- Post Title: Youth Advocate
- Location: King's Lynn, Norfolk
- Department: Advocacy Team
- Contract: 35 hours per week, Monday – Friday (term time only, 39 weeks per year)
Purpose of the Job:
The Youth Advocate will manage, support, and develop a group of marginalised young people and their families by building trusting relationships through individual sessions, group work, family visits, and other interventions. The role involves overseeing a holistic, person-centred approach to a young person’s journey from entry to exit, focusing on bridging the gap between their academic, behavioural, and therapeutic needs. The Youth Advocate will also develop individual education/learning plans that integrate internal, external, and multi-agency professionals to support development, attainment, and progression, while embedding safeguarding and inclusion principles at the heart of all practice.
Main Responsibilities:
- Collaborate with the Senior Leadership Team to develop a caseload and support students to engage within the school environment by providing initial assessments of learners’ educational, emotional, and behavioural needs.
- Design, implement, and review individual development plans for each young person in the caseload.
- Work closely with teaching staff to ensure continuity of delivery and concretisation of learning lessons.
- Organise and deliver targeted support, advice, guidance, practical help, and mentoring for learners as appropriate.
- Regularly risk assess all young people in the caseload to identify issues and concerns relating to vulnerability and risk of harm.
- Establish collaborative relationships with a range of partners including schools, LEAs, Social Services, parents, and communities.
- Track educational progress of young people in your caseload with regards to school attainment, classroom behaviour, and risk of exclusion.
- Keep accurate records and produce reports to support case reviews and evaluations as requested.
- Participate in multi-disciplinary teams and meetings, and undertake other duties as directed by management.
Experience, Skills, and Abilities Required:
- Relevant professional qualification (NVQ level 2) in working with young people (e.g., teaching, youth and community work, social work, counselling, mentoring).
- Experience with behaviour management and working with complex young people and families who have social, emotional, and behavioural difficulties.
- Strong advocacy and counselling skills, and competency with IT applications such as Outlook, MS Word, and Internet Explorer.
- Ability to organise and manage own work routines/caseloads effectively with minimal supervision.
- Excellent communication skills, both verbally and in writing, and good interpersonal skills to maintain productive working relationships.
How to Apply:
If you are passionate about making a difference in the lives of young people and meet the qualifications, please submit your application, including a CV and cover letter detailing your relevant experience and why you are interested in this role.
This role offers a unique opportunity to impact the lives of young people significantly. We look forward to your application.