Child Criminal Exploitation and Serious Youth Violence Project Worker

We are excited to be able to recruit a passionate, assertive and creative worker to the ROUTES Somerset team to provide support and intervention to children and young people (up to the age of 25 years old) at risk of Serious and Violent Crime and Child Criminal Exploitation. This is an exciting opportunity to support some of the most vulnerable, at risk and hard to reach young people within our local area. We are keen to broaden our recruitment of those with lived experienced, passion and a drive within this field who may require additional support to fully meet the desired requirements outlined below and in the job description.

We are currently looking for a Project Worker who has experience of delivering individually tailored packages of support to children and young people on an individual or group basis. In addition to this we are seeking a worker who has a sound grasp of safeguarding and who can work in a trauma informed manner to create positive outcomes for children and young people.

This particular role will involve the worker:

- Identifying and assessing young people who are at risk of criminal exploitation or those involved in serious violent crime across the county of Somerset.
- Providing support and intervention to individual young people on a one-to-one basis. Providing support to identified groups of young people and creating plans that address their level of vulnerabilities and risk of significant harm.
- Providing an energetic and creative approach to establishing and maintaining contact with young people whose lives can present as chaotic due to them being pulled into a world of criminal exploitation.
- Building trusting and therapeutic relationships with marginalised young people from a range of ethnic backgrounds, gender and life experiences.
- Using Barnardo's 4 A's model. In practice this will mean workers will need to: use Assertive Outreach to engage young people; ensure that they are Accessible in relation to forms of intervention; provide positive Attention and role modelling around alternative opportunities and options and Advocate for the rights of this particular cohort of young people.
- Providing crisis intervention to young people.
- Feeling confident in providing group-based activities which may take place outside of the standard working hours.
- Balancing the rights that young people have to make their own decisions/choices, while managing the risk of significant harm and working from a best interest perspective.
- Working in partnership with key partner agencies including Avon and Somerset Police, Youth Offending Team and Children's Social Care in order to safeguard young people from further harm.
- Liaising closely and referring into other key partner agencies such as education, health, criminal justice system etc.
- Understanding safeguarding issues in relation to working with vulnerable young people and experience of working within Child Protection frameworks.
- Providing written and verbal evidence both for internal recording purposes and external purposes which may include court trials and Child Protection Conferences
- Having a good understanding of the impact, risk factors and presenting factors of criminal exploitation.
- Being supported around personal safety and abiding by Barnardo's policy and procedures around lone working and risk reduction.

You will have (essential Criteria):

- Experience of direct work with children, young people and families.
- Experience of applying safeguarding and child protection policies and procedures.
- Awareness of factors impacting on and issues facing vulnerable children and young people and families (e. g. disadvantage, poverty, disability).
Ability to listen to and communicate effectively with children and young people.

Additonal Information

The office base is in Taunton and the post involves travel across the county of Somerset.

Due to the nature of the work some flexibility in working hours is required.

At this point, the ROUTES contract is due to expire on 31 March 2023 but it may continue beyond this date; you may be subject to a redundancy consultation or a TUPE arrangement.

There will also be a young people's panel as part of the interview process.

When completing your application please refer to your skills knowledge and experience in relation to the Person Specification, Job Description and Additional Information document (if applicable). This should be done with an understanding of the context of the service described.

Do you require further information?

Please contact Jess Hanson on 07808736813 for an informal discussion or further information about the role.

Flexibility

Barnardo's believe in creating equality of opportunity in the workplace and supporting people to manage their work-life balance; we are therefore open to offering flexible working arrangements.
About Barnardo's

At Barnardo's we believe in children – no matter who they are, what they have done or what they have been through. Please read about our basis and values following the link below. You will be asked questions relating to them as part of the recruitment process for this role.


Barnardo's is committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce for staff and volunteers. We actively encourage applications from disabled, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates as they are under-represented within Barnardo's.