INCLUSION YOUTH WORKER

SALARY: £12.35 per hour
LOCATION: Wigan Youth Zone
REPORTING TO: Inclusion Co-ordinator
CONTRACT: 11 hours per week
Saturday 4pm-9pm
Sunday 11am -2pm (Fixed term until May 2026)
Sunday 4pm-7pm

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR:

We are looking for somebody who can ensure Wigan Youth Zone and all its activities are inclusive to all young people. The ideal candidate will support community cohesion and provide an environment where members from diverse demographics, and those with disabilities and additional support needs feel safe.
This role will have clear targets to broaden and increase overall participation rates and ensure participation is representative of the demographics of Wigan and Leigh. You will be on hand to support all young people within the youth zone by ensuring all young people are welcome and feel able to participate in all activities, no matter who they are.

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING:

Knowledge of the issues affecting young people and an ability to work with challenging behaviour
Understanding of the principles of working with children and young people
Knowledge of health and safety, diversity awareness and safeguarding best practice and how these relate to children and young people
Delivery of activities within an equality framework

QUALIFICATIONS:

Introduction to Youth Work and Community Work NVQ/VRQ Level 2 – Essential
Relevant qualifications or awareness of SEND - Essential

EXPERIENCE

Face to face activity delivery, working with children and young people both in groups and individually - Essential
Experience of delivering informal education sessions to young people - Desirable
Experience working in a team and with volunteers and motivating them- Essential
Experience of working with young people’s forums to ensure young people have a voice- Desirable
Experience of supporting young people who have social / emotional barriers to participation - Desirable
Experience of working in an outreach or detached setting and residential- Desirable
Experience providing information, advice, guidance and support to young people- Desirable
Experience of dealing with safeguarding issues within a multi-agency setting- Essential

SKILLS

Delivery of activities within an equality framework- Essential
Ability to work with young people to develop their education by providing programmes of activities, services and facilities that are fun and enable young people and adults - Essential
Ability to develop good professional relationships with children, young people and adults - Essential
Ability to coach, encourage, motivate and provide reliable support to children and young people - Essential
Excellent written and verbal communication skills- Essential
Confident in managing a group of children and young people- Essential
Ability to identify and challenge discrimination and discriminatory behaviour, taking appropriate action as necessary- Essential
Understanding the principles of working with children and young people- Essential
Understanding of issues affecting young people’s lives- Essential
Ability to deliver high quality activity programmes with children and young people who face social exclusion or disadvantage.- Desirable
Knowledge of health and safety, diversity awareness and safeguarding best practice and how these relate to children and young people- Essential

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

A willingness to work evening and weekend as required
DBS clearance and committed to Safeguarding children
The ability and willingness to travel to meetings and events both in the region and beyond
The job holder will be required to adhere to the Youth Zone’s policies at all times, with particular emphasis on Equal Opportunities and Safeguarding. Attendance at events and conferences will sometimes be required.
In accordance with our Child Protection and Safeguarding procedures, this position requires an enhanced DBS check and business satisfactory references.
Please note that in line with our Safeguarding Policy, you must be age 21 or over to work in our Senior Sessions and 19+ to work on our Junior Sessions and Holiday Clubs. All applicants must also be inactive as members for at least 12 months.

· Ensure the individual members with additional support requirements have equality access to all the opportunities and activities available
· Support young people to take steps towards achieving personal goals and greater independence
· Encourage and support young people to engage with other young people, participate in group work and gain new experiences
· Promote all aspects of equality and inclusion to staff, members and families whilst liaising directly with their careers and social care teams to ensure effort is made to enable the member to achieve their full potential
· To support the development of positive relationships with the young people, their parents and carers
· To support and empower young people to engage in positive activities of their choice
· To work directly with children and young people to develop their social skills and build their confidence by delivering programmes of activities, services and facilities at Wigan Youth Zone which will take place during the evening and weekends and school holidays and will occasionally include residential work
· To directly deliver a high-quality programme of issue based work that is exciting, safe, innovative and developmental and directly responds to the diverse needs, concerns and interest of the members.
· To understand the community issues around young people with special educational needs and disabilities. To build trust with these young people and their families and SEND support networks and partners to build strong community cohesion and inclusion.
· Positively influence the general programme of events at the Youth Zone so it is attractive to young people from diverse backgrounds and abilities.
· To ensure the participation of young people in activities that their ideas contribute fully in the delivery and evaluation of activities.
· Carry out any other reasonable duties as requested by line manager or senior manager
· Support your line manager in delivering more sustainable projects
· Be flexible due to department requirements and business needs
· Work within the performance framework of Wigan Youth Zone and OnSide
· Represent Wigan Youth Zone positively and effectively in all dealings with internal colleagues and external partners
· Support Wigan Youth Zones yearly events
· Support the department in Fundraising for WYZ