Are you looking to make a positive difference in children’s lives? Are you dynamic, solution-focused, and enjoy working with people from all backgrounds?
An opportunity has arisen for a youth work professional to join Buckinghamshire Council as a Youth Worker in the newly formed Adolescent/Edge of Care service. Your role will involve ensuring that we support children to remain in their families whenever they can and you will ensure the right support is offered in a timely way to young people and their families.
In this challenging but rewarding position, you will support children and their families and help ensure that children can remain living within their families. You will bring your knowledge, insight, and experience of engaging with this age group to identify underlying issues and support both capability and resilience within families. As a Youth Worker, you will be passionate and dedicated to bringing about positive change for Children, Young People and Families across Buckinghamshire.
In April 2020 Buckinghamshire Council became the UK’s newest council and the residents of Buckinghamshire will be served by a single, unitary council.
Buckinghamshire is an ambitious, rapidly growing county, and our economy is one of the strongest in the country. It is an area of outstanding natural beauty and ranks as one of the top rural areas to live in the UK and yet it is incredibly well connected– only an hour from London on the train. The county has a rich history and heritage and is the birthplace of the international Paralympic movement.
We are looking for motivated, ambitious and inspiring people to join us on our journey. Not only will you be an integral part of the unique and exciting transition through the unitary process, you will also be entitled to a range of different benefits to make sure you are happy both at work and at home.
Youth Work is part of the newly form Adolescent/Edge of Care Service in Bucks supporting young people and their families to access the right intervention from the right professional at the right time. You will be joining a new team and will have access to a range of personal development opportunities for you to develop and grow in the role. In this rewarding and dynamic position, some of your responsibilities will be to:
- Support young people and their families when there is a risk of children/adolescents entering the care system.
- Work in a variety of settings, taking a holistic approach to consider and respond to the needs of young people and their families. This will include the delivery of individual support, whole family work to achieve positive outcomes.
- Manage your time flexibly to meet the needs of individual young people and their families. This will include some evening working and occasional weekend work.
- Work with young people across the locality area in which you are based, with access to or use of a vehicle being an essential requirement of the role.
Please find attached job description for further information.
As a Youth Worker, you will be comfortable managing a diverse caseload and adopting a flexible working approach. You will be able to organise your own work schedule and be pro-active and make clear decisions, identifying and implementing actions with positivity and enthusiasm.
Naturally, you will take a creative and proactive approach to empowering young people and families, and will have experience working with vulnerable children, young people, and families in the public, private or voluntary sector (such as Childcare, Health, Social Care, Youth Justice, Education, Youth Work, or another relevant field). Knowledge of community resources is essential as you advise, guide, and encourage access to services. You will have considerable experience in multi-disciplinary and partnership working and a proven ability to build rapport with partners from a wide range of agencies to provide effective and efficient support to children, young people, and their families.
This post will suit someone with the ability to build effective professional relationships with young people and adults as part of a holistic whole-family approach and who is passionate about working with other agencies to provide early intervention to young people.
If you would like to find out more about this role, please contact Catherine Smith (Acting Head of Assessment Service) on catherine.smith@buckinghamshire.gov.uk
Closing date: 23/05/2023
Buckinghamshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk.
You will be required to apply for a DBS at an enhanced level. Further information about the DSB Scheme can be found at www.gov.uk/disclosure-barring-service-check
We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.
By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:
- a fair and inclusive culture
- the chance to really make a difference to those around you
- health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
- a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
- ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
- opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events