Job Description - Participation Officer (and Consultation's Champion)
Responsible To
Managing Director
Hours
Part time – 3 days a week
Salary
£17k (F/T equivalent £28k)
Location
Office based / with opportunity to work from home
Travel
Attend children/service users events/workshops nationally
Job Purpose
The purpose of this role is to ensure that Banya Family Placement Agency maintains Children’s and Young Persons and Service User Participation throughout all its services. This involves ensuring that all vulnerable adults, children and young people – not just foster children, but also birth children – have full participation in all areas and that they are also fully involved and feel they are able to contribute to Banya’s Services.
Introduction
Full participation, involvement and contribution are crucial and are at the heart of Banya’s Strategy. Participation has been shown to make a significant, measurable difference in the way in which services are shaped and provided to vulnerable adults and young people in care and leaving care. We are committed to listening to feedback about placements, carers, and experiences in fostering and shared lives. Relatives and friends of birth children are encouraged to provide their views alongside foster carers.
Day‑to‑Day Tasks
* Children’s Forums – quarterly
* Service user’s Forums – quarterly
* Coordinate councils – BCYPC & BPC (Banya Children and Young People’s Council and Banya People’s Council)
* Children events – school holidays
* Monthly Workshops – Young people
* Service user events
* Feedback and consultation with children and service users
* Banya Children’s Yearly Attainment Award Ceremony (Breakthrough Awards)
* Welcome packs and prepare for independence
Additional
* Social Media for Banya – promoting Banya to attract and recruit carers (fostering and shared lives)
* Annual Events
o Carers Seasonal party (May/December)
o Staff Seasonal party (June/December)
o Staff Away Days (Summer/Winter)
o Fostering Fortnight (May)
o Shared Lives Week (June)
o Carers Week (June)
o Learning Disability Week (Mencap) (May)
o Breakthrough Awards (October)
Role Responsibility
* Ensure workers allow children and young people, service users to express their views, concerns and ideas
* Include simple, yet effective consultation forms in review meetings
* Design, organise and attend children's/service user’s events and Forums
* Co‑operate effectively with area leads or team managers in planning and maintaining Forums in their specific local areas
* Design and implement simplistic and effective feedback and event evaluation forms, ensuring safeguarding issues are followed up appropriately
* Design, organise and attend Banya Day’s Out for all families, children and young people, service users
* Involve all users – children, young people (including birth children), adults – in all decision‑making processes, training, interview processes and elsewhere as appropriate
* Create and maintain Banya’s Children and Young Person’s Council (BCYPC) and Banya’s People’s Council (BPC), ensuring they are places for all areas
* Ensure children and young people, service users work with our Champions and are continuously involved in Banya activities
Participation Goals
Ensure that all children, young people and service users are involved in decision‑making. Provide clear, accessible information and explain processes fully. Deliver on commitments, explain why something cannot be fulfilled if necessary, and maintain clear contact points for discussion.
Banya’s Participation Opportunities
* Forums
* Home visits
* Review process – consultation forms and questionnaires
* Personal Education Plan (PEP) – young people’s contribution form
* Annual Reviews – contribution form
* Events held in all areas
* Summer Day Trip held every summer
* Staff appraisals, interviews and training courses such as TS2F (Therapeutic Skills to Foster)
* Banya conferences
Action Plan for Creating Banya’s Councils (BCYPC and BPC)
Banya’s Council will hold bi‑monthly meetings. Elected members and senior staff will be invited to attend council meetings four times per year. Long‑term goals include organising Participation Activity Day events, delivering training to workers and managers, and creating a newsletter or Mail Out for members. The council will also hold its own awards and achievements ceremonies.
Person Specification
* Excellent administration skills
* Strong and professional verbal and written communication
* The ability to identify and meet children and young people’s needs
* Strong listening skills
* Ability to connect with children and young people at their level, fostering comfortable communication for feedback and ideas
* Planning and delivering (online) workshops and other participation activities to engage groups of young people in creative outputs
* Reporting and analysing skills to generate appropriate feedback summaries
* Team‑working skills – collaborate with Banya employees to meet children’s and young people’s needs at all times
* Creative IT skills – feedback forms, Charms reports, etc.
* Willingness to work regular evenings and weekends as required (time off in lieu will be provided) and to travel nationally when possible to attend events and speak with care experienced young people
We encourage a diverse range of applicants to apply. We are committed to equal opportunities and encourage anyone to apply regardless of age, race, gender, disability or sexual orientation.
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