Key Worker - Young Carers

at  Essex County Council

KEY WORKER - YOUNG CARERS

Permanent, Full Time
£23,344 to £25,662 per annum
Location: Colchester
Working Style: Community-based worker
Do you have a passion for working with Young Carers, able to organise and manage your workload, good at communicating and able to work as part of a team.
We are seeking a district based Key Worker to work within our North East Essex quadrant team to support Young Carers (aged 0-18), young adult carers (16-24) and their families. You will provide individualised support in relation to their caring role, to raise achievement and aspirations and to allow them to have the same life chances as their peers.

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, AND EXPERIENCE:

• Educated to GCSE level or equivalent with a relevant professional qualification which is focussed on working with young people (e.g. LDSS, Social work, Youth and Community, Teacher, Careers) or equivalent or demonstrably equivalent experience.
• Experience of working with children and/or young people
• Ability to take responsibility for lone working and managing calendar/working hours.
• Flexible professional approach to meet needs of young people and service
• A broad understanding of the issues affecting young carers and young people, opportunities for learning and the services provided by the partner organisations.
• Experience of working with young people on a one to one basis and in groups.
• Excellent communication skills with experience in effective collaborative working with other agencies at a local level.
• Experience of successfully involving young people and families in decision-making processes.
  To read more about us please visit: Education
  Please note that the job role requires you to be mobile throughout an operational area. Therefore, the post holder will need to have a driving licence and access to a vehicle, or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means.
  Why Essex? Essex County Council has a location to be proud of. Our 1,300 square miles stretch from Constable Country to the Thames Estuary, from the dynamic M11 corridor to the traditional seaside resorts of Clacton and Walton. England’s oldest town, Colchester, and two of its newest – Basildon and Harlow – are right here. Along with the City of Chelmsford, the county town, they form our major population centres. It means real choice and makes Essex the ideal place for your career. Read more about us here.
  Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process.
  We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.
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  To view our Organisational Behaviours information please follow this link.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Work with Essex young carers and their families to identify priorities, support needs, interventions and goals, developing and implementing strategies for securing these. Using assessment and monitoring to motivate young carers and their families to achieve a shared and mutually agreed support plan/ contract
• Take up referrals and work with Essex young carers in order to identify, understand and meet their needs, with an emphasis on promoting positive outcomes.
• Work with Essex young carers in line with the agreed model, ensuring that the level of support meets the identified need including one to one support, peer group support, telephone support, advocacy, provision of information, signposting, training opportunities and workshops.
• Promote young carers self- awareness, confidence and encouraging their involvement in the design of their young carers service and supporting them in evaluating the impact of the service upon their own situation.
• Provide targeted outreach and awareness raising activities to other agencies to support the increased identification of Essex young carers including presentations, workshops and events.
• Pro-actively work in partnership with other agencies including educational settings and adult services to ensure ongoing support to young carers, particularly at points of transition and to enable Essex young carers to continue their education, employment or training.
• Support the development and facilitation of Essex young carers networks and forums to ensure that the voice of young carers is heard and that they are in a position to be able to shape and influence the service.
• Ensure that the Essex County Council policies, procedures and practice for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people are implemented.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO NEXT

If you are interested in finding out more about this role, we would love to hear from you. Please apply via the Working for Essex website.
As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service