Play and Youth Worker

Location: Islington, North London

Salary: £22,900 pro rata (£11 an hour)

Hours: 30 hours a week including some evenings 

Closing Date: 25th March 2019

Rose Bowl is a dynamic youth centre in Islington which caters for 8-19 year olds. Children and young people are genuinely involved in working with professionals to create a space where they can relax, develop their creativity and values, improve their health and wellbeing and enjoy preparing for further education and employment.

Overall purpose of the role

Promoting the personal, educational, creative and social developments of children and young people, helping them reach their full potential. Helping to hold a safe, stimulating and supportive environment where children and young people learn to;

• treat themselves and others with love, kindness and respect
• discover exciting new ideas and activities they are unlikely to experience anywhere else
• have fun, play, laugh, learn, experiment, make mistakes and thrive
• grow into motivated, positive, resilient and caring citizens

Key activities and responsibilities

• Welcoming children and young people into the building, ensuring everything is running smoothly and supporting young people engaging with the activities
• Find positive ways of helping children to learn through play meeting the play work principles
• Delivering a drop in session for example organising games, positive activities and conversations, taking accountability for security and safe working within the youth sessions
• Supporting the delivery of creative and partnership projects
• Having conversations with young people, identifying issues affecting them and how their needs can be met
• Mentoring, coaching and supporting individuals
• Actively participating in supervision and professional reflection
• Encouraging young people to develop their self-awareness, independence and individuality
• Identifying where targeted youth support is needed and facilitate referrals and connections
• Helping ensure that all evidence of projects are properly documented, and that work is evaluated and reported in accordance with contractual commitments
• Keeping registers, writing evaluation reports and inputting data into our management information system
• Taking part in outreach activities, both independently and in partnership with other services
• Developing and building strong community relationships in particular with local schools
• Engaging with a wide range of external stakeholders and developing relationships with youth networks in Islington
• Staying informed on legislation, local and national issues, and best practice in youth work
• Ensuring child protection procedures are followed and that the safeguarding of young people is paramount
• Carry out all duties in accordance with Isledon Arts’ policies on Health and Safety, Child Protection and Data Protection, and with relevant legislation
• Act as a role model for young people, inspiring them to engage in the services and understand and appreciate the role of youth work as a career opportunity
• Any other duties as would be expected of a youth worker in a youth-led community hub

Personal Specification

You are

• Friendly, cheerful, positive and self-driven, able to work independently and as part of a team

Education, qualifications or experience

• Level 2 JNC or relevant youth work experience and/or childcare qualification minimum NVQ3 or relevant experience
• Experience of working with children and/or young people in an inner city estate-based environment is desirable
• Experience of youth-led co-creation within young people’s services

Knowledge, skills and abilities

• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to quickly establish positive relationships with children and young people
• Good organisational and administration skills
• Understanding and appreciation of the importance of monitoring and evaluation in a youth work setting
• Ability to support all children and young people in the creation of a space in which they can play
• Sound up-to-date knowledge of the play process
• Politically and creatively aware and ‘plugged in’ to emerging youth sub-culture
• Positive about embracing challenge and change, open to experimenting, new ideas, reflective practice and working with other organisations in a spirit of partnership
• Ability to prioritise effectively and enjoy multi-tasking in a busy environment
• A believer in strongly supportive environments, sharing and being open with colleagues
• A working understanding of safeguarding children and young people and how to maintain appropriate professional boundaries
• A working understanding of equality and diversity with the ability to challenge discriminatory behaviour

Full job details including application form can be found here. To apply for the role please upload your CV and Application. If you have any questions or problems uploading your application please contact: jobs@isledon.co.uk