SOC Volunteer Youth Worker - VYW-261

Are you a proactive, collaborative and compassionate individual with experience of supporting, engaging with, or communicating with young people or people experiencing disadvantage? Do you have the ability to understand and maintain appropriate professional boundaries when supporting vulnerable young people?

If so, St Giles is looking for a SOC Volunteer who will support the Serious Organised Crime (SOC) team in its work with young people who may be vulnerable to, experiencing, or at risk of criminal exploitation, serious violence, offending and associated harms. This is a supported volunteer role. The volunteer will not hold an independent caseload or undertake lone client contact.

About St Giles Trust

An ambitious, well-established charity that helps people facing adversity to find jobs, homes and the right support they need. Central to our ethos is our belief that people with first-hand experience of successfully overcoming issues such as an offending background, homelessness, addictions and gang involvement, hold the key to positive change in others.

About this key role

As our volunteer, you will support SOC staff to build positive, trusting relationships with young people and engage them with the service. This will involve attending planned client sessions, appointments and community-based activities alongside an authorised St Giles staff member and supporting young people with agreed practical activities, including education, training, employment, volunteering and positive activities, under the direction of SOC staff.

We will also rely on you to support confidence-building, strengths-based and positive decision-making activities with young people, assist SOC staff with appropriate preparation and follow-up activities connected to client sessions and support the delivery of group activities, workshops and engagement sessions where appropriate.You willlisten to young people without judgement and encourage them to recognise their strengths, aspirations and opportunities for positive change and work collaboratively with SOC caseworkers and the wider team, sharing relevant information with the staff member responsible for the young person’s case.

What we are looking for

• Experience of volunteering, community activity, mentoring, peer support or youth work is desirable but not essential
• A willingness to work alongside staff, follow guidance and undertake relevant training
• An understanding of, or willingness to learn about, criminal exploitation, serious youth violence and the vulnerabilities that can increase exploitation risk
• An awareness of strengths-based, person-centred and trauma-informed approaches
• The ability to encourage and support young people while respecting their choices and maintaining professional boundaries.
• Excellent interpersonal, relationship-building and communication skills, verbal and written
• A flexible, collaborative and professional approach to your work

We are an equity and inclusion-confident employer. We welcome all applications, and we particularly encourage applications from people of the global majority (black, brown, multi-heritage) and those who identify as disabled, neuroexpansive, or neurodiverse, with any protected characteristics and/or social barriers or challenges. We value the empowering and informative impact that all lived experiences and diversity of thought can offer the organisation.

Please note St Giles will guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria set out in the Job Description for the vacancy.

An enhanced Children’s Barred List DBS check is required for this role.

PERSON SPECIFICATION In your application form, please provide a written statement (maximum 1,000 words) showing how you meet the criteria outlined in the Person specification.