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Senior Youth Worker

Employer
Free to Be Kids
Location
Waterloo, Lambeth
Salary
£27,000 - £31,000 dependent on experience
Closing date
25 May 2021

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We're looking for an exceptional and experienced youth worker to join our small team, delivering immersive and horizon-broadening residential projects, and follow-on youth work support, for particularly vulnerable children. You'll run weekend youth group sessions, lead days out and overnight trips, as well as working 1:1 with young people in this interesting but challenging dual role.

You'll work right alongside the charity's founders, playing an integral role in developing this young and vibrant charity and gaining significant insight into varied aspects of charity management and innovative youth work. Your main work will be helping lead and deliver our award winning Thrive Outside programme, which takes particularly disadvantaged young people, (primarily aged 8-13) on week long outdoor based breaks, helping them to feel brave, included, talented and successful, and then offers a range of tailored ongoing youth work support to those most in need, throughout the following years.

Our offer to the right candidate:

Salary: £27,000 - £31,000 dependent on experience.

Hours: Full time: 37 hours per week spread over 5 days, one of which must be a Saturday or Sunday during term-times. Attendance on 7 residential projects a year.

Leave: 46 days per year, inclusive of bank holidays and pre-set reward days. (Yes, we know how generous this is - but we ask a lot in return. See recruitment pack.)

Other benefits: 3% employer pension contribution paid on full base salary; flexible working (outside core hours); Employee benefit scheme including employee health plan and reward scheme offering reduced cinema tickets, meals out and entry to days out/attractions.

Based: Our offices near Waterloo, Lambeth, but with youth work sessions across south London

To start: Must be able to start by week commencing 19th July 2021, at the latest. Fixed term contract until July 2023 with potential for extension.

You will need to have held a UK driving licence for a minimum of 2 years and be willing, with training, to drive a minibus as an essential part of the role.

What we’re looking for:
You should have good experience of working with young people (aged 8-17) as a youth worker, or in a similar role involving substantial direct work with young people. All children referred to Free to Be come from complex backgrounds and as a result children can at times display complex behaviour - we’re looking for someone who is passionate about the rights of these children, loves working with them, and is able to throw their heart and soul into making a real difference on their behalf. You’ll need experience of responding to complex behaviour in prior roles, as well as energy, vibrancy and resilience to forge deep and trusting relationships with marginalised children and families who have often had negative experiences of schools, social care or other more formal settings.

Attendance on our residential projects, totalling approximately 45 days and nights each year, is an important requirement of the role - you’ll need the flexibility to make this fit, and the confidence to take on leadership roles on these projects. Our projects use natural settings, work with animals and adventurous activities to capture young people's imaginations, so a love of nature and the outdoors, an ease with camping, and a willingness to 'rough it' a little are also important. (Although you don’t need to be Bear Grylls – our projects are about introducing young people to the outdoors and helping them experience freedom and space, rather than a huge focus on ‘outward bound’ adrenaline style activities.).

This role would suit you if you’re motivated, proactive, and know that working with vulnerable young people is ‘your thing’. We want someone with drive and personality, who has fantastic rapport with young people, and are keen to encourage applications from youth workers who can help us represent the lived experiences of our children through their own lived experience or background. We’re focussed on investing in and developing the right candidate and we care much more about character and potential than word perfect CVs.

If you have the drive and passion needed for this role, please visit our website via the 'apply' button to view our recruitment pack and to apply.

 

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