The Methodist Church,

Vale of Stour Circuit,

Children and Families Worker: Job Description

Job title: Children andFamilies Worker

(Lay Employee in the Vale of Stour Circuit.)

Location: Across the circuit

Responsible to:The Children and Families Worker will be employed by the Vale of Stour Circuit and will be under the supervision of the minister who is delegated to oversee the project.

Purpose and Objective: To identify and prioritise opportunities for outreach to children/young people and their families, and to support and enable our churches to develop these opportunities. We do not envisage the post holder to work across all 15 churches at once, but to focus on specific areas of potential.

Main Responsibilities:

  • To work with volunteers in our churches to establish links with

Other groups that use our buildings (e.g. playgroups, uniformed organisations etc.)

Local schools, children’s centres etc

  • To work with volunteers in our churches to establish new initiatives, such as

Youth clubs

Messy Church

Cell Church

Family ‘events’

Continue existing initiatives, e.g. It’s for Christ’s Sake, Special Spirits, Chilly Kids

  • Todevelop, alongside the minister in pastoral charge, pastoral work with families on the ‘fringes’ of the church (e.g. those that come for baptism).
  • To ensure that volunteers are encouraged and enabled to take on leadership responsibilities, so that developments can be sustained.
  • Attend and report to Circuit Meetings
  • Attend staff/leadership team meetings as requested.
  • Keep adequate records of contacts and of work done
  • Evaluateand review initiatives set up and activities undertaken, and change, where necessary, the action and focus of work after discussion with the management group.
  • Participate in and contribute to the appraisal process under the supervision of the line manager (the Minister thus delegated).
  • Uphold the circuit’s safeguarding policy and the safeguarding procedures of The Methodist Church.
  • Any other duties identified by the management group as are within your level of responsibility, in order to meet the needs of the circuit.

Children and Families Worker: Management

The Children and Families Worker will have a management group comprising the Minister, a

circuit steward and an appropriate person assigned by the Circuit Leadership Team.

The management group will:

  • Become familiar with the work of the Children and Families Worker.
  • Support the Children and Families Worker by encouraging churches to respond to opportunities.
  • Help determine priorities for the work.
  • Prepare, with the Children and Families Worker, a personal development plan.
  • Monitor and evaluate progress with the Children and Families Worker on a regular basis(meetings will take place monthly during the probationary period and quarterly thereafter).
  • Ensure that the Children and Families Worker receives suitable pastoral support as necessary, offered from outside the Management Group.

The line manager will meet with the Children and Families Worker on a more regular basisduring the probationary period to monitor work undertaken and evaluate progress made. The line manager will report back to the management group and the circuit leadership team.

Evaluation

Evaluate the success of the project and its initiatives by considering how much progress has been made in terms of:

  • Helping the churches to get involved with /build up links with local schools and children’s centres

(e.g. after school clubs/toddler groups/’open the book’ assemblies)

  • Helping the churches to engage with the groups that use their buildings (e.g. uniformed organisations, playgroups, dance schools)
  • Helping churches to launch new church-based initiatives such as messy church, cell churches and youth groups for primary and secondary school age children.

Appraisal

  • Participate and contribute to the appraisal process under the supervision of the line manager (the Minister thus delegated).
  • This will involve an annual appraisal and a six-monthly interim review each year.

Terms & Conditions

  • Salary: Pro rata NJC Scale 25-28 (£22,658 - £24,964 for 37.5 hours per week)
  • Accommodation is not provided.
  • Normal working pattern: 18.5 hours per week. The nature of the work will require you to work evenings/weekends. Flexibility is essential.
  • Opportunities for study & training.
  • Optional pension scheme.
  • Reasonable expenses will be reimbursed.
  • A base from which to work will be provided.
  • At least two days free of responsibilities each week.
  • 14 days annual leave entitlement per year (including public holidays).
  • The appointment is subject to a satisfactory enhanced DBSdisclosure.
  • The appointment is subject to satisfactory references.
  • The appointment is subject to the satisfactory completion of a three-month probationary period.

The minister so designated will be the Children and Families Worker’s line manager. The line manager will meet with the Children and Families Worker on a more regular basis during the probationary period to monitor work undertaken and evaluate it.

Context:

The circuit is on the western fringe of the West Midlands conurbation with a mix of urban, suburban and near rural areas, mainly within the Dudley Metropolitan borough but also in South Staffordshire and Sandwell, near to Birmingham. There are 15 churches and currently about 1,000 members. The circuit has a team made up of volunteer workers with children & young people from across the circuit.

The aims of our circuit’s work with children and their families are:

  • To meet them where they are at and help them along life’s journey.
  • To provide a positive experience of Christian people and church.
  • To encourage and support those wishing to start and continue a journey into faith.

Vale of Stour Circuit, Feb 12 2018