Awareness and Prevention Practitioner, Child Exploitation (Shropshire, West Mercia)

Overview

At Catch22, we are proud of our reputation as a modern and progressive employer. Our 1,300 colleagues and 300 volunteers work at every stage of the social welfare cycle, supporting over 60,000 individuals from cradle to career. Our work spans education, social justice and rehabilitation, children\’s social care, family support, social action and getting people into work.

Our Child Sexual Exploitation and Missing From Home Service works with young people who are experiencing or at risk of child sexual exploitation (CSE). CSE is recognised in the UK and defined as: “Child sexual exploitation (CSE) is a form of child sexual abuse. It occurs where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, manipulate or deceive a child or young person.”

Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver a range of group programmes, workshops and training packages for young people, professionals, parents & carers.
• Work with children and young people at risk of CSE and CCE by identifying risk factors and intervening early to prevent exploitation.
• Develop and deliver tailored interventions to reduce vulnerability.
• Use trauma-informed approaches to build trust and resilience.
• Proactively utilise safeguarding protocols to information share and protect children from harm.
• Signpost to up to date evidence-based resources and guidance on child exploitation, informing policies and procedures in education and community settings.
• Provide advice and guidance to support development of policies and procedures in relation to child exploitation in line with national guidance and best practice.
• Increase awareness of how to access the specialist support service and other relevant services for young people and adults across West Mercia.
• Ensure that you effectively monitor, report and evaluate outcome measures from the interventions that are delivered and that they are appropriately completed in accordance with GDPR and Catch22’s monitoring and recording standards and requirements.
• Be a proactive member of the service and team, attending meetings and training events required.
• Ensure that the service promotes and reflects equality of opportunity and diversity at all levels.
• Proactively utilise safeguarding protocols to information share and protect children from harm.
• Maintain and update professional knowledge and competencies ensuring that you are up to date on all relevant Catch22 policies and procedures, and are working in line with local and governmental frameworks such as Public Health England and Safeguarding.

Qualifications

• You will need direct specialist knowledge of the risk factors that lead to exploitation and how to address them, the ability to engage with vulnerable young people on a one-to-one basis within a case management model, and an ability to work in an integrated way with key stakeholders involved in the CSE and CCE agenda. In addition we are looking for:
• Extensive experience of working directly with young people on level 2-4 on the continuum of need presenting a variety of support needs
• Qualification in Youth work or equivalent experience
• Experience of delivering group work
• Experience of planning, delivering and evaluating support activities for and with young people and their carers
• Experience and application of Health and Safety and risk management procedures
• Experience of working in partnership with a variety of agencies to achieve agreed outcomes
• Extensive experience and understanding of Child Protection including Safeguarding processes and procedures
• Experience of writing good quality reports that demonstrate the impact of work undertaken with young people on a 1:1 basis

Additional Information

Salary: £25,585

Access to a car, and a full driving licence, is a requirement of this role.

This role is subject to an enhanced DBS check.

Benefits

• 28 days annual leave + bank holidays, rising to 33 days with service (pro rata)
• Pension scheme with matching contributions of up to 4%
• Discounted shopping opportunities
• Will cover all of the Shropshire area
• Likely to travel further across West Mercia, occasionally

See the benefits of working for Catch22 here.

Interviews will be arranged as suitable candidates are identified, so early application is strongly advised.

At Catch22 we value equality, diversity and inclusion. We are committed to equality of opportunity, both as an employer and as a provider of services. Diversity and Inclusion is part of our daily work to build a strong society where everyone has support, a purpose, and a good place to live.

Catch22 is committed to rigorous safeguarding and safer recruitment practices; every individual within the organisation is checked.

If you are applying for this role and are care experienced/care leaver, Catch22 offers a mentor to assist with the application process. Please contact cath.forshaw@catch-22.org.uk for more information about this support. This information will not be passed to the recruitment team. For more information about the Propel Programme and a guide for candidates who wish to join the programme, please see here. You can also watch an animation on the programme here.