Senior Young Dads Worker - Tees Valley

The role

This is an exciting opportunity to join NEYDL’s growing team and help us establish and develop our work with young dads in Tees Valley.

As a Senior Young Dads Worker, you will provide direct, intensive support to young dads across Tees Valley, working with some of the most disadvantaged young men in the region. You will manage your own caseload, lead peer support activity, work in close partnership with Family Hubs, social care and other local services, and take a lead role in ensuring every young dad you work with is effectively supported from first contact through to positive outcomes.

This is a senior role with real responsibility. Alongside direct delivery, you will take ownership of your project budget, contribute to funder reporting, supervise junior staff and/or volunteers, and develop a designated area of specialism agreed with the senior leadership team. You will be part of a close, supportive team and will play an active role in shaping how NEYDL grows its presence in Tees Valley.

What we are looking for

We are looking for someone with experience of working with disadvantaged young people or young families in a direct support role, ideally in a statutory or voluntary sector context. You will be confident working independently and managing a complex caseload, and you will understand the challenges facing young dads and the systems they navigate.

We particularly welcome applications from people with lived experience of young fatherhood or young parenthood, from individuals with local knowledge of Tees Valley communities, and from people from minoritised backgrounds.

What we offer

NEYDL is a close, inclusive and supportive team that actively invests in the development of its staff. We are a non-judgmental organisation built on mutual trust, respect and honesty. If you join us, you will be part of a team that genuinely believes in what it does.

In addition, we offer:

• 7.2 weeks’ annual leave per year, inclusive of statutory and public holidays
• 5% employer pension contribution
• A flexible hybrid working arrangement
• Regular supervision and fortnightly team meetings
• Funded professional development and training
• Mileage paid at 55p per mile for business travel

Job purpose

To provide high-quality, intensive support to young dads and expectant fathers (aged 25 and under) across Tees Valley; to lead and coordinate peer support activity; to manage allocated budgets and contribute to funder reporting; and to take an active role in the development of NEYDL’s commissioned services in the region.

Key responsibilities

1. Direct support

• Provide in-person and online 1-to-1 support to young dads and non-birthing people, helping them address key challenges and achieve personal outcomes
• Assess new referrals and manage a complex caseload, prioritising according to need and risk
• Support young dads to attend key meetings with professionals (including child protection, child in need, family court and multi-agency forums)
• Help young dads to access wider opportunities including volunteering, employment, education and community activities
• Support young dads and their families to engage in father and child activities, stay and play sessions, and peer supported recreational activities
• Promote and support access to DigiDAD, NEYDL’s free e-learning platform, and other training and information resources

2. Peer support and group work

• Establish, coordinate and co-facilitate in-person peer support groups for young dads in Tees Valley
• Support the development and delivery of parenting, relationship skills and employability sessions in response to community-identified needs
• Support peer moderated video gaming groups as part of DigiDAD Gaming where relevant

3. Induction, onboarding and milestones

• Ensure every young dad is effectively inducted onto the NEYDL service, completing key onboarding steps and baseline self-evaluation measures
• Track and record progress against key milestones throughout the support journey, in line with NEYDL’s evaluation framework
• Ensure all relevant data is recorded accurately and on time in NEYDL’s data management system

4. Budget and targets

• Take ownership of allocated project budgets, monitoring expenditure and liaising with the Programme Manager (Commissioned Services) and Finance Officer as required
• Work proactively to achieve agreed referral rate targets, taking responsibility for building pathways and relationships that generate consistent referrals
• Contribute to the preparation of funder reports under the oversight of the Programme Manager and Fundraiser, providing accurate data and case study material

5. Specialism

• Take on a designated area of specialism within NEYDL, agreed with the Senior Leadership Team (for example, volunteering, safeguarding or environmental programmes)
• Take a lead role within the team in relation to your specialism, contributing expertise and supporting colleagues

6. Management of staff and volunteers

• Line manage junior staff, project workers and/or volunteers as required
• Support staff and volunteers with operational queries and day-to-day delivery
• Contribute to the induction, supervision and professional development of staff and volunteers
• Support the recruitment and progression of young dads into volunteering roles, including as DigiDAD content creators, peer researchers, DADvocates, AmbassaDADS and community leaders

7. Monitoring and evaluation

• Support the effective recording, monitoring and reporting of programme performance via NEYDL’s data management system and evaluation framework
• Comply with all monitoring, evaluation and reporting requirements, both internal and funder-related
• Support the work of NEYDL’s research partners and independent evaluators as required

8. Collaboration and partnerships

• Work in partnership with key stakeholders in Tees Valley to improve the service offer for young dads, including Family Hub teams, social care, health, housing, education and voluntary sector organisations
• Build referral pathways and maintain strong working relationships with local services and networks
• Develop and build effective relationships with principal stakeholders, supporters and referral partners

9. Advocacy and engagement

• Represent NEYDL at external events and meetings to raise awareness of the service and influence other organisations
• Promote, campaign and advocate with and on behalf of young men, ensuring NEYDL continues to be a leading voice for positive change
• Work proactively to enable young dads to influence the design and delivery of the service, including supporting their participation in community leadership programmes
• Support the charity’s communications and engagement activity, including contributing content to annual reports, social media and local media

10. Other

• Deputise for the Programme Managers as required
• Report to the Board of Trustees in person or in writing on a quarterly basis as required

11. Standard clauses

• The post holder must carry out their responsibilities at all times with due regard to NEYDL’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion strategy, policy and statement, and Safeguarding Policy
• The post holder is responsible for ensuring that policies and procedures relating to health and safety in the workplace are adhered to at all times
• The post holder must respect the confidentiality of data stored electronically and by other means, in line with NEYDL’s Data Protection Policy
• This role requires satisfactory enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) clearance prior to appointment

This job description is not exhaustive. NEYDL reserves the right to reasonably add to or revise it at any time in agreement with the post holder.