Do you want to work with disabled children and young people?
Are you available in school holidays?

Western Corner is setting up new holiday play schemes for disabled children and young people as part of Oxfordshire’s Aiming High programme. We are looking for staff in the Oxford, Witney, Wallingford, Wantage/Didcot, & Faringdon areas. Convenient working locations will be agreed with post holders.

You will take responsibility for coordinating and leading our specialist holiday activities. Working with support staff, you will provide direct support to disabled children and young people, some of whom will have additional or complex needs, and enable them to safely participate in play and leisure activities.

You will hold a relevant childcare qualification at NVQ 3 or equivalent, and have substantial experience of working with disabled children and young people.

Due to the nature of the work, where specified, posts are offered on a part time or Sessional basis, as and when required. When applying please quote the relevant reference number.

We offer flexible working patterns.

All posts are funded until 31 March 2011, with potential to extend for a further two years.

Activity Leader

Location:

Oxfordshire

Reward Band:

Project Staff II (SCN)

Part –Time 11 hours per week

Reporting to:

Service Co-ordinator

Job purpose:

• To provide Specialist Holiday Activities, care and support for disabled children, young people enabling them to safely participate in play and leisure activities, which give them a positive and inclusive experience to live safely and participate fully in their communities.

Key activities:

• To take a leadership role in the planning and delivery of child centred Specialist Holiday Activities for disabled children and young people, in accordance with OFSTED Regulations, current legislation and good practice guidelines.
• To identify and profile the needs of children and young people helping them to develop skills, knowledge and self-confidence to enable them to respond to issues that affect them.
• To consult and develop models of participation with disabled children and young people, using creative and appropriate tools, to enable them to be involved in decision-making processes.
• Compile care and medical plans under direction of line manager and in partnership with parents/carers and professionals. Keep concise and careful records in accordance with health and safety requirements.
• Share information with parents/carers and relevant agencies to develop their capacity to support children and young people.
• To be involved in the training and day to day supervision of staff, volunteers and work experience students, in accordance with The Children’s Society’s policies and procedures.
• To assist in developing and maintaining links with parents/carers, key agencies and community groups and through participation in meetings where relevant.
• Work in partnership with colleagues and professionals to ensure quality standards are evident in all aspects of work with children and young people.
• To contribute to the administration of the project by undertaking tasks that support effective delivery of services, monitoring and evaluation of work and the maintenance of accurate records.
• To ensure that information and concerns are shared with line management to support children and young people.
•  Attend all relevant training, planning meetings and supervision.
• To assist in the transportation of disabled children and young people and families, including acting as escort or authorised driver.

Attainments:

In order to be considered for this post you will have to demonstrate that you already have:

Experience

• Substantial experience of working with disabled children and young people
• Planning play, leisure or creative activities.
• Able to work as a member of a team and lead a team

Qualifications

• A relevant professional childcare qualification e.g. certificate in Youth and Community work, NVQ 3 in Care or Social Care or Diploma in Playwork or equivalent experience

Work based knowledge

• Issues affecting disabled children and young people in a diverse community.
• Effective methods of working with children and young people.
• Childcare legislation and other relevant laws.
• Health and Safety.
• Manual Handling/People Moving
• To develop and evaluate children/young people’s individual program plans

Skills

• Able to lead and work as a member of a team.
• Clear and concise written and verbal communication skills.
• Networking internally and externally.
• The ability to problem-solve and plan in a creative way.
• Basic IT / Word skills

Core competencies:

In order to be successful in this role you will be able to demonstrate that you have the ability to:

Managing People

Leading Others:

• Take a leadership role within team

Innovation:

• Identify areas for improvement and take action to achieve desired and agreed outcomes

Leading Change

Communicating with Others:

• Communicate effectively with others in other parts of the organisation or externally on day-to-day matters

Building and Maintaining Partnerships:

• Relate well to others, internal and external
• Take an active part in team meetings

Managing Continuity

Managing Resources:

• Use resources efficiently
• Shares timely and accurate information with others

Providing Service to Others:

• Ensures service delivery reflects the needs of stakeholders
• Recognises and values diverse and different perspectives
• Identifies opportunities for children and young people to be heard and involved meaningfully in our work to make a difference

Producing Results

Managing Yourself:

• Make decisions confidently
• Manage own learning
• Take pride in achieving results

Agreeing and Meeting Targets:

• Propose targets and standards for role
• Plan day-to-day activities

Special Job Circumstances:

This post has the following special circumstances:

• To be the Registered Manager for OFSTED requirements.
• To be a designated key person for individual children and young people.
• Availability to work during school holidays: - Specialist Holiday Activities for disabled children and young people operate in school holidays throughout Oxfordshire, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the areas of Didcot, Farringdon, Oxford City, Wantage & Witney.
• Some weekend/evening work for the purposes of staff training and/or supervision.
• Some residential time away from home for team development and/or training.
• Direct work with disabled children and young people with moderate and severe learning impairments, attending to individual care needs which will include; Administration of medication, lifting and personal care tasks.
• Travel across the county to attend training, meetings, and to provide additional staff cover at other venues.

Relevant Personal Characteristics:

So that you personally can succeed in this role and The Society you will require:

• To actively promote the values of The Children’s Society in your day-to-day work
• At all times to carry out your responsibilities with due regard to the Children’s Society’s commitment to keeping children and young people safe.
• Resilience to supervise and keep safe children and young people with challenging behaviours.
• A commitment to ensuring the needs and rights of disabled children and young people are upheld through their active participation in the work of the project and the Society.
• A commitment to diversity and dignity in working relationships and practice.
• The ability to work both independently and as part of a team
• To maintain confidentiality in all aspects of the work of the project and of the Society
• To be flexible, adaptable, and emotionally resilient to be able to cope with changing priorities and demands.