Job Application Pack: Garden Project Lead (GPL) 2017

Job Application Pack: Garden Project Lead (GPL) 2017

Garden Project Lead (GPL)

Thank you for your interest in this post. This pack aims to provide all the information that you need to make an application. However, if you would like to talk to someone about your application please call: 020 8291 1650, or email:

Closing Date:

The closing date for applications is Friday11thAugust 2017, 9am. In the interests of fairness and equal opportunities, applications arriving after this deadline will not be considered.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Tom Gallagher

Director

Contents

Page
About us
Advert
How to Apply / 2
3
4
Job Description / 5-6
Person Specification / 7
Application Form / 8-10
Equality & Diversity Monitoring Form / 11

About Us

Sydenham Garden is a charity that aims to help people recover from mental illness and other significant illnesses through an inclusive and welcoming environment that offers a range of therapeutic creative activities. We provide a variety of services for the community. This is currently done through 4 focused projects; Gardening, Art & Craft, Growing Lives and Sow & Grow (for people in the early stages of dementia).These sessions support individuals to engage with each other, the environment around them and the wider community, whilst enabling them to improve their physical and mental wellbeing, quality of life and opportunities for social interaction in a supportive community setting.

In addition, Sydenham Garden offers a range of complementary activities, services and opportunities such as a choir group, peer led clubs, counselling, specialist activity days and community events.

For more information about Sydenham Garden and the work that we do please visit our website

The Garden ProjectLead is a core member of our team. The project is one of our oldest and most succesful, helping over 40 adults each week to recover and live well.

Advert

SECTOR: Mental Health/Community/Social Care

JOB TITLE: Garden Project Lead

LOCATION: London Borough Lewisham, SE23 2LW

SALARY: £24,000 pro rata

HOURS: 21 per week (0.6 FTE)

COMPANY NAME: Sydenham Garden

CHARITY NUMBER: 1108100

Are you ready for something truly rewarding? We are looking for a responsible, compassionate and enthusiastic individual to lead our Garden Project team and activities, helping co-workers (the name we give our service users) improve their health during their placement with us. This is an ideal opportunity for someone looking to broaden their experience and knowledge.

Sydenham Garden has been leading the field in creative and community-based activities that aid people’s recovery from mental ill-health and other significant illnesses for over 10 years now. This is currently done through 4 focused projects; Gardening, Art & Craft, Growing Lives and Sow & Grow (for people in the early stages of dementia), and many supplementary activities and clubs.

To apply for this brilliant opportunity please clickhere to download the application pack, or call 020 8291 1650 to request a pack through the post.

The closing date for applications is 9am, 11thAugust 2017.

How to apply

The deadline for applications is 9am, 11thAugust 2017.

Please email your completed application to:

- stating your name and the post you are applying for in the subject line

Or you can post your application to:

Job Applications

Sydenham Garden Resource Centre

28a Wynell Road

London

SE23 2LW

InterviewMonday 21stAugust and will be based at the Sydenham Garden Resource Centre, 28a Wynell Road, SE23 2LW. Brief feedback may be made available afterwards at Sydenham Garden’s discretion.

Applicant No (Office use)

Job Description – Garden Project Lead

Reports to: The Director

Responsible for: Volunteers, co-workers and sessional staff

Salary: £24,000 (pro rata)

Hours: 0.6 FTE - Occasional evening and weekend work will be required

Based at:Sydenham Garden Resource Centre,SE23 2LW

Holiday: 25 days plus 8 BankHolidays (Pro Rata)

Main purpose of job: To deliver gardening sessions for our co-workers enabling their recovery from ill health.

Main duties include:

1: Planning, implementing, delivering and evaluating gardening sessions for people with a range of mental and physical health problems at the Sydenham Garden site.

2: Managing and recruiting a support team of volunteers and staff.

3: Collaborating with other Sydenham Garden projects and leaders.

4: Managing and maintaining the site and structures.

5: Growing and producing a range of products.

6: Carrying out initial assessments, including a risk evaluation and management plan.

