Detached Caseworker

As a Detached Caseworker you will be working directly with children and young people aged 11-24 years old, who are involved in anti-social behaviour, offending or gang related activity. You will engage with young people in the areas where we operate, offering advocacy and support. The aim of this role is to improve young people’s life skills and challenge their mindsets so that they can stay safe, pursue a positive lifestyle and develop positive relationships.

Key Tasks and Responsibilities

• Work directly with children and young people aged 11 – 24 years old
• Engage with and support young people in crime hotspot areas to enable them to address issues of personal risk, anti-social behaviour or offending.
• Identify and target young people involved in anti-social behaviour, offending or gang related activity with a view to develop relationships with them that offer support, challenge mindsets, and open up new opportunities for them to pursue a positive lifestyle
• Work in a range of settings: wherever young people gather i.e. estates, streets, parks, cafes, etc
• Defuse and mediate conflict as it arises on the street
• To respond swiftly to intelligence related to alleged gang activity or conflict within the hotspot areas of a borough
• Record engagements and interventions in shift reports
• Deliver bespoke mentoring support to young people at risk of offending or already engaged in criminal activity and/or high-harm crime
• Source pathways for education, training and employment
• Keep clear and up to date case work files on the information management system
• Monitor the progress of clients using tools provided by Spark2Life
• Attend professional’s meetings with partners and external agencies
• Contribute to the monitoring and evaluation of projects
• Deliver grant funded programmes that fall in line with your job description

Monitoring and Evaluation

• Accurately document all client interaction on Spark2LIfe’s case management database (ChildView), always working in line with Spark2LIfe’s case management policy
• Work in line with GDPR, maintaining confidential service-user records of interventions and contact details in line with Spark2LIfe’s case management policy
• Support in the collation and production of reports as requested, including ensuring that appropriate recording, monitoring and evaluation of work is completed to set deadlines
• Carry out any administrative tasks, monitoring, evaluation and reporting as required

General Responsibilities

• Be flexible and carry out other associated duties as may arise, develop or be assigned in line with the broad remit of the position.
• Contribute to overall management and organisation development of Spark2Life by attending meetings and training as required.
• Maintain and improve competencies through continuous professional development.
• Abide by all organisational policies, codes of conduct and practices.
• Actively support and promote inclusion, diversity and equality of opportunity in the workplace.
• Treat confidentially any personal, private or sensitive information about service delivery, individual organisations, clients and staff.

This job description does not form part of your contract of employment and can be amended from time to time as the needs of the organisation require.

Person Specification

Abilities & Knowledge

• The ability to access and correspond effectively with multi-agencies to offer offenders support
• The ability to offer offenders some 1:1 life coaching/mentoring
• The ability to present as a good role model to offenders and help them achieve their potential
• Have a knowledge and understanding of child protection and health and safety practices and procedures
• Have good listening skills
• The ability to communicate effectively with people, families, social services and a range of other professionals
• Knowledge and awareness of issues and factors related to gang involvement and reoffending
• The ability to exercise initiative, work independently and take responsibility for the delivery of a programme
• The ability to work flexibly and source referral pathways for service users
• The ability to work effectively in a team and to work with individuals, institutions and organisations
• The ability to communicate well through a variety of means (verbally, in writing and electronically)
• Ability to use ICT for administration
• Understanding and awareness of GDPR and a commitment to work within our Data Protection Policy
• Have an understanding and awareness of equal opportunities, experience of strategies to promote equality of opportunity and a commitment to work within our
• Equal Opportunities Policy

Skills and Qualifications

• Excellent level of communication and interpersonal skills
• Evidence of key competencies in literacy and numeracy with at least a qualification at GCSE grade C, NVQ level 2, or equivalent

Personal Qualities

• Commitment to anti-discriminatory practice and equal opportunities and an ability to apply awareness of diversity issues to all areas of work.
• Undertake training as required.
• Commitment to the core values and ethos of Spark2Life which is based on Christian Principles.
• Interested and motivated to further own skills and knowledge.

Desirable Skills and Experience

• Experience working with offenders who present challenges and lack motivation
• Experience motivating offenders to access positive opportunities towards change
• Experience managing caseloads with a difficult client group
• Experience working with partner organisations/professionals
• Excellent communication and presentation skills to groups
• Experience of facilitating group mentoring
• The ability to write sessions for various audiences
• Completion of relevant training and/or professional development with this client group or associating factors i.e. drugs etc.
• Knowledge and experience of working with multiple support agencies
• Can drive and have a car.