Children's Missing Advocate

The Methodist Church in Britain; Rotherham; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Benefits package

Job summary

The Methodist Church in Britain is seeking a maternity cover professional to join the Evolve Service within Children and Young People's Services. The role is full-time, 8:30 to 17:30 on weekdays, working alongside social workers, police, nurses and family support workers.

An enhanced DBS check is required. Core duties include completing return-home interviews within 72 hours, recording reports for the local authority, advocating for vulnerable young people, and providing harm-reduction

Qualifications

• Experience of working in partnership with children, young people, families and carers.

Responsibilities

• Complete return home interviews with young people missing from home or care within 72 hours.
• Record each return home interview as a report for the local authority.
• Engage with young people and advocate on their behalf.
• Assess needs and provide harm reduction information and signposting.
• Encourage engagement with specialist services.
• Undertake one-to-one work to inform risk reduction plans.
• Carry out preventative and longer-term work with missing young people.
• Develop relationships within Children's Social Care and referring agencies.
• Collect and report information and monitor progress.
• Collaborate with the multi-agency Evolve team on interviews and direct work.

Skills

Engage with young people

Interview within timescales

Strong communication

Multi-agency collaboration

Advocacy for young people

Job description

This maternity cover post sits within the Evolve Service, a multi-agency team in Children and Young People's Services that supports young people who go missing from home or care or are at risk of exploitation. The core of the work is completing return home interviews within 72 hours, recording them as reports, and carrying out one-to-one and longer-term preventative work to reduce risk. The role is full-time, weekdays 8:30 to 17:30, alongside social workers, police, nurses and family support workers. An enhanced DBS check is required.

What the job involves

• Complete return home interviews with young people who have been missing from home or care within 72 hours
• Record each return home interview as a report for the responsible local authority
• Engage with young people who have gone missing and advocate on their behalf
• Assess young people's needs and give harm reduction advice, information and signposting
• Encourage young people to engage with specialist services
• Undertake one-to-one work with children and young people vulnerable to missing incidents to inform a risk reduction plan
• Carry out preventative and longer-term work with young people who go missing regularly
• Develop and sustain relationships within Children's Social Care and referring agencies to secure regular, appropriate referrals
• Collect and report information from all young people assessed
• Complete monitoring information by set timescales
• Work closely with the multi-agency Evolve team on return home interviews and direct work

What’s required

Experience

• Experience of working in partnership with children, young people, families and carers

Skills & knowledge

• Ability to engage with young people who have gone missing and advocate for them
• Ability to conduct interviews within specified timescales
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Flexibility and adaptability in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to work as part of a multi-agency team

Checks & eligibility

• Enhanced-level DBS check

What’s offered

• Excellent benefits package (not itemised in the advert)