Senior Sessional Worker

Shifts: Term Time: Monday – Thursday & Sunday (including some evening work). School Holidays: Monday – Friday.

Accountable to: Hub and Short Breaks Operations Manager

Department: Children and Family Services

Location: The Hub, Finchley

Do you have experience of working as part of a team to influence and motivate colleagues around you to deliver high quality, responsive, holistic services for neurodivergent children and young people? Are you enthusiastic, with a supportive mentality who enjoys variety by also contributing to the development of operational outcomes? If so, the Senior Sessional Worker role may be of interest to you!

About The Hub and Short Breaks service: For over 20 years Norwood has run a Short Break service called Unity for young people on Sundays and during school holidays. Many families have benefited from this service, and it remains popular with families and local authority commissioners. There is a waiting list of children and young people across Barnet and Herts who wish to access this provision. That’s why as part of our recently launched strategy, we’re expanding the Short Break Service offering, to support families and young people with a variety of choice and cohort-based opportunities including after school clubs. The opening of the Hub allows the expansion of activities throughout the week, term-time, and during school holidays, evenings and weekends. With a recent refurbishment, we can now offer a location dedicated to supporting children throughout the week. The building has outdoor space, a sensory room, kitchen, activity rooms and multipurpose spaces which allow children the opportunity to thrive in a bespoke space for them.

The Children and Family Service Department will deliver an ambitious Whole Family Centred, Strengths and Needs Based Model to empower children, young people, and their families. This expert-led coordinated approach underpinned by robust governance and outcome and impact measures will seek to ensure families with a neurodivergent or neurodevelopmentally disabled child can realise their full potential and thrive. The objectives for each team member will be clear, ensuring a meaningful and positive impact on those accessing the services, with consistency in support and communications, and the ability to access services required effectively.

About the role: This is one of a number of new vacancies being recruited as part of a dedicated team for the further development of the Hub and Short Breaks offering to extend the reach to more children and young people throughout the week. As a Senior Sessional Worker, you will work closely with the Hub and Short Breaks Operations Manager to ensure Norwood offers a flexible, fun and exciting provision for neurodivergent children and young people and those with a neurodevelopmental disability from ages 5-25. You will drive and support the development of the future of our Short Breaks provision with innovative ideas for our weekday, weekend and holiday programmes, ensuring Norwood continually responds to the wishes, aspirations and needs reflected by the young people we support to offer a meaningful, flexible and creative offer. You will design, develop and deliver creative choice and cohort-based sessions, whilst working within the framework of OFSTED to ensure quality and compliance.

Benefits at Norwood include:

• The opportunity to work for a leading UK charity
• Competitive salary & benefits package
• 21 days annual leave plus 8 bank holidays and Jewish festivals where they fall on a working day and work is not permitted (FTE)
• Workplace Pension Scheme: Plan for your future with confidence.
• Employee Assistance Programme: We care about your well-being.
• £300 When You Introduce a Friend: Spread the word and reap the rewards.
• Free Eye test & Eyewear allowance
• Access to ‘Blue Light’ discount scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Excellent career progression pathway
• Enhanced benefits coming in July 2025

Essential skills and experience:

• Ability to commit to 20 hours per week, including evenings and Sundays
• Experience of designing and delivering innovative, high quality, responsive, holistic services for neurodivergent children and young people as part of a team
• Experience of working in partnership with other agencies and organisations
• Recent experience of working within regulatory frameworks (Ofsted, CQC contract compliance etc)
• An appropriate qualification at Level 3 or equivalent
• Knowledge and understanding of the range of interventions and approaches that can be used to support disabled children and young people
• An understanding of various communication aids including Makaton, PECS, AAC etc
• Knowledge and understanding of safeguarding policies and procedures
• A team player who enjoys supporting others to achieve shared goals
• Excellent communication skills with a flexible style to communicate with people in a form and manner that is consistent with their level of understanding, culture, background and preferred ways of communicating
• Ability to anticipate and identify potential gaps in service delivery and take appropriate action to self-rectify
• Experience using observation to inform assessment and planning
• Excellent time management skills who can work under pressure to meet deadlines
• Flexibility, initiative and the ability to respond appropriately to child and family needs
• Excellent active listening and problem-solving skills
• Embraces change and responds positively to new opportunities

About Norwood: Founded in 1795, Norwood is the oldest Jewish charity in the UK. We support and empower neurodiverse children, their families and people with neurodevelopmental disabilities to live their best lives. Our Norwood Values and Behaviours underpin everything we do as we continue to support and empower neurodiverse children, their families and people with neurodevelopmental disabilities to live their best lives.

If this opportunity interests you, please apply today and our Recruitment team will be in touch. We reserve the right to close this advertisement early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications. Due to the high number of candidates who apply to our roles at Norwood, please note we can only provide feedback following an interview, if shortlisted. We actively celebrate everyone's different abilities, sexual orientation, ethnicity, faith, and gender. Everyone is welcome and supported in their development at all stages in their journey with us. We are a kind and compassionate community. Empowerment and respect are at the heart of everything we do and believe in at Norwood. If you are positive and resilient and a force for good, we are for you! We strive for excellence and to make a real difference to the lives of the people we support. Our team is one of our biggest assets. We nurture a supportive environment for our people, with tailored training and career development at all levels.