Senior Policy & Campaigns Officer - JOB PACK

This pack will provide you with the following key information to help you apply for the post:

  1. How to apply
  2. About Youth Access
  3. About the post
  4. Job description
  5. Person specification
  6. Details of key terms and conditions
  1. How to apply

If you wish to apply for the post, you will need to:

  • Complete an application form
  • Provide a supporting statement, telling us how you meet each of the requirements listed in the person specification

Please return your completed application form and supporting statement by email to: by midday on Friday 5th January 2018

Please do not send us a CV, as we will only assess your application against the skills, knowledge and experience specified. We are unable to consider applications submitted after the deadline.

We regret that we are unable to respond individually to unsuccessful applicants. We do recognise the time and energy it takes to apply for jobs, so please accept our thanks for your interest and the time you have taken to make this application – it is much appreciated, even if we are not able to shortlist you on this occasion.

Key dates:

  • Closing date for applications: midday, Friday 5th January 2018.
  • Shortlisted applicants notified by: 12th January
  • Interviews: provisionally, week commencing 15th January
  1. About Youth Access

Youth Access is the membership organisation for a growing national network of 187 Youth Information, Advice and Counselling Services (YIACS). Most of our members are local voluntary sector providers.

We are building a movement of organisations and individuals who share our vision of a society in which all young people have somewhere to turn to, and someone to talk to, wherever and whenever they are in need.

We champion young people’s right to access young person-centred advice and counselling serviceswhere they will be:

  • welcomed, listened to and respected
  • free to talk about anything that is bothering them
  • given free, high quality help on their own terms by people who are on their side
  • helped to make their own decisions based on a clear understanding of their rights and options
  • supported to develop into healthy, informed and active members of society

We promote the YIACS model, which is an integrated health and wellbeing model. YIACS break down the barriers to getting help. They support young people to address a wide range of issues they are facing - from mental health, debt and homelessness to problems with relationships, work, drugs and alcohol - in a coordinated way.YIACS are focussed on alleviating distress, defending rights and supporting wellbeing. They deliver a combination of advice, counselling, health clinics and youth work in young person-centred settings.

Youth Access is a charity governed by a Board of trustees. We currently employ a small staff team of five staff at our offices in Clapham South, London. We expect all relevant staff to become national experts in their field.

Youth Access is renowned for our expertise in three areas:

  • Youth counselling and mental health services
  • Youth rights and advice services
  • Integrated health and wellbeing services for young people

Youth counselling and mental health services

Youth Access works in partnership with the Department of Health, NHS England and Public Health England at national level (e.g. via the Health & Wellbeing Alliance, the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition and various CAMHS transformation working groups) to advise and challenge the system with regard to youth mental health policy-making. Youth Access’ members are often the primary voluntary sector deliverers of youth mental health services in their area and are increasingly embedded formally into CAMHS pathways. This has, in part, been driven by a recent favourable national policy climate in the NHS following a recommendation in Future In Mind (the report of the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Taskforce in 2015) that YIACS should be a key part of local youth mental health provision in every area. YIACS have been identified as key to tackling the long-term failure of the mental health system through an increased emphasis on early intervention and prevention.

Nevertheless, for many young people, there remains a chronic lack of access to young person-centred mental health and wellbeing services. We want to support young people to work with providers and the system to embed improved ways of delivering young people’s mental health and wellbeing services which improve accessibility and quality and ensure earlier intervention.

Youth rights and advice services

Youth Access has been a leading proponent of young person-centred advice services for two decades and has published a series of influential reports on young people’s legal needs. We established and still coordinate JustRights, a coalition of 30 charities campaigning for fair access to advice, assistance and representation for children and young people.

Our Make Our Rights Reality project aims to create a cohort of young people empowered to use their rights as a force for positive change. Our long-term (10 year) vision is for all young people to be supported to exercise their rights and responsibilities as a vital part of their active engagement in a democratic society.

Integrated health and wellbeing services for young people

We lead on integrated services for the Young People’s Health Partnership. We advocate a joined-up approach to the design, delivery and commissioning of young people’s health and wellbeing services. We believe that tackling the social determinants of young people’s health is key to effective health services and that responsibility for planning services need to be shared across the health, housing, youth and justice sectors.

