Lead Mentor

3-4 months contract with a Local Authority

Job Summary:

• Providing mentoring and practical support for Children in our Care and Care Leavers aligned to the Children's Services Practice Framework including systemic and compassionate approaches.
  
• Establishing impactful relationships with children and young people by providing a programme of support to meet their individual needs and achieve and sustain the best possible outcomes.
  
• Meeting regularly with children and young people to learn about and support them in achieving their goals and aspirations.
  
• Helping Children in our Care and Care Leavers achieve their full potential.
  

Key duties/Accountabilities (Sample):

• To meet with allocated Children and Young People (CYP) 1-2 times per week to provide bespoke mentoring support in line with the identified needs of children and young people utilising goal-based planning and enabling the development of self-sufficiency for children and young people.
  
• To carry out holistic assessments of need and support CYP in setting realistic and practical targets to achieve their long-term goals including leading the interface with social workers and Leaving Care Personal Advisors to ensure that statutory plans and support is coherent and leads to improved outcomes for children and young people.
  
• To develop and deliver structured and targeted evidence-based interventions and positive activities with children, young people individually, in groups or as a family in a range of settings, including community and youth settings including therapeutically informed support; systemic, compassionate mind approaches, restorative and cognitive behavioural approaches.
  
• To provide practical support for CYP and support engagement in personal, social development activities, and where appropriate, education, employment and training.
  
• To ensure interventions are recorded on the appropriate recording system in line with the practice standards of Children and Families' Social Care.
  
• To develop, lead and evaluate consultation activity with relevant participation groups to ensure the programme continuously meets their needs.
  
• To support mentees to improve their sense of identity and develop a sense of belonging through utilisation of the Children's Services Practice framework including the delivery of practical support and social skills and activities.
  
• To maintain good communication with Children in our Care and Care Leavers who would like ongoing mentoring support, ensuring that you contract effectively and manage expectations.
  
• To deliver evidence-based interventions with children and young people to help develop strong and sustainable relationships and support networks that will remain in place following the end of their time on the programme.
  
• To actively contribute to regular project delivery group meetings to support the mobilisation and monitoring of the mentoring programme including project reporting and evaluation.
  
• To develop and deliver effective training on relational coaching and mentoring to the workforce including junior staff and service delivery partners including commissioned services and external organisations.
  
• To contribute to the evaluation of training delivered to the workforce and the wider evaluation of the programme including, where appropriate, working with central government's appointed independent evaluation team.
  
• To work with other Councils to promote the impact of the Mentoring project and share learning facilitated by the DfE.
  
• To take responsibility for maintaining excellent professional knowledge and skills by undertaking appropriate continuing professional development in line with personal development needs identified in supervision.
  
• To adapt practice based on emerging evidence or research.
  
• To undertake any other work appropriate to the level and general nature of the post's duties.
  
• To undertake all duties with due regard to the provisions of health and safety regulations and legislation, Data Protection/GDPR, the Council's Equal Opportunities and Customer Care policies.
  
• To perform all duties in line with Council's staff values showing commitment to improving residents' lives and opportunities, demonstrating respect and fairness, taking ownership, working towards doing things better and working together across the council.
  
• This post requires an Enhanced DBS with children's barred list and will be supported by Safer Recruitment tools.
  
• You may be required to undertake alternative, additional or ancillary duties from time to time or transfer to another service department within the Council as the Council may reasonably direct to meet service user demand in the event of a crisis or emergency.
  
• To deputise for the Mentoring Programme, Lead where appropriate.
  

Skills/Experience:

• We are looking for candidates with significant experience of engaging the most vulnerable young people in our community.
  
• This role works with a wide range of children and young people, but the common theme is that they are currently in our care or care experienced.
  
• We can expect the candidates to have experience of working in social care, education, youth work or youth justice services in a 1:1 or group capacity with young people.
  
• (HCC) A sound knowledge of principles and procedures relating to the support and monitoring mechanisms for children and young people e.g. care planning, case conferencing and Looked After Children Reviews.
  
• Basic communication, literacy, Numeracy, coaching, assessing needs, care planning, report writing skills.
  
• Mentoring.
  

Additional Information:

• Closing Date: 27/11/2024 @23:45.