ABERDEEN FOYER

JOB PROFILE

This post is funded through Aberdeen City Council’s Priority Families service and is operated in partnership with Action for Children

JOB TITLEDevelopment Coach -Priority Families

SALARY up to £22,658

RESPONSIBLE TOFoyer ARC Service Manager

RESPONSIBLE FORStudents, Volunteers as required

JOB PURPOSETo be an integral part of the Priority Families team coordinating and delivering employability related supportwith young people and/or families identified through the Priority Families service supporting them to gain employability skills and develop attributes and behaviourswhich enable them to progress towards education, training and employment.

Main Accountabilities

  • To proactively engage clientsin support activities and opportunities to enable them to progress towards and into employment.
  • To ensure the service is delivered to a high quality and standard.
  • To work with Action for Children and Foyer colleagues across the various services to effect positive change in the lives of clients.
  • To use strengths based, person centred and solution focused approaches to service delivery, which builds on clients’ skills/abilities and enables them to progress
  • To work cooperatively with our delivery partner Action for Children and Aberdeen City Council and other services and agencies

Key Responsibilities

  • To undertake strengths based employability assessments with clients as well as ensure eligibility for provision, to determine the necessary support, education and development opportunities.
  • To take a proactive person centred approach to motivate, encourage and inspire clients, enabling them to gain in confidence and self-awareness
  • Work with clients and their Key Workers to co-produce a Personal Action Plan with agreed milestones towards their employability aspirations, which recognise and aid progression, achievement and goals
  • Empower clients to improve self-esteem and self-confidence by developing strengths, attributes and talents, enabling them to access a range of relevant learning and development opportunities
  • Enable clients to recognise and articulate their ambitions in relation to future employment and develop a strategy to achieve this through involvement in relevant education, training and work experience at appropriate stages on the ‘employability pipeline’
  • Ensure that ‘quality’ time is made available to each client to continuously monitor and review progress towards identified goals ensuring they remain relevant, realistic and achievable
  • Support clients to engage with relevant staff from DWP/JC+ with regard to welfare benefits and Better Off in Work calculations
  • Provide information, advice and support which enables people to access employment, training and education opportunities.
  • Where appropriate support clients to participate in accredited learning activities such as City and Guilds awards in e.g. Employability Skills, Core Skills.
  • Work closely with the Employer Engagement Officer to actively engage with employers in providing work placement opportunities, work trials and job opportunities for clients.
  • Provide ‘in work’ support to enable clients to sustain employment.

Internal Liaison

  • Coordinate appropriate internal support and development opportunities with other Foyer services
  • Participate in client review processes ensuring there is continuous support, challenge and opportunity leading to a positive destination.
  • Participate fully in all relevant staff team and other identified meetings
  • To help negotiate for the resources required to assist you in achieving successful outcomes for your work
  • To relay examples of the positive work the ARC service achieves with Service Manager and Communications Manager

External Liaison

  • Maintain awareness of and be inquisitive about appropriate external services and opportunities which can enable clients to achieve their goals, build on their strengths and raise their confidence and self-belief
  • Work as an integral member of the Priority Families team and liaise with other organisations to provide co-ordinated services and opportunities which enhance life chances for clients.
  • Working closely with the Employer Engagement Officer, engage new employers to support service delivery and maximise progression opportunities for clients.
  • Assist in the marketing of services to interested agencies and partner organisations as required.
  • Participate in external identified meetings as required

Recording and Reporting

  • To record and maintain effective and efficient administrative procedures producing appropriate records and reports as required, including the updating of database records in accordance with organisational and Priority Families requirement
  • Contribute to the formal reporting arrangements required both internally for e.g. Foyer Board and Priority Families service
  • To record and provide evidence which may influence policy locally and nationally.