Our own YIACS model is perhaps the most established of all integrated health and wellbeing service models for young people. A key part of our strategy is developing our current network of services into a powerful movement of organisations and individuals (most importantly, young people themselves) committed to advocating the provision of high quality, young person-centred, community-based health and wellbeing services in their area and working collectively towards shared objectives.

Achieving our ambitions will require new ways of working for Youth Access and new ways of engaging with our members and supporters. We have a strong reputation for the quality of our work, our passion and our expertise. We want to add to this a reputation for achieving radical social change that advances young people’s rights and improves their mental health and wellbeing. Staff are encouraged to continually provide challenge over whether there may be more strategic ways to achieve our mission.

We are on an exciting journey, creating social change in partnership with our members, young people, policy-makers and other partners. Join us!

  1. About the post

Purpose of the job

The Senior Policy & Campaigns Officer will play a pivotal role in Youth Access’ staff team. The post-holder will be a ‘thought leader’, working strategically across all our projects and areas of work to support the CEO in maintaining our reputation and influential role in the mental health, youth and advice sectors.

You will influence and shape national and local policy impacting on advice and counselling services for young people; and help us take forward our increasing emphasis on engagement with members and young people, campaigning and movement-building.

  1. Job Description – Senior Policy & Campaigns Officer

Salary / £34,259 - £36,911 (PO2)
Hours / Full time (35 hours per week). We will also consider flexible working, part-time or job shares.
Reporting to / Chief Executive
Manages / None currently, but potential to manage staff, interns or volunteers in the future as the organisation grows
Start date / As soon as possible
Based at / Youth Access’ office in London SW12
Length of contract / Permanent

Key responsibilities

  1. To lead a range of policy and public affairs activities aimed at improving young people’s access to advice and counselling services. As part of this:
  • To lead the development of Youth Access’ policy strategy.
  • To monitor, analyse and seek to influence the development of relevant government proposals, academic research and other initiatives across the mental health, youth health, youth work and advice sectors.
  • To attend and coordinate high-level national policy meetings and liaise with Government officials, funders, parliamentarians, academics and influential sector bodies, as appropriate.
  • To provide advice to the CEO and other colleagues and communicate relevant policy developments to members.
  • To inform and influence policy through the production of briefings, articles, press releases and consultation submissions; effective engagement via social media; and the provision of information, advice, training, presentations and consultancy services, as appropriate.
  1. To devise and implement campaigns aimed at creating positive change in policy or practice that will improve young people’s access to advice and counselling services and strengthen their rights. As part of this:
  • To advocate the Youth Access service model and contribute to the development of the Youth Access movementin consultation with members and other stakeholders.
  • To support young people’s own campaigns and Youth Access’ work to strengthen the youth rights movement.
  • To create effective digital and social media content.
  1. To ensure that Youth Access’ policy and campaigning work is firmly grounded in evidence and in the views and experiences of members and young people, and to ensure that members and young people are consulted and involved in the development (and delivery, where appropriate) of Youth Access’ policy positions and campaigns.
  1. To strengthen the evidence-base for youth advice and counselling by undertaking, commissioning and managing specific research projects and supporting project evaluations.
  1. To support the development of Youth Access’ strategic messaging and implementation of its communications strategy.
  1. To support the implementation of Youth Access’ membership strategy.
  1. To support the engagement and participation of young people in the implementation of all relevant programmes and projects.
  1. To support Youth Access’ building of strategic partnerships and relationships (including with statutory and voluntary sector bodies, funders and commissioners).
  1. To quality assure the organisation’s written output and published content.
  1. To contribute to Youth Access’ business planning and fundraising by contributing to the design and development of projects, programmes and initiatives in furtherance of the organisation’s agreed mission and strategy.
  1. To represent the interests of Youth Access and its membership at relevant national, regional and local fora.
  1. To contribute to the delivery of Youth Access’ wider role as a national membership body, including for example contributing to e-bulletins, conferences and workshops.
  1. To attend Youth Access’ staff meetings, management supervision, Board and any other internal meetings as required.
  1. To contribute to the monitoring and evaluation demands of individual Youth Access projects and also to its wider work and provide written reports and information as requested.
  1. To undertake all work in line with Youth Access’ Equal Opportunities policy and ‘Statement of Core Principles’.
  1. To manage personal administrative needs, including word processing.
  1. To be flexible in adapting the needs of the post according to the changing and emerging needs of Youth Access and its membership and to undertake other duties and responsibilities from time to time commensurate with the grade of the post.

