POSITION SUMMARY:

The role of the Youth and Community Engagement Worker cuts across several aspects of Jigsaw’s work at local Service level including youth voice and engagement and youth mental health promotion in community and education settings. The role involves delivering a range of youth mental health promotion activities for young people, parents/guardians and those who work and volunteer with young people in settings where they live, learn, work and play. It also focuses on supporting Jigsaw’s youth advocates to participate and have their voice heard in the local Jigsaw Service and to influence decision-making across the organisation.

WHO WE ARE:
We are Jigsaw, the National Centre for Youth Mental Health. Formerly known as Headstrong, we were established in 2006 and to this day, we remain committed to leading a nationwide transformation in the area of youth mental health. By joining the Jigsaw Team, you will help us to create an Ireland where every young person’s mental health is valued and supported.
In Jigsaw we believe in intervening early with mental health difficulties, offering a therapeutic service to young people at primary care level. Our network of Jigsaw services provide young people aged 12-25 with a place, or a digital space, they can visit for free and receive confidential support from mental health professionals. In addition to the provision of a brief therapeutic service, we also advocate for a holistic and integrated view of the individual person which is inextricable from the contexts of their lives. To that end we aim to better inform, support, educate and empower communities, enabling a better understanding of our collective responsibility in supporting young people’s mental health. Our youth mental health promotion work seeks to enhance community engagement and increase knowledge and understanding in relation to youth mental health.
Youth voice is also central to our work in Jigsaw. We believe that service user engagement and wider youth participation is about involving young people, listening to them and giving them a voice in how our services and supports are planned, designed, implemented and evaluated.

This is a full time, specific purpose contract position based in our Jigsaw Cork clinic.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Youth voice and engagement

• Support the implementation, evaluation and ongoing evolution of Jigsaw’s youth voice and engagement framework

• Facilitate the engagement and participation of youth advocates in Jigsaw through a planned process of recruitment, induction, training and ongoing support

• Facilitate youth advocate meetings on a regular basis to ensure that young people are at the centre of the work of Jigsaw and in order to enable the ongoing identification of issues and concerns relating to youth mental health as perceived and experienced by young people

• Support the development and implementation of initiatives that build the capacity of youth advocates to act as ambassadors and change agents in promoting youth mental health in their own communities

• Support youth advocates to develop and resource a youth voice and engagement plan that sets clear goals and actions for the active and inclusive participation of young people from the local community, in the ongoing planning, implementation, promotion and evaluation of Jigsaw.

• Review the effectiveness of the youth advocate work plan and the various youth voice and engagement strategies in conjunction with the Jigsaw Service Manager

• Liaise with the Jigsaw Service Manager/Clinical Manager to ensure that the mental health and wellbeing of youth advocates is promoted and supported, as needed.

Youth mental health promotion

• Strengthen and further develop local networks, collaborations and partnerships with key community-based organisations with a focus on achieving better mental health outcomes for young people

• Supporting the development and implementation of initiatives that build the capacity of communities to support and promote youth mental health where young people live, learn, work and play

• Coordinate and respond to requests for workshops and programmes at local Service level

• Facilitate/co-facilitate a broad range of mental health promotion workshops and programmes for young people and those who work/volunteer with young people

• Represent Jigsaw at local community meetings (e.g. Child and Family Support Networks)
• Play a key role in communicating with a broad range of stakeholders and producing reports / presentations for various audiences

• Developing appropriate promotional materials for the Service, in collaboration with Jigsaw.

• Work in collaboration with the Fundraising and Communications to identify funding opportunities for youth and community engagement activities.

General duties

• Ensure that all activity is delivered in compliance with Jigsaw policies and procedures

• Ensure all activity is recorded on Team Desk – Jigsaw’s data management system

• Ensure accurate monitoring and reporting of Key Performance Indicators across all areas of work

• Participate in Jigsaw education, training and networking events as appropriate, e.g. Jigsaw Learning Network

• Comply with Jigsaw's Child Protection and Welfare Policy

• Comply with responsibilities under the Data Protection Acts 1988-2011, Freedom of Information Acts 1999-2014 and the General Data Protection Regulation 2018

• Be flexible regarding working hours in line with the needs of the Service and community (incorporating late evening and occasional weekend work)

• Prepare reports and updates for the Service Manager/Jigsaw

• Participate in team meetings and attend other meetings as deemed necessary

• Undertake other duties as may be requested by the Service Manager/Jigsaw as required.

Requirements
Essential Criteria:

• Degree or equivalent youth/community work, health promotion or a relevant education or social sector discipline
• Minimum of two years' experience in developing and implementing programmes relevant to working with young people
• Experience of working with young people and community groups in a community, education or health care setting
• Passion for enabling youth voice and engagement
• Strong presentation, communication and group facilitation skills
• Full, clean driving license and access to a car.

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience of working in a collaborative manner across multiple agencies and sectors
• Knowledge of theory and practice in youth participation and/or health promotion
• Experience of planning and evaluating projects
• Familiarity with local services for young people e.g. education, health, community and voluntary agencies
• Familiarity with Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children (2017)
• Strong organisational, administrative and report writing skills
• Ability to work in an independent and self-directed manner while also being part of a team
• Demonstrate evidence of computer skills including use of Microsoft Office, e-mail and social media.

Benefits
Salary commensurate with qualifications and experience. Factors taken into account in determining an appropriate scale include the candidate’s knowledge, skills, experience and qualifications relevant to the job. The salary range for this role will be €32,000 - €46,800.
Jigsaw operates the following benefits for its employee’s

• Defined contribution pension scheme. 10% Employer / 5% Employee
• 10% Discount on Laya Healthcare
• Annual leave 25 days, exclusive of public holidays and 1.5 company days.
• Comprehensive annual CPD schedule
• Financial support for further education

Please Note:

• The closing date for applications is 4pm on Friday, 8th November September 2024. Interviews expected to take place in person on 21st November 2024.
• The above Job Description is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all duties involved and consequently, the post holder may be required to perform other duties as appropriate to the post which may be assigned to him/her from time to time and to contribute to the development of the post while in office.
• For applicants who gained their qualification/s outside of the Republic of Ireland, evidence must be provided at the time of application that their qualification/s have been validated by the Irish Department of Health.
• This role will, in line with service opening times, will involve at least one late evening per week and may from time to time require weekend work.
• All Jigsaw staff members are required to obtain Garda clearance as a condition of their initial and continued employment.
• All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, disability, age, gender expression or sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnic or national origin, marital or civil partnership status or culture. Jigsaw is committed, where possible, to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. To discuss the requirements of the role, the location of the role or any reasonable accommodation you might require, please contact a member of the HR team via recruitment@jigsaw.ie
• All documentation received by Jigsaw will be processed in accordance with the Data Protection Acts, 1988 and 2003 General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR; 2018). The information will only be used by Jigsaw in the processing of job applications and for ongoing administrative purposes with job candidates

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