Oxfordshire Youth and Response have a bold new vision for the Young People’s Supported Accommodation in Oxfordshire, a brand new service model combining the power of youth work with safe and quality homes; where young people, aged between 18 and 24, are supported to develop healthy and positive bonds with their housemates and communities.

The Senior Young People’s Supported Accommodation (YPSA) Manager will oversee the Safeguarding of young people in the YPSA service and will work closely with the Head of YPSA to ensure a safe, high quality service is delivered.
They will be a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) for Oxfordshire Youth and will be the escalation point for any issues.
They will provide an exceptional standard of coaching to colleagues, to ensure the needs of the young people without our service are met both within their homes and within their community setting.
We have ambitious targets for young people’s outcomes and the Senior YPSA Manager will be driven to help achieve our vision that young people in the YPSA grow to see themselves, and be seen as, future change makers.

We have an exciting opportunity for someone with excellent communication skills to join the staff of a social enterprise on an NHS-funded advice project now in its sixth year. The core function of this role is to be the public-facing first point of contact for callers to the advice service, offering tier one information and supporting the tier two specialist advice team. With big plans for the future, we want you to be part of a strong team committed to delivering excellence and achieving success in line with our commercial and social objectives.

You will be an excellent communicator with good interpersonal skills and experience of working in a client-facing information, advice or administration role. A proven ability to provide clear and coherent information via the telephone in a way that is accessible to a broad client base is essential.

The successful candidate will be able to establish a good rapport with clients and stakeholders in a professional and caring manner, upholding brand values.

In return, you can look forward to working with a small but highly-skilled and dynamic team, and having influence over the future strategic direction of the company. We also offer a competitive salary with performance-related bonus and an excellent benefits package. The nature of this role demands complete confidentiality and flexibility with regard to the needs of the business and its clients. This is a salaried role and some unsocial hours may be expected.

Hours: 20-25 hours p/w (flexible)

Salary: £11.00 per hour plus performance-related bonus and excellent benefits package

Contract Type: Permanent

Location: Negotiable depending on location - either office based or home based with periodic travel to Head Office in Oxfordshire

Background Information

NHS Continuing Healthcare is the name given to a package of health care that some people need to receive as a result of a disability, accident or illness. Individuals who are assessed as eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare will have the full cost of their care and accommodation funded by the NHS.

Beacon operates an ethical business model which places the client at the heart of the process and aims to achieve the best possible outcome for our clients through robust and non-confrontational engagement with CCGs. Our team of advisers and caseworkers have established a strong reputation for their thorough understanding of the eligibility criteria and key principles, combining excellent client engagement with high-quality case representation. In seven years we have supported over 30,000 people and achieved a consistently high quality score from our clients.

The Project

For the past six years Beacon has been commissioned by NHS England to deliver the first national specialist NHS Continuing Healthcare information and advice service. The service delivers in two specific areas:

• Remote verbal or written advice surgeries: time-limited specialist advice delivered via telephone, Teams and email
• Literature in the form of comprehensive information guides provided via post and across digital access points

The service is open to anybody in England at any stage of the continuing healthcare journey or in the long-term care system. Clients and service-users will be entitled to receive a copy of Beacon’s literature in the format they find most accessible, and up to ninety minutes of remote (verbal or written) advice.

Remote verbal information and advice will be provided on any area within the scope of the National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS Funded Nursing Care (2007, 2009, 2012 and 2018 editions), and related guidance, and on the topics covered by the Navigational Toolkit.

The role of the Information Officer will be to deliver accurate tier one information to clients which helps them to understand what NHS continuing healthcare is, how to apply for it and what to do if they want to challenge the outcome of their assessment. You will also be expected to schedule tier two advice sessions with our specialist advice team for individuals who require an-depth consultation.

Please note that whilst prior knowledge of the NHS continuing healthcare criteria and assessment procedures is desirable, it is not necessary to have this knowledge and full training will be provided. We are looking for candidates with the right skills and personal attributes as listed in the Person Specification.

Our Values

At Beacon, we employ people who want to do things differently to other organisations working in this field. Five values sum up our culture and how we treat our clients and our staff:

1. Ethical

Commitment to our clients

We operate with honesty and integrity. We are transparent about our funding set-up and our fees, which we keep as low as we sensibly can. We never ‘hard sell’ our services, we keep you informed at every step, and we always give our honest opinion of your chances of success. As a social enterprise, we donate any profits to charity.

Commitment to our team

We operate with honesty and integrity, and always work hard to get the best results for our clients and the business. We work to high standards, and trust our people to respectfully speak out if we fall short.

