WHAT Coordinator

£33,627 pro rata for 21 hours a week, 2 year fixed term contract or secondment opportunity based in Westminster

1Background Information

Westminster Homeless Action Together (WHAT) was formed in the summer of 2016 and is a new network of homeless agencies and projects in Westminster. It brings together the key commissioned and non-commissioned organisationswho are committed to finding new ways to address the increase in rough sleeping in central London. WHAT was originally part of the “European End Street Homelessness Campaign” and connected with similar initiatives in Valencia, Barcelona and Croydon. WHAT undertook a major listening exercise over 3 nights with rough sleepers in Westminster which involved over 250 volunteers. This resulted in significant strengthening of relationships across agencies and a continued commitment to explore innovative approaches and new partnerships.

The members of WHAT’s strategic group are: The Abbey Centre, Connection at St Martins, Homeless Link, Housing Justice, the Passage, St Mungos, The West London Mission and Westminster Council. The strategic group meets every quarter, with a different chair appointed each year from a participating member organisation. Westminster Council provided innovation funding to develop a rough sleepers network which ran very successfully from the Abbey Centre for a year. Whilst the network is currently on hold, it has met quarterly to share best practice, provide training and information and build connections between services. Alongside quarterly meetings, it has had an email distribution list and an annual conference.

The WHAT strategy group has been successful in securing two years of funding from the London Housing Foundation to develop the strategy group and network. Therefore, the post of WHAT Co-ordinator has been created to take forward this work. In order to maintain neutrality and collective ownership by partners, it has been agreed that the role is based at the St Martin’s Charity at St Martins in the Field. The charity is not a service provider in its own right but is based in Westminster. The St Martins Charity runs the Radio 4 Christmas Appeal each year, alongside a national network for frontline workers and a partnership group.

The WHAT Coordinator will: increase strategic understanding of rough sleeping by a very wide range of agencies providing services in Westminster; raise the profile of existing service provision to encourage concerned parties to support existing efforts and avoid duplication; support joint working initiatives across agencies improve service offers for rough sleepers in Westminster.

This role requires someone with experience of working proactively in a policy environment. The post holder will be able to win the respect of a wide range of partners through excellent interpersonal skills. The post holder will be well organized and flexible in achieving the WHAT workplan.

TITLE OF POST: / WHAT Coordinator
Responsible to: / WHAT Strategic Group
Line Management from the St Martins Charity Frontline Network Manager
Responsible for: / Volunteers
Job Purpose: /
  • Increase strategic understanding of rough sleeping by a very wide range of agencies providing services in Westminster
  • Raise the profile of existing service provision to encourage concerned parties to support existing efforts and avoid duplication
  • Support joint working initiatives across agencies improve service offers for rough sleepers in Westminster

Salary and Scale: / £33,627 pro rata for 21 hours a week,
Contract: / 2 year fixed term contract or secondment opportunity based in Westminster

BMain Tasks

1Increase strategic understanding of rough sleeping by a very wide range of agencies providing services in Westminster

  • Co-ordinate the WHAT strategy group to enable discussions and reviews of the Westminster Council rough sleeping strategy. This will include arranging consultations and collating feedback to the council on content and progress against objectives.
  • Co-ordinate the production of a WHAT strategy which pulls together top level voluntary, statutory, commissioned and un-commissioned work with rough sleepers in Westminster to a collective document.
  • Convene and service quarterly meetings with a formal Terms of Reference, and a Chair appointed every year from one of the core participating agencies.
  • Consider and make recommendations on the future longer term structure of WHAT as a formal partnership between agencies or fundholding entity in its own right.
  • Create a membership scheme or alternative model to support an ongoing WHAT infrastructure.

The indicators of success in this outcome will be: Westminster Rough Sleeping Strategy is better understood; Westminster Council have a more balanced challenge from community/non-commissioned services; Organisations make better use of existing resources by collaborating; WHAT has a stable, long term, funded infrastructure.

2Raise the profile of existing service provision to encourage concerned parties to support existing efforts and avoid duplication

  • Convene a quarterly network meeting for practitioners, managers and volunteers in the Westminster homelessness sector, to discuss borough specific issues, provide information and training and develop operational relationships.
  • Co-ordinate an annual conference to bring WHAT parties together (those involved in the strategic group, network and other initiatives)
  • Producing an on-line regularly updated service mapping of activity in Westminster, linking with commissioned services where appropriate to avoid duplication.
  • Produce and disseminate a monthly e-bulletin for WHAT network members
  • Promote the WHAT network meetings and mapping, proactively engaging with soup runs, volunteer led and informal service provision in Westminster
  • Create and regularly updating a WHAT network membership list to improve communications, sharing information on specific issues and incidents, street counts, CHAIN figures.
  • Collate feedback from the network to inform the Strategy group and council to feed into strategy.

The indicators of success in this outcome will be: better engagement of volunteers who live and/or work in Westminster; better operational links to join up service offers; reduction in informal soup and sandwich runs.

3Support joint working initiatives across agencies improve service offers for rough sleepers in Westminster

  • Support an annual street survey and listening exercise, liaising between agencies to recruit, train and co-ordinate volunteers from local community organisations and companies to undertake the exercise.
  • Collate feedback from the exercise and hold any further client focus groups or discussions to test findings to create a more in-depth needs analysis that complements CHAIN figures.
  • Where required, participate in WHAT initiative meetings including the WHAT 10 and WHAT Day Centres project.
  • Explore the Street Support model working in Manchester and other areas, as a model of collaboration between rough sleeping support agencies. This may include creating an “alternative to begging” giving campaign.
  • Support the submission of funding bids to ensure resources are available to support new initiatives

The indicators of success in this outcome will be: a better understanding of the needs of rough sleepers in Westminster, improved understanding of rough sleeping by those who live and/or work in Westminster have a better understanding of rough sleeping vs begging/ASB.

4General

  • Participate in training and development activities
  • Reflect the St Martins Charity policies and procedures including in particular equalities and safeguarding
  • Undertake other duties commensurate with the post, in agreement with the line manager.

CPerson Specification

This person specification sets out the essential experience and abilities needed by the successful candidate for this post. Please bear these points in mind when completing your application form, as these requirements will be taken into account at both the shortlisting and interviewing stages.

1.Qualifications
Educated to degree level / Essential
2. Knowledge
An understanding of the causes of homelessness and the needs of homeless people; / Essential
A good understanding of the tensions and differences between commissioned and non-commissioned services / Desirable
Good knowledge of how strategy is formed and agreed within local government. / Essential
3. Experience
Running policy consultations and collating feedback / Essential
Organising meetings, workshops, training and small events / Essential
Taking minutes of meetings and disseminating these to participants / Desirable
Working with volunteers / Essential
Submitting trust funding applications / Desirable
Working with a wide range of partners to confront differences to achieve consensus / Essential
3. Abilities and Skills
Prepare and present information effectively, both verbally and in writing, to a wide audience. / Essential
Manage time, work flexibly and prioritise a challenging and fluctuating workload effectively; / Essential
Engage with clients, often with complex needs, to generate meaningful feedback to inform strategy and service delivery. / Essential
Build confidence and develop positive relationships with a wide range of partners. / Essential
IT skills / Essential