Post Title: LEAP Parent Engagement Officer

Job Profile

Post title: LEAP Parent Engagement Officer

Responsible to: Children, Young People and Families Manager

Department: Children, Young People and Families

Salary:£22,000-£25,000 per annum pro rata

Hours:3 days per week (21 hours)

Duration: 2 years fix term contract

Closing date:11.30pm on31st May

Background

High Trees

High Trees Community Development Trust is a community anchor charity based in Tulse Hill in Lambeth. We deliver a range of services focused in 3 key areas - Children, Young People and Family Services,Employment, Education and Training and Community Engagement and Development. All our work is focused on improving the social and economic welfare of the local community.

LEAP (Lambeth Early Action Partnership)

Set up with funding from the Big Lottery Fund, LEAP is part of the “Better Start” initiative for families from pregnancy until their child is four. LEAP aims to transform the lives of babies, young children and their families.

Purpose of Post

TheLEAP Parent Engagement Officer will sit within the Children, Young People and Families Team and will implement the LEAP community engagement strategy in Tulse Hill, Lambeth.

Using anapproach that builds on the strengths and capabilities within the local community, you will create links and relationships with local parents, carers and communities in order for them to fully participate in all aspects of the LEAP programme. LEAP’s work is co-designed and the Parent Engagement Officer will facilitate regular focus groups and volunteering opportunities to ensure everyone gets a say on how services should be designed and run.

Key Accountabilities

Key Accountabilities:

Establish effective links between statutory, community and voluntary organisations and the local community, to promote and support LEAP’s engagement with parents and carers of children under four living in each ward.

Develop collaborations and partnerships to encourage local communities to take part in as well as develop community led and innovation initiatives that improve social cohesion and the wellbeing of children under four and their families in each ward.

Support the LEAP partnership to co-produce local decision making together with parents and carers of children under four and to ensure it reflects the voice and diversity of the community.

Responsibilities will include:

Mapping out and maintaining a database of smaller VCS organisations, community and parent led groups, other local networks that carry out relevant activities for parents/carers in the area, in order to identify gaps/opportunities.
Identification of assets, needs and barriers to involvement, particularly for vulnerable groups and recently established communities and development of a plan to carry out activities to overcome barriers and support assets.
Providing support, in collaboration with the Parent Champions team, to the LEAP Parent Representatives and Champions in establishing and maintaining links between local parents and carers, the LEAP Children’s Centres and the Parents’/Community Forums.
Setting up and facilitating a LEAP Parents’/Community Forum in each ward (6 per year).

Establishment and launch of the LEAP local Community Awards and Innovation grants

Setting up and attending regular meetings with the LEAP co-production team to discuss progress and milestones

Providing timely feedback on the results of engagement to parents and local communities, as well as the wider LEAP partnership (ie. also utilising the Outcome Based Accountability framework). Communication activities will be guided and supported by the LEAP Communications and Stakeholder Engagement Officer.

Providing quarterly monitoring reports to the Co-production team, following guidance from the LEAP Monitoring Officer, on the engagement activities and collaborate with the Evaluation manager to put in place evaluation systems and processes, with a first evaluation to take place after 6 months from the beginning of the contracts and in any case by March 2018.

Periodically presenting and discussing progress on engagement with the LEAP community engagement subgroup and collaborating to set future directions.

Liaising with the LEAP Programme Manager, and promoting awareness of co-production of service design processes and active LEAP services to local parents and communities. This includes supporting participation and representation of local parents and carers in focus groups and other meetings around service design and delivery and providing them with timely feedback on progress.

Identification and implementation of opportunities for local engagement, developing with local parents a menu of meaningful engagement for each ward
Engagement and involvement of the VCS partners, community groups and parents to identify and development of localised, creative and innovative approaches to community engagement.
Promotion of parents’ voices and celebration of key milestones by supporting the organisation of LEAP events and LEAP’s presence at other local events, in collaboration with the Co-production Lead and the Communications and Stakeholder Engagement Officer.

Attendance at other LEAP events as and when required (time permitting)

In partnership with the LEAP Co-production team, accommodate the LEAP service design approach for larger projects that will be funded through the Local Innovation Grant fund.

Provide capacity building support for smaller organisations when accounting for grant expenditure through the Local Innovation Grants fund.

*The post holder will be also supported and supervised by the LEAP Community Engagement Coordinator, who will ensure cooperation and integration across the wards and effective communication with the LEAP team, LEAP services and the broader Partnership.

Person Specification

The person specification is an idea of skills, knowledge and experience required to carry out the job. The person specification will be used in the short listing and interview process for this post.

People who possess the essential experience and believe their skills match the role as described above should not be put off if they do not possess the desirable experience

SECTION / ESSENTIAL CRITERIA / DESIRABLE CRITERIA
Knowledge and
Understanding /

A knowledge of the social, economic, and environmental factors which affect the lives of disadvantaged communities,
Understanding of issues facing parents and carers, particularly with children aged 0 – 3 years
Good knowledge of Equal Opportunities
A good understanding of office procedures and practical knowledge of Microsoft Office software

Experience /

Experience of community development projects
Experience of working in a diverse, multicultural context
Experience of developing partnerships with voluntary and / or statutory agencies
Experience of managing a project budget
Experience of monitoring projects and preparing project reports

Experience of working with parents with 0 – 3 year old children
Experience of working with parents who are disabled, or who have disabled children

Skills and Abilities /

Ability to prioritise and co-ordinate a diverse and complex workload
High standard of written and oral communication skills
Ability to handle culturally sensitive issues in an appropriate manner
Good presentation skills
An ability to lead and to work as part of a team
An ability to show initiative, and work with minimum supervision
Willingness to undertake training as required

Bilingual
First Aid certificate (note – training can be supplied)

Other Requirements /

To be available for duties outside normal office hours when required (for which a Time off in lieu system is operated).

How to apply

Please send a CV, covering letter, the applicant monitoring form and the additional information form to with ‘LEAP Parent Engagement Officer’in the subject line.

All applications must be received by 11.30pm on 31st May

The covering letter should be no more than 2 pages and should include an outline of how you are suitable for the role and your most relevant experience.