Permanent Support Worker Jobs in Bristol
Title: Adventure Programme Support Manager
Reports To: Director of Programmes & Development
Salary: £29,000 - £31,000 per annum, depending on experience
Location: Home-based, flexible with easy access to the Wiltshire area
Contract: Permanent
Holiday: 25 days per annum, plus public holidays
Application: Application Form
Closing Date: Friday 26th April at 9am
The Charity
The Youth Adventure Trust is a youth development charity working with vulnerable young people aged 11 to 16 years old from Wiltshire and Swindon. Our outdoor activity based YAT Adventure Programme enables young people to challenge themselves, experience success, learn to go beyond their own expectations and grow in confidence. Through a series of residential camps and day activities they are able to build resilience, self esteem and develop social and life skills. The YAT Resilience Programme works to the same outcomes through a year long programme of monthly activities, home-based challenges and reflective practice. Our Mentoring Programme works with those young people in need of some additional individualised support at the end of our other programmes. The Trust’s Bursary Programme is open to all those young people who have completed an initial programme, in order to assist their next steps into further activities. Our aim is to make a lasting improvement to the lives of vulnerable young people. All our services are provided completely free of charge to the young people who are nominated by schools and other youth organisations to take part.
The Role
We are looking for an experienced, dynamic and motivated Adventure Programme Support Manager to support both young people and volunteers on our Adventure Programme. Working alongside the Programme Managers you will act in a support function across the activity days and camps, and be involved in direct one to one support for young people. You will also work alongside the Volunteering Lead to recruit, manage and support the volunteers who are front and centre of ensuring our young people’s positive experiences and outcomes. This is a diverse role with the opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of vulnerable young people both through direct work and supporting the wider team.
Programme Support
This aspect of the role includes;
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Attending residential camps and activity days throughout the year, assisting with organising and delivering the Adventure Programme.
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Ensuring the highest standards of support, safety and safeguarding across the programme and all aspects of the Youth Adventure Trust’s work.
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Carrying out direct work with young people to help support their needs and fulfil the Youth Adventure Trust’s aims.
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Supporting work with the young people’s families to promote full attendance, effective participation and ensure they have all the information they require.
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Supporting work with our referral partners to ensure they have an excellent understanding, relationship and experience with the Youth Adventure Trust.
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Contributing to ongoing feedback to young people, parents, carers and schools.
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Supporting the effective monitoring of the programme and measurement of young people’s developmental outcomes.
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Working with the Programme Managers to support young people moving on to the Mentoring Programme, and promoting take up of the Bursary Programme.
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Supporting the development of further opportunities for young people both during and after their YAT journey.
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Assisting the day-to-day administration and management of the programme. This may include maintaining a database, producing written communications and reports, information leaflets, website updates, budget monitoring, booking and negotiating with providers, and an array of detailed record keeping.
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Creating website and social media content to highlight and promote YAT’s work.
Volunteer Management
Volunteers are critical to the success of our programme for vulnerable young people; recruiting, supporting and developing capable, skilled, empathetic, engaging and committed volunteers is essential to the impact of our work.
This aspect of the role includes;
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Promoting volunteering opportunities and recruiting new volunteers to the organisation to ensure needs are met.
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Acting as a key point of contact for volunteers, maintaining communication and engagement with the charity.
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Administering all aspects of a volunteer’s involvement with the Trust, including completing the relevant checks and references, record keeping and database maintenance.
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Organising, preparing and information sharing with volunteers to ensure they are ready to fulfil their role.
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Supporting volunteers in their role on our Adventure Programme, facilitating opportunities for informal supervision and debriefing. Our volunteers work tirelessly to ensure the young people get as much as possible from their time with the Youth Adventure Trust, and often deal with challenging and impactful situations.
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Developing and coaching volunteers in their role through working alongside them as they support young people on our Adventure Programme residential camps and day activities.
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Creating and delivering training opportunities for new and existing volunteers.
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Creating website, newsletter and social media content to promote volunteering and engagement with the charity.
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Supporting our Volunteer Committee in their functions which include organising awareness raising and social events.
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Developing opportunities for a diverse portfolio of volunteering roles within the organisation.
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Supporting the fundraising team through providing feedback, reports or event support.
Across the role you will;
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Be involved in sector networking and awareness raising on behalf of the Trust.
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Act as an ambassador for the Youth Adventure Trust at all times.
