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About Blackburn & Darwen Youth Zone:
Blackburn & Darwen Youth Zone is a 21st century youth hub located at the heart of Blackburn and a dedicated site in Darwen, open to young people aged 5 to 25 years old, aiming to change the prospects offered to young people in the area. Our vision is to be at the heart of the community, collaborating to create a more cohesive and prosperous Blackburn and Darwen.
We are one of the leading youth organisations in Blackburn, with a membership of over 5000 young people. We are open 7 days a week, 52 weeks of a year and offer over 40 different activities and opportunities in our open-access youth club.
Context of Role:
Our Head of Young People's Services is a critical, strategic and operational role within Blackburn and Darwen Youth Zone. As a supporting member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT), you will work closely with the Director of Operations, CEO and the Director of Finance to ensure the charity delivers its vision and strategic objectives. This includes strategies for sustaining and overseeing the ongoing transformation of Blackburn and Darwen Youth Zones' operational business plan and its operational processes and infrastructure. Your leadership skills will play a crucial role (in conjunction with the leadership team) in establishing a platform and environment for growth by creating a best-in-class, people-first, employee-of-choice that changes the prospect of local children and young people (aged 5 to 25 years). You must be abreast of new opportunities (sourced independently and through your colleagues) and advise the leadership team and board on all Universal and Targeted Service operational matters, including its performance, risk, forecast/trajectories, and the general state of play.
You will need to show exceptional skills and the ability to meet KPI’s relating to (but, not limited to) leadership skills, the ability to design and deliver organisational operational plans, risk management, departmental budget management, stakeholder relations and organisational safeguarding responsibility.
We have big plans for the Youth Zone and this is an exciting time to join us. We would expect the right candidate for this role to be open to new opportunities and there is a strong line of progression within the charity for the right person.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
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The Margins Project, Union Chapel’s Frontline charity, work with people who are homeless or who are at risk of homelessness and helps address pertinent social justice issues these communities face.
The charity runs three integrated programmes:
• a community drop-in programme providing access to nutritious hot meals, and limited access to showers & laundry services.
• advice and engagement programme providing one-to-one as well as group advice service on benefits and housing, and onward referrals to pertinent services.
• support employment programme offers a paid catering training to 10 people who have had experience of homelessness, substance misuse, mental ill-health, and or imprisonment.
Our range of services are designed to help guests (service users) at varying stages, from having no roof over their head to getting back into employment.
This role offers an opportunity for an experienced adviser to help shape and evolve Margins services. Experiences on the ground at the drop-in programme inform the charity’s strategic direction. The role will involve expanding our partner network to link into pertinent statutory and other charitable organisations that provide services that will help our guests with their housing, substance misuse, recidivism, and mental health challenges.
We work closely with people on an individual case work basis to get guests off the streets, into hostels or temporary accommodation where possible, and work with private and social landlords on a range of issues. We support and represent the people we work with on the phone and in person, including at the council, the doctors, the job centre, and benefits tribunals.
Our drop-ins run on Mondays and Wednesdays 11:00am to 1:00pm where attendance is currently from 65 to 75 guests. The advice and engagement worker works more intensively with smaller numbers of up to 20. The demand for more follow up work and advocacy support has been increasing over the last two years and this in-house advice worker is critical for this demand.
Working collaboratively with the Drop-in Community worker (currently vacant), the head chef, and a small group of dedicated volunteers, you will be responsible for the support of a caseload of guests, some with complex needs, and will undertake key work responsibilities including registering the guests, identifying their housing, benefit and personal needs and conducting all necessary follow ups including occasional advocacy support, where deemed necessary.
Job Title: ADVICE AND ENGAGEMENT WORKER
Responsible to: Head of Margins
Location: Margins Offices at Union Chapel, Islington, London
Salary: £32,500 - £35,000
Terms: Full time 37.5 hours per week with 1 hour unpaid for lunch.
Three-month probation, two months’ notice.
