Key Worker in Slough

Are you passionate about supporting children, young people and adults who are autistic and/or have a learning disability? We are seeking to recruit a highly skilled Key Worker for our Key Worker Service in East Berkshire. The role is diverse and service user centred. It would suit someone with significant experience in supporting young people and young adults with autism and Learning Disabilities and their families.

The day-to-day work will involve a flexible approach to coordination and direct support for the young person and their family, as well as providing responsive communication at times of increased need. This is an exciting role which allows for the Key Worker to support families to navigate the system whilst advocating for them and ensuring that their voice is heard. There will be opportunities for collaboration and co-production - our vision is to provide young person and family centred support, whilst influencing system change to achieve better outcomes for more children, young people and adults under the age of 25.

The service will be provided across the entire East Berkshire footprint covering Slough, Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Bracknell Forest. Although the team is “virtual”, there will be frequent (weekly) travel within and across the East Berkshire area, therefore being a car driver with access to a car is essential, as well as being based near the local area.

The Key Working Function has been developed as a response to the NHS England & NHS Improvement Long Term Plan (LTP) commitment that by 2023/24, children and young people with a learning disability, autism, or both, with the most complex needs will have a designated Key Worker, applying the recommendations made by Dame Christine Lenehan in ‘These are our Children'. The East Berkshire Key Worker Service has been established since 2023 and continues to develop and evolve.

We are looking for someone who:

• has significant experience of working with individuals with Learning Disabilities and/or who are Autistic as well as their families.
• has an understanding of mental health and how this may impact this service user group.
• is tenacious and passionate about advocating for our families, whilst respectfully challenging professionals and working collaboratively with other agencies.
• is able to complete frequent visits to service users and have the ability to be flexible to complete visits/meetings at short notice within working hours across the East Berkshire area.

A Barnardo's Project Worker 3 job description and person specification is attached to the advert for this role. This is a generic role description in use throughout the organisation to cover all roles at the given salary band. The Additional Information Sheet outlines the specific responsibilities, skills and experience required and it is important that you read this carefully before you apply.

Please note due to the high volume of applications for some posts, this advert might close before the displayed closing date. We recommend that you apply for this role as soon as possible. Where a role is advertised as fixed term, we are happy to consider secondment opportunities.

We know that our colleagues go above and beyond in delivering our vital work, driven by their passion and commitment to Barnardo's values. We also know that we can only realise our ambitions and achieve better outcomes for more children, thanks to the talent, hard work and creativity of our people.

For all these reasons, we are committed to a new approach to pay and reward, to ensure it is fair, attractive and progressive, which was rolled out in April 2023. This is a positive change for the charity, and a part of our People & Culture Strategy. It will assist us in supporting colleagues to belong, thrive and grow in their colleague journey at Barnardo's and in time will offer clear routes of progression for colleagues in both their career and their pay.

Annual Leave entitlement for full-time colleagues is 26 days per annum, increasing to 27 days per annum, after 3 years Barnardo's service, 29 days per annum, after 5 years Barnardo's service and 30 days per annum, after 7 years Barnardo's service. Those working less than full time are entitled to the same level of holiday pro rata.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer and cultivating a culture where everyone can belong and thrive through inclusion and connectivity. We want our workforce to be reflective of the communities we work with, and for equality, diversity and inclusion to be embedded in everything we do.