JOB DESCRIPTION

November 2015

Job title: Progression CoachDepartment: Client Services

Team: Crisis Skylight EdinburghJob holder: New post

Reporting to: Progression Manager, Crisis Skylight Edinburgh

Aim

  • Provide a safe, welcoming, supportive and non-judgmental environment for members, volunteers and tutors.
  • Offer an initial needs assessment and ongoing one to one progression review meetings to members as appropriate.
  • Offer high quality information, advice and guidance on appropriate services and support (internal and external) to members.
  • Use a soft outcomes measurement tool to help members see the progress they are making using the monitoring and evaluation system to record basic information and the achievement of hard and soft outcomes.

Dimension

  • Support of volunteers and tutors may be required.

Circumstances

  • 35 hours a week; some evening and weekend work may be required.
  • Based in the Skylight Edinburgh office, in the city centre.
  • The service is delivered in venues of partner organisations and other public access locations.
  • The role involves occasional travel both to London and to other Skylight Centres in England which may require an overnight stay.
  • The role involves working with vulnerable adults and young people and a satisfactory enhanced disclosure from Disclosure Scotland may be required.

Salary

  • £29,872per annum

Background

Crisis is the national charity for single homeless people. We are dedicated to ending homelessness by delivering life-changing services and campaigning for change.

Crisis Skylight, our award winning and accredited education, training and employment services, offer practical and creative workshops with formal learning opportunities that lead to qualifications and finding work. Crisis has Skylight centres open in London, Newcastle and Oxfordand operates outreach services in Birmingham, Merseyside, Edinburgh, Coventry & Warwickshire, South Yorkshire, Croydon, Brent, Plymouth and South Wales.

Organisational chart

Please note the team structure is subject to change

Principle Accountabilities

  • Initial point of contact for Skylight members explaining the Skylight offer and conducting the initial and ongoing assessments of member’s interests, needs, options and opportunities.
  • Work with members and prepare individual progression plans as appropriate, providing support and motivation to help them achieve their goals.
  • Signpost members to relevant support services either within the centre or delivered by external agencies and organizations. If needed to undertake advocacy on behalf of members to enable them to access external provision.
  • Build positive relationships with Skylight members and provide motivation and support around internal and external progression opportunities, enabling them to build their skills and resilience and fulfill their potential.
  • Follow-up developments with members and monitor progress after any onwards referral.
  • Provide learning support to members across the curriculum, this may include the facilitation of a study skill workshop and/or 1:1 support.
  • Promote Skylight and the benefits on engagement and learning to a variety of audiences including potential members, volunteers, funders, other service providers, statutory agencies and the local community.
  • Engage with the monitoring and evaluation process by collection the relevant information, updating records on the database and liaising with other relevant staff to avoid duplication.
  • Contribute to the continuing development of the centre by contributing ideas for activity and service innovations.
  • Encourage and support member involvement within Skylight and ensure the successful delivery of all relevant aspects of the member involvement strategy, such as member forums.
  • Ensure that members’ feedback is recorded and where appropriate, acted upon, including supporting members seeking to make a complaint through the formal complaints process.
  • Ensure that any safeguarding concerns are identified and reported in line with Crisis’ procedures.

General

  • Actively encourage and support member involvement within Crisis
  • Develop and maintain an understanding of Crisis’ work and the needs and circumstances of homeless people
  • Comply with Crisis policies and procedures, including Health and Safety policies, for which all employees owe a duty of care both to themselves and others, in accordance with the Health and Safety at Work Act
  • Carry out any other duties that may reasonably be required in the light of the main purpose of the job

Person Specification

Essential

  1. IAG qualification (SVQ level 2 or equivalent) or willingness to work towards one
  2. Experience of delivering advice and guidance, coaching and mentoring, learning support and/or personal development training, ideally working to matrix standards
  3. Knowledge of issues affecting homeless people including mental illness, addiction, benefit system and housing with experience of working with socially excluded individuals and groups to promote and encourage inclusion
  4. Ability to review and appraise the development of members and use this information to develop learning/progression plans
  5. Excellent at networking and sourcing opportunities in or to provide progression routes
  6. Ability to identify, manage and minimise potential conflict situations
  7. Confident in the use of Microsoft Office packages and knowledge of data entry using databases.
  8. Strong team player and able to work on own initiave
  9. Ability to work a flexible schedule including weekends and evenings
  10. Ability to show empathy and compassion
  11. Committed to empowering homeless people through the development of life and social skills through the participation in engagement and learning activites
  12. Knowledge of and ability to comply with safeguarding procedures
  13. Commitment to Crisis’s purpose and values including equality and social inclusion

Desirable

  1. Experience of working with vulnerable adults
  2. Ability to speak a second European language to conversational level

We encourage applications from all sections of the community particularly those with personal or previous experience of homelessness.