ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES FOR APPLICANTS FOR POSITIONS WHICH INVOLVE WORKING WITH CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE* AND/OR VULNERABLE ADULTS
The post for which you are applying will bring you into direct contact with children, young people* and/or vulnerable adults.
During our recruitment procedure we take steps to assess an applicant’s suitability for such a position of trust. It is important that you understand the nature of the checks that we will make and when we will make them.
The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 sets out to help people who have been convicted of a criminal offence and have not been convicted again in a specified period. This period is known as a rehabilitation period. Once a rehabilitation period has expired and no further offending has taken place, a conviction is considered to be “spent”. Once a conviction is spent, the convicted person does not have to reveal it or admit its existence in most circumstances.
The rehabilitation of offenders Act 1974 [exceptions order] gives some exemptions from the Act, whereby details of “spent” convictions have to be declared. One of these exemptions if working with children, young people* and/or vulnerable adults. When recruiting people to work in such positions of trust an employer is entitled to ask for details of all convictions, spent and unspent.
If we ask you to come for an interview please bring the following with you
- A completed Declaration of Criminal Background Form
This form will be enclosed with the letter inviting you to interview. It asks for details of spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands and final warnings. You should complete the form and place it in an envelope marked “Private and Confidential”, addressed to the Interview Panel. Your name should be clearly stated on the front.
- Proof of Identity
We require one form of photographic identification [e.g. a passport or new form of driving licence] and two addressed items such as a recent utility bill, recent bank statement, current Council Tax Bill. If this is a problem please contact us.
The information relating to criminal convictions will only be seen by the interview panel if we are considering offering you employment. If you wish to discuss the information that you have given, please mention this to an interviewer. Having made its selection, the panel may wish to discuss any information given with you. Having a conviction will not necessarily bar you from consideration for the post. Criminal records will only be taken into account when they are relevant to the position for which you are applying. Our policy on the recruitment of ex-offenders is enclosed.
The disclosure service offers organisation a means to check the background of job applicants to ensure that they do not have a history that would make them unsuitable for the post. Disclosure statements are provided by the Criminal Records Bureau, an executive agency of the Home Office. Enhanced disclosure statements provide details of a person’s criminal record including convictions, cautions, reprimands and warnings; they also contain details from lists held by Government departments of those considered unsuitable for this type of work.
*Young People are those aged under 18 years of age
Aims and Purposes of the YMCA
The YMCA is a Christian Movement:
At its centre are Christians who, regarding Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, desire to share their faith with others and make Him known, believed trusted, loved, served and exemplified in all human relationships. It welcomes into its fellowship persons of other religions and faiths and of none.
Accordingly the YMCA stands for:
A worldwide fellowship based on equal value of all persons respect and freedom for all, tolerance and understanding between people of different opinion. Active concern for the needs of the community. United effort by Christians of different traditions.
The YMCA aims to:
Provide a welcome to members for themselves, in a meeting place which is theirs to share, where friendships can be made and counsel sought. Develop activities which stimulate and challenge its members in an environment that enables them to take responsibility and find a sense of achievement. Involve all members in care and work for others, create opportunity for exchanging views, so that its members can improve their understanding of the world, of themselves and of one another.
Resolution passed at the British YMCA Conference 1971
JOB DESCRIPTION
Name:
Job Title: Housing Services Manager
Reports To: Chief Executive
Job Purpose: To be responsible for the day to day operational management of
St Helens YMCA’s housing units.
The service consists of supported and general needs housing units,
and the manager will be responsible for managing these.
MAIN DUTIES:
• Operational Management
• Service Delivery Development
• Financial Management
• Performance & Quality Management
Operational Management
General
To ensure that the organisation’s Vision and Missionstatements are known andunderstood by all housing staff
To ensure that the services have agreed aims andobjectives which relate to the
organisational mission, andthat service outcomes are monitored against the
agreedaims and objectives with regard to any Service Specifications
To ensure that St Helens YMCA housing management functions adhere to all
relevantlegislation, regulation and good practice guidance; also, that the ethos of service delivery supports the ‘Places of Change’ agenda and demonstrates active participation and cooperation with the LA’s Homelessness Strategy
Staffing:
To ensure through the introduction and maintenance ofregular staff meetings that
staff are able tocontribute to the development of the service, that goodpractice is
shared, and that staff are aware ofdevelopments and initiatives across the Borough.