7: Assist co-workers’ in setting goals and to monitor progress towards these. Ensuring quarterly reviews are done and to monitor and evaluate the results.

8: Keeping and analysing records to monitor effectiveness of the service and feed into service development and improvement.

9: Providing support and guidance to co-workers approaching graduation, assisting them to review their progress and identify their next steps.

10. Managing the nature reserve.

1: Planning, implementing, delivering and evaluating gardening sessions for people with a range of mental and physical health problems in our gardens and nature reserve:

-Run gardening sessions suitable for our co-workers (clients)

-Produce grow plans, session plans, and seasonal plans

-Use evaluation tools to monitor and evaluate the session’s effectiveness.

2: Managing and recruiting a support team of volunteers and occasional sessional staff:

-Recruit a high standard of volunteer and/or staff member through various methods and by gathering references, personal statements and DBS disclosures.

-Interview potential volunteers and staff members.

-Run regular supervision sessions and team meetings.

-Provide regular training.

3: Collaborating with other Sydenham Garden projects and leaders.

-Attending and reporting at weekly team meetings.

-Working together towards co-workers’ benefits and Sydenham Gardens aims and objectives.

4: Managing and maintaining the site and structures:

-Risk assess and maintain high safety standards.

-Carry out essential maintenance.

5: Growing and producing a range of products:

-Effectively grow salads, vegetables and other plants.

6: Carrying out initial assessments, including a risk evaluation and management plan:

-Maintain and implement an initial assessment system in conjunction with the Outreach and Development Worker (ODW).

-Judge the risk associated with each referral.

7: Ensuring quarterly reviews are done and to monitor and evaluate the results:

-Maintain and implement a quarterly review assessment system in conjunction with the ODW.

-Monitor and evaluate the results.

-Help co-workers to set goals that correspond to improving their 4 health and wellbeing baseline factors.

8: Keeping and analysing records to monitor effectiveness of the service and feed into service development and improvement.

- Maintain accurate paper and computer records of communications and contact details of all referrers, partner organisations, referrals and co-workers in conjunction with the ODW.

-Providing crucial information about the quality and impact of our work to enable us to ensure our work is effective, develop and adapt services and design new services in response to need.

-Developing monitoring and evaluation systems to more accurately demonstrate the effects of the work we undertake.

-Producing regular case studies and statistical information for use in promotional literature e.g. website, newsletter.

9: Providing support and guidance to co-workers coming to the end of their placement, assisting them to review their progress and identify their next steps:

-Working closely with the ODW and other team members to ensure a smooth transition for co-workers coming to the end of their placement.

-Using quarterly reviews to assess co-workers’ needs and provide support.

-Sourcing potential organisations to partner with.

10: Managing the nature reserve:

-Producing and implementing a nature reserve management plan.

-Using gardening sessions to maintain the nature reserve.

-Keeping up with current developments in conservation theory techniques.

General duties:

-Provide administrative support as required to the Director

-Ensure work is kept within budget set

-Assist with marketing and promotion of the charity e.g. newsletter, leaflets, presentations, website

-Work effectively with different stakeholders such as referred clients, staff, trustees, funders, volunteers and visitors to the project

-Keep abreast of latest research and developments in mental health, wellbeing and policy changes that may affect the organisation, as well as developments in the fields of fundraising and enterprise.

-Work within the policies and procedures at Sydenham Garden and in a way that meets legal, statutory and best practice requirements.

-Participate in and suggest appropriate personal development and training

-Work flexibly, including occasional evenings and weekends

-Produce quaterly reports correlating to area of work

Person Specification

Person Specification / Essential / Desirable
Qualifications and Training
1 / Relevant horticultural qualification / X
2 / Evidence of continuous training and professional development / X
3 / Health & Safety and First Aid trained / X
Experience
4 / Experience of working with people experiencing mental ill-health / X
5 / Minimum of 2 years’ experience of working in horticulture or agriculture / X
6 / Experience and knowledge of using Microsoft Office / X
7 / Working with volunteers in a paid or voluntary capacity / X
8 / Fundraising experience / X
Abilities
9 / Ability to create and deliver a programme of activities, appropriate for vulnerable people / X
10 / Ability to inspire, motivate & guide volunteers / X
11 / Ability to work in partnership with other organisations / X
12 / Thorough understanding of confidentiality, risk management and equal opportunities principles particularly with vulnerable people / X
13 / Ability to work on own initiative as well as part of a team / X
14 / Outstanding ability to relate, welcome and inspire people / X
15 / Critical problem solving abilities / X
16 / Knowledge of a range of monitoring and evaluating tools and ability to use them effectively / X
17 / Understanding of the use of horticulture and other creative activities as a therapeutic tool / X