23 days annual leave + bank holidays. Workplace pension scheme (NEST)
Start date: May 2024
Purpose of Job:
• To advise and assist guests (service users) with benefit claims and related issues, e.g., Housing Benefit, DLA, PIP, Income Support, ESA, Universal Credit, and other benefits. In particular, assisting them to claim Housing Benefit and UC to reduce risk of rent arrears.
• To develop significant contact and liaison with comparable housing and benefits advice organisations.
• To encourage guests engage with Margins activities, and where practicable, with the wider Union Chapel activities.
• To develop, facilitate and deliver group advice workshops/training programmes and open discussions forums to engage guests who historically do not engage with Union Chapel.
• To Refer Margins guests to relevant internal and external services.
• In liaison with the head of Margins and the chef to refer potential candidates to Margins’ Supported Employment Programme.
The Advice and Engagement Worker will have an active role in identifying and engaging guests as well as referring potential candidates to the Supported Employment Programme, a programme anticipated to expand beyond its current services in Margins catering.
Responsible For:
• Working with caseload of guests
• With the support of drop-in services community worker (currently vacant) to ensure the smooth running of the drop-in services
• Identifying opportunities to improve services both at a project and organisational level.
• Assist the Head of Margins in ensuring that the Margins Project remains GDPR compliant.
• Represent the organisation effectively internally and externally.
• Working in partnership with statutory and other charities to deliver co-ordinated support to guests.
• Identify relevant training opportunities in capacity building.
• Initial liaison with and acting as the first referral contact for the Supported Employment Programme
Key Duties:
• To encourage and assist guests achieve the maximum income from benefits to which they are entitled to, and to refer to relevant support services such as mental health, social services, community support.
• To advise guests on basic budgeting and where applicable to refer to Tenancy Support Officers or outside agencies for more complex help.
• To liaise closely with local authorities, social, and private landlords to try to achieve the best outcome for our guests.
• To identify if the guest is accessioning the right benefit that will support their long-term wellbeing.
• To support newly arrived refugees with their housing and benefit advice needs.
• To actively assist guests with formal appeals against Local Authority, DWP and HMRC decisions regarding benefit entitlement. Representing at Appeal Tribunals.
• To signpost guests to resources that can assist them in finding work.
• When needed, signposting guests to specialist providers in mental health or drug and alcohol support services.
• To Support guests on paying their rent, including providing advice on benefits and debt management.
• To Address breaches of occupancy agreements and develop strategies that would prevent and avoid eviction.
• To assist guests with backdated claims for Benefit by supporting their applications through to completion.
• To ensure all guests’ files are up-to-date and that data is captured on our management system.
• To provide written reports and statistics as and when requested.
• To attend supervision, training, and meetings as and when required.
• To provide advocacy support to guests as and when required.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Essential:
• Good knowledge of the benefits system, including Universal Credit.
• Experience of working with homeless and marginalised people and understanding of the issues that face them.
• Experience of working or collaborating with people with mental health issues.
• Experience of working with refugees and their needs.
• Ability to manage challenging behaviours.
• Embrace a strength-based approach.
• A clear understanding of professional boundaries.
• A knowledge of the best practice in Safeguarding Adult procedures.
• Excellent written and oral communication skill.
• Ability to work proactively as part of a team.
• Ability to plan, manage and action follow-ups on time and manage and contain workload.
• Proficient in IT skills and competence in Microsoft Office applications.
• Committed to personal and professional development through ongoing training.
Desirable:
• Minimum of 3 years’ experience of providing advice to vulnerable groups
• Experience of delivering provision for the benefit of vulnerable backgrounds
Equal Opportunities:
• Ensure consistent and effective implementation of Union Chapel Equal Opportunities & Diversity policy and procedures.
• Positively promote an environment which respects and values the diversity of staff, volunteers, and Guests.
This is a guide to the nature of the work required of the Advice and Engagement Worker. It is therefore not comprehensive or restrictive and may be reviewed with the postholder and the line manager from time to time. The post holder may undertake any other reasonable duties within the capabilities and scope of the post as specified by their line manager. In such circumstances appropriate training will be provided.
