Full Time / 37 Hours Per Week / Fixed Term
Would you like to play a key role in ensuring young people, aged 16 to 25, have a positive transition to adulthood and independence?
We’re currently recruiting for a Leaving Care Advisors to join our Leaving Care Team. The Leaving Care Team aim to ensure that young people either in care or who have left care are living in suitable accommodation, have opportunities to engage in education, employment, or training, and can contribute positively within their local communities.
This is a fantastic opportunity to join our friendly and welcoming team as a Leaving Care Advisor. The team currently consists of 2 Leaving Care Team managers and 18 Leaving Care Advisors.
You will be working in a challenging yet rewarding environment, providing crucial support to young people in care and care leavers. With Leicester having a diverse population, you’ll have the chance to work with people from all backgrounds.
This is an important role within the council in delivering the Leicester City Council Local offer for its Looked after Children and young people leaving the care system.
We are a supportive team who have regular monthly meetings and supervisions to ensure best practice is shared. You’ll have the opportunity to take part in service events to grow and develop your existing skills and experience.
Your role
As a confident Leaving Care Advisor, you’ll manage a case load of eligible young people by providing appropriate advice, support, and advocacy to meet assessed needs. You’ll work in collaboration with Social Workers and agencies to monitor progress and well-being, whilst ensuring you prioritise appropriately. By assessing the needs of young people, you’ll prepare Pathway plans to carry out identified tasks within the child’s plan ensuring service provision is appropriate and sensitive to the cultural needs of young people and their families as agreed with Team Managers or allocated social worker. Using your expertise, you’ll provide skills to young people so that they become independent individuals.
This is a full-time, fixed term post working 37 hours per week from Monday to Friday. On occasion you may be required to work evenings to attend meetings. You’ll have flexibility in hybrid working being both office based, at Halford House or working remotely from home to suit your needs. We offer flexible and agile working to promote a healthy work-life balance.
Your working pattern would be:
Monday – Thursday 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM – Friday 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Appointment will depend on the outcome of the selection process and experience of the successful candidate. Progress will be by satisfactory performance, agreed at annual Appraisals and through ongoing supervision.
You will carry a caseload of eligible, relevant, and former relevant young people and provide appropriate advice, support, and advocacy to meet assessed needs.
You will contribute to assessments and the preparation of Pathway plans and carry out identified tasks within the child’s plan ensuring service provision is appropriate and sensitive to the cultural needs of young people and their families as agreed with your Team Manager or an allocated social worker.
You will arrange and co-ordinate the provision of services to Looked After Children and care leavers to meet assessed needs in partnership with the allocated social worker and young person.
You will need to have appropriate liaison with young people, Social Workers and involved agencies in order to monitor progress and well-being and ensure there is a retained focus of work and agree future involvement of different agencies.
What you will need
You’ll have either experience or qualifications in Health and Social care or Youth work, as well as an in-depth understanding of the many challenges faced by this group of young people. With knowledge and understanding of legislative and procedural requirements such as Leaving Care Act 2000 and Children Act 1989, you’ll ensure care leavers have a positive transition to adulthood and independence.
Using excellent communication and interpersonal skills, you’ll develop effective working relationships with social workers and external agencies so that you can effectively advocate on behalf of young people. With good organisational skills and the ability to work within relevant legislation, you’ll be able to undertake multi-agency and partnership working.
An enhanced DBS will be required. We will ask you to provide documentary evidence as proof of eligibility to work in the UK, as well as you will have a full driving licence and access to own transport (Car).
Additional Information
If you are passionate about making a difference to the lives of young people living in the city, then we would love to hear from you.
Please complete our online application form, referring to the attached person specification and ensuring you tell us about your experience and knowledge where this is being measured by application form.
Should you wish to attach a CV please ensure this is tailored to the job requirements which will give you the best chance of being shortlisted.
For an informal discussion about this post, please contact Neil Sewell, Leaving Care Team Manager, on 01164542444
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