Quality Improvement

  • Contribute positively and effectively to the review and monitoring of services delivered and engage clients in the review process to achieve continuous Quality Improvement
  • Provide and seek feedback from clients which can influence and continually improve the work of the Foyer
  • Contribute to the regular review and development of Foyer Policy, standards and programmes to support the achievement of Aberdeen Foyer’s organisational goals

Other

  • To carry out other duties as may be required from time to time that are broadly consistent with but are not included in this job description
  • Ensure a safe and positive work and service environment is achieved through compliance with all safeguarding, safer recruitment, implementation and review of Health and Safety policies and practices
  • Assist in identified inspections, health and safety checks
  • Assist in the recruitment and selection of staff as and when required
  • Provide support/supervision, guidance and information to student placements and volunteers as required

Person Specification
E – EssentialD- Desirable
A – Application I– Interview / Standard E or D* / Assessed via A or I*
Experience
1.1 / Proven track record of success in supporting people towards employment, training or education / E / A/I
1.2 / Experience of working in a specialist area e.g. employability, training, education, careers, substance misuse, health and social care / E / A/I
1.3 / Experience of working in a multi-agency setting / D / A/I
1.4 / Experience of working in partnership with a network of agencies / E / A/I
1.5 / Experience of strengths based assessments / E / A/I
1.6 / Evidence the ability to understand and support transitions for moving from benefits into employment, training or education. / E / A/I
Skills and Abilities
2.1 / Ability to actively listen to and communicate well with clients and important others involved in their lives / E / A/I
2.2 / Ability to positively engage and connect clients with appropriate opportunities which will enable them to achieve their goals / E / I
2.3 / Skills to motivate and enable person centred planning and review / E / A/I
2.4 / Ability to support delivery of City & Guilds Employability Skills and other accredited and non-accredited learning / D / A/I
2.5 / Demonstrates excellent organisational skills with the ability to plan development activity and take responsibility within own remit / E / A/I
2.6 / Good level of IT skills / E / A/I
2.7 / Good partnership working skills / E / A/I
Knowledge
3.1 / Understanding of the ways that people can recognise and achieve their ambitions through seeking and developing their skills and talents / E / I
3.2 / Understanding of Recovery Orientated Systems of Care and the associated quality standards / D / A/I
3.3 / Understand the benefits of wellbeing and how this impacts on the journey towards employment, education and training / D / A/I
3.4 / Understanding and knowledge of prevocational, vocational, educational and employability opportunities / E / A/I
3.5 / Awareness of activities which promote positive social interaction building confidence and skills for employment, training or education / E / A/I
3.6 / Understand the local service provision which may support the achievement of people’s hopes and ambitions / E / A/I
3.7 / Proven track record of case managing clients who may have multiple barriers. / E / A/I
3.8 / Understands the effects of non-verbal communication such as body language. / E / A/I
Commitment
4.1 / Commitment to working with others in a positive manner to achieve outcomes that support Aberdeen Foyer’s mission / E / I
4.2 / Commitment to person centred working practices / E / A/I
4.3 / Commitment to Recovery Orientated Systems of Care / E / A/I
4.4 / Demonstrate an understanding of who our clients are their needs and how these can be met. / E / A/I
Qualifications
5.1 / SVQ Level 3 or equivalent in a relevant field or significant work experience in a related field. / E / A
Personal Qualities
6.1 / Demonstrates willingness to be flexible, versatile, willing to engage with change when necessary and contribute to a committed, dynamic staff team / E / I
6.2 / Keeps clients at the centre of decision making demonstrating a solutions focussed approach / E / A/II
6.3 / Demonstrate effectively listening and show patience, empathy and a non-judgmental attitude with all / E / A/I
6.4 / Ability to form, maintain and appropriately end relationships with clients. / E / A/I
6.5 / Ability to anticipate and identify problems and find solutions. / E / A/I
6.6 / Display self-motivation, initiative and commitment. / E / A/I
6.3 / Demonstrates resilience when faced with challenging situations / E / A/I
6.4 / Ensures that engagement with all stakeholders is based on respect and openness, demonstrates that they value other’s opinions and contributions / E / A/I
6.5 / Membership of the PVG scheme forAdults is required for this post / E / A
6.6 / Full UK driving license / E / A
6.7 / Required to work at different locations across Aberdeen City / E / I

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