This full-time, permanent position has a starting salary of £35,730 per annum based on a 36 hour working week.
We are excited to be hiring a new Participation Lead to join our fantastic User voice and Participation team. The team is based in Woking with travel across the county to deliver services. We support hybrid working, which means you will not be required to be in the office 5 days a week.
In this role you will have the opportunity to truly make a difference. You will be joining a team that supports each other's mental health, learning needs and personal growth.
Rewards and Benefits
* 26 days' holiday (prorated for part time staff), rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 30 days after 5 years' service
* Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
* An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
* Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year
* Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
* A generous local government salary related pension
* Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
* 2 paid volunteering days plus 1 team volunteering day per year
* Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
About the team
As a Participation Lead you will be part of our User Voice and Participation (UVP) Team, who work to empower children and young people to be involved in decision making about their lives and the services that affect them. We work in collaboration with colleagues to improve outcomes for children, young people and those in their network. We not only listen to, but work with children and young people to effect change.
The UVP Team run Surrey Youth Voice which includes various participation groups and projects for children and young people that enable them to have their voice heard, build their confidence and skills, whilst having fun and encouraging peer support. Our purpose is to build trust with children and young people who use Surrey services, so they feel able to share with us their experiences; what is and isn't working well. Our role is to ensure leadership, colleagues, teams and partners make changes to improve children and young people's experiences.
Our participation groups and projects support looked after children, care leavers, children and young people who use emotional wellbeing and mental health services and children and young people with additional needs and disabilities. We also support our future politicians through Surrey Youth Cabinet.
More information can be found on our website: Surrey Youth Voice
About the role
We are recruiting a Participation Lead to oversee our participation activities for care-experienced children and young people. We are looking for someone with experience of working with and empowering looked-after children and care leavers to have their voices heard in the services that they access. This unique role involves direct engagement with children and young people, facilitating participation projects, and collaborating with senior managers, boards, and partners to drive positive changes stemming from youth participation.
As a Participation Lead, you will be responsible for:
* Organising and managing participation projects and events for care-experienced children and young people
* Creating opportunities for children and young people to have their voice heard
* Embedding positive service change following feedback from children and young people
* Writing reports and presenting children and young people's feedback to senior management, boards and partners
* Advocating for children and young people's rights whilst championing participation
* Supervising and managing apprentices and participation workers within the team
Shortlisting criteria
To be considered for shortlisting for this position, your application will clearly evidence the following:
* Ability to build positive rapport with children and young people whilst supporting them to actively participate in projects and events
* Ability to effectively manage multiple areas of work including engagement events, market research projects and surveys
* Ability to analyse data, identify feedback themes and create meaningful reports
* People and influencing skills: ability to work with a wide range of people, demonstrating active listening, curiosity and empathy to truly understand others' views and experiences
The job advert closes at 23:59 on Tuesday 16th July with interviews planned for Tuesday 23rd July 2024.
An enhanced DBS 'Disclosure and Barring Service' check for regulated activity (formerly known as CRB) and the Children's and Adults' Barred List checks will be required for this role.
Our commitment
Surrey County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. A guaranteed interview will be offered to all disabled applications where:
* The candidate has evidenced the minimum criteria for the role through their application
* The candidate has chosen to share that they have a disability on the application form
Our application form and onboarding process will provide an opportunity to request any reasonable adjustments for the interview and/or the role. We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all underrepresented groups.