Young Persons Advisor

Suffolk County Council; Ipswich; Hybrid; GBP 27,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

LGPS

Annual leave (pro rata)

Volunteer days

Career development

Flexible working

Job summary

Suffolk County Council is seeking a Young Persons Advisor to join the Seeking Sanctuary Team within the Next Steps Service in Ipswich. The role is permanent, with hybrid work options and a salary of £29,542 per year (pro rata for part time).

You will support asylum-seeking and care-leaver young adults, with supervision and collaborative teamwork throughout the role. As part of the team, you’ll help manage pathway plans, liaise on housing, training and employment, and ensure safeguarding

Qualifications

• Requires a suitable practitioner level qualification at Level 3 or equivalent experience.
• Excellent communication skills with a commitment to listening to young adults around challenging topics such as family loss, mental health difficulties, substance misuse and criminality.
• A thorough understanding of safeguarding concerns and specific risks associated with UASC and adult care leavers.
• Good organisation skills and competency with computer systems; paperwork and case recordings.

Responsibilities

• Work with over 18-year-old unaccompanied care leavers who will need ongoing support with their Asylum application, housing, training and/or employment.
• Hold case responsibility for these young adults and carry out Pathway Plans until at least their 21st birthday.
• Receive regular supervision from a manager/senior social worker and work collaboratively with team members, regularly attend team meetings, be offered shadowing opportunities to broaden your understanding of UASC/care leaver protocols.

Skills

Excellent communication

Safeguarding knowledge

Organisational skills

Computer systems proficiency

Listening to young adults

Education

Level 3 qualification or equivalent

Job description

• Suffolk County Council
• Address: Constantine House, 5 Constantine Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 2DH. Hybrid work
• Salary: £29,542 per annum (pro rata for part time)
• Hours: 37 hours per week, flexible working options available
• Contract: Permanent

We're passionate about improving the future for our customers, our communities and the environment.

If you are too, join us as a Young Persons Advisor in our Seeking Sanctuary Team part of Next Steps Service and make a huge and meaningful impact.

Your innovation and drive will help us to continue improving and evolving, and in return, our opportunities and support will enable you to make a difference and leave a positive, lasting legacy.

Reimagine the possibilities.

Your role and responsibilities

You will:

• Work with over 18-year-old unaccompanied care leavers who will need ongoing support with their Asylum application, housing, training and/or employment.
• Hold case responsibility for these young adults and carry out Pathway Plans until at least their 21st birthday.
• Receive regular supervision from a manager/senior social worker and work collaboratively with team members, regularly attend team meetings, be offered shadowing opportunities to broaden your understanding of UASC/care leaver protocols.

What you will need

• Suitable practitioner level qualification at Level 3 or equivalent experience in relevant area of work.
• Excellent communication skills with a commitment to listening to young adults around challenging topics such as family loss, mental health difficulties, substance misuse and criminality.
• A thorough understanding of safeguarding concerns and specific risks associated with UASC and adult care leavers.
• Good organisation skills and competency with computer systems; paperwork and case recordings.

Take a look at what makes our Ideal Worker, shaped by the voices of young people.

The team

We are a specialist team focusing on supporting asylum seeking and refugee young people who are seeking sanctuary in the UK. The team is comprised of Social Workers who support those under 18, and Persons Advisers who support those over 18. Our aim is to help vulnerable people overcome adversity and trauma. We facilitate our young people's asylum applications in hope of gaining their legal status to remain in the UK.

Everyone in the team is passionate and driven to help young people rebuild their lives after experienced atrocities abroad. Our young people arrive here unaccompanied and often without the ability to speak English. This makes them particularly vulnerable to exploitation and discrimination. We actively advocate for our young people to ensure they are safe and have access to positive opportunities.

Empowering Everyone

We're big believers in potential, possibility and the power of different ideas. We're always searching for ways to encourage, respect and enable everyone to be the best they can be. We want to represent the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all individuals, especially those from groups that are currently underrepresented in the organisation, as shown in our Workforce Equality Report .

For more information

Please contact Aimee Burch or Liam Connolly for a casual conversation. You can reach them by contacting Aimee by either calling 01473 260568 or emailing [e-mail] or Liam by either calling 01473 263553 or emailing [e-mail]

Closing date: 11.30 pm, 17 November 2026.

This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks or police vetting will be required for relevant posts. #LI-Hybrid

As a modern and effective council, weoffer a wide variety of careers to suit people with a range of skills, abilities and ambitions. We offer working options that flex to reflect the way people work today and take the time to understand and support your individual needs. We're driven to make a positive difference to the world around us and encourage everyone with drive and focus to join us and build an influential and impactful career. Reimagine the possibilities.

In return, you'll enjoy

• up to 29 days annual leave entitlement (pro rata), plus UK bank holidays and two paid volunteering days
• membership of a competitive Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• travel, lifestyle, health and wellbeing benefits
• performance-related annual pay progression, in addition to an annual cost-of-living pay increase
• training and encouragement to expand your knowledge
• a variety of career development opportunities across our organisation
• diverse and active staff networks
• flexible working options, with the right to request flexible working from your first day

Plus lots more!

If you want to know more about our benefits, values and equality commitments please visit our Suffolk County Council careers website (careers.Suffolk.gov.uk).