Caseworker – SOS+

Do you have lived personal experience of the Criminal Justice System, possibly involving gangs or knife crime, or another relevant cultural competency?

Have you got what it takes to provide life changing advice and guidance and/or mentoring to children and young people?

If so, St Giles Trust is looking for a Caseworker to play a key role in our award-winning SOS+ project. SOS+ educates children and young people around the risks and signs of exploitation, serious violence and gangs, through group facilitated sessions and tailored one-to-one intervention sessions in schools and other community settings.

It also takes an evidence-based approach which educates professionals and parents, as well as children and young people between the ages of 10-25 years.

About St Giles Trust

An ambitious, well-established charity that helps people facing adversity to find jobs, homes and the support they need.  

Central to our ethos is our belief that people with first-hand experience of successfully overcoming issues such as an offending background, homelessness, addictions and gang involvement, hold the key to positive change in others.

About this key role

A key member of the St Giles Yorkshire team, as well as our Central SOS+ team, you’ll be responsible for developing and delivering 1-2-1 educational sessions to children and young people on topics such as grooming, weapons awareness, the reality of prison, gangs, county lines and child sexual exploitation.

You’ll also need to work closely with partner agencies and attend multi-agency meetings and support the design and development of new sessions and materials. All the while, you’ll be supported by a Peer Advisor with lived experience of adverse experiences linked to exploitation, county lines or prison. 

What we are looking for

• Experience of engaging with challenging children and young people, e.g., those with complex needs, who are reluctant to discuss their needs or who are angry and confused
• A track record gained working with socially excluded children, young people and adults, including delivering/facilitating sessions to groups – especially socially excluded children and young people in schools or similar settings
• Knowledge of gangs, knife crime and patterns of offending in West Yorkshire or a similar area, plus a proven ability to negotiate and network with partner agencies to establish links to further the aims of a project
• An Education and Training and/or Mentoring Level 3 qualification, or similar, or a willingness to work towards this
• A flexible and collaborative approach, a positive attitude, emotional resilience, confidence when speaking in front of a group and a flair for planning sessions using a variety of resources

Please note this role requires Enhanced Adult and Children with Child Barred DBS checks.

In return, you can expect a competitive salary, generous leave allowance, staff pension, flexible working, a mentoring programme, an advice and counselling service, clinical therapist sessions, life insurance (4 x annual salary), duvet days, season ticket loan, employee perks programme, eye care voucher and much more.

We are an equity and inclusion confident employer. We welcome all applications and we particularly encourage applications from people of the global majority (black, brown, multi- heritage) and those who identify as disabled, neuro-expansive, neuro-diverse, with any protected characteristics and/or social barriers or challenges. We value the empowering and informative impact that all lived experiences and diversity of thought can offer the organisation.

St Giles will guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria set out in the Job Description for the vacancy.