Youth Worker

Are you interested in supporting children and young people to live happier, healthier lives?

Are you looking for a role that offers flexibility and supports work life balance?

Barnardo's is the UK's largest and most well-known children's charity, dedicated to supporting vulnerable children and young people across the country. Our services range from trauma recovery to youth work and mental health support, all aimed at supporting children to be safer, happier, healthier and more hopeful.

We are seeking suitably qualified and highly motivated part time Youth Workers to join a newly established service in Swindon, based at Great Western Hospital. This is an exciting new pilot programme commissioned by the Integrated Care Board allowing us to work innovatively and creatively to improve young people's experience of attending A&E and to reduce the number of young people needing to use A&E. We are looking for passionate staff to help us deliver positive health outcomes and improve young people's experience of the care they receive. Our vision is that the learning from this pilot will be shared with other areas leading to positive system change for young people.

Youth Workers will work alongside clinical staff to offer non-clinical support to children and young people, who attend Great Western Hospital A&E for non-clinical reasons including, mental health concerns, and wellbeing issues as a result of long-term health conditions. Support provided will include:

• Co-production and participation with young people to allow their voices to be heard in service developments.


• Conducting wellbeing assessments and developing support plans


• 1:1 for wellbeing (up to 6 sessions)


• Social prescribing and community navigation


• Community and school-based support


• Advice and guidance, including self-help


This role offers a unique opportunity to work as a Barnardo's employee, within a hospital setting, contributing to the wellbeing of the community's youth. Youth Workers will be adaptable and flexible to the needs of children and young people, offering support in places and spaces across Swindon such as schools, at home, or in green spaces. The holder of this role will need to be passionate about promoting the voice of young people to enable them to work with us throughout the journey of developing this pilot project. The successful candidate will receive regular supervision and training opportunities., Actively demonstrate Barnardo's Basis and Values and Equality & Diversity Code of Conduct in all areas of work:

• Respecting the unique worth of every person


• Encouraging people to fulfil their potential


• Working with hope


• Exercising responsible stewardship


Barnardo's is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. All applicants will undergo relevant checks, including an enhanced DBS disclosure.

When completing your application please refer to your skills knowledge and experience in relation to the Person Specification and Additional Information document. This should be done with an understanding of the context of the service described.

The Integrated Care Board Youth Wok pilot document also holds important information about the role and the service. Be aware that Barnardo's are implementing youth workers in Swindon only.

Barnardo's believe in creating equality of opportunity in the workplace and supporting people to manage their work-life balance; we are therefore open to offering flexible working arrangements.

Pre-employment checks will be required for the role

Do you have a positive attitude and the ability to engage with young people from diverse backgrounds?,
• Demonstrable experience working with children, young people, and families in a mental health or social care setting.


• Proven ability to conduct assessments, develop support plans, and provide advocacy for vulnerable individuals.


Knowledge:

• Understanding of child and adolescent mental health issues, including common disorders and symptoms.


• Familiarity with safeguarding protocols and procedures, ensuring the welfare of children and young people.


• Knowledge of local community resources, mental health support services, and referral pathways.


Skills:

• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to engage diverse audiences.


• Strong interpersonal skills, enabling effective collaboration with multidisciplinary teams and external stakeholders.


• Organisational skills to manage caseloads, documentation, and reporting requirements efficiently.


• IT proficiency, including experience with relevant software for recording and reporting purposes., Compassionate and empathetic approach to supporting the mental health needs of children, young people, and families.


• Ability to work autonomously and make sound decisions within established guidelines.


• Flexible and adaptable, capable of responding to changing priorities and demands effectively.


• Commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion, promoting a culture of respect and understanding.


Desirable Criteria:

• Experience working within advocacy or mental health services.


• Qualification in a relevant field such as Youth Work, Psychology, Education, Social Care or equivalent.
  
  We know that our colleagues go above and beyond in delivering our vital work, driven by their passion and commitment to Barnardo's values. We also know that we can only realise our ambitions and achieve better outcomes for more children, thanks to the talent, hard work and creativity of our people.


For all these reasons, we are committed to a new approach to pay and reward, to ensure it is fair, attractive and progressive, which was rolled out in April 2023. This is a positive change for the charity, and a part of our People & Culture Strategy. It will assist us in supporting colleagues to belong, thrive and grow in their colleague journey at Barnardo's and in time will offer clear routes of progression for colleagues in both their career and their pay., About Barnardo's
At Barnardo's we believe in children - no matter who they are, what they have done or what they have been through. Please read about our basis and values following the link below. You will be asked questions relating to them as part of the recruitment process for this role.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) is reflected in our values and our practice, and we have invested in this area of our work to ensure that we can deliver on our commitments to be an inclusive employer. EDI is a key enabler of our purpose as a charity and we want to ensure that the diversity of our teams is reflective of the communities we serve and that we continue to learn and develop our work with a focus on inclusion. We particularly encourage applications from candidates from Black, Asian and Minoritised Ethnic Communities, candidates who are LGBT+ and Disabled candidates.

Workplace Offer: What it means for you

The world of work has changed. We are understanding of what works best for our colleagues both current and future as we look to embrace this new way of working. Our hybrid working initiative is based on trust, flexibility and empowerment. We understand our workplace offer means different things to different people, and we encourage those conversations. This may mean working at one of our stores, services, working at home, at one of our Collaboration Hubs or any combination of these.

• Barnardo's believe in creating equality of opportunity in the workplace and supporting people to manage their work-life balance; we are therefore open to offering flexible working arrangements.


• 26 days annual leave plus bank holidays, increasing after 5 years service


• The ability to buy up to another 5 days annual leave via our HolidayPlus scheme


• A host of family friendly leave options including company Maternity Paternity and Adoption pay; together with all family additional leave options


• Service related sick pay from day 1


• Access to a Group Personal Pension with a matched 4% or 6% contribution from Barnardo's. Ability to pay via salary sacrifice to garner both tax and NI savings on your own contribution


• Death in service cover of 4x annual earnings for all staff contributing to our Group Personal Pension


• Cycle2work scheme


• Interest free season ticket loans


• Discounts and cashback from at high street shops including major supermarkets, cinemas, gyms, leisure/theme parks, holidays and much more via our Benefit Portal


• 20% discount at Barnardo's stores


• Opportunity to purchase a health cash plan to claim towards dental, glasses, therapy etc


• Free access to round the clock employee assistance program for advice and support


• Access to Barnardo's Learning and Development offer