The post is subject to a six months’ probationary period.
The Candidate
To be up to the challenge you’ll need an excellent understanding and a proven track record of relevant experience working with vulnerable and challenging young people. You’ll need demonstrable skills at building effective relationships with young people, parents/carers, and professional organisations. In addition, you’ll need an excellent understanding of volunteering and relevant experience working with and managing volunteers. You’ll need strong influencing and motivational skills; the capacity to get the best out of people and confidently deal with issues. You’ll be an excellent communicator, planner and problem solver, a strong team player and an exemplary role model.
We need someone with:-
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Commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people.
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Relevant experience of working with young people aged 11 - 14 years old, preferably in a residential environment as well as outside of this.
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Relevant experience of working with volunteers in the Third Sector, including recruiting, supporting and managing volunteers.
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Knowledge of volunteering issues and legal requirements.
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Experience of delivering training and strong facilitation skills.
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Experience in working in partnership with other professional organisations.
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Strong team skills with the ability to motivate and support a wide range of people.
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Self-motivation with the ability to work on their own initiative to plan and manage their workload.
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Strong IT skills including experience of MS Office, databases and social media.
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Knowledge of marketing and promotion, with an ability to use those skills to promote opportunities effectively.
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Excellent administrative skills and a methodical and thorough approach.
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Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
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The ability to perform well and problem solve in high-stress and changing situations. Ability to be flexible and dynamic in approach.
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A positive attitude, high energy and enthusiasm for the work of the Youth Adventure Trust. A personal interest in and an understanding of the positive impact outdoor adventure, especially for vulnerable young people, and a desire to help inspire young lives.
In addition:-
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The ability to work flexible hours including occasional evenings, weekends and a handful of residential trips as required is essential - if you are looking for a predictable Monday to Friday, 9-5, work environment throughout the year, this won’t be the right fit.
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A full clean driving licence and access to your own vehicle is required
Safer Recruitment
The Youth Adventure Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people and requires all employees to share this commitment. The suitability of all prospective employees will be assessed during the recruitment process in line with this commitment and in compliance with current employment legislation, and relevant safeguarding legislation and statutory guidance.
Please be advised;
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a satisfactory Enhanced DBS Disclosure with Children’s Barred List will be required for this post;
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we will seek references on shortlisted candidates before interview, and may approach previous employers for information to verify particular experience or qualifications;
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if the applicant is shortlisted, any relevant issues arising from his or her references or application will be taken up at interview;
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in accordance with due diligence checks, online searches may be conducted as part of the selection process on shortlisted candidates;
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if the applicant is currently working with children, on either a paid or voluntary basis, his or her current employer will be asked about disciplinary offences relating to children, including any in which the penalty is “time expired” (e.g. where a warning could no longer be taken into account in any new disciplinary hearing), and whether the applicant has been the subject of any child protection concerns, and if so, the outcome of any enquiry or disciplinary procedure. If the applicant is not currently working with children but has done so in the past, then contact will be made with that employer who will be asked about these issues; and
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applicants should note that providing false information is an offence and could result in the application being rejected, or dismissal if the applicant has been selected, and possible referral to the police.
Please review our Safeguarding Policy available on the Youth Adventure Trust website.
How to Apply
Please complete the Application Form which includes the opportunity to outline why you think you are suitable for this role, making specific reference to the Role and Candidate Specifications above.
The Application Form should be returned to:
Tessa Woodrow, Director of Programmes and Development
Applications Closing Date: Friday 26th April 2024 at 9am
Interview Date: Friday 3rd May 2024 in the Wiltshire area
The Youth Adventure Trust sincerely thanks all those who apply, however only those considered for an interview will be contacted.
Unfortunately we are unable to reimburse interview expenditure incurred.
Data Protection Statement
For information about how we use your data, please see the Privacy Policy on our website.
Equal Opportunities and Diversity Statement
The Youth Adventure Trust is an equal opportunities employer, values diversity and is strongly committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all employees and all applicants for employment.
Additional documentation:
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Application form
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Recruitment of Ex-offenders Policy
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Example Reference Questions
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
TACT East Midlands Team have a unique opportunity for either a Supervising Social Worker who is ready to progress their career to a Senior Supervising Social Worker or a current Senior Social Worker who understands trauma and therapeutic parenting approaches.
