Regional Coordinator

ROYAL NATIONAL CHILDRENS SPRINGBOARD FOUNDATION (RNCSF)

Regional Coordinator Job Description

RNCSF is a leading social mobility and social care charity working in partnership with local authorities, schools and other charities to improve outcomes for children who have experienced care or who face barriers to opportunity.

For nearly 200 years, RNCSF has unlocked access to transformative educational experiences in the UKs boarding and independent day schools. From its origins as a 19th century orphanage to its present-day work with more than two hundred partner schools, RNCSF enables hundreds of vulnerable children each year to access the care, stability and education that prepares them for success in life.

In 2020, Royal National Childrens Springboard Foundation (RNCSF) was appointed as delivery partner for the DfEs Broadening Educational Pathways (BEP) scheme. The schemes ambition is to secure independent day and boarding school bursary placements and access to partnership activities for care experienced children. Since its launch more than 300 children in and on the edge of care (Care Experienced & Vulnerable Children CEVC) have been supported to thrive within over a hundred participating schools. Partnerships have been established with more than 80 local authorities. 83 young people will be starting on RNCSF bursary in 2027, through this programme.

In 2023, following a successful trial in NW & East Anglia, the DfE extended the contract for RNCSF to continue as delivery partner with the express intention to secure the routine embedding of priority access for children in care to bursary and partnership activities offered by schools at a regional level. The DfE strategy for regional devolution of the scheme is to secure deeper engagement by Local Authorities (LAs) and Schools, embedded within the regional educational landscape, to provide the careful identification, transition and support required for it to become sustained into regular working practices by 2027.

We are looking for a Regional Coordinator on a fixed term contract of one year to work 0.4 0.6 TTO, based in Christs Hospital School.As regional coordinator you will need to combine excellent communication skills for stakeholder engagement with strong organisational skills to ensure operational management

Reporting directly to RNCSFs Senior Programme Manager (CEVC), working under the Head of Bursary Activity, you will work collaboratively with other Regional Coordinators and the charitys core team to engage stakeholders, support effective operational delivery, maintain accurate data management and deliver smooth programme administration.

Terms and Conditions

Reports to: Senior Programme Manager (CEVC)

Below covers everything you need to know about what this opportunity entails, as well as what is expected from applicants.
Hours: 9.30-5.30, 0.4-0.6, 39 weeks per year
Salary: £35000

Location: Christs Hospital School; some remote working may be a possibility

Detail on the Regional Coordinators roles and responsibilities:

Building and maintaining boarding and independent day schools interest

• Engaging school stakeholders by organising an annual regional event and developing a strategy which fits schools visits into your working patterns
• Attracting more suitable school partners by being a powerful advocate for the programme

Managing applications

• Supervising all aspects of the application process, which includes:
• Meeting with LAs to shortlist candidates
• Working with local authority and charity referral partners to review potential candidate pack details, arranging for additional information (e.g. from carers, school etc.) and organising applicant days for interviews
• Coordinating all aspects of pupil/school relationship surrounding each application ensuring e.g. CAT4 tests completed as a marker of academic confidence, school reports available etc.

Creating conditions for schemes long-term sustainability

• Brokering funding contributions from LAs towards boarding placements where possible.
• Encouraging more LAs to systemically identify eligible children
• Regularly presenting to Local Authority teams to influencing local authority discussions
• Co-creating (with LA colleagues) commissioning models within each participating authority that models use of the scheme as measure to prevent childrens risk escalation
• Capturing all data on our CRM to support reporting at central level

Safeguarding

• We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share in this commitment.
• Promote and safeguard the welfare of children and young people and ensure that all staff and volunteers share this commitment.

Education and Qualifications

Essential

• Maths, English and IT Level 2
• Degree level educated (or sufficient relevant experience)

Basic skills and competencies

Essential

• Previous experience of working within a similar environment (e.g. in a pastoral/support role for vulnerable children in a school, LA or community organisation, and/or within the independent school sector etc)
• Knowledge and understanding of the barriers facing vulnerable children
• Knowledge and understanding of safeguarding children
• Excellent IT skills - Word, Excel and Outlook
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills both verbal and written, demonstrable in relationship building, impact and influence
• Excellent time management, organisational and administration skills
• Ability to quickly identify and resolve issues that may arise
• Self-motivated and able to work collaboratively within a team and with stakeholders
• Ability to work independently and take the initiative to address opportunities
• Able to meet challenging deadlines

Desirable

• Knowledge and understanding of the independent/boarding school sector
• Knowledge and understanding of statutory support available for children in and on the edge of care

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Positive and enthusiastic approach to work and a willingness to learn and develop
• Proactive and forward thinking
• Punctual
• Flexible and can adapt to meet the needs of the organisation

In support of the secondee, Royal National Childrens Springboard Foundation will provide:

Induction and training

Provide you with a thorough induction on the work of Royal National Childrens Springboard Foundation and its staff, your secondment role and the induction and/or training you need to meet the responsibilities of this role.

Supervision and support

• explain the standards we expect and encourage and support you to achieve and maintain them.
• provide a named person who will meet with you regularly to discuss your secondment and any successes and problems.
• do our best to help you develop your secondment role with us and to assist you with achieving the goals (if any) you wish to achieve during your secondment.

Policies

• provide a safe and healthy environment in which you can work.
• provide adequate insurance cover for secondees whilst undertaking secondment work approved and authorised by us.
• ensure that all secondees are dealt with in accordance with our Equal Opportunities Policy. xiskglj

RNCSF will collect and process information relating to you in accordance with the Privacy Notice which is available upon request. You shall comply with the Data Protection Policy when handling personal data in the course of your role including personal data relating to any employee, worker, contractor, student, supplier