Expectations

  • The post-holder is expected to commit to Youth Access’ values and principles, including a commitment to tackling disadvantage and discrimination
  • The post-holder is expected to travel to meetings throughout England and Wales involving occasional overnight stays.
  • The post-holder is expected to attend and contribute to team and other relevant internal meetings.
  • The post-holder is expected to attend and contribute to training, supervision and appraisal process.
  • The post-holder is expected to contribute towards making Youth Access an ethical and green workplace.
  1. Person specification – Senior Policy & Campaigns Officer

Essential criteria

1.Educated to degree level or equivalent

2.Significant experience in a policy, public affairs or campaigning role

3.Knowledge of current policy in the fields of mental health, youth health, legal advice and/or youth services and awareness of how they impact on young people

4.Understanding and experience of using a range of campaigning and communications techniques (including creative use of digital media) to good effect

5.Understanding of how the law can be used to change policy

6.Experience of writing for a range of audiences and via different media

7.Understanding of evaluation and research methods

8.Experience of involving users in the development and delivery of projects or policy

9.Experience of engaging frontline organisations in the development and delivery of projects or policy

10.Experience of developing and maintaining effective strategic relationships

11.Excellent interpersonal and networking skills

12.Excellent written and verbal communication skills

13.Excellent presentation skills

14.Ability to understand and analyse complex information including research reports and legislation

15.Demonstrable thought leadership and policy influencing skills

16.Ability to think strategicallyand contribute ideas and creativity to business development

17.Excellent planning and organisation skills, including meeting conflicting deadlines

18.Excellent IT and digital media skills

19.Understanding of the benefits and challenges of working in a small team

Desirable Criteria

  • Significant experience in one of the following fields: mental health, youth health, legal advice, youth services.
  1. Details of key terms and conditions

Contract and Salary

The post is offered on a permanent basis subject to continued funding. The salary for this post is £34,259 - £36,911 (PO2).

Pension Scheme

Youth Access runs a pension scheme. A 3% contribution of the salary will be made providing the employee also contributes a minimum of 3%.

Location

The post-holder will be based at Youth Access’ registered office in Clapham South.

Hours of Work

The post is 35 hours per week and will be managed according to the needs of the work. Occasionally there may be some travel and unsociable working hours required. (NB: We will also consider flexible working, part-time or job shares for this post.)

Paid Leave

The annual paid leave entitlement for this post is 25 days. The leave year runs from April to March. For new employees starting during the leave year, there will be a pro-rata entitlement for each complete month worked.

Staff are also entitled to Public and Bank holidays, which fall on a normal working day. In addition they are entitled to three days extra holiday, the timing of which usually falls at Christmas time.

Whole Time Service

You will be expected to devote your whole time service to the work of Youth Access and you shall not engage in any other business or take up any other appointment without the approval of the Chief Executive.

Training and Development

Youth Access is committed to the professional and personal development of its staff and, within its resources, encourages staff to participate in work-related training and development.

Notice Period

The notice period from either party for this post will be one month. The first six months in post will be on a probationary basis, during which time the period of notice, from either side, will be two weeks.After four complete years’ of continuous employment, an additional week’s notice for each completed year of employment will be required, to a maximum of 12 weeks’ notice.

Rehabilitation of Offenders Act

Under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, an individual who has a conviction for a criminal offence may be allowed to treat the conviction as if it had never occurred after a specified period if he/she has not committed another offence. However, you are not entitled to withhold information about convictions which are not “spent” under the provision of the Act. If you are short-listed for interview, a separate form may be included with your invitation to interview. You are required to complete and sign this form prior to your application being considered further.

Prevention of Illegal Working in the UK

Youth Access’ policy requires it to make a basic document check on every person it intends to employ. Therefore, candidates who are shortlisted for interview will be required to provide the relevant documents for photocopying and recording. Full details of the amendments and documents required can be found on the home office website at