Youth Scotland, Scotland’s national charity for the support and delivery of community-based youth work, would love you to come and join our dynamic team.

We are looking for an experienced worker who has direct experience of life in Scotland’s rural communities and great skills in supporting youth engagement and participation.

Scotland already has a rich landscape of organisations which support young people to mobilise and have their voices heard. The Rural Youth Action Network Project will not duplicate or dilute this work but will build upon this work to provide opportunities for young people from Scotland’s rural communities to come together and share their experiences, have their voices heard, shape decision-making about issues that impact their lives and ensure that Government plans consider their interests and priorities.

This project is a partnership between Youth Scotland and Scottish Rural Action, funded by Scottish Government. This project has been designed to work separately but in parallel to the existing Young Islanders Network (YIN) which is also delivered by Youth Scotland, and will distinctly support rural young people and not duplicate existing engagement with YIN stakeholders where practicable.

OVERVIEW

Since August 2023, the Citadel has received funding from the Strategic Equity Fund to deliver a Wellbeing Project in the Trinity Academy Learning Community (Trinity Academy, Trinity PS, Victoria PS, Wardie PS). The aims of the project are to promote the mental health and wellbeing of targeted pupils, and to improve their school attendance and engagement with learning. This project builds on the Citadel’s relationship with the Trinity Learning Community, which includes school-based youth work at Trinity Academy and family support at Trinity PS and Victoria PS. The postholder will work closely with other members of the Citadel team to co-ordinate support for pupils and their families, and will be a Lead Worker in the Citadel’s Unboxed Club.

JOB DESCRIPTION

• Develop, facilitate and evaluate school based group work programmes to support the mental health and wellbeing of pupils in the Trinity Learning Community
• Provide non-clinical 1:1 support for pupils who are experiencing mental health difficulties, such as low mood and anxiety
• Plan, prepare, facilitate and evaluate activities with a focus on promoting mental health and wellbeing for young people aged 12-15, attending the Citadel’s Unboxed Club
• Co-ordinate summer holiday activities for P7 pupils who would benefit from additional support making the transition to Trinity Academy
• Introduce pupils to community based groups and activities at the Citadel and other local agencies, which will support their mental health and wellbeing
• Work closely with school colleagues in the Trinity Learning Community to identify pupils who would benefit from this project and to evaluate the benefits of their involvement
• Liaise with colleagues in Education, Social Work, Health and other agencies to co-ordinate the support of pupils involved in the project
• Maintain up to date, accurate records of work
• Provide regular progress reports to schools
• Any other duties, as required (including occasional weekend and evening work)

To lead the provision of relationship-based support delivered to young people and families in the community and to promote positive outcomes in line with the values and principles of includem.

Purpose & Context of Role

The postholder will manage their own caseload ensuring support plans are developed with the young person to respond to their individual needs and supporting them to improve outcomes in line with GIRFEC principles and includem’s model of support.

A project worker will demonstrate leadership and ownership over effective service delivery to young people by managing outcomes for young people through use of line managers, colleagues and organisational tools, processes, policies, and procedures.

The key responsibilities of the Project Worker include, but are not limited to:

Service Delivery

• To build relationships and deliver outcome-based support to young people and families, involving all key stakeholders.
• To be available for young people and families at critical times
• To explore values and attitudes with young people in a supportive manner, to affirm and validate their feelings and ideas, and nurture and confirm their learning.
• To ensure a focus on regular and appropriate case progression to help young people and families recognise progress.
• To assess and respond appropriately to situations where young people and/or families may be at risk of harm.
• To support with crisis management and generate solutions for young people and families using the Helpline, with risk enablement being at the heart of professional judgement and decision making.

People

• To understand the different coping mechanisms that young people and their families use to deal with stress and high emotions, and to respond appropriately.
• To demonstrate professional resilience when providing support with sensitive or challenging issues
• To use a strengths-based approach to empower individuals facing adversity to find solutions and make positive changes, ensuring resources are in place to sustain these changes.
• To establish mutually trusting, open and non-judgemental relationship with young people and their families
• To encourage and lead collaborative team work to provide a ‘scaffolding of support’ around each young person and their family.
• To respect and value the contribution of wider stakeholders and the delivery of includem services.
• Where opportunity allows experience of directing, supporting, and mentoring Assistant Project Workers/Sessional staff.
• Any other duties as designated by your line manager.

Resources

• To deploy time effectively to meet the needs of young people and families to ensure the service is available 24/7, 365 days per year.
• To maintain and produce accurate and timely records and reports.
• To ensure support is delivered in line with includem’s Policies Procedures, SSSC Codes of Practice & National Guidelines

Influence

• To gain commitment from other stakeholders with varying demands and priorities
• To ensure young people and families are empowered to make informed choices.
• To support young people and families to effectively communicate with others.
• To work with young people to identify goals aligned to wellbeing indicators and to positively influence progression towards these goals.
• To reflect on practice, share learning and promote continuous practice improvement within a team setting.
• To articulate and endorse the includem framework of intervention and the key aspects of the service delivery model to a wide audience.
• To role model appropriate practice standards and professional boundaries to others
• To ensure a high-quality service is delivered to young people and families.
• Demonstrate understanding of your impact on people and how they might see you.

Quality Assurance

• To be accountable for the quality of your work and be able to evidence this work effectively.
• To actively participate in formal supervision and continuous professional development.
• To generate creative and new solutions to issues faced by young people and families.

If you want to apply you must have full UK driving licence.

Full job description can be found here.

Youth Scotland, Scotland’s national charity for the support and delivery of community-based youth work, would love you to come and join our dynamic team.

We are looking for someone who has great skills in administration and a passion for helping people. Youth Scotland supports over 2,200 youth groups across the country, providing youth work opportunities for over 105,000 young people. These young people are supported by over 11,300 youth workers and volunteers. This post will support our member groups and play a key role in supporting our projects and services.

If you have the skills and experience to make a difference, then we want to hear from you!