JOB DESCRIPTION

Title:Young Carers Group Lead

Hours:10 hours a month– flexible; including2 x evenings and 2 x weekends, holidays / after school

(as and when agreed, additional hours maybe available)

Location:Work within Lambeth with the ability to travel to other boroughs in which Crossroads Care South Thames operate.

Responsible to: Young Carers Project Leader

Liaising With:All members of Crossroads staff, Parents/Carers, School Staff, Social Services, health personnel and external agencies

Overall Purpose

The Young Carers Project works with young people (5-18yrs) who care for or help to care for a family member with a disability or long term illness. All services are aimed to support Young Carers in their caring role.

Job Summary

Lead and facilitateclubs, activities and events for young carers aged 5-18 years in locations within the London Borough of Lambeth.

Principal duties and responsibilities

  • Support and supervise Young Carers to engage in educational, social and leisure activities (clubs, workshops and events)
  • Work with young people on an individual or group basis, working towards addressing thesocial and emotional needs of Young Carers.
  • Work closely with Activities Coordinator to produce appropriate resources for sessions as required.
  • Take the lead in facilitating sessions / activities
  • Initiate contact and build constructive relationships with young people, in the appropriate setting.
  • Set and maintain appropriate boundaries with young people.
  • Pick up from school/escort home after club as/if required.
  • Report any concerns immediately and complete incident forms accurately, and submit promptly to Activities Coordinator / Young Carers Project Leader.
  • Ensure risk assessments are adhered to and report any concerns to Activities Coordinator / Young Carers Leader.
  • Ensure regular feedback is collected and collated in a timely fashion in order to provide evidence of outcomes and outputs for monitoring purposes.
  • Record and report on activates after each session
  • Undertake regular supervision with Young Carers Project Leader.

Other duties and requirements

  • Maintain effective communication with colleagues and other professionals and participate in regular team meetings.
  • Act at all times in accordance with all South Thames Crossroads policies and procedures.
  • Participate in an induction programme and attend meetings and ongoing in-servicetraining as determined by the Line Manager.
  • Respect confidential information obtained in the course of all duties.
  • Ensure that work is carried out in an efficient, organised and methodical manner
  • The post holder must, at all times, carry out their duties and responsibilities with due regard to the Organisation’s Equal Opportunities Policy
  • To undertake any other appropriate duties commensurate with this post.

Person Specification

Essential

Education/Qualifications

  • Relevant qualification relating to young people, Playwork and or Youth work.

OR

  • A minimum of 3 years’ experienceof working withyoung peoplein group settings

Experience

  • Experience of facilitating groups/activities for young people

Knowledge and Skills

  • A good understanding of the principles of risk management
  • Ability to recognise the emotional and social impact of caring on young carers
  • Ability to work with young carers to develop their social and emotional capabilities
  • An understanding of equal opportunities and diversity including culture, race and ethnicity
  • An understanding of the need for good time-keeping and reliability
  • An awareness of additional needs, including Special Educational Needs.
  • Understanding and knowledge of Safeguarding and a commitment to report any safeguarding concerns and to follow South Thames Crossroads Safeguarding Procedures.
  • Good observational skills

Abilities

  • Ability to work confidentially in stressful situations and manage own workload
  • Ability to create robust risk assessments with clear actions outlined
  • Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing
  • Ability to use own initiative and respond in a practical manner
  • Ability to observe and report any significant changes/concerns in the physical and/or emotional well-being of individuals
  • Able to work well as part of a team
  • Must be able to carry out out-of-hours’ work as and when required
  • The ability to respect and maintain Clients’ confidentiality

Desirable

Experience
  • Previous experience of working with Young Carers
Knowledge and skills
  • An in-depth understanding of the needs of Young Carers