To ensure that housing staff are regularly supervised(minimum 8-weekly), and to ensure annual appraisals areundertaken and all agreed outcomes are monitored andreviewed.
Service Delivery Development
Relationships
Excellent working relationships with external agencies will be established and maintained, particularly housing providers, drugs, alcohol, and mental health services including provision for effective information sharing concerning individual residents
Strong networks with local Social Service andHealth Service partners will be developed and maintained to raise awareness of St Helens YMCA and the services it can offer.
Service Delivery
The YMCA will equip clients with skills and knowledge to enable them to move into their own accommodation in the community that the YMCA will empower them to sustain (the aim being to enable clients to manage their own behaviour by understanding the consequences of their actions, for themselves and on others, to ensure that move on into their own accommodation is sustainable).
Involving clients in their own support and enabling people, as far as possible, to achieve their own solutions to problems
To ensure that no resident experiences discrimination on the grounds of their race, gender reassignment, disability, age, religion/belief, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, sex or sexual orientation
Responsible for developing an ethos that eviction and abandonment are preventable whilst maintaining a safe living environment for staff and residents.
To ensure client participation and engagement in housing services
Financial Management
To monitor budgets throughout the year, monitoringactual income and expenditure against budget. Wheresignificant variances occur to identify the reasons for these
and agree anynecessary corrective action.
Performance & Quality Management
To support the implementation of an effective management information system across housing services, to enable accurate collation and monitoring of information.
To report regularly on outcomes, identifying areas whereperformance has
exceeded target and also where it hasnot.
To use performance data to develop housing services, ensuring that the services
delivered by St Helens YMCA are of the highest possible standard.
To assist and advise the Housing Sub Committee in matters relating toSt Helens YMCA’s accommodation, facilities, working practices, policies and procedures.
To monitor the quality of frontline services to clients, ensuring that support plans
are appropriate for the clients’ needs and that independence and move on are prioritised
To ensure that all services as a minimum comply with our regulatory and
contractual commitments.
PERFORMANCE STANDARDS
Performance will be up to standard when:
- All elements of service specifications are adhered to and professional standards are maintained and a culture of continuous improvement is inculcated;
- Regular staff meetings are held, ensuring the provision of helpful advice, support and guidance for all members of the Housing Staff Team, to facilitate greater understanding of housing related issues and the development of professional standards;
- Relationships with key decision makers in the St Helens Borough are maintained and meetings necessary to develop strong networks are attended;
- Individual residents needs are met - which may include referral to other agencies, individual advice and guidance etc;
- Support plans are person-centred and holistic;
- Equality Impact Targets are set and reported on quarterly to HSC in line with Equality Act 2010;
- Evictions constitute less than 5% of overall leavers;
- Clients are involved in service design, delivery and implementation of services ensuring ongoing relevance;
- All services are managed effectively within budgets, and variances are controlled through prompt application of corrective action;
- Appropriate policies and procedures are written, and discussed with staff to ensure understanding, with regular monitoring to ensure compliance;
In addition:
- Performance monitoring of services will be by:
-Contract Monitoring and Review
-Value for Money assessment
-Consultation with Service users and stakeholders
-Service Performance indicators
- Service Outcomes will be monitored in accordance with the framework based on ‘Every Child Matters’:
-Economic Wellbeing
-Enjoy & Achieve
-Be Healthy
-Stay Safe
-Make a positive contribution
- And the post holder will need to ensure that the 5 core objectives from the Quality Assurance Framework are met:
1 Assessment and Support Planning
2Security and Health & Safety
3Safeguarding and Protection from Abuse
4Fair Access, Diversity and Inclusion;
5Client Involvement and Empowerment
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- Be an active member of the Management Team and contribute where
possible to the achievement of organisational objectives.
- Provide advice, support and information to Housing Sub Committee and the Board of Directors on Housing Functions enabling St Helen's YMCA to meet its objectives through effective governance.
- Any other duties as directed by the Chief Executive
Additional Information – Housing Services Manager
The position is employed working 35 hours, Monday to Friday.
As part of the overall package we are offering an annual salary of £28,790. In addition to this we offer Activities Membership, a Contributory Pension Scheme, 5.6 weeks annual holiday (including statutory bank holidays) and 20 days occupational sick pay (1st April to 31st March)
Should you require further information about our organisation check out our website: You can email us on or call me on 01744 455030.
Regards,
Sarah Challands
Operational Director