1. Expert

Commitment to our clients

We pride ourselves on being recognised as leading independent experts in NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC). We apply our knowledge and experience to help every case and caller. We also strive to improve CHC for everyone, by training health and social care professionals.

Commitment to our team

We are the leading experts in our field. We encourage and value innovation and evolution in what we do, and how we do it. We are united in developing the business and its services.

1. Personal

Commitment to our clients

By listening carefully to you and the people who really know about your care needs, we can provide excellent advice and powerful advocacy tailored to your unique situation.

Commitment to our team

We get results by getting to know our clients. We do the same with our people, offering flexible working options to suit your circumstances, and taking time out to have fun as a team.

1. Compassionate

Commitment to our clients

We are mindful of the immense stress that our callers and clients can be under, at what is often a really tough time. We do our best to lift some of that burden by providing a quality service that you can trust, and by being compassionate and courteous at all times.

Commitment to our team

The nature of the work can be stressful and emotionally draining. We take care and time to look out for each other, and encourage healthy work habits.

1. Rewarding

Commitment to our team

We take the time to celebrate success and are inspired by one another’s achievements. We provide a generous and varied suite of benefits that can be enjoyed by our people and their families. 

Sanctuary Hosting is a charity working across the Thames Valley to match people who are homeless and in the asylum process, as well as people fleeing domestic abuse and human trafficking / modern day slavery by placing them in a rent-free spare room for an agreed period of time. 

Sanctuary Hosting is a registered UK charity managed by a board of trustees (the Management Committee). It was founded in 2015 by Oxford City of Sanctuary to provide one solution to the problem of homeless sanctuary seekers on our streets. The project matches destitute asylum seekers, refugees and vulnerable migrants with open-hearted volunteer hosts in the community. The service operates across the Thames Valley, mainly in Oxford, Milton Keynes, Marlow and Reading.

Sanctuary Hosting attaches great importance to ensuring volunteer support workers, volunteer hosts (henceforth referred to collectively as volunteers) and guests are properly assessed and supported and that everything is done to ensure that placements are safe and have the best possible chance of succeeding. All volunteers are interviewed and both DBS and reference checks are undertaken. Similarly, guests are interviewed and references are taken.

In the past five years we have helped 116 people from 27 countries who were homeless to find accommodation and provided over 22,000 nights of accommodation. The vast majority of the people assisted have no recourse to public funds (NRPF) and are destitute. To enable the delivery of the hosting service, Sanctuary Hosting has engaged 80 households to host and worked with over 50 support worker volunteers.

Overall Purpose of the Post

The Director has overall responsibility for the safe and effective delivery of the service. Reporting to the Management Committee they ensure that the work is carried out to meet the requirements of funders and within budget. They manage the Service Co-ordinator (Oxford & Milton Keynes area) and Project Worker (Reading & Marlow area) to ensure the effective recruitment, training, support and supervision of all Sanctuary Hosting’s volunteers. They oversee the staff and volunteer team in their processing, assessment and response to guest referrals as well as the coordination, facilitation and support of hosting placements.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Management of the charity

Work with the Management Committee to develop and implement operational plans, policies and procedures to ensure the scheme functions effectively and safely.

Work with the Fundraising Committee to identify funding opportunities and work with the Committee to make appropriate funding applications, respond to fundraising opportunities and build relationships with individual donors.

Ensure all monitoring and evaluation reports are delivered on time, according to the requirements of the funder.

Work with the Management Committee to extend coverage of the hosting scheme to other parts of the Thames Valley where there is unmet need.

Develop mechanisms for collecting feedback from guests and volunteers and ensure this feedback is used to develop and improve the Sanctuary Hosting scheme.

Collate and analyse information on the work of Sanctuary Hosting, producing statistical and narrative reports about the scheme’s performance for funders, regulating bodies and the Management Committee as required.

Ensure service standards, volunteer competencies and health and safety procedures are implemented and maintained across all areas of activity.

Develop volunteer recruitment policies, systems and procedures, working with the Sanctuary Hosting Management Committee.

Keep abreast of immigration and asylum policy with a view to working with the Management Committee to respond and adapt to the needs of people who are homeless with no recourse to public funds in the Thames Valley.

Management of staff and volunteers

Carry out line management of the Service Coordinator and the Project Worker, ensuring they are effectively supported, supervised and trained.

Oversee the recruitment of volunteers according to the scheme’s procedures, ensuring that they are assessed and inducted.

Oversee the recruitment, training, support and supervision of volunteers to support guests and hosts, ensuring that all volunteers have a clear understanding of their role and remit and receive appropriate support and supervision.

