Youth Support Worker (Universal Safe Spaces)

Grade: F

1. Context

This is an exciting time to join Tower Hamlets Youth Service.

A key priority within the Tower Hamlets Council Strategic Plan 2022-2026 is to transform and improve services for young people in the borough. We are ambitious about ensuring that all young people in the borough have access to a diverse range of youth work opportunities and support through the delivery of a high-quality youth service, this includes: 

• Universal ‘safe spaces’ in every single ward throughout the borough where young people can stay safe, participate in positive activities and educational opportunities as well as access additional support from youth workers. This will be an increase from five commissioned universal services to at least one in every ward therefore providing accessible 'safe spaces’ for all young people.
• Targeted youth support for vulnerable young people and their families.
• Integrated detached youth work team providing a preventative and responsive approach to harm outside the home.
• Commissioning of specialist youth provision for specific groups of young people and universal youth provision.

2. The Role

We have an exciting opportunity to recruit 54 x part-time (18 hour contract) Youth Support Worker for our Universal Safe Spaces team within Young Tower Hamlets.

The key focus for this role will be delivering and developing youth work sessions for young people as part of the Young Tower Hamlets Universal Safe Spaces offer across the borough. This is a practical Youth Support worker role with primary focus on face-to-face engagement and participation with young people, leading & delivering group work activities, workshops and trips.

In this dynamic role the Youth Support Worker will:

• Establish, develop and maintain positive relationships with young people accessing the Young Tower Hamlets Universal Safe Spaces offer.
• Effectively engage with young people through one-to-one conversations and group work activities, contributing towards the holistic personal, social, emotional, and educational development of young people.
• Assist in signposting and referring young people to other universal, targeted and specialist services where appropriate to ensure that the needs of young people are met.
• To support with building duties which may include the opening and closing of buildings for session delivery as well as undertaking relevant health and safety tasks.
• To participate in the effective planning, delivery and evaluation of the Universal Safe Spaces offer. This includes centre-based, off-site activities and residential experiences for young people.

3. Role Requirements

• Understanding of the factors affecting young people locally.
• A recognised Youth Work Qualification (Level 2) or willingness to work towards achieving qualification as part of the probationary period.
• Experience of engaging with young people individually or in groups which demonstrates the ability to develop rapport and maintain positive relationships.
• Ability to develop and deliver positive activities which facilitate young people’s holistic development.

4. Our offer

We are committed to developing excellent managers and practitioners and making Tower Hamlets an employer of choice. If you choose to work with us, you will benefit from:

A competitive salary - £35,814 to £37,437 FTE

• Up to 31 days annual leave rising to 32 days with 5 years continual service and 8 bank holidays
• Learning and development opportunities via my annual review scheme and supervision
• Enhanced sick pay scheme, maternity/adoption leave pay and maternity support leave
• This is a part-time role of 18 hours over 3/4 days per week fixed. Working hours will be between 2pm-9:30pm at one of our 20 Safe Spaces youth sites. Working days and times may vary depending on the Safe Space location.
• Cycle to work scheme/ Rent deposit scheme/Access to free eye tests
• Discounted gym/Costco membership
• You at Work discounts and many others

We have fantastic transport links –Tower Hamlets Town Hall is directly opposite Whitechapel Station, which is a minute away. Whitechapel is an interchange station which serves Hammersmith & City, District, Overground, with quick access to central line DLR and Jubilee lines. We also have the Crossrail Elizabeth line with links to Canary Wharf, Shenfield/Abbey Wood/Heathrow and Stratford, which is the best-connected hub in London.

Application Details

• Closing date: 26th January 2025
• Interviews to take place week commencing: 3rd March 2025

All applications should be made via our online application system, no CVs or alternative forms of applications are accepted.

If you require more information on the role, please contact ythlondon@towerhamlets.gov.uk

Tower Hamlets vision for our borough is that: people are aspirational, independent and have equal access to opportunities; we are a borough that our residents are proud of and love to live in; and we are a dynamic, outcomes-based council using digital innovation and partnership working to respond to the changing needs of our borough. We want people who aspire to our TOWER values: Together; Open; Willing; Excellent; Respect.

Tower Hamlets has a zero-tolerance approach to, and works to eradicate, all forms of discrimination on the basis of race, sex, disability, age, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital status, status as a civil partner, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy and maternity and looks to employ a diverse workforce representative of those groups. We recognise that people can also be disadvantaged by their social and economic circumstances, so we will work to eliminate discrimination and disadvantage caused by social class. We are a Disability Confident Employer, which means applicants who declare a disability and meet the essential criteria for the post are guaranteed an interview. Care experience has also been adopted by the Council as an additional protected characteristic.

We welcome applicants interested in flexible working arrangements and also applicants who live in the borough.

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