Young Person’s Mentor – Waking Nights (16+ accommodation services)

Storyy; Bracknell; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

Storyy Group in Bracknell is seeking a Young Person’s Mentor to support care-experienced youths in a residential setting. The role involves helping residents with daily living, education access, and developing independence, with a strong emphasis on trauma-informed care.

Your day-to-day includes building trusted relationships, supporting health and wellbeing, and helping youths to access housing and welfare benefits.

Qualifications

• NVQ level 3 in Health and Social Care is desirable or required.
• Experience working with children and young people.
• Ability to engage with young people with challenging behaviour and complex needs.
• Strong teamwork and collaborative approach.
• Flexible to work shifts, including evenings and weekends.
• Good organisational and time management skills.
• Basic IT skills with Office 365 to keep records.
• Note: sponsorship may not be provided.

Responsibilities

• Provide compassionate, person-centred and innovative support.
• Adopt and provide trauma-informed care.
• Build supportive, trusting relationships with young people.
• Encourage positive risk-taking within a risk-assessed framework.
• Support daily living skills and housing/welfare tasks.
• Involve young people in designing and improving the service.
• Assisting with applying for housing and welfare benefits.
• Maintain accurate, confidential support records.
• Attend regular meetings, training and supervisions.
• Collaborate with external professionals and safeguarding partners.
• Ensure Ofsted and local authority safeguarding compliance.

Education

NVQ level 3 in Health and Social Care

Tools

Office 365

Job description

• Full Time

We are Storyy Group: www.storyy.group/

At Storyy Group,we believe that every young person deserves a champion who will ensure that each one of our young people has a brighter future.

To make this dream a reality we provide residential care, semi-independent accommodation, alternate school provision and positive pathways for children and young people.

The 16+ accommodation-based services provide intensive support to care-experienced young people.There are between 5 and 6 young people living in our homes at one time; we do not provide personalcare butinstead support young people towards independent living.

Wealsohaveseveralbases across Berkshire, including primary and secondaryAlternativeProvisionsites that offer creative arts, boxing, and construction experience, in addition to children’s homes and supported accommodation.Some of our young people also attend our Alternative Provision, ensuring they can access education and are encouraged to learn indifferent ways.

We collaborate with local authorities, schools, parents, and carers to engage children and young people in learning, positive activities, and pathways for their future. We give them the support and tools they need to write their own Storyy.

Hours:On average 42hoursper week,working on a2-weekrolling rota pattern(includingweekends and Bank Holidays); you will work one weekendin2.Shift:20:15 – 08:15,Loneworking.

Work Base:Bracknell(You will be based at onehome;however,flexibility isrequiredto travel to other homes ifneeded).

At Storyy Group,we believe that every young person deserves a champion who will ensure that each one of our young people has a brighter future.

To make this dream a reality we provide residential care, semi-independent accommodation, alternate school provision and positive pathways for children and young people.

The 16+ accommodation-based services provide intensive support to care-experienced young people.There are between 5 and 6 young people living in our homes at one time; we do not provide personalcare butinstead support young people towards independent living.

Wealsohaveseveralbases across Berkshire, including primary and secondaryAlternativeProvisionsites that offer creative arts, boxing, and construction experience, in addition to children’s homes and supported accommodation.Some of our young people also attend our Alternative Provision, ensuring they can access education and are encouraged to learn indifferent ways.

We collaborate with local authorities, schools, parents, and carers to engage children and young people in learning, positive activities, and pathways for their future. We give them the support and tools they need to write their own Storyy.

