Befriending Coordinator
The Role: The Befriending Coordinator will lead a team of volunteers in delivering YLF’s Befriending Programme. The programme currently has over 80 volunteers who are positive role models who enable young people to develop social skills, try new hobbies, and build self-esteem.
Job Purpose
Coordinate the charity’s Befriending programmes, ensuring their effective delivery is in line with National Standards and that they meet contractual obligations. The Befriending Coordinator will manage a team of volunteers, evidencing positive outcomes for young people across the South-East.
This is an important post requiring a genuine commitment to improving the lives of young people and families. The post-holder must be a positive role model for the young people and families; a champion of their needs, interests, and aspirations; a champion of the charity’s values; and an effective ambassador for the work and the organisation.
Relevant qualifications/training will be required, and candidates will need to possess a variety of skills, experience and personal attributes.
Main Responsibilities
* To ensure the service is promoted to young people, carers, social workers, Independent Reviewing Officers and other professionals and ensuring promotional resources and web content are current and up to date, and that social media channels are utilised on a weekly basis to promote volunteering, to share good outcomes, and for volunteer inclusivity.
* To ensure young people who are referred to the service are visited in order to ascertain their hopes, needs, and interests and to facilitate effective ‘matches’ with volunteers within 4 weeks of referral
* To assist in the production of reports, including both quantitative and qualitative data on the performance and outcomes of the Befriending Services in line with agreed performance indicators
* To ensure that arrangements are monitored and reviewed and to ensure that outcomes are appropriately measured using appropriate processes and our cloud-based Better Impact system
* To assist the Senior Befriending Coordinator where required in representing YLF at public events, delivering talks and promoting the charity on local TV and radio Increasing services for children placed into Kent from other Local Authorities via spot purchase - publicising YLF’s offer to Local Authorities across the UK
* To assist in the management of the relationship between YLF and our commissioning partners, ensuring Independent Reviewing Officers and Social Workers understand where we stand against project deliverables, and managing complaints and expectations accordingly
* To support YLF’s volunteer recruitment strategies and campaigns in order to recruit sufficient volunteers to ensure capacity to meet demand and contractual obligations
* To ensure that volunteers are recruited in line with YLF’s Safer Recruitment Policy in terms of interviewing, training and accrediting volunteers
* To deliver training and effective ‘matching’ of volunteers with young people and to provide on-going support
* To ensure the team of staff and volunteers follow YLF’s Safeguarding Procedures and operate accordingly To keep abreast of developments in policy, practice and legislation with regards to young people in, and leaving, the care system
General Requirements
* To have flexible availability to meet the needs of service users during service operating hours, including evenings and occasional weekends.
* To work within agreed timescales and allocation of hours
* To work within agreed quality frameworks and quality standards
* To take part in supervision and appraisal, and to meet on other occasions, as required, with the manager
* To comply with the YLF Code of Conduct and ensure Safeguarding Policy and Procedures are followed at all times
* To comply with GDPR and Data Protection Policy and Procedures
* To attend staff meetings, as required, including compulsory staff development/training days
* To keep accurate records of any expenditure incurred and to ensure that such expenditure is within agreed limits and has been duly authorised To maintain such other records as may be required for the purposes of monitoring, evaluation and review; and to prepare periodic reports To develop and maintain effective liaison with referral sources and with other professionals To provide cover or additional support for colleagues, as required To uphold the values and adhere to the policies and procedures of the Young Lives Foundation