Senior Community Officer - Ferndale - Job - IPSC Recruitment LTD

iPeople SC Solutions is currently recruiting for Senior Community Officer for our client based in Lambeth and surrounding areas. The successful post holder is to manage a case load of youth justice cases, support the management, quality assurance, planning and delivery of interventions by working innovatively with young people from diverse backgrounds and engaging them and their families and other professionals in order to assess, develop and deliver focussed interventions and activities that support their personal and social skills.

Duties & Responsibilities

• The aim of the role is to provide support at the point when problems emerge, preventing the need for more specialist services further down the line and to act as the lead professional within the Youth Justice Service for cases where there are multiple and complex needs.
• Much of this work will be conducted on evenings and weekends and the postholder will be required to be on call for the Outreach Youth Workers.
• To establish and develop collaborative working arrangements with universal, community partners and key partner agencies such as Early Help, Children and Social Care, Education, Health, Police, Probation, Youth Custody Services, Courts and voluntary sector organisations and to undertake the role of Appropriate Adult (PACE) when required.
• To provide support and challenge for practitioners working with vulnerable children, young people and families, and where necessary make timely referrals to appropriate services and ensuring that there are accurate records of work undertaken on the specified management information system.
• To promote strength-based practice methods to improve engagement with children and families that enhance outcomes for children and their families.
• To support families to make positive change in their lives by using systemic intervention methods, models, and tools, with the aims of helping them to be as independent as possible and to reduce risk of harm and increase safety and wellbeing.
• To gather information, analyse and assess to manage risk, re‑offending and safety/wellbeing accurately using appropriate screening and assessment tools; taking necessary measures to ensure welfare needs are dealt with effectively and public protection considerations are appropriately managed.
• To conduct assessment, planning and reviewing activities and create, in conjunction with young people and families, bespoke intervention plans to address all areas of need and to regularly review the plans to ensure their suitability and effectiveness.
• To work within a multi‑disciplinary team, to be responsible for all aspects of case management of complex and challenging caseload of children, young people and their families with the Youth Justice Service, including writing reports to a high standard, dealing with bail, duty and non‑compliance issues swiftly and effectively in line with local and national standards.
• To play a leading role in improving practice and quality of assessments and plans, assisting Team Managers including facilitating team meetings, taking responsibility for dissemination of new legislation and developments in practice.
• Take a lead role in the induction of new staff and being a ‘buddy’.
• To engage YOS staff and partner agencies in joint training, that embeds common language, and joined up processes to increase a shared responsibility.
• To recognise and act on safeguarding concerns relating to children and to adults with care and support needs, and contribute to the response to such concerns, promptly escalating cases where necessary.

Working hours: 9:00am - 5:00pm - Monday to Friday (regular weekend and evening working)

Requirements

• A recognised degree level professional qualification relevant to the youth justice field such as social work, teaching, health, criminal justice and probation or a Certificate in Effective Practice in Youth Justice (PCEP).
• Extensive experience of successfully managing the most complex and challenging cases.
• Significant experience of providing systemic and whole family support to families experiencing domestic violence, serious youth violence or poor mental health.
• Experience of providing expert advice and support to universal and community settings supporting families.
• Enhanced DBS on the update service.

If you are an experienced Senior Community Officer, please apply with your CV.