delivered effectively, safely and taking into account the needs of participants. Service Delivery4. To engage and build relationships with children and young people and their families, on a one to one and group basis, using a variety of ways of working, to identify needs and to help them achieve positive outcomes.5. Use a variety of ways of working to help children and young people make changes that matter to them and to achieve their own goals.6. Ensure provision of support that protects, respect and promote the rights and responsibilities of the people we work with.7. Ensure provision gives the people we work with appropriate opportunity for participation, developing and maintaining mechanisms for participation.8. Engage with child and young people, and significant adults in their lives, to build and maintain effective, supportive and empowering relationships.9. Contribute to assessments as appropriate.10. To use feedback and data from young people and other stakeholders to inform the planning and design of work to be carried out with them and feedback progress against actions plans resulting from the work.11. Work with parents where appropriate to identify and action needs to enable them to meet the needs of their family.12. Operate within ethical and professional boundaries relevant to your role and the people you work with.13. Coach, mentor and train volunteers, and supervise their practice.14. To work co-operatively with other professionals in childrens services, health agencies and other community based services, to provide the most effective support for children young people and families.15. To be responsible for ensuring robust case and session recording, report writing and producing and keeping management information. This includes outputs and outcome recording for every session or activity undertaken.Other Duties16. Work to CFNE policies and procedures and to implement said policies and procedures.17. To undertake any other duties as may be reasonably requested from time to time your Line Manager
18. It may be necessary to change these duties in accordance with the needs of the job and the project. Existing duties may be changed, and new duties may be added. Any changes will be made in consultation with you.
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
GCSEs in English and Maths at Grade C or above (or equivalent qualifications) or ability to work towards and achieve these
Knowledge Essential
Knowledge of issues affecting children aged 5-19 and their families Knowledge of Safeguarding Understanding of equality and diversity principles and concepts
Desirable
Understanding of trauma
Work Related Essential
Working unsociable hours, including evenings/weekends Willing to undertake training as required Ability to connect to the internet and work from home if needed Access to a car for work, and full driving licence*
Experience Essential
Experience working with young people (ideally teenagers)
Desirable
Engaging hard to reach groups. Working with young people living with mental health problems and/or complex needs Working with children Working with volunteers Good written communication skills; capturing key facts accurately and concisely
Skills Essential
Ability to engage, work with and effect positive change with children and young people Engaging them in participation activities to plan, deliver and evaluate services according to need. Good written communication skills; capturing key facts accurately and concisely Able to quickly establish rapport with children, young people, adults and staff Excellent relationship building abilities Support & challenge team members you are supervising to improve practice / work.
Desirable
Reflective practice
Personal Attributes Essential
Friendly and approachable Balanced and Fair Flexible thinking and adaptable to problems. Motivated and enthusiastic Hold high standards and integrity Personal values and beliefs aligned with those of the Charity.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Employer details Employer name Changing Futures North East
Address 3 Abbey Street
Hartlepool
TS24 0JR
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.changingfuturesne.co.uk (Opens in a new tab)