Key Objectives

Your role as a Young Person’s Mentoris to provide support to young people in a compassionate and caring home environment, with a focus on each person being able to:

• Be Healthy
• Stay Safe
• Enjoy and Achieve
• Make a Positive Contribution

What yourday-to-dayresponsibilities will look like:

• To provide exceptionalperson-centredand innovative support when and where it is needed
• To adopt and provide “Trauma-InformedSupport”
• To build supportive, trusting, and positive relationships with young people
• To encourage ‘positive risk taking’ within a saferisk-assessedframework
• To provide support with daily living skills and activities to ensure the young people enjoy a high quality of accommodation that is both safe and enjoyable
• To involve the young people with the design, delivery, and development of the service
• To empower each young person to apply for and receive all housing and welfare benefits they are entitled to
• Support the young people to develop resilience and manage their adverse experiences
• To fully understand the aims,objectives, and ethos of ‘outcomes focused support services’ and reflect these in your daily work.
• To ensure that all Storyy Group and local authority safeguarding policies and procedures are adhered to
• To ensure that regular opportunities are given for young people to feedback on the service and for consultation and to ensure that this information is used to improve the service
• To keepaccurate, confidential, and up to date support records for effective and efficient working
• Tomaintainthe cleanliness of the premises
• To attend regular meetings, training, and supervisions to help your own professional development
• Collaborating closely with external professional teams that support the young people
• Ensuring the young person and the service is safe and to raise and safeguarding concerns as soon as you become aware
• Work within Ofsted regulations and Quality Standards.

A Day in the Life of aYoung Person’s Mentor:

No two days will be the same, butthat isthe beauty of working for Storyy Group. You will help supportour care experiencedyoung people with cooking,maintainingtheir rooms,alongsidearrangingand travelling to health appointments.You will alsoassistthe young people when it comes to applying for access to benefits, upskilling themselves, helping with CV writing and travelling to and from professional interviews or meetings.Youwill be working in the home of these young people, helping them learn life skills and work towards independence.You will also have to deal with sometimes destructive behaviour, substance misuse, barriers with educationandself-harm; in these instances, the wider team is there to support you and aid you where they can.You will also be working closely with Ofsted and other local authorities, soit isvital that documentation is kept up to date and record properly to ensure you help the young people to hit their goals and aspirations.Activities arealsohugely important for our young people, as theyhelp to buildrelationshipswith professionals and peers. We always incorporate equality and diversity, taking into consideration cultural needsalongside individual hobbies and interests.All in all, we want you to have fun and find enjoyment every day whilst working with our young people.

Georgeis a 16-year-old young man, who has been in the care of the Local Authority since the age of 7. Georgewas originally taken into care due to neglect and having experienced sexual abuse within the family unit.Georgehas had several foster placements which have broken down due to aggressive behavior, self-harmingand unmanageable personal hygiene concerns.

Georgehad started to use cannabis with his friendship group and therewere significant concerns that he was being criminally exploited by a county lines drug gang.Due to these concerns,Georgewas referred to Storyy Group. He was placed with us as we are out of his local area,toreduce the immediate risk associated with the gangs.

Georgehas a history of notparticipatingin support from external agencies and is currently refusing to attend his secondary school.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

We are searching for altruistic people who want to make a difference.This role is ideal for a proactive character who is willing to take initiative in sometimes challenging situations, but that also wants to make a difference in the lives of young people.If you have a kind, caring and compassionate nature, this Young Person’s Mentor position will suit you to a T!

KEY CRITERIA

Skills and qualifications – DESIRABLE

• NVQ level 3 in Health and Social Care
• Experience working with children and young people

Competence Summary – ESSENTIAL

• Ability to engage with young people with challenging behaviour and/or complex emotional and behavioural needs
• Strong commitment to working as part of a team
• Ability to work flexibly and be available if needed in an emergency
• Good organisational & time management skills
• Basic IT skills when it comes to using Office 365 and other internalsoftware, to keep records and notes up to date.

Work-related Personal Requirements

• Ambitious standards of professional integrity, whilst being resilient, determined, and confident.
• Ambitious, driven, and energetic.
• Visible, approachable, and accessible.
• Able toproblem-solve
• Pleasenotewe do not provide sponsorships

Other Work Requirements

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. All successful applicants will be subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check with Barred List.

Holding a full UK driving licence (or valid equivalent) is desirable; this is not essential, but as your will berequiredto help young people attend appointments,interviewsand meetings, it would be beneficial. If you do not hold a UK driving licence, you will need to help young people travel to theusingpublic transport.Non-UK licences must be converted to UK licences in the first six months of employment. They must alsoevidencethey have business insurance on their vehicle used for work.