Young Persons Practitioner

Action for Children; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A charitable organization is seeking dedicated individuals to support vulnerable young people aged 11 to 18. This role involves overseeing individual and group work, assessing family needs, and providing tailored support. Candidates must possess an open-minded, non-judgemental character and are required to have a driving license. Additionally, participation in flexible rotas will include evening and weekend support. This position offers a chance to make a meaningful difference in the lives of children and families across the UK.

Benefits

29 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Professional qualifications and training opportunities

Pension with employer contribution

Staff discount portal

Qualifications

• An open-minded and non-judgemental personality for working with vulnerable individuals.
• Participate in flexible working including evenings and weekends.
• Ability to travel for job requirements across a large rural area.

Responsibilities

• Oversee and evaluate work supporting parents and young people.
• Deliver group programmes to address issues affecting children and parents.
• Prepare reports and present at multi-agency meetings.

Skills

Open-mindedness

Non-judgemental attitude

Ability to manage distressed behavior

Driving license and access to a car

Job description

Contract/Hours: Permanent / Full Time – 37 hours per week and Part Time – 22.2 hours per week - Flexible Monday to Friday schedule with a requirement for occasional out-of-hours support.

Closing date for applications is midnight of Sunday 4th January and interviews will take place week commencing 12th January

• 29 days annual leave PLUS bank holidays, with up to 5 additional days for continuous service and option to buy or sell leave
• Gain professional qualifications and excellent training/development opportunities
• Flexible maternity, adoption, and paternity packages
• Pension with up to 7% employer contribution with included life assurance cover
• Staff discount portal and Blue Light Card eligibility with 15,000 national retailers discounts.

A bit about the role

The Gael Og Intensive Support Service supports young people aged 11 to 18 and their families through a mix of one-to-one sessions, group work, parenting support, and family-based interventions. We focus on building strong, trusting relationships and offer intensive support during times of crisis or challenge.

Our service has two main aims:

• To prevent placement breakdown, whether the young person is living at home, fostering and/or residential care.
• To support smooth transitions for young people returning to live in their local communities from out of area placements.

We work alongside families to offer practical and emotional support, helping both parents/carers and young people find coping strategies to manage difficult situations. This approach helps families find their own solutions by bringing stability to the home and improving the families wellbeing.

Our goals are to support young people and their families through therapeutic, tailored interventions that promote positive outcomes and prevent the need for alternative care placements. We do this by working in partnership with other agencies, understanding individual levels of need, and providing consistent, structured support.

How you’ll help to create brighter futures

Some key responsibilities for the role are:

• Oversee, deliver, and evaluate individual work to support parents and young people through assessment and intervention.
• Deliver group programmes for children, young people, and parents to address issues affecting potential.
• Assess the family’s needs, promoting health and wellbeing through accredited activities and experiences.
• Prepare reports for the Child’s Plan, present at multi-agency meetings, and collaborate with partners to achieve positive outcomes.
• Manage distressed behaviour and provide effective support to young people and their families.

Let’s talk about you

• An open-minded, non-judgemental personality as you will be working with people that are at a vulnerable point in their lives.
• To participate in a flexible working rota to provide support for young people, some evening and weekend work will be required.
• Driving licence and access to a car. The job requires the ability to travel according to the needs of the job and due to the large rural catchment area, with reasonable adjustments, if required, according to the Equality Act.
• To work cross functionally with other services within Gael Og to ensure that Action for Children's values and strategic objectives are achieved.
• To guide and support less experienced staff.

Vulnerable children in the UK need your help

Wherever you work in the Action for Children family, you'll be helping to change the lives of the most vulnerable children in the UK.

Last year, we helped more than 670,000 children and families across the UK. From direct work in communities to national campaigning, we are focused on making sure every child has a safe and happy childhood, and the foundations they need to thrive.

Why Action for Children?

Working here is more than a job. Everyone in the Action for Children family is passionate about protecting and supporting children. It's the sense of purpose that drives us every single day. Because we know that, when we work together, we can make a huge difference to bring lasting improvements to vulnerable children's lives.

Good to know

Please note we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role

Diversity, equality and inclusion

At Action for Children, we're dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace.

We actively encourage applications from Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic and disabled candidates as they are under-represented within Action for Children. We want to take deliberate and purposeful action to ensure equal opportunity to all groups in society and for Action for Children.

Male staff are under-represented within our Children Service roles. We would like to encourage more male applicants for our Children Service roles.