Job Role: Youth Worker
Hours: ranging from approx 14 -20 hours per week
Shift Pattern: Term time hours are to include: Tuesday: 2.30pm - 8pm, Wednesday: 3.30pm - 8pm, Thursday 2.00pm - 8.00pm
Flexibility is required relating to the program of activities to be delivered especially during school holidays when activities will be scaled up.
Grade: D
Responsible to: Youth & Community Engagement Manager
Responsible for: Youth
It is the Organisation’s intention that this job description is seen as a guide to the major areas and duties for which the employee is accountable. However, the employee’s obligations are bound to vary and develop, so the job description should be seen as a guide and not as a permanent, definite and exhaustive statement.
Organisation
The YMCA is a Christian organisation, and part of the worldwide movement welcoming persons of all religious faiths and none.

• YMCA London City and North is an exempt charity and registered provider regulated by the Tenant Service Authority, providing housing and related services to homeless young people.
• YMCA London City and North is a charity limited by guarantee, providing a range of community facilities (fitness centre, children’s activity centres, youth work, community events etc).

YMCA London City and North consists of three Housing accommodation projects and two move on properties offering 395 homes for young homeless people, Haringey community centre and a youth service in Islington.
At YMCA London City and North we pride ourselves on creating a trusting environment whereby young people are given the opportunity to learn and develop skills to help them transition into independent living. Our holistic approach is tailored to meet the needs of the young people. We offer integrated access to affordable accommodation, training and employment opportunities, information, advice and guidance. Our person centred approach makes us different to other supported accommodation and youth service providers.
ACCOUNTABILITIES
Youth Projects

• Develop relationships and work with the Youth & Community Engagement Manager, young people, colleagues and local partners to acquire local knowledge sufficient to understand the needs of young people in the communities in which they live.
• Regularly make contact and interact with young people through face to face or authorised social media channels.
• Through relationships with colleagues, partner organisations and own research, identify agencies that will be able to provide additional support or guidance to young people.
• Signpost information to local agencies and undertake a formal referral process if needed, where appropriate act as an advocate for the young people
• Create and develop tailored interventions having identified core themes and needs of young people through your interactions with young people, ensuring opportunities for their involvement in decision making and providing challenging developmental activities.
• Facilitate interventions with small or larger groups of young people based on identified needs, reviewing interventions to identify further needs and different approaches that could be used in the future.
• Contribute to the identification and bidding for new streams of funding that will extend the work of the Youth Coordinator’s role to increase sustainability.
• Perform outreach youth work to encourage an older cohort into our services.
• Produce measurable outcomes and impact assessments of the youth work and work with the Youth & Community Engagement Manager to identify and promote these.
• Work with local partners, including but not limited to, schools, parents, social services and local facilitators.
• Risk Assess any organised activity or area of which youth work is taking place in line with YLCAN policy.
• Safeguard and act in the best interest of young people attending our Youth Service. Ensuring that safeguarding alerts are made through our internal system and directly with the local authority
• Always maintain professional boundaries with young people, parents, carers and our professional partners.
• Seek opportunities to improve our service and youth delivery and engagement methods by benchmarking with other local providers and performing Market Research.
• Ensure that GDPR is followed at all times when handling sensitive information on behalf of the organisation, including that of young people’s details, in line with our GDPR policies.

Accommodation Project

• Support the Housing Team in the design and implementation of accredited Housing Model workshops, ensuring they are kept relevant and up to date so they meet the young people needs.
• Deliver the workshops as required, undertaking the necessary promotion, registration, monitoring and reporting required.
• Create evaluation activities and tools to use for each workshop.
• Enhance the Housing Model by Identifying and supporting residents to attend external programs or by having external agencies in to deliver training for residents.
• Develop services through co-production, resident forums and a programme of social events and activities for residents.
• Work with ETE activities team to deliver all the above.
• Contribute proactively to the Youth Projects Team, attending regular meetings and other relevant YLCAN forums.
• Initiate and lead team meetings for the project(s), communicating key decisions and highlighting potential resource implications in time to respond effectively.
• Ensure that young people are given appropriate opportunities to participate in the work of YLCAN through steering groups, forums and coproduction, which may involve working in the evenings and weekends.
• Monitor and evaluate all work providing reports, session recordings and statistical information as required, including completion of funders’ quarterly returns, keeping IYSS up to date, tracking youth interventions within our INFORM database and provide other information as requested.
• Ensure you have a thorough knowledge of YLCANs policies and procedures to carry out duties in a professional way, contribute constructively as a member of the YLCAN staff team and support the wider YMCA movement.
• Engage with training opportunities as agreed.
• Carry out other agreed duties at the discretion of the line manager.

SCOPE AND LIMITS OF AUTHORITY
The Youth Worker is responsible for ensuring the quality of delivery our youth work. This most significantly includes representing YLCAN and our ethos by way of delivering high quality and engaging youth work.
Specifically, the Youth worker is responsible for:
Finance:

• Recording expenditure and processing purchase orders in line with YLCAN recording systems and policies.

Material Assets:

• Ensure that all equipment used by the project[s] is recorded on the asset register and returned to storage after use.
• Ensure that all equipment and resources are fit for purpose and appropriate for the activity or training identified.
• Keep safe assigned computer equipment

Information:

• Responsible for the quality and accuracy of project[s] content on INFORM
• Responsible for following YLCAN and national guidelines, policies and procedures when accessing and storing electronically or physically all personal information of young people.
• Responsible for publications, website content, and marketing materials around youth work.
• Responsible for the young people and other team members in the absence of the Senior youth coordinator

Person Specification
Experience
Experience of designing and delivering workshops and or programmes for young people/peers that are accredited and non-credited. - Essential
Experience of working in a face to face environment working with young people experiencing difficulties and hardship and of forming non-judgmental and constructive relationships with peers and young people. - Essential
Understanding of factors that affect young people within the current social and economic climate and knowledge of effective theories of change. - Essential
Experience in leading on a piece of work in the youth sector. - Essential
Experience in the supervision of volunteers. - Desirable
Experience of developing a project from scratch. - Essential
Experience of delivering training. - Desirable
Demonstrable experience of using own initiative. - Essential
Have an interest in young people’s wellbeing and personal development. - Essential
Demonstrable experience of working proactively and unsupervised. - Essential
Skills and Abilities
Be willing to take necessary training for the post - Essential
Commitment to empowering young people and to encouraging them to engage with decision-making processes - Essential
Understanding of equal opportunities and ability to deliver work infused with anti-discriminatory practice - Essential
Have good communication skills, both verbal and written, with ability to write clear and precise reports - Desirable
Ability to work constructively as a member of a team - Essential
Proficient in Microsoft Office packages - Desirable
Ability to liaise effectively with other agencies, local people and parents and manage external stakeholders. - Essential
Understands the need for monitoring and evaluation, including for funding purposes. - Desirable
Ability to work systematically in the delivery of work to a clear plan. - Essential
Ability to be critically self-aware and learn from experience using reflective practices - Essential
Able to identify, and bid for, new streams of funding and development opportunities - Desirable
Job Type: Part-time
Pay: £15.38 per hour
Expected hours: 14 – 20 per week
Benefits:

• Casual dress
• Company pension
• Life insurance
• Sick pay

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

Ability to commute/relocate:

• London: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (preferred)

Application question(s):

• Have you seen the shift pattern in the job description and are you available to work those days and hours?

Work authorisation:

• United Kingdom (required)

Work Location: In person
Application deadline: 01/09/2024