Qualitative Jobs

We are delighted to introduce this job opportunity at the Culture Trust Luton for a 0.5 Project Manager. Through a successful funding application to The National Lottery Heritage Fund, we have been awarded £177,513 funding to deliver a Resilience project called ‘Reconnect’. This multi-faceted project explores the Trust’s customer services, sites and operations. There is also funding to deliver events and consultations as well as creative activities to promote engagement and volunteering. The Project also has a budget for making operational improvements that have been identified through the project.

We seek an experienced Project Manager to draw together the delivery of this project, coordinate specialist consultants, creatives and community groups and work with the Culture Trust Team on exploring and embedding change.We are a progressive, Luton-based, arts and cultural charity with a mission to connect communities through culture and creativity. We welcome 250,000 people across the year to our stunning heritage sites; the Hat Factory Arts Centre, Hat District creative workspaces, Wardown House Museum and Gallery, and Stockwood Discovery Centre. The Reconnect Project will work across all our functions, but there will be a particular focus on Stockwood Discovery Centre for community activities and volunteering. 

Founded in 2007, Electric Storm Youth (ESY) is a youth work charity based in Lancing, West Sussex. We run a full range of youth-based programmes, including young carers support, mental health counselling, general youth sessions, LGBTQ+ sessions, street-based (detached) youth work, mentoring and work-experience.

ESY currently support around 200 young people by working to improve their personal and social development, teaching them new skills, and improving the quality of their lives.

We are looking for an experienced Business/Office Manager to join our team to support the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Senior Youth Work Manager, Board of Directors/Trustees and our wider team of youth workers and volunteers as well as providing general business administration and office management. 

This role offers lots of opportunity to bring your business management skills to ensure the smooth and efficient running of the operational side of the charity.

Benefits

We value our team’s wellbeing, and in order to support it, we offer a number of benefits, including:

• 25 days annual leave per year plus bank holidays (pro-rated for part time hours)
• A bonus day of leave for your birthday
• 3% matched pension contribution
• Access to Rising Sun’s counselling service
• Clinical supervision
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Health care cash plan for you and your children for a number of health treatments (e.g. dental, optical, physiotherapy etc.) as well as discounts in shops and attractions
• Up to four weeks sick pay in any 12 month period (eligible after probation period)

OVERVIEW

Rising Sun Domestic Violence and Abuse Service (Rising Sun) is an independent charity in Kent working to prevent domestic abuse and improve the lives of survivors and their children suffering from its effects. We have an ambitious vision for a world in which women and children live free from actual or threatened domestic abuse and all forms of violence.

Our team provide a range of services to adults and children who’ve experienced domestic abuse. We understand the impact of domestic abuse on survivors and so we listen to individual needs and respond in a trauma informed way. We provide one-to-one support and also deliver therapeutically informed group programmes to help survivors to recognise healthy/unhealthy behaviours in relationships and to understand the impact of domestic abuse. Bringing survivors together validates experiences and enables them to draw strength from one another.

As part of our passionate and committed team of approximately 50 staff, our aspiration is that you will thrive and develop in this varied role. You will be contributing to the invaluable work of the Rising Sun and making a lasting difference to the lives of those who are impacted by domestic abuse.

JOB PURPOSE

Liberty House provides housing and support for up to 5 homeless young women aged 16-24 who are single, pregnant or have a young child and have experienced domestic abuse.

The support worker will be required to take on key-working responsibilities for the residents at Liberty House, as well as delivering other support work within the house and within the wider Liberty team. This could be related to pregnancy and parenting, life skills, psychoeducational support, understanding healthy relationships and building supportive peer relationships within the home, and supporting them to live independently.

The post holder will work to provide a secure, stable and homely environment and to act as a positive role model to residents. They will build professional and supportive relationships with residents and colleagues.

The project works to empower residents, providing them with information relating to their rights and enabling them to make decisions based on their options using a trauma informed approach.

As a member of the Liberty Team (16 – 24 year olds), the successful applicant will work collaboratively with the rest of the Children and Young People’s team, as well as the wider Rising Sun team to support other programmes delivered within the organisation.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Service Delivery

• Provide holistic, trauma informed, practical and emotional support to residents of Liberty House through regular 1-2-1 sessions. Develop individual support plans, which address any practical and emotional needs the resident may have, such as accessing benefits, life skills and perform risk assessments where needed.
• Organise and deliver group sessions that focus on life skills and strengthening relationships.
• Encourage the residents in positive parenting.
• Manage relationships within the house, act as a conciliator, arbitrator and reconciler in disputes between residents.
• Ensure residents adhere to house rules.
• Assist with the day to day general running of the house and office, to ensure they are fit for purpose and safe for team members and residents.
• Conduct safety checks around the house. Ensure all faults/repairs are reported and that the Health and Safety Policy is adhered to at all times.
• Comply with organisational policies and procedures and adhere to confidentiality.
• Work effectively in partnership with other agencies.
• Work within our ethos of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at all times and instil these values in all areas of work, with service users, staff and external stakeholders.
• Encourage residents’ participation in service development, continuous improvement and feedback exercises
• Maintain up to date and accurate records and ensure reports and evaluations are completed as required.
• Be willing and available to work some evenings and weekends as required, as part of a rota for Liberty House team members, and also occasionally to support wider team activities such as representing Rising Sun at events (time off in lieu can be taken by arrangement with your line manager).
• Represent Rising Sun at multi-agency meetings as required.

