Participation Officer - Youth Work

City of Wolverhampton Council; Acton Round; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 34,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Casual car allowance

Training and development opportunities

Opportunity to influence service

Job summary

City of Wolverhampton Council seeks a Participation Officer to create engaging opportunities for children, young people, adults and families to influence services. You will facilitate forums and events, gather feedback, and help shape commissioning activity with lived experience across Wolverhampton.

The role requires flexibility, including some evenings/weekends, and offers development opportunities within a supportive team.

Qualifications

• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to confidently facilitate meetings, workshops and consultations.
• Experience engaging with diverse groups to gather views.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain participation and engagement opportunities across services.
• Support groups including Youth Council and parent panels to express views.
• Work with commissioning teams to embed service-user participation in processes.
• Facilitate consultations, events and community forums and analyse feedback.

Skills

Communication skills

Facilitation

Relationship building

Engagement

Job description

Job DescriptionParticipation Officer Children's Social Care Grade 5 | £15.56 per hour 37 Hours per Week - Temporary Role until March 2027 | Working Location: Wolverhampton

About the Role

As a Participation Officer, you will play a key role in creating opportunities for children, young people, adults and families to influence the design and delivery of services across Wolverhampton. Working closely with colleagues, service providers and commissioning teams, you will develop and facilitate a range of participation forums, engagement activities and consultation events. You'll ensure feedback is not only gathered but also used to improve services and outcomes. This is a highly rewarding role where no two days are the same. You may be facilitating a Youth Council meeting one day, supporting a Children in Care consultation the next, and helping shape future commissioning activity through lived experience and community feedback. The role requires flexibility, including some evening and weekend working, to ensure participation opportunities are accessible to all.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain effective participation and engagement opportunities across Children's and Adult Services.
• Support children, young people, adults and families to express their views and influence decision-making.
• Facilitate and develop key participation groups, including:
  • Children's in Care Council
  • Care Leavers Forum
  • Youth Council
  • HY5! Families on Board
  • The Guardians
  • Adult Voice and Choice Parent Panels
• Work alongside commissioning teams to ensure service-user participation is embedded throughout commissioning activities.
• Support consultation exercises, public engagement events and community forums.
• Build strong relationships with local organisations, families and community stakeholders.
• Encourage and recruit new participants to become involved in engagement and co-production opportunities.
• Gather, analyse and share feedback with service providers to support continuous service improvement.
• Contribute to the ongoing development and improvement of participation services across the council.

About You

We are looking for someone who:

• Is passionate about participation, engagement and co-production.
• Has excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
• Can confidently facilitate meetings, workshops and consultation activities with diverse groups.
• Is able to engage positively with children, young people, adults and families from a wide range of backgrounds.
• Can organise and manage multiple activities and priorities effectively.
• Is creative, proactive and committed to improving outcomes through meaningful involvement.
• Understands the importance of inclusion, equality, safeguarding and confidentiality.
• Can work flexibly, including occasional evenings and weekends.

What We Offer

• An opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of children, young people, adults and families across Wolverhampton.
• A varied and rewarding role within a supportive team.
• Ongoing training and professional development opportunities.
• Casual car user allowance.
• The chance to influence service improvement and help shape future services across the city.

Additional Information

37 hours per week, worked flexibly across the week. Some evening and weekend working will be required. Casual car user allowance payable. The post is subject to a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Join Us

This is more than a job; it's an opportunity to ensure the voices of children, young people, adults and families are at the heart of decision-making. If you're passionate about engagement, participation and making a positive impact, we'd love to hear from you.