Salary – Supervising Social Worker pay - £35,292 p.a. + £1,500 Out of Hours Allowance p.a. + £750 Homeworking Allowance p.a. / Senior Supervising Social Worker pay - £39,880 p.a. + £1,500 Out of Hours Allowance p.a. + £750 Homeworking Allowance p.a.
Hours - 35 Hours per Week
Contract - Permanent
Location - Home-based in Northamptonshire, Leicester, Peterborough, Central Milton Keynes with travel required to visit foster families located across the TACT East Midlands area
As a ‘not for profit’ organisation, TACT puts the needs of our children and carers first and looks to appoint individuals who are as passionate about fostering as we are. We are a homeworking organisation, and we pride ourselves on our flexible working opportunities, available from day one, an extensive well-being programme and our benefits package, all curated to nurture a healthy work-life balance for all our employees so they can give excellent service to our carers and the young people and children we care for.
As a foster care charity, TACT invests all surplus income into services, staff, carers, and child development. This means that we have been able to invest in unique projects like TACT Connect, our unique and ground-breaking scheme for TACT care experienced young people and adults, as well as our expanding TACT Education Service and our new Health Service. All our activities are built on our commitment to becoming a fully trauma-informed organisation, in line with our key values and ethos.
TACT achieved 16th place in the UK Best Companies Work For survey results in 2023, with 91% of employees acknowledging that the organisation is run on strong values and principles and 94% stating they feel proud to work for this organisation.
The East Midlands Team, who have been rated as Outstanding in their Ofsted inspection in February 2024, have a unique opportunity for either a Supervising Social Worker who is ready to progress their career to a Senior Supervising Social Worker or a current Senior Social Worker who understands trauma and therapeutic parenting approaches. This role will give the successful Social Worker a chance to build on their skills and knowledge in providing support and supervision to our foster families based in the East Midlands area, to help them manage the complex needs of the children and young people in their care.
If you want to be valued as a professional, be appreciated at work and contribute to better outcomes for the children and young people connected with TACT, apply now.
The main requirements of the Social Worker role are:
- Experience in supporting and supervising 10-12 foster families to meet the complex needs of the looked-after young people
- Experience in group work and/or delivery of training.
- Experience of working with/supporting looked after children and their foster carers.
- Experience in using electronic records systems and IT effectively, which should include experience of virtual meetings and webinars.
- Experience in working with and on behalf of children, respecting and maintaining their individuality and promoting their positive development
In addition to the annual salary the post holder will be paid £1,500 p.a. Out Of Hours Allowance upon participation on the rota.
TACT offer an excellent employee benefits package including:
- 31 days paid holiday plus bank holidays.
- Flexible working arrangements (including compressed hours, flexibility around core hours, volunteer days policy).
- Family friendly policies.
- Homeworking ‘bundle’ including annual allowance, IT equipment and a loan for home office set up.
- Perkbox – retail discount scheme.
- Stakeholder pension scheme (salary sacrifice).
- Fantastic learning and development opportunities.
- Employee Assistance Programme (including CBT counselling, remote GP appointments, physiotherapy, mental health support and second opinions).
The successful candidate will be required to travel to face-to-face meetings in the East Midlands region at least once a month and on other occasions for training and team wellbeing events.
An Enhanced DBS clearance is required for this role and will be processed by TACT on your behalf.
Closing Date: Wednesday, 17th April 2024
Interview Date: Tuesday, 30th April 2024 (via Microsoft Teams)
Safeguarding is everyone’s business and TACT believes that only the people with the right skills and values should work in social work. As part of TACT’s commitment to safeguarding, we properly examine the skills, experience, qualifications, and values of potential staff in relation to our work with vulnerable young children. We use rigorous and consistent recruitment approaches to help safeguard TACT’s young people. All our staff are expected to work in line with TACT’s safeguarding policies.
We reserve the right to close a vacancy earlier than advertised if the volume of applications is excessive, you are therefore advised to apply at your earliest convenience.
TACT does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies, nor the fees associated with them.
Job Title: Assessing Social Worker
Salary: £36,643 per annum (£35,893 per annum salary + £750 per annum Homeworking Allowance)
Hours & Contract: 35 Hours per week - Permanent Role
Location: Homebased in the East or West Midlands area
As a ‘not for profit’ organisation, TACT puts the needs of our children and carers first and look to appoint individuals who are as passionate about fostering as we are. We are a homeworking organisation, and we pride ourselves on our flexible working opportunities, available from day one, an extensive wellbeing programme and our benefits package, all curated to nurture a healthy work life balance for all our employees so they can give an excellent service to our carers and the young people and children we care for.
