Peer Community Innovation Lead

The Charity
Kinship is the leading kinship care charity in England and Wales. We offer kinship carers financial, legal, practical and emotional support and understanding from the moment they need it, for as long as they need it. Our expert advice, information and guidance helps with complicated and stressful decisions that so many kinship families have to make. We are always there to support them through challenging times and celebrate the good. 
 
Kinship carers are strong and determined. Together, they are powerful. We help them build communities of support and action by connecting families locally and across England and Wales. 

About the Team
Kinship is in the third year of delivering the first national peer support service for kinship carers in England. We have created 145 peer support groups. We have supported and trained kinship carers to create and lead their groups in a way which meets their needs.

With a new contract from the Department for Education, we’re now entering a new phase of our service with a focus on:
 

• creating 90 new sustainable peer support groups in areas of most need over 21 months;
• sustaining and developing the current 145 existing groups; and
• providing support and help to build a sustainable and welcoming community for all peer support groups across England.

This role will mobilise, develop and innovate our existing offer into a new Peer Support Community Hub with the focus on supporting sustainability and building resilience of peer support groups and their leaders. You will support and build our Kinship peer support community.

You’ll work with group leaders to co-create and develop a central hub of accessible and useful resources to help them to sustain their groups, working with colleagues right across Kinship to promote consistent access to services and activities (training, programmes, information, advice and campaigns), building a joined-up user experience. 

You’ll ensure we use data and insight to innovate the Hub and develop a strong thriving community of peer support group leaders.

About the role
The role of the Peer Community Innovation Lead is to oversee and take accountability for sustaining kinship peer support groups across England in priority areas as part of a new hub and spoke delivery model.

In this context, your team is the centralised ‘hub’ of the service, delivering an exciting programme of training, speakers, toolkits and resources to help peer support group leaders develop, build and sustain their group well. Your team will build and develop this ‘peer support community hub’. This will include annual in person celebrations.

Your team will make sure groups feel connected and supported, learn from each other and build a powerful and resilient peer community. 

Managing a national team of three, you will develop a strategy and operational plan to build on and mobilise a new peer support community.   

The type of person we’re looking for:
Dynamic and people-centred, this role is about innovating and developing a supportive community of peer support group leaders nationally in person and online. You’ll understand the power of relationships and be an excellent communicator. You’ll understand how communities hold their own power and your team will help unlock that. Innovation is key to the success of the Hub and you’ll ensure you’re using best practice and learning to develop it.

An excellent communicator, you’ll develop external specialist partnerships to support group sustainability. You’ll ensure through the National Peer Support Connector role that peer communities are connected and engaging with the new National Kinship Care Ambassador to share insight and best practice.

You’ll be comfortable with using digital technology and tools to build communities, relationships and develop resources.

Please note the closing date is the 8th July.