Children & Young People's Support Worker

SMT provides a variety of support services for children aged 3 to 17 years who have witnessed and/or directly experienced domestic abuse and violence. Working in partnership with Llamau, the role will provide a link between community domestic abuse specialist services and refuge.

Purpose of the post:

- Working consistently as part of the Llamau Merthyr Tydfil refuge staff team to engage with and build trusting and respectful relationships with children and parents accessing refuge in order to provide a safe key working service.

- Work with CYP and parents to ensure support is meeting their needs and addressing impact of abuse on the CYP.

- Work with CYP to ensure they feel safe and explore safe relationships. Ensuring maximum engagement with children providing age appropriate activities, child house meetings and group work.

- Providing a range of engagement activities for CYP to promote positive experiences of refuge including opportunities to explore local amenities, attend local events and play / be creative with other families accessing refuge.

- Ensuring the safety and highest quality maintenance and cleanliness of the project alongside wider team, recording and reporting all work & incidents in accordance with Llamau's procedures.

- This role requires lone working - as such following procedures, taking initiative and self-motivation is essential.

Key responsibilities and duties:

Service Delivery / Support for Children and Young People

1. To meet all CYP as they access refuge to reassure them, ensure they feel safe and explain the provision in a child friendly and engaging way.

2. Complete Assessments of support needs with the individual child/ren in accordance with the Key work & Support procedure, and in partnership with the parent and other support agencies. Ensuring the whole team are aware of these and their contribution needed.

3. Complete Risk Assessments and CYP safety plans including regular reviews / updates, in accordance with the policy of Llamau, ensuring this is available to the whole team. Share risk information as required and appropriate including prompt updates following incidents, to protect everyone involved.

4. Ensure CYP are fully involved in agreeing their support goals, the outcomes they would like to achieve during their time in refuge and actively encouraging participation.

5. To coordinate all CYP educational provision as they access refuge to ensure all CYP experience a smooth transition of education services including additional needs and to prevent lengthy delays in admissions.

6. To liaise with Health visiting staff for all child checks and appointments and ensure all medical appointments are transferred locally.

7. To identify wider support needs for CYP and refer appropriately.

8. To take the lead in advocating for the CYP in all safeguarding procedures as they arise. This includes report writing and attending safeguarding meetings and support through court where required.

9. To take the lead in CYP house meetings, ensuring their views and wishes are heard and responded to.

10.To coordinate a timetable of activities that allow CYP to have every day, CYP experiences - this may include art sessions / day trips / cooking sessions / local event attendance that allow them to enjoy being CYP away from their experience of domestic abuse.

11.To complete support sessions with the parent, offering support around any parenting, routines, education, medical and family court processes.

12.Co-ordinate the support provided to the CYP by working closely with the wider support team and external agencies.

13.Liaison and professional communication with both external agencies and within the organisation as required.

14.Ensure all Support notes are written, signed as agreed by the CYP and parent, record at the end of each session and ensure each file contains all relevant information on each individual as required by Llamau policies and practise.

15.Engage CYP in support available, and complete specific key-working duties for CYP with a range of complex support needs. This can include a large element of lone working, and the need for safe working practices.

16.Provide support flexibly to ensure maximum chance of each individual engaging in the support available. E.g. offers of support around educational commitments.

17.To liaise with external organisations to ensure all support needs are referred on as they leave refuge. This will include educational provision, end of support overviews and referrals to local services as identified on move on.

18.Ensure that monitoring is completed for each project as required to evidence the effectiveness of support provided.

19.Monitor and respond promptly and appropriately to safeguarding issues in accordance with Procedures e.g. knowing when to request Police Welfare checks and contacting on call for support with safeguarding concerns.

20.Plan, promote and provide opportunities for participation within the project, the organisation and local community venues. Activities can be planned in advance, or provided when a group of CYP are available. Working as part of a Team.

21.Provide clear handover to other staff within the team, ensuring all relevant information is handed over, along with requests for actions needed.

22.Work flexibly to meet the needs of the women and any children, and to support project cover arrangements

23.Attend & participate in regular handover meetings, and full team meetings with wider Llamau and SMT team

24.Participate in regular review of project outcomes, ensuring the project is constantly improving.

25.Take responsibility for personal development by actively engaging in events, training, meetings etc that seek to develop or promote the ethos of Llamau and SMT.

26.Engage with women and CYP people at every opportunity in order to build trusting and respectful relationships with them. Get to know the individual, their strengths and challenges, and how the whole team can support them most effectively.

General Duties

29. Attend & participate in regular supervision and support, reflective practice and annual appraisals.

30. To positively promote and represent the interests of Llamau and SMT to those being supported, partners, neighbours and the local community, and to always conduct yourself in line with the Code of Conduct.

31. Comply with all SMT policies and procedures and all Operational Policies for the Project/s in which you are working.

32. To actively engage in the Induction, Core Competency and identified developmental training.

33. To familiarise yourself with all Health and Safety guidelines provided and help ensure that Health and Safety at Work Regulations are adhered to, and Housing Management tasks completed.

34. To undertake other duties that may from time to time be reasonably required commensurate to the post.

Special Condition:

Protecting children and vulnerable adults is a core responsibility of all staff. Staff are expected to alert their line manager to any concerns they may have regarding the abuse or inappropriate treatment of a child or young person, or vulnerable adult.

You will be required to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service check prior to taking up duties.

Number of hours: 21 hours per week (flexibility is essential as occasional evening and weekend work will be required)

Remuneration: £12,824 per annum

Contract term: Current funding to 31st March 2025, pending review thereafter

Location: Bridgend

Accountable to: CYP Services Operational Lead

Benefits: A generous package including 25 days holiday per year (increasing by one for each completed year of service to a maximum of 30) plus public holidays, Flexible Working Hours Scheme, employee pension scheme with 6% employer contribution, childcare voucher scheme.