Young Person's Practitioner - Maternity Cover

At Catch22, we are proud of our reputation as a modern and progressive employer. Our 1,300 colleagues and 300 volunteers work at every stage of the social welfare cycle, supporting over 60,000 individuals, from cradle to career. Our work spans education, social justice and rehabilitation, children's social care, family support, social action, and getting people into work.

Young People and Families

Our Young People and Families Hub (YP&F) delivers a wide range of integrated support services that are designed to help resolve complex difficulties experienced by young people and their families/carers. Our Hub works with those in trouble, providing early intervention to those who are in crisis, leaving care, missing from home, or with substance misuse or mental health problems - services support people no matter what their situation, and have demonstrated a high success rate.

Our Merton Risk and Resilience Service is an integrated service, focused on mitigating risk, and promoting resilience, in children and young people (C&YP). Our service aims to reduce the harm to children and young people (aged 18 and under), within the Child Exploitation (CE) and Missing service area, and C&YP (aged 24 and under), within the substance misuse service area.

Job Description

The role of Young Person's Practitioner (Risk and Resilience) is an excellent opportunity to make a direct and valued difference to the lives of children and young people (C&YP), who are at significant risk of experiencing child exploitation, substance misuse, or going missing from home.

Providing tailored support and guidance to children, young people, and families, this role will actively contribute to achieving high standards of care, quality, and positive outcomes - supporting service users to fulfil their potential, through consistent and meaningful participation.

Main Duties:

• Providing tailored one-to-one support, guidance, and interventions.
• Assessing the needs of children and young people, determining appropriate support plans and pathways, and informing risk reduction plans - supporting access to additional or specialist services where necessary.
• Ensuring that referrals, support, care, and risk management are of a high quality, with ease of transition.
• Developing sustainable joint service work with referring agencies, local authorities, children’s social care, and children and families services (CFS).

Ensuring timely and appropriate data recording – including tracking, outcome monitoring, KPI monitoring, and assisting with the production of feedback reports.

Providing consultation, information, training, and presentations, to a wide range of stakeholders, from varied settings (we can help to build your skills in training provision if required).

This role works in partnership with a wide range of partner agencies and commissioners, providing continuous opportunities to build your network and knowledge within the Children’s Social Care Sector. We will also support you to build service-area specialisms, in the areas of Substance Misuse, Child Exploitation, Missing from Home, or Families work. We are highly invested in supporting the continuous professional development of our staff, and our staff are also encouraged to visit the extensive variety of national services that Catch22 can offer.

The team are dedicated to making a difference in the lives of children and young people, working through a relationship-based approach, that draws on the ethos and values of young people. Integrating a variety of work backgrounds, the team utilise a ‘Think Family’ approach – and all staff are trained in motivational interviewing, trauma informed practice, and brief solution-focused interventions – click here to find out more.

We are also interested in candidates who can demonstrate transferable experience in the following areas:

• Working with children and young people with a range of vulnerabilities.
• Building positive relationships with children and young people, and their families.
• Carrying out assessments, risk management, and care plans, and providing interventions.
  
  

Qualifications

Please click here to view the full Job Description.

• 5 GCSE’s (grade C or above), or equivalent.
• Experience of working with children and young people, with complex needs or vulnerabilities.
• Preferable: Working knowledge of supporting children and young people in one or more of the following areas: substance misuse, child exploitation, missing from home.
  
  

Additional Information

Salary: Up to £29,000 (depending on knowledge and experience)

Hours of work: Full time, 37 hours per week*

Contract: 12 Months Fix-term

Location: Civic Centre, 2nd Floor Annex, London Road, Town Centre, Morden SM4 5DX

• This role requires access to a car, and a full driving licence.
• Catch22 supports flexible working, and we are ambassadors of a positive work-life balance - any hours worked outside of regular contracted hours will be accrued as Toil, and wherever possible, these are taken at the member of staff's convenience.

This is a community-based role, however we are open to discussing flexibility for remote working days where service delivery allows.

Benefits

• Discounted shopping opportunities, with over 1,400 retailers – through our Rewards Hub.
• Access to a 24/7 GP helpline – including online video consultations, and electronic private prescriptions.
• Employee Assistance Programme – a free, confidential service that offers expert advice, information, and counselling, for all staff and their dependents (24/7, 365 days a year).
• Access to a network of trained Mental Health First Aiders, across the organisation.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• 28 days annual leave (+ 8 public holidays) – increasing to 33 days after five years.
• Matching employer pension contributions of 4%.
  
  

If you would like to meet the team and/or visit the service prior to applying, please email Kelly Anderson, Service Manager: kelly.anderson@catch-22.org.uk.

A additional opportunity to support the Catch22, County Lines support and rescue service. A out of hours service that facilitates the safe return home for children and young people, who have been found in an exploitative situation inside and outside of London. This is an additional paid role which is an optional opportunity attached to the advertised role.

• Catch22 is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff, volunteers and other third parties to share this commitment. Safer recruitment practice will be followed and pre-employment background checks will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed. The post is subject to an enhanced DBS check.
  
  

See the benefits of working for Catch22 here.

Unless otherwise stated, interviews will be arranged as suitable candidates are identified, so early application is strongly advised.

At Catch22 we value equality, diversity and inclusion. We are wholeheartedly committed to the principle of equality of opportunity, both as an employer and as a provider of services. Diversity and Inclusion is part of what we do every day, working to deliver our vision to build a strong society where everyone has good people around them, a purpose, and a good place to live.

Catch22 is committed to rigorous safeguarding and safer recruitment practices; ensuring that every individual within the organisation has been safely and appropriately checked.

If you are applying for this role and are care experienced, Catch22 offers a mentor to assist with the application process. Please contact recruitment@catch-22.org.uk if you would like to find out more about this support. This information will not be passed to the team recruiting for this position. For more information about the Propel Programme and a guide for candidates who wish to join the programme, please see here.

See the benefits of working for Catch22 here.

Unless otherwise stated, interviews will be arranged as suitable candidates are identified, so early application is strongly advised.

At Catch22 we value equality, diversity and inclusion. We are wholeheartedly committed to the principle of equality of opportunity, both as an employer and as a provider of services. Diversity and Inclusion is part of what we do every day, working to deliver our vision to build a strong society where everyone has good people around them, a purpose, and a good place to live.

Catch22 is committed to rigorous safeguarding and safer recruitment practices; ensuring that every individual within the organisation has been safely and appropriately checked.

Please note, we will conduct an online search as part of our due dilligence checks for successful candidate(s). This will involve a search of all publicly available information online and in social media.

If you are applying for this role and are care experienced/care leaver, Catch22 offers a mentor to assist with the application process. Please contact cath.forshaw@catch-22.org.uk if you would like to find out more about this support. This information will not be passed to the team recruiting for this position. For more information about the Propel Programme and a guide for candidates who wish to join the programme, please see here. You can also watch an animation on the programme here.

Catch22’s Commitment to Ban the Box

Catch22 is proud to have “Banned the Box”. This means that we do not ask for candidates to disclose criminal convictions at the application stage. Instead, we invite disclosures at interview stage, and encourage them at the offer stage. Please see our statement of commitment on hiring people with convictions for more information.