As a foster care charity, TACT invests all surplus income into services, staff, carers, and child development. This means that we have been able to invest unique projects like TACT Connect, our unique and ground-breaking scheme for TACT care experienced young people and adults, as well as our expanding TACT Education Service and our new Health Service. All our activities are built on our commitment to becoming a fully trauma informed organisation, in line with our key values and ethos.
TACT achieved 16th place in the UK Best Companies Work For survey results in 2023, with 91% of employees acknowledging that the organisation is run on strong values and principles and 94% stating they feel proud to work for this organisation.
If you want to be valued as a professional, be appreciated at work and contribute to better outcomes for the children and young people connected with TACT, apply now.
The Assessing Social Worker will be responsible for ensuring the success of TACT's projects and change initiatives. The successful candidate will take a pan-organisation view of all projects and other change activities and seek to ensure that the organisation’s leaders have timely, complete, relevant and accurate information on the status of change activities and early insights into potential issues and opportunities.
Whilst being homebased, the Assessing Social Worker will be required to travel for visits, across the East and West Midlands areas. There is also a requirement to be able to travel to Team meetings, wellbeing days, TACT away days and other in person events across the UK as and when required.
Core Assessing Social Worker Tasks include:
- Preparing applicants for the fostering role
- Promoting and supporting the development of trauma informed foster care / therapeutic parenting
- Assessment of prospective foster families
- Contributing to the continuous improvement of fostering assessments and applicant preparation
The main role requirements for this role include:
- BA or Master’s in Social Work or Dip SW, CSS or CQSW qualification
- Social Work England Registration
- Post qualifying experience including relevant family placement work or post qualifying experience in other child-care settings which must include statutory childcare work
- Experience of assessing foster families and preparing them for the fostering tasks
- A proven track record in working with and on behalf of children and foster families, using a trauma-informed therapeutic approach
- A passion for ensuring children receive the highest quality care from their foster family
- Knowledge of relevant child-care and fostering regulations, legislation, and best practice
- Good IT skills including Office 365
TACT offer an excellent employee benefits package including:
- 31 days paid holiday plus 8 annual bank holidays.
- Flexible working arrangements (including compressed hours, flexibility around core hours, volunteer days policy).
- Family friendly policies.
- Homeworking ‘bundle’ including annual allowance, IT equipment and a loan for home office set up.
- Help@Hand Employee Assistance Programme (including CBT counselling, 24/7 remote GP appointments, physiotherapy, mental health support and second opinions on serious diagnosis).
- An hour a week of live, expert led activities through the Annual Employee wellbeing Programme.
- Menopause Policy and free Menopause Clinician Appointments.
- Stakeholder Pension Scheme (salary sacrifice).
- Fantastic learning and development opportunities for all roles.
An Enhanced DBS clearance is required for this role and will be processed by TACT on your behalf.
Closing Date: Sunday 7th April April 2024
Interview Date: Wednesday 17th April 2024 (via Microsoft Teams)
Safeguarding is everyone’s business and TACT believes that only the people with the right skills and values should work in social work. As part of TACT’s commitment to safeguarding, we properly examine the skills, experience, qualifications, and values of potential staff in relation to our work with vulnerable young children. We use rigorous and consistent recruitment approaches to help safeguard TACT’s young people. All our staff are expected to work in line with TACT’s safeguarding policies.
We reserve the right to close a vacancy earlier than advertised if the volume of applications is excessive, you are therefore advised to apply at your earliest convenience.
TACT does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies, nor the fees associated with them.
Are you passionate about youth work and the impact it can make to the lives of young people aged 8-19 years old in South Bristol?Want to join a dynamic team during a really exciting phase for the charity as we build towards opening the 224 (short for 2-day, 2-morrow, 4-ever) Youth Zone (scheduled to open in autumn 2025)?
Working alongside young people, the national charity OnSide, great local partners from the voluntary/ charity sector and local education providers Youth Moves will bring this amazing inspirational space to life, and we’d love you to join us on this journey.
Leading our work in key areas including youth work with girls and young women in our core youth club sessions, targeted schools' groups and much more you’ll be joining us at a pivotal time with huge opportunities to develop your practice.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.