Youth Practitioner (zero)

About the role
The priorities for our Dorset children are; that they stay in Dorset, which is the best place for them to live, that they are given the best start in life through good care provision and the best education and training opportunities, which enable them to thrive and be the best they can be.

The role of Youth Practitioner is to ensure a safe and nurturing environment in which children and young people can thrive and develop self-reliance in reaching their potential. The work will include some evening, weekend work including sleep-ins for which there is an allowance and bank holidays. We are a flexible employer and would welcome a discussion around a variety of hours to be mutually agreeable.

The Harbour/College House residential home and outreach service for children and young people who have experienced significant trauma and neglect . College House is a home in Weymouth.

We are looking for caring, committed and positive individuals to join our supportive team of Youth Practitioners, working within the homes and local community supporting our children and young people to thrive.

We will provide you with an extensive induction and training including a level 4 certificate in therapeutic care where required. You will also be given regular supervision and access to some great employee benefits and LGPS pension scheme working for Dorset Council. We encourage applicants to visit us to allow you to get a better sense of who we are, what the job involves and to ask any questions you may have.

About the Harbour

At the harbour, we never give up. No matter what, we stick with the child. Our service is designed to wrap around a child’s needs, rather than trying to make them fit around ours. We have an evidence informed approach to risk and we are heavily invested in a supportive working environment, including a whole team development plan above and beyond mandatory requirements. We have a multi-agency integrated through co-location, sharing of learning and tasks. Our children are helped by people who make things happen. Click here to hear more about the The Harbour on Vimeo.

What you will be doing

You will be passionate and aspirational in supporting young people through a variety of activities which will help you build a strong and resilient relationship which will be sustained. Activities will include introducing children and young people to new environments, sports, arts and leisure as well as supporting them in education training and employment and promoting a clean safe and nurturing home environment in which they can develop skills for independence.

You will form positive relationships with our children, young people and families and together, work productively with families, partner agencies and allocated social workers to identify and achieve the best outcomes for our children. You will work to mend relationships and reunify families when appropriate to do so. You will be aspirational in outlook and flexible in delivery, to promote growth, learning and responsibility. You will be able to work autonomously and as part of a team responding flexibly to dynamic situations. We are aspirational for our staff as well as our children.

You will be joining a supportive and inclusive Council who will provide nurture and invest in you to enable you to thrive in your job. A comprehensive training programme is available in addition to the mandatory training, to enable your professional growth and development.

About you

You will be a kind and caring person with a passion for improving lives, be aspirational in attitude and resilient and flexible in approach.

Ability to achieve QCF level 4 Health and social Care or equivalent.
Numeracy and literacy skills
Recording and report writing skills.
Experience and resilience working with children and young people
Ability to work flexibly across a range of settings
Experience of direct work with families
Have problem solving skills
Be skilled in forming and maintaining relationships with young people
Have problem solving skills
Have good communication, interpersonal and advocacy skills
Have an understanding of key childcare legislation
Have team working skills
Have skills in inter-agency collaboration
Have effective IT skills to use the recording systems
Be willing to undertake training
Be an excellent role model for children and young people
Further Information
This is a zero hour role.
This post requires significant travel. You must have a vehicle (or transport we deem suitable) available for use as needed.

This post involves working with children and/or vulnerable adults and/or having access to significant information about them. It will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service check. See our policy on the employment of ex-offenders.

See our policy on safeguarding children and young people
About Us
Dorset Council: A great place to work

We’re passionate about making Dorset a great place to live, work and visit. Working for us should be no exception.

At Dorset Council we:

provide more than 450 services to over 300,000 residents
have ambitious aspirations
are excited about our future
care about Dorset and all the people who live here
know that all roles make a difference and that our employees are key to our success
You will:

have access to a range of employee benefits
be part of an organisation that supports each other to grow and succeed
have access to range of training opportunities which will help with your personal development and career progression
We are challenging ourselves to become a more diverse and inclusive organisation.

We recognise that recruitment and inclusion of individuals with diverse skills, perspectives and backgrounds will bring real strength to the council and our communities. We have a commitment to equality and welcome applications from everyone.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. We offer an interview to everyone who declares a disability and meets the essential criteria for the role.

We are keen to make our interviews accessible. Let us know on your job application if you have a disability and need any reasonable adjustments.

We also look for applicants who share our commitment to our behaviours. We will ask you to evidence when you have demonstrated them as part of the selection process.

If appointed, the personal information we collect from you will be shared with Cifas who will use it to prevent fraud, other unlawful or dishonest conduct, malpractice, and other seriously improper conduct. If any of these are detected, you could be refused certain services or employment. Your personal information will also be used to verify your identity. Further details of how your information will be used by us and Cifas, and your data protection rights, can be found at https://www.cifas.org.uk/fpn.