Salary: £23,500 per annum, pro rata Location: Inverclyde Contract/Hours: Fixed Term contract until 31 st July 2027/ Part Time - 22.2 hours per week (including evenings and weekends, main working pattern Tuesday to Thursday inclusive) Benefits: 29 days annual leave PLUS bank holidays, with up to 5 additional days for continuous service and option to buy or sell leave Gain professional qualifications and excellent training/development opportunities Flexible maternity, adoption, and paternity packages Pension with up to 7% employer contribution with included life assurance cover Staff discount portal and Blue Light Card eligibility with 15,000 national retailers discounts. Vulnerable children in the UK need your help Wherever you work in the Action for Children family, you'll be helping to change the lives of the most vulnerable children in the UK. Last year, we helped more than 670,000 children and families across the UK. From direct work in communities to national campaigning, we are focused on making sure every child has a safe and happy childhood, and the foundations they need to thrive. Why Action for Children? Working here is more than a job. Everyone in the Action for Children family is passionate about protecting and supporting children. It's the sense of purpose that drives us every single day. Because we know that, when we work together, we can make a huge difference to bring lasting improvements to vulnerable children's lives. A bit about the role We're thrilled to offer an exciting opportunity for a Young Persons Practitioner to join the Inverclyde School Aged Wellbeing Service. This initiative, launched in 2020, involves collaborating with a team of counsellors to provide effective interventions, manage cases, and assess needs, ensuring safe care and positive outcomes for families with children aged 5-18 years. The service will primarily be delivered in a mix of primary and secondary schools across the area, but also in homes and community settings as needed. In this role, you'll provide early help and targeted support to enhance the mental health, emotional resilience, and wellbeing of families, children, and young people aged 5 to 18 years who are affected or at risk of being affected by poor mental health. The service includes a combination of preventative activities, early help groups such as Action for Children's evidence-based Blues Programme, and more intensive support including one-on-one sessions. Due to the nature of this role, there'll be a requirement for out-of-hours and occasional weekend work. You'll work as part of a skilled team, including counsellors, and establish close working relationships with schools and NHS services, including CAMHS. How you'll help to create brighter futures Some key responsibilities of a Young Person Practitioner are; Supporting transitions between children and adult services. Providing background assessment reports for AFC colleagues. Delaying emergency requests by supporting young people who are 'sofa surfing' by ensuring they are safe and supported. Supporting families at risk of eviction from private rented landlords Promoting positive relationships between tenants and landlords to sustain tenancies and reduce the number of families having to move into temporary accommodation and the associated trauma. Supporting families with financial difficulties by providing basic budgeting advice e.g. realistic repayment plans for rent arrears and signposting to welfare rights, Citizens Advice Bureau, Debt Management services etc. Let's talk about you Experience of working with young people who present with a range of complex needs and behaviours and an understanding of the issues that they may face. Experience of managing cases, in accordance with agreed procedures and completing assessments of need and risk. Experience of demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of safeguarding and an ability to promote the wellbeing and welfare of young people. Possess a Level 3 Diploma in Residential Childcare (or recognised equivalent) or if you do not possess this you must be prepared to complete this within 2 years of commencing employment with us, full support will be provided. Diversity, equality and inclusion At Action for Children, we're dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace. We actively encourage applications from Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic and disabled candidates as they are under-represented within Action for Children. We want to take deliberate and purposeful action to ensure equal opportunity to all groups in society and for Action for Children. Male staff are under-represented within our Children Service roles. We would like to encourage more male applicants for our Children Service roles. Don't meet every single requirement? If you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't align perfectly with the job description, we'd love you to apply anyway. You might just be the perfect person for this role, or another role within the Action for Children family.