General

• Demonstrate a commitment to continued professional development, being responsible for personal learning and keeping up to date on research, relevant legislation, policy and practice, and other literature relevant to the role.
• Uphold the rights of women, children and young people who have experienced domestic abuse, and proactively assess the gender specific, trauma informed needs and  the safety of children and women to ensure that any risks/needs identified are addressed, having full regard to Rising Sun Safeguarding Children policy and Safeguarding Adults policy.
• Lone working as required.
• Participate in clinical supervision, training and meetings as required.
• Work across teams and undertake such other duties, appropriate to the grade and nature of the work, as may reasonably be expected.

This job description sets out the duties of the post at the time when it was drawn up and will be reviewed from time to time. Duties may vary from time to time without changing the general character of the duties or the level of responsibility entailed. Such variations are a common occurrence and cannot of themselves justify a reconsideration of the grading of the post.

PERSON SPECIFICATION 

Knowledge and qualifications

• Good understanding of antenatal and postnatal care.
• Good understanding of effective parenting, particularly for parents of young babies.
• Good understanding of the impact of domestic violence and trauma on survivors, children and young people, families and communities. 
• Knowledge of issues affecting survivors, and an understanding of the barriers they may face in accessing support.
• Thorough knowledge of safeguarding practice, procedures and legislation.
• Good understanding of the operation of the agencies working together to support survivors and their children such as social services, housing, police etc.

Experience

• Experience of working with young children and/ or babies and their mothers
• Experience of supporting women with life skills/ developing confidence
• Experience of multi-agency partnership work
• Experience of working alongside volunteers (Desirable)
• Experience of working with survivors affected by domestic and/ or sexual abuse (Desirable)
• Experience of facilitating group programmes (Desirable)
• Experience of working for a charity or not for profit organisation. (Desirable)

Skills

• Excellent listening, written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to form positive relationships with residents from a wide range of backgrounds and life experiences in order to build professional and supportive relationships
• Ability to work closely with young parents and their babies
• Ability to help residents in the creative use of leisure time with a view to building relationships and social skills
• Non-judgemental and non-directive approach to empowering survivors along with the ability to understand the individual needs of clients.
• Ability to manage conflict and to promote resolution.
• Ability to work well with colleagues, statutory and non-statutory agencies and responsibly on own initiative.
• Good task management skills and the ability to work effectively under pressure and to deadlines.
• Good data collection, monitoring and IT skills, including word processing and using databases and Excel spreadsheets.

General

• Able to set clear boundaries and a willingness to accept line management and make effective use of clinical supervision.
• A good understanding and commitment to confidentiality, safe practice and health and safety procedures.
• A good understanding of cultural issues, and commitment to anti-discriminatory practice and equal opportunities.
• Able to travel independently across East Kent where necessary to attend meetings.
• Willingness to carry out the policies and procedures of the Rising Sun and to work within its framework and core values.

Equal Opportunities Statement

Rising Sun is an equal opportunities employer. We recognise intersecting identities, and value what having a diverse team brings, both in terms of effectively responding to client needs, and engaging with each other at work. We encourage applicants from all sections of the community; especially from minority groups/groups with a protected characteristic such as B.A.M.E., who are currently underrepresented at Rising Sun. We are disability-friendly, and flexible working is available in the majority of roles. We strive to offer accommodations to all applicants who need them.

Safeguarding Statement

Rising Sun is committed to safeguarding those we provide a service to. The successful candidate will be required to undergo a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check, a ‘right to work check’ in accordance with UK government Home Office guidelines, and to provide two references.

We request no contact from agencies or media sales please.

The University of Essex is excited to have formed a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with the Minstead Trust. The Minstead Trust is a charity based in Hampshire, which works in collaboration with people with learning disabilities and their family carers, to enable them to achieve greater independence and live happier and healthier lives. One of their main areas of work is accommodation support. As they transition into adult accommodation support services, adults with a learning disability, their family carers, and Minstead Trust accommodation support staff form a tripartite relationship through which support is planned and delivered within the Minstead Trust. However, to date practices in support provision have differed, leading to miscommunications, relationship difficulties, and some areas of inconsistency and discontinuity in provided support and living circumstances. There are also often difficulties experienced during the transition from child to adult learning disability services. These are sector wide issues, which ultimately impact service users’ participation in the various activities and occupations that provide meaning, purpose, and routine within their everyday lives.

The KTP will last for 24 months and utilise a participatory action research (PAR) approach to engage relevant stakeholders who comprise and surround the tripartite relationship described above. Together they will co-produce, implement, and evaluate distinct new ways of working. These new ways of working will revolutionise engagement between adults with learning disabilities, their family carers, and Minstead Trust staff, and lead to improved experiences for all stakeholders.

As a KTP, the KTP Associate role constitutes more than just the completion of a research project, as the focus of the role is to facilitate knowledge transfer between the University and the Minstead Trust. A key objective is that the KTP also embeds the capability of co-production within the Minstead Trust through staff engagement and support. Co-production involves partnership working towards a mutually defined aim, where everyone connected with an issue plays an active part, and existing skills, experience and knowledge are valued and utilised (Pettican et al, 2022).