Personal Advisor WCC623358 in City of Westminster

As Personal Adviser, you can make a powerful contribution. You will be responsible for ensuring that care leavers (ages 18-25) have a successful transition to independent adulthood. We guide young people through the transition with Pathway Plans. You will contribute to the assessments, formulation, implementation and review of these.

Plus, you will assist and advise care leavers on practical skills necessary for living independently, such as holding a tenancy and developing financial capabilities. Alongside this, you will offer motivational support to build confidence and self-esteem. As this is a relationally led role, you have the opportunity to be creative and autonomous in the impact that you make.

You will keep in contact with care leavers, checking that they have suitable accommodation, are in education, or have secured employment that is appropriate to their abilities and aspirations. To push this forward, you will collaborate with colleagues across agencies to ensure that provisions are well coordinated.

You will need to be comfortable working with a variety of young people, differing aspirations, educations, and some with significant challenges, like their mental health and offending history. Multiculturalism runs through Westminster, so you will regularly work with people with a background different to your own.

Our team is rated outstanding by Ofsted, and we want to build on that success. We offer a high level of support, regular supervision, and manageable caseloads. Plus, our extensive training opportunities provide routes into social work and systemic practice. Inclusivity and shared values are prioritised in all that we do, as well as innovation. Together, we work to ensure that every young person receives high quality, tailored support for their transition into independence.

To be a good fit, you will bring experience of working with vulnerable children, young adults and families according to statutory guidance, either directly in or in partnership with local authority children's services. You know how to offer safeguarding support, in accordance with the expectations set out in the Children Act 1989 and the Leaving Care Act 2000. You will have collaborated with young people, families and relevant services to work towards positive outcomes, addressing underlying vulnerabilities. If you do not have direct experience working with young adults, then you will have transferable skills from settings such as health, housing, youth and employment. You will be familiar with assessing and engaging with families, no matter their cultural or ethnic background.

Strong communication (written and verbal) is key to the role. At times, you will have conversations with young people who are feeling particularly distressed or vulnerable. Organisation is also your strength - you will manage time effectively and balance competing demands. Plus, you will be able to analyse information to move forward with SMART plans of action. You are able to learn and use models of practice to support meaningful interventions and to manage the personal impact of the work.

You will be educated to A level (or equivalent). If not, you will bring extensive experience directly working with children, young people, their parents and carers to effect positive change.

At Westminster City Council, we pride ourselves on being an inclusive workplace and employer of choice. We encourage and welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that, at all levels, represents the communities we serve. We champion equality, diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued, has a sense of belonging and is empowered to be their best, that is the Westminster Way. As a forward-thinking Council, we appreciate that people work in different ways, therefore our staff benefit from working a range of flexible working patterns as well as Agile working.