Senior Youth Engagement Worker

MYL is recruiting for a Senior Youth Engagement Worker to work on our Make a Start outreach programme with young people 16 - 25 with SEND, providing pastoral support, enrichment activities and facilitating informal learning. You will supervise a small team mentoring young people using a community-based approach, alongside your own caseload of young people. You will support young people to work towards individual goals and developing the skills and confidence to travel independently and take the next steps in their education and/or progression to employment. 

You will have a level 3 or higher qualification in youth work or other relevant professional qualification and have experience of supervision staff or volunteers.  You should be experienced and confident in building trusting relationships and facilitate 1-1 informal education sessions to enable young people to develop personal, social and employability skills. We are keen to hear from people with good engagement and youth work skills.

Purpose of the role
Working face to face with young people 16 - 25 with SEND, providing informal education, pastoral support and enrichment activities. You will work alongside colleagues and agencies to support the engagement of young people on an MYL employment programme. A key requirement will be to provide travel training and mentoring to young people using a community-based approach and working collaboratively with wider MYL services, local partners and agencies in designated areas. You would also supervise a small team, undertake initial assessments and coordinate work.

Main Tasks

1. Provide clear, consistent operational supervision and leadership to an outreach youth worker team with a focus on staff welfare and wellbeing.
2. To work as part of a team engaging young people and providing tailored support packages to meet the aspirations and goals of young people with an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP).
3. Engaging young people from pre-entry level to full engagement on our post 16 learning programmes, improving confidence, self-esteem and ambition.
4. Responsibility for supervision of Youth Engagement Workers on the Make a Start outreach team – assessing and allocating young people, planning work, developing risk assessments, identifying training needs and support, and staff supervision.
5. Provide peripatetic cover across MYL’s Learning Hubs as directed.
6. Ensure a robust process of risk management is in place at all times with particular emphasis on safeguarding.
7. Liaise with and make referrals to statutory agencies e.g. Early Help, MASH teams for young people who present concerns / safeguarding risks
8. Form partnerships with agencies that are able to offer practical support to young people such as careers, health, housing and leisure organisations.
9. Deliver structured one-to-one and group activities relevant to ILP to achieve positive outcomes for young people on programme e.g. interview skills, workplace expectations, IAG, food tech, life skills
10. Support personal development plans that focus on developing self-esteem, personal motivation and personal aspiration goals.
11. Devise action plans for the young people which address barriers to personal and social development, including addressing negative behaviours.
12. Support young people with attending employer-based work experience and volunteering placements, provide travel training leading to independent travel.
13. Participate in specific, bespoke or youth engagement projects (EG detached youth work).
14. Promote a culture and expectations of high levels of safeguarding and welfare of young people attending MYL programmes.
15. Keep accurate records, producing progress reports online and hard copy, support project evaluations and attend multi-agency meetings as required
16. To participate in relevant meetings and training as required
17. Carry out all duties with full regard for all MYL policies and procedures, in particular those relating to equality, safeguarding, health, safety and security, confidentiality and data protection, reporting any concerns to line manager
18. To maintain good relations with outside bodies and the general public in order to uphold the organisation’s positive image
19. To ensure that your conduct in and out of work does not conflict with the professional expectations of the organisation
20. Carry out all duties within the scope and purpose of the post as directed.

Manchester Young Lives is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. The highest priority is given to following guidance and regulations to safeguard children and young people.

The successful candidate will be required to undergo an Enhanced Disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)