Job Description
Back ground and brief description of project.
Leicestershire Cares is an award winning, creative and results-orientated charity that works across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. We work with local businesses, community, schools and local government to ensure that no one is left behind and all children and young people are supported to reach their potential.
Our vision
An inclusive and safe Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland where nobody is left behind, and all children and young people are supported to reach their full potential.
Our mission.
We broker partnerships and create opportunities across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland that enable the business sector to understand community needs, contribute to the growth of inclusive, safe communities and to support and inspire children and young people in their transition to the workplace.
Our values
We believe in partnership
We broker partnerships between business, local government, schools and community groups so they can share skills and knowledge to deliver lasting positive change for disadvantaged groups and individuals.
We believe in the power of employee volunteering
We believe that employee volunteering enables volunteers, community groups and individuals to develop skills and understanding and is a highly effective way of strengthening communities and increasing employee engagement.
We focus on impact
We focus on impact and ensuring the work we carry out delivers meaningful and lasting positive change.
We are inspiring
We inspire people and organisations to identify their aspirations and to reach their full potential by thinking creatively and testing innovative approaches.
We are Inclusive
We seek to learn from the rich cultural diversity of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland and to build cohesion across community groups and to remove barriers to people’s participation.
We are committed to learning and development
We continually review the community need and are agile enough to adapt and improve the services we offer to work in a mutually beneficial way with relevant organisations.
Our Community Development work
“When a flower does not bloom you fix its environment, not the flower”
Our CD team plays an active role in developing opportunities for business to support local community groups. Traditionally much of our work was based around team challenges and Christmas activities and collection. Over the last few years, we have developed our “Power to Change” approach and a lot more emphasis has been put on partnering with a diverse range of community groups and supporting young people. https://www.leicestershirecares.co.uk/about-charity/our-approach/power-to-change/in a joined up, creative and agile way. This has led to us winning three years funding from the TNLCF to develop and deliver our “Power to Change” model.
Many of the young people we work with face issues linked to housing and homelessness and we have won 2 years funding from the Nationwide for this post to support these young people. It is anticipated that the potholder will:
Aim to directly work with at least 30 young people each year (60 in total). Of these: • 50% will successfully move into their own property • 80% report improved
independent living skills • 75% report increased confidence to maintain a tenancy • 50% enter employment, education or training • 80% report improved employability/soft skill
• 80% report improved confidence in getting a job or into training • 80% report feeling more socially connected and increased positive relationships • 70% report improved mental wellbeing.
Business volunteers will also improve their skills and knowledge in supporting vulnerably housed young people and realise that they have more to offer this community than simply donating to foodbanks.
In addition you will support community partners developing their ability and capacity to support homeless young people.
This project grows out of previous work where our success was:
The result of our person-centred and participatory approach to delivery. This places young people in control of the support they receive and promotes a sense of ownership in the project. Our project workers are very skilled and experienced in working with young people to identify their needs, discuss the support that works best for them and agree a joint action plan. In this way, young people take some responsibility for their progression and they gain skills which enable them to navigate challenges in the future, rather than having someone do everything for them.
The CD team will initially consist of the HoP who will manage, two full time youth and community workers and a 0.8 Programme Support Officer. The team will be expected to work closely with our Children and Young People team and to utilise the skills, knowledge and resources of our business, community and public sector partners. The CYP team tend to work with young people across the city and county who come under the following headings, Care experience, NEET and young offenders. This Power to Change work will have a stronger focus on neighbourhood youth and community work.
Main Responsibilities:
You will use our “Power to Change” approach to support young people who are supported by our CYP team and our community partners to identify and tackle the issues that have led to them being homeless. As with all our work the voices and lived experience of the young people should help shape and drive the agenda. You will also seek to find opportunities for our business partners to add value to this work.
Project delivery.
Proactively build understanding of connections and relationships with a diverse range of young people in neighbourhoods, and communities across LLR who are homeless or in insecure, temporary or unsafe accommodation. It is anticipated 50% of your time will be supporting young people who are supported by our CYP team and 50% supporting YP supported by our community partners.
Proactively build connections and relationships with a diverse range of community and public sector bodies in neighbourhoods, and communities across LLR who support young people who are homeless or in insecure, temporary or unsafe accommodation.
Provide direct support to at least 30 young people each year, both through one to one face to work and group and project activities.
With HoP, CYP team and business volunteers support community partners to develop their capacity, so they are better able to support these young people. This could vary from “knowledge and skills based support,” to arranging for business volunteers to transform a spare room into in youth advice room.