Oversee the group peer support for the Sanctuary Hosting community (guests, hosts staff and support workers) providing opportunities for all to share their experiences and learning.

Develop guidance, tools and training resources and deliver training to enable volunteers to carry out their roles safely and competently.

Ensure that volunteers are fully aware of and trained in appropriate health and safety procedures and risk assessments.

Develop signposting and referral resources to ensure guests with additional needs can be supported appropriately.

Support staff and volunteers to resolve complex issues that might arise within the Sanctuary Hosting community.

Referral and caseload management

Oversee all referrals to the hosting scheme to ensure they are assessed and responded to in a timely and professional manner.

Work with the Welfare Committee to manage guest placements and financial support, ensuring that any difficulties are resolved in an appropriate and timely manner.

Promotion, communications and developing partnerships

Be responsible for the Sanctuary Hosting monthly newsletter and for regular activity to promote the service on social media, aiming to recruit more hosts, volunteers and donors.

Proactively promote and publicise the Sanctuary Hosting scheme through attending relevant forums, meetings and events and giving presentations about the scheme.

Work collaboratively with members of the Management Committee and actively seek opportunities for collaborative and joint working relationships externally, which will enable the scheme to better meet the needs of its service users

Work productively and appropriately with existing partners including Citizens Advice Reading and the British Red Cross.

Build and maintain relationships with statutory, voluntary, community and faith organisations working with refugees, asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants in the Thames Valley Area and nationally as necessary.

Administration

Develop appropriate GDPR compliant systems to record personal details, availability and whereabouts of the Sanctuary Hosting community and ensure these are maintained by the staff team.

Develop effective systems for tracking actions carried out on behalf of individuals referred to the scheme and ensure these are maintained by the staff team.

Oversee timely and professional processing and response to enquiries.

General

Implement and adhere to Sanctuary Hosting’s policies and procedures, including Health and Safety and Equal Opportunities.

Make known to the Management Committee any circumstances, errors or omissions that may have a detrimental effect on scheme and its stakeholders.

Work with the Sanctuary Hosting Chair and Treasurer to assist with developing, implementing and managing operating plans and budget.

Work flexibly in accordance with the needs of Sanctuary Hosting, including undertaking out of hours and weekend work as required.

Commit to on-going professional development by participating in regular clinical and management supervision, relevant external meetings, forums and available training.

Person specification

Job Title: Director

Experience

• Experience of developing and delivering high quality, confidential, user-centred services for vulnerable people** E
• Experience of providing support services to refugees, asylum seekers and/or vulnerable migrants** E
• Experience of recruiting, supporting, managing and supervising volunteers and staff** E
• Experience of fundraising and reporting on existing grants. **E
• Experience of developing and maintaining effective working relationships with external stakeholders**E
• Experience of developing, monitoring and evaluating services or projects in response to service user needs** D
• Experience of supervision of staff and volunteers in challenging, frontline services ** D
• Experience of delivering participatory training **D

​Knowledge/ Technical Skills

• Working knowledge of issues affecting refugees, asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants**E
• Working knowledge and understanding of legal provisions and good practice in relation to vulnerable people**E
• Knowledge of statutory and voluntary services that provide support to refugees, asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants**E
• Understanding of how to develop and implement operating plans, policies and procedures**D
• Knowledge of health and safety good practice in a service delivery environment**D
• Understanding of how to collate and interpret service delivery information including statistics and user feedback**E
• Competent user of email, Word, Excel, databases, internet and social media**E
• Understanding of how to manage and monitor budgets**E
• Excellent interpersonal skills including conflict resolution and consultation skills**E
• Ability to communicate with people of diverse cultures and empower people by identifying and working with their strengths**E

Competencies

• Ability to write clearly and accurately and give verbal presentations**E
• Ability to work flexibly as part of a team**E
• Ability to motivate, develop and supervise others**E
• Ability to manage own time and workload and prioritise a range of competing tasks within the working hours allocated **E
• Ability to monitor and improve service quality through active consultation** E​

Behaviours

• Able to ensure equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory practices and promote diversity**E
• Able to recognise and value the contribution of others**E
• Able to take responsibility for own actions and to undertake reflective learning**E
• Able to uphold confidentiality in all aspects of the work with service users, volunteers and colleagues**E
• Able to maintain boundaries in a demanding, frontline context**E

Special Circumstances

• Able to work flexible hours, including some evenings and weekends as required**E
• Able and willing to travel in Oxford and the surrounding Thames Valley area on a regular basis as necessary**E
• Current driving licence valid for use in the UK and access to own vehicle**D

E = Essential criteria

D = Desirable criteria