Job Description
We have been supporting children with Special Needs and Disabilities and their families for 20 years in Harrow. We support children and young adults with learning disabilities aged 5 to 25, including those with physical disabilities, ADHD, autism and complex communication needs.
Services include After School and SaturdayClubs, School Holiday Schemes, One2One & Community Activities, Family Support, Therapies and Counselling. We focus on ensuring that children are helped to do the things they enjoy and aspire to, while they also develop and learn skills. Our Centreis specially adapted and fully equipped to encourage children to learn through play and have fun in a safe environment. It is a place for parents and carers to access free support and courses.
We have a fantastic opportunity for a Children & Young Adults Manager for our charity in Harrow. As the Children & Young Adults Manager you must hold at least a Level 3 NVQ in childcare or similar qualification and 3 years of management experience.
This would suit a Manager or Deputy Manager that wants to step up and help shape the service by providing support in all areas of the business.
You will receive
- Full-time working contract
- 37.5 -hours a week
- 34K Annual Salary
- 33 Days paid holiday (including bank holidays)
- Career progression
- Pension scheme
- Free parking
What are we looking for:
Resilience – We support some of the most vulnerable children who have varying degrees of support needs so there will be times where your resilience is challenged.
Communication – Communicating with our young people is vital to understand their needs. Good teamwork and communication plays a key part in ensuring important information is relayed to staff.
Organisation – Experience of organizing, planning and delivering well-structured activities tailored to the needs of the children.
Caring – Our young people require the best care we can offer.
Attentive – No two tasks will be the same.
Above all, we provide a supportive and collaborative working environment where you can flourish in your career and feel incredibly rewarded by helping those who need it
most.
The role:
Managing operational matters and ensuring positive outcomes for children & young adults who access play & support activities. Leading the permanent and sessional special needs play workers. Responsibility for activities and staff within it, ensuring they are performing to the highest standards.
You will be responsible for the team management, program development and implementation of guidelines and policies.
Person Centered Planning & Support:
Ensuring every child’s and young adult’s needs are met. Be ambitious about learning outcomes, passionate about influencing best practice and able to work effectively with a multidisciplinary team of external professionals. Also, be flexible, enthusiastic, and self-motivated supporting forward thinking, change and respond quickly to the needs of each child and young adult.
You will Speak Up against practices that don’t support Safeguarding or our Core Values.
Support the Designated Safeguarding Lead as a deputy and manage safeguarding matters. Develop arrangements that safeguard and protect child & young adults from abuse. Be responsible for Health and Safety, risk assessments and building matters related to the service. Create a setting that is clean and welcoming, with well-kept play & learning resources.
Get to know the families of children and involve them, update parents on their child’s development with factual professional feedback.
You will be supporting staff to have a kind and enabling approach for children & young adults with a learning disability. You will develop positive behaviour support approaches which focus on understanding and addressing the underlying needs of children and young adults rather than behaviours. You will be assessing needs and developing support plans. Ensure that children’s observations are detailed, reflective and provide developmentally challenging next steps.
You will create and deliver varied, balanced, stimulating, fun and exciting play and learning programs & clubs for children and young adults with learning disabilities, including severe and complex health and communication needs, autism, and ADHD. You will role model and monitor the delivery of rich play and learning opportunities and exceptional person-centred care and support. Ensure we encourage and praise children’s development and achievements.
You will enable access to community-based activities for groups and on 1to1 basis that are supportive to the children’s needs, appropriately risk assessed and encourage the development of their independent skills.
Leading The Team:
You will practice and promote empathy, commitment, compassion, and the creativity needed to work with children with varying abilities and from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and genders. You will lead with the patience and resilience required the staff team. You will develop enabling, nurturing and supportive environments where children, young adults and their staff can develop, grow, and have fun along the way.
You will lead, appraise, supervise, and coach the team to manage daily operational issues and support induction and professional development of team members. You will be highly visible, communicate confidently and organized. You will ensure that appropriate paperwork, digital systems, and reports are updated and complete to facilitate exceptional care, learning and provide feedback creating consistent practice. You will challenge any staff behaviours or practices that go against KCA’s expectations.
Support staff understanding with children’s individual needs, health and care needs including eating, using the toilet, nappy changing as well as carrying out specific care needs such as administering medication, tube feeding and undertaking manual handling.
Strategic Development:
Ensure internal policies and procedures are adhered whilst also meeting the external legislation and guidelines from our governing bodies.
Be a key player to ensure KCA receives excellent outcomes in internal audits and those of external authorities. Ensue that KCA meets Ofsted requirements and best practice for Compulsory & Voluntary Child Care registers and act as Ofsted setting contact.
Embrace and promote our Standards in every part of your role. Take pride in your assessment, planning and observation and procedure. Adhere to our childcare policies. Attend training and meetings to ensure you are always up to date with program and regulatory requirements.
To support the development of KCA’s mission to reach to families who require support for a child with a learning disability and support the charitable cause.
Finance & Administration:
Ensure effective budget management. Be the responsible budget holder. Be involved in the setting and review of annual budgets; promoting team understanding and ensuring financial controls are observed; ensuring effective communication with the finance department and line management in relation to variances and implementation of agreed actions.
Professional Development:
Manage own time effectively to complete all responsibilities to aid business development.
Identify personal development needs to meet both operational and professional needs. Attend internal and external learning events and develop relevant knowledge, techniques, and skills. Maintain detailed knowledge of the organisation’s services.
To deliver the service effectively a degree of flexibility is needed, and the post holder may be required to perform work not specifically referred to the above. Such duties, however, will fall within the scope of the post. The post holder will need to manage a busy service during school holidays and annual leave may be limited during that time.
How to apply:
Interviews will take place on Thursday 15th June at Kids Can Achieve. Please submit your CV covering your full work experience.
Please take the time to read the job details before applying.
Kids Can Achieve is committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion and welcomes applications from all groups.
KCA is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young adults we support. All applicants must be willing to undergo safeguarding screening appropriate to the post, including checks with Disclosure & Barring Service and at least 2 references. For all our services we will request references from where you have worked with either Children or Vulnerable Adults. Please be advised that references may be requested prior to interview .
Job Type: Full-time
Salary: £34,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Additional leave
- Company pension
- Gym membership
- On-site parking
- Referral programme
Schedule:
- Monday to Friday
- Weekend availability
Education:
- Certificate of Higher Education (preferred)
Experience:
- Childcare/ Education: 5 years (required)
- Management: 3 years (required)
Work Location: In person
Application deadline: 10/06/2023
Reference ID: Children & Young Adults Manager
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