Personal Advisor PO1

Please Add JD JOB DESCRIPTION Young Adult Service – Children & Young People Services

POST:                                PERSONAL ADVISOR

GRADE:                             PO1

RESPONSIBLE TO:           Team Manager

RESPONSIBLE FOR:       No supervisees

Job Purpose

To ensure the diverse population of care leavers are provided with the necessary support, to successfully make their transition to adulthood. To provide a high quality service to care leavers, working in partnership where possible with families, and other statutory and third sector organisations

To participate in team, service meetings and activities as appropriate

Key responsibilities/activities

Deliver a high quality service to care leavers aimed at ensuring best outcomes and enabling the young person to succeed as they make their transition to adulthood.

Regularly prepare, update, review and implement pathway plans in conjunction with the supervising manager and ensure parallel planning where applicable.

Co-ordinate the provision of services and take reasonable steps so that care leavers make use of services available

Keep informed about care leavers’ progress and wellbeing; ensuring plans are progressed to meet assessed need.

Keep full, accurate and up to date records of contacts with care leavers and services provided, accurately and in a timely manner on the care leaver’s electronic case file.

Work holistically with care leavers and families around times of transition and transfer to additional services where appropriate.

Seek active partnership with parents, carers and other professionals to promote and safeguard the welfare of young people.

Support care leavers to enter and sustain education, training and employment.

Work with other organisations to overcome barriers to learning and employment faced by young people.

Support care leavers in all aspects of the process required to access accommodation and to ensure they are supported to maintain their tenancy and their resettlement needs are met.

Ensure care leavers have accessed welfare benefits where eligible.

Contribute to workshops/training sessions for care leavers to provide independence skills and other identified skills.

Work with care leavers who have additional needs such as complex mental health, learning disabilities, physical disabilities, young parents (possibly subject to CP/Proceedings), immigration issues which also includes those who have an adult services lead worker

Undertake assessment of need following re-referral post age 21 for those wishing to resume education or training where eligible.

Ensure young people obtain legal advice as required in order to progress their immigration status and to carefully monitor and support this process whilst maintaining active links with the Border and Immigration Agency and legal advisors. Ensure parallel planning for possible return to country of origin.

Ensure that all expenditure on cases is properly authorised and recorded, and that cases with financial packages are regularly monitored and reviewed.

Promote the welfare of care leavers with particular regard for their age, sex, health, race, religion, culture and life experiences.

Maintain and develop up to date relevant skills and knowledge of current legislation, policy and practice, through training and development opportunities as required or agreed by Team Manager,

Take responsibility for managing an individual caseload, having regard to the relative needs of all service users and ensuring an effective use of time and resources.

Bring any issues of concern regarding a young person/adult or a placement to the immediate attention of the supervising or duty manager where there is reason to believe that the young person/adult may be at risk of harm or have been harmed.

Attend and make use of supervision and staff appraisals.

Contribute through team meetings and organisational events to the development of the service.

Use information technology systems to carry out duties.

 Act as duty officer on a rota basis and as required by the Team Manager. The duty worker is responsible for dealing with emergencies, which arise on cases when the allocated worker is unavailable.

Report any concerns about abuse or malpractice by colleagues, in line with the Council’s Whistle Blowing Policy.

Work flexibly in line with needs of the service which will entail working outside of normal office hours, and out of borough visits.

Ensure that all legislation and local council policies and procedures, including Health and Safety are adhered to. These activities may be varied from time to time to meet the changing needs of the service.

3.  Undertake human rights assessments and ensure that the rights of   young people are observed.

PERSON SPECIFICATION Young Adult Service - Children & Young People’s Services

POST:                                PERSONAL ADVISOR

GRADE:                             PO1

These are the qualities we believe to be necessary to do this job.  You should clearly show in your application how your skills/experience potential meet some or all of them, as the short listing decision will be based on our assessment of you against these criteria.

The final assessment processes will also seek to assess these characteristics.

Criteria Essential Desirable

Education & Qualifications

A professional qualification is not required but it is expected that professional development will be undertaken in the role

NVQ 3 Health & Social Care or other relevant qualification

Knowledge & Information

Understanding of the Children (Leaving Care) Act 1989 and guidance relating to Care Leavers

Understanding of the Childrens Leaving Care Act 2000 related regulations and guidance

Knowledge of the difficulties and range of issues faced by children in and leaving care as they make their transition to adulthood. Knowledge of asylum, immigration and human rights legislation

Knowledge of asylum, immigration and human rights legislation

Knowledge and awareness of issues relating to discrimination, disadvantage and the practical application of the equalities legislation

Knowledge of child development and impact on maturity

Work & Other Experience

2 yrs minimum working with young people in a supportive role in a voluntary or statutory setting

Ability to empower and support a person-centred approach in the development, planning, reviewing of support plans

Direct experience of working with care leavers

Understanding of children and young people from abroad and their needs

Understanding the issues relating to the education, emotional & physical/social wellbeing of children from diverse backgrounds

Communication & Interpersonal Skills

Ability to initiate, write and produce effective reports to an excellent standard

Demonstrate good written and verbal skills in a variety of settings, including colleagues, young people, professionals and external agencies

Ability to respond to complaints in a polite and timely manner in accordance with policy

Experience of dealing with distressed and complex young people in a professional manner

Experience of resettlement support and the issues of resettling young people

Ability to converse in a confident and effective manner with others from a wide range of backgrounds Knowledge of Pathway Plans and Reviews

Ability to command the respect and trust of young people.

Experience of drafting support plans and other assessment recording.

Understanding of the issues faced by independent living

Professional maturity an accountability

Administrative & Organisational Skills

Ability to work as part of a team

Understand the importance of delivering a front line duty service for children and young people

Effective time management and demonstration of a planned approach

Experience in IT systems

Knowledge of Data Protection Act as it applies to information sharing and recording

Experience of Word, Outlook and computerised process and systems

Demonstrate maturity and resilience to cope with working in a stressful and demanding situation

Ability to prioritise tasks and work related matters Diversity & Inclusion

Understanding of working with children & Young People from different racial and cultural background

Understanding the barriers that young people face accessing and sustaining education, training and employment.

Demonstrate a commitment to equalities within the workplace and in service delivery

A commitment to working in a person-centred approach listening to wishes and feelings of young people

Understanding of Council’s policy on equalities

Other Requirements

Ability to undertake travel, often at short notice both in and outside of London Ability to work flexibly with occasional early morning starts or late finishes, possibly without notice Commitment to develop own skills through professional development and ongoing training relating to the role.

Working Conditions

Monday to Friday 36 hours per week Office based, outreach and mobile working Lap top, mobile and personal alarms

The Employment Rights Act 1996 applies to all employees.