How to apply
Please apply with your CV and a support statement, both no more than two pages, outlining your skills and experiences to meet the criteria of the role, why you want to work for Union Chapel Project and your availability to start with “Advice and Engagement Worker” in the subject line. Please also complete our Equal Opportunities Form.
Closing date: Tuesday 30 April 2024, 8am
Interviews will take place w/c 13 May 2024
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
We are looking for a Chief Officer who will be responsible for the day to day running of the charity as well as working with the Trustees to take the organisation forwards. The successful candidate will have experience of working with adults with learning disabilities, will have skills in finance, management and IT, and will enjoy working in a busy environment where there are changing demands and priorities throughout the day.
At Oak Tree Farm we are committed to providing a high quality, supportive environment where adults with learning disabilities, our Team Members, are the centre of everything we do. The farm has livestock, growing fields, greenhouses, polytunnels and a tearoom as well as craft rooms, a cottage garden, pottery and shop. Our Team Members are involved in every aspect of life on the farm and the farm is firmly embedded in the local community with Team Members providing gardening services to local people as well as volunteering on the Sandon Estate.
Oak Tree Farm provides a unique rural working environment where people with learning disabilities gain the skills, independence and confidence to take
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
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This organisation is using Anonymous Recruitment to reduce bias in the first stages of the hiring process. Our system keeps your personal information hidden until the recruiter contacts you.
We care about our staff and our volunteers.
The logistics and communications officer role is to support the whole staff team, volunteers and the stakeholders of Let’s Grow Preston. We are looking for a flexible, competent and creative person to join our dynamic team. The role is predominantly administrative, but there will be days when the role will require you to collect food for distribution, load and unload the van with trolleys and plants for an event, or just to drop off at another community hub.
A full clean driving licence is essential to enable the post holder to drive the charity’s van.
MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES
1. To assist and communicate with the support of Let's Grow Preston's existing network of community groups across the PR postcode area and support regular network meetings.
2. To assist and communicate with the support of Let's Grow Preston's existing network of contacts within the charity, public and private sectors; including local schools.
3. To support the work of the staff to ensure that all communications are delivered in a professional and friendly style.
4. To ensure that all volunteers have access to and understand the volunteer handbook and that any amendments in policy are alerted to the volunteers and staff in a timely fashion.
5. To oversee the calendars of Let’s Grow Preston, to help to coordinate the volunteering sessions and the van to ensure that there are appropriate staff to cover volunteering sessions and that there are adequate resources such as the van, gazebos are available, drivers forms completed and filed etc.
6. To assist the Chief Executive and staff to establish robust methods of evaluating the work of Lets Grow Preston against project indicators.
7. To deliver and co-ordinate workshops, evaluation and feedback, reviewing activity and making recommendations for revised activity, or new opportunities.
8. To promote the work of Lets Grow Preston and support, coordinate and communicate on the delivery of key events in the organisations calendar e.g. Spring Fair, Christmas Fair etc.
9. To develop and implement robust health and safety procedures and working practices including keeping of relevant records.
10. To keep accurate records of equipment provided, activities undertaken, location of activities and number of participants.
11. To support the Chief Executive and Volunteer Co-ordinator in ways in which local businesses can be involved and linked with LGP to promote corporate involvement and support going forward.
12. To produce regular LGP newsletters and update LGP's website and social media accounts such as Facebook, Instagram and X.
13. To help keep all of the LGP sites clean and tidy including the office spaces and other buildings.
14. To uphold and demonstrate the spirit and core values of Let’s Grow Preston
15. Any other duties commensurate with the post.
- Min 5 GCSE at Grade A_C or equivelent and above inclusing Maths and English
- Keen interest in horticulture
- Experience of dealing with general public
- High level of IT competency
- Attention to detail
- Excellent communication skills, time managament
- An interest in creativity and art
- Commitment to our work and our core values
- Ability to be able to work on your own in a community garden or building as well as working as a team
- Ability to remain calm, use tact and diplomacy, and instigate solutions resulting in positive action/change
Improve and maintain green spaces and physical and mental wellbeing through social therapy in horticulture
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.