Pro-actively build relationships with our business members and potential business members, identifying different ways they can support the development and delivery of your work.
Pro-actively seek to ensure work is carried out in an inclusive and participatory way that values diversity and inclusion and people we support have variety of opportunities to shape the development, delivery and evaluation of the work.
As and when required with team and young people develop and deliver training sessions for employee volunteers and community partners.
As and when required support CD and CYP teams developing young people and partners steering groups.
With team identify individual volunteers and firms who deserve to win Leicestershire Cares awards.
Ensure all relevant HR, health and safety, equal opportunities, data protection and safeguarding issues are understood and acted on across the work of the projects. This will include ensuring all DBS checks for volunteers are carried out when required.
As and when required manage part time or volunteer staff.
Planning, monitoring, evaluation, reporting.
Develop a relevant workplan with key performance indicators and update on a monthly basis. We currently input data onto to our Lamplight data base on a monthly basis .
Attend team meetings and monthly supervision to discuss progress against work plans. This will involve analysing what is working, what is not and what action needs to be taken. You will also disaggregate data on participants and outcomes so we are better able to understand who is benefiting from our work and actions we might need to take to increase diversity and inclusion.
Ensure you understand and implement donor reporting and record keeping requirements in line with internal and Nationwide reporting requirements and all milestones and deadlines are met. Currently data is uploaded on to our lamplight data base and analysed and acted against at the end of each month. Quarterly and annual reports are prepared at the end of the financial year and or donor year.
As and when required provide “hard” and “soft” updates and case studies for CEO, board, current and potential donors.
Provide an annual report
.
Finance and administration
Ensure you understand all internal and external administration and record keeping requirements and implement them across the project and are compliant with GDPR requirements.
Work with HoP, and finance staff to ensure all financial and Nationwide budget reporting requirements are understood and implemented across the project.
As and when required issue petty cash payments to participants for expenses and ensure all records and supporting information is accurate.
Communications.
Provide regular updates for our website and twitter /social media accounts.
As and when required produce or commission production of user friendly briefings and updates on our work.
As and when required produce or commission production of PR materials such as folders and posters.
Promote the support of the Nationwide for the project and as and when required participate in Nationwide promotional events.
General
Work constructively as part of the Leicestershire Cares team participating in team meetings, sharing relevant learning and collaborating on joint tasks as and when required.
Play an active role with other key staff in planning and delivering Leicestershire Cares week, two champions meetings and our annual awards ceremony.
As and when required take on additional duties and/or cover for colleagues as directed by the CEO.
Person Specification
Essential:
Good “grounded” understanding of youth and community practice and participatory models of development.
Good understanding of the complex issues that lead to young people being homeless or living in insecure, temporary or unsafe accommodation and the ability to support young people both one to one and in groups understanding, identifying and acting on issues.
Ability to work in partnership with young people and community groups and developing and delivering successful projects and initiatives.
Strong proven commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion in your work and proven ability to work with diverse groups.
The desire to work with the business sector so they are better able to understand and respond to community needs.
Experience of supporting and working with volunteers.
Excellent organisational skills. The ability to organise and plan own work with minimal supervision, being able to “juggle” competing demands, set work plans, meet deadlines, produce timely reports and monitor and evaluate impact.
A good understanding of a variety of monitoring and evaluation techniques and ability to produce reports for donors.
Good admin and finance skills and ability to manage a small budget.
An entrepreneurial, inspiring “can do” creative and agile, problem solving attitude. Willingness to work two evenings per week and weekends as required.
Emotional resilience to cope with the stresses and strains caused by working with at risk/disadvantaged/ vulnerable groups.
Good communicator with proven ability to network, make presentations and build effective working relationships and partnerships with a wide range of stakeholders in education, employability, social services, community, local government and the business sector.
Willingness to develop new projects and initiatives and willingness to work with other team members to write successful funding proposals.
Strong commitment to ongoing reflection and learning.
Full driving licence and use of car. Mileage is paid at current rate of 45p per mile.
A team player, who is willing to reflect, learn, share and if required challenge.
Confident IT user at ease with Microsoft packages, proficient with Word, PowerPoint and Excel.
Desirable
A relevant professional qualification.
Experience of working with business sector.
Experience of developing and delivering training sessions
Experience of working with volunteers
Job Type: Full-time
Salary: £25,000.00-£27,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Additional leave
- Company pension
- Cycle to work scheme
- Flexitime
- Free parking
- Life insurance
- On-site parking
- Sick pay
- Wellness programme
- Work from home
Schedule:
Work Location: One location
Application deadline: 04/02/2023
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