Job Application Form

Please complete all sections of the form, and type or write clearly in black ink. Please only use the boxes and spaces provided.

Title of post applied for:

Your name in full:

Address:

Post Code:

Email: Phone: Mobile:

Do you have any criminal convictions? YesNo

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. If you have any criminal convictions, please include details in a separate letter and send this with your application form in an envelope marked ‘Confidential’ addressed to Tom Gallagher.

Referees: Please give details of two people we can approach for references. One should be your current or most recent employer. We will not contact referees without checking with you first.

Applicant No (Office use)

Referee 1 – Name:

Job Title:

Address inc Postcode:

Email:

Phone:

Relationship to you:

Referee 2 – Name:

Job Title:

Address inc Postcode:

Email:

Phone:

Relationship to you:

Applicant No (Office use)

Declaration: I confirm that the information provided above and in the application form is complete and correct. I understand that I may be asked to provide evidence to support the information, and if I have given any false information, I may face disciplinary action.

Signature of applicant: Date:

For applications sent by email type name: Type date:

Applicant No (Office use)

A. Education, qualifications and training

School/College/University / Qualifications gained and level / From date / To date
Other qualifications gained or non qualification training:
Membership of professional bodies, including registration number:

B. Employment

Current or most recent post:

Your job title:

Employer name:

Salary:

Hours per week:

Employed from: To:

Notice period:

Reason for seeking other employment:

Responsibilities:

Other previous employment: Please list and describe your previous posts and/or voluntary work commencing with the most recent and use up to 3500 characters as necessary

C. Supporting Statement

We use a scoring system to shortlist applicants for interview, based on the person specification. Look carefully at the Person Specification and Job Description, then describe in the space below how your knowledge, skills, experience and achievements are relevant to this post. These may have been acquired through voluntary work, education, home life or hobbies, as well as paid work. Pleasegive supporting evidence and use examples to demonstrate the statements you make, and use up 4000 characters as necessary.

D. General – please answer all of these questions.

Are you eligible to work in the UK? (You will be asked to prove this if offered a job)

YES NO

Are you able to attend evening and weekend meetings when the need arises?

YESNO

Do you have a full valid driving licence?

YES NO

Which computer software programmes you are familiar with? (Please list and proficieny as Low, Medium or High):

GPL 17’ Recruitment equality and diversity monitoring form

Please complete this form and return it to the office separately from your application.

Gender / Male FemaleTransgenderPrefer not to say
Do you consider yourself to have a disability? / Yes NoPrefer not to say
Marital status / MarriedSingleDivorced/separatedWidowed
Civil Partnership Prefer not to say
Other (please specify):
How would you describe your sexual orientation? / HeterosexualLesbianGayOtherBisexual Prefer not to say
What is your age? / Under 12 years old12-17 years old 18-24 years old
25-34 years old35-44 years old45-54 years old
55-64 years old65-74 years old75 years or older
Prefer not to say
How would you describe your ethnic origin? / White English WelshScottishNorthern Irish
IrishGypsy or Irish travellerWhite Other
Mixed White & Black-CaribbeanWhite & Black-African White & AsianMixed Other
Asian IndianPakistaniBangladeshi
ChineseAsian Other
Black or Black British CaribbeanAfrican Black Other
Other ethnic group ArabOther (please specify):
Prefer not to say
How would describe your faith or religious beliefs? / BuddhistChristianHinduJewishMuslim SikhNo religionOther (please specify):
Prefer not to say