NCS Residential Mentor

Transcription

1 NCS Residential Mentor Location: London, Surrey, Berkshire, West Midlands, North West or Yorkshire Length of role: 35 days, plus 1.5 days of training Payment: 2625 per 35 day role* Dates: June to August 2016 Residential Requirements: Fully Residential although candidates will need to provide their own accommodation for training, induction and for two days at the end of the contract. * Please note. It is not an absolute requirement that Residential Mentors are available to undertake all 35 days of the entire programme. However, those who have the greatest availability will be prioritised see Work dates below for full details. Should you undertake a role shorter in length than stated above, payment will alter proportionately. This pay includes a one day paid induction to the role. The Residential Mentor Role The Residential Mentor has two key responsibilities; delivering the logistical aspects of the residential phase and supporting the pastoral care of young people on the programme. The logistical responsibilities include establishing good relationships with venues, dealing with food arrangements, equipment, and tracking all medical issues and financial transactions. The pastoral responsibilities include supporting the teams of young people during food preparation and evening activities alongside the other pastoral staff. The Residential Mentor reports to the Programme Associate Manager. This role is suitable for an organised and motivated person with experience of multi-tasking, relationship management and experience of working in a demanding and changeable environment. The Residential Mentor will: Work alongside another Residential Mentor to jointly carry out the responsibilities of the role. Welcome and induct a new group of staff and young people multiple times throughout the summer. Manage the relationship between NCS and the residential accommodation site. Oversee food hygiene and health and safety of the accommodation including fire safety. This will involve briefing staff and young people during each programme. Manage valuable equipment provided ensuring minimal breakages and losses. Lead on the supply and distribution of food required for all staff and young people, ensuring additional purchases where required. Provide pastoral support to the staff team including evening activities, mealtime supervision, bedtime routine and night rota. The NCS Team Challenge is generally at a university campus; however, in some areas and during some parts of the programme, accommodation is at a campsite. All meals will be provided. The Residential Mentor is the key contact for all logistical element of this phase. For this reason, you should be prepared for long working hours. About the Organisation and the NCS Programme

2 The Challenge is a fast-growing social enterprise that connects and inspires people across Britain to strengthen their communities. We work on a local level to bring together people from all ages, ethnicities and walks of life, connecting communities and building trust. We are a major provider of the government's National Citizen Service (NCS), a life-changing experience for year-olds. In summer 2016, 42,000 young people across our regions will take part in our eighteen day intensive NCS programme. The scheme is available to young people from all backgrounds who get the chance to do outdoor activities, meet new people and give something back to their communities. By taking part they learn new skills and have a great experience they can put on their CVs or college applications. They achieve this by completing three challenges: NCS Personal Challenge: Between four and seven socially mixed teams of young people bond through a week of challenging outdoor activities. NCS Team Challenge: Teams return to their local area and learn skills in either Drama, Media, Photography, Enterprise, Music, Art or Sport. They use these skills to interact with the community and create a showcase performance for friends and family. NCS Real Challenge: Teams work to design and deliver a campaign and social action projects that will bring the local community together. In order to gain funding and advice on their projects, the young people pitch to a Dragons Den style panel of influential people in their community. All young people who complete our NCS programme graduate and are signposted into year-round social action opportunities through The Challenge Society. Our Seasonal Staff Expectations Experience of working with young people. A belief in their potential and the ability to build rapport with them. Energy and enthusiasm to enable young people to use their skills to learn from their community. A willingness to take responsibility for delivering a challenging and safe experience for participants Flexible with a creative and constructive approach to solving problems. Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues to achieve successful and constructive results We expect all staff to act as role models to our young people. In addition to the above this includes being organised, proactive, reliable and punctual. The ability to understand and follow safeguarding and Health and Safety guidelines - alongside other organisational policies and procedures Safeguarding Statement and Requirements The Challenge is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people taking part in the programme. We expect all staff and post holders to share this commitment. As part of this commitment to providing a safe environment for our young people, we require all candidates to return a satisfactory enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificate dated on or after 01 January The Challenge will assist the application for, and pay for the processing of, a new DBS for staff members where required.

3 We also require two satisfactory references, at least one of which should detail suitability to work with young people and another to be from your current or most recent employer. Training All Residential Mentors must attend up to 1.5 days of unpaid, non-residential training to deliver our NCS programme. Candidates will also undertake a days paid induction to their role before their job commences. The date for this day will be confirmed closer to the time. We reserve the right to dismiss any staff member who does not complete training, does not participate fully, or does not perform in line with our values as an organisation. Work Dates Two Residential Mentors will be allocated to each geographical area for our summer programme. They are able to work up to twelve programmes during the summer, depending on availability. Please note candidates only need to be available for the dates of either Residential Mentor 1 or Residential Mentor 2. Please note the below regarding timings: Both RM positions are 35 day roles. This includes an induction day, but does not include 1.5 days of unpaid training. The Residential Mentor role involves working split shifts and the average day involves work in the morning and evening with time off in the middle of the day. Please note this is subject to change and will be confirmed closer to the time. Staff must stay residentially for all of their allocated work days. When off duty accommodation will still be available in most cases. Programme Residential Mentor 1 Work Days June 2 2 July (half day) July 4 Off July 6 Off July 8 30 July, 2 August (half day) August 10 Off August August (Non-residential)

4 Programme Residential Mentor 2 Work Days 1 25 June 2 29 June 3 July 3 Off July 5 14 July July 7 Off 8 30 July 3 August 9 Off August August August (22 and 23 Nonresidential) Role Requirements Candidates must demonstrate the following skills and characteristics: Essential: Willing to work residentially with staff teams and large numbers of young people Experience in managing and overcoming logistical issues within a demanding environment Proven organisational skills and experience within a fast-paced environment Experience of working with community groups e.g. schools, charities, places of worship or experience of working directly with young people either in voluntary and paid capacity Experience of managing and maintaining relationships with external partners Belief in young people and helping them take a more active role in their communities Passion/interest in building stronger communities and seeing change in society Flexibility to adapt to continual change in staff environment Beneficial: Experience of working in a residential environment Ability to facilitate sessions/activities with large groups of young people We also look for all employees to show the following characteristics: Trust-building: Works hard to build trust with people. Brings together different groups of people. Responsibility-taking: Takes responsibility for actions and attitudes. Claims and solves problems in the community.

5 Understanding and Empathy: Works to understand others their strengths, fears and needs. Ready to stand up for someone who is different. Willingness to be prepared to lead by example and encourage others to do the same. Further Details This is an excellent opportunity to be involved with an exciting programme which has tangible results for the young people involved. The role is demanding and fast-paced but highly rewarding. The compensation for this role is 2625 per 35 day role *. Should you undertake this role for a different number of days, pay will alter proportionately. This payment includes pay in lieu of annual leave and is subject to tax and National Insurance deductions. There is no additional payment for attending training. Staff will be paid through The Challenge payroll on a monthly basis after completion of the programme. Staff can only claim for travel expenses incurred during the delivery of the programme, and not to and from either the residential or non-residential parts of the programme. * Please note. It is not an absolute requirement that Residential Mentors are available to undertake all 35 days of the entire programme. However, those who have the greatest availability will be prioritised see Work dates below for full details. Should you undertake a role shorter in length than stated above, payment will alter proportionately. Additional Support Needs As an equal opportunities employer we welcome applications from a diverse range of people, including those with disabilities. We are committed to making reasonable adjustments to ensure that successful candidates are able to undertake the role that they are offered. You will be asked to tell us about any additional support needs at the post assessment stage but we encourage candidates to get in touch with any concerns or questions they may have either before or during the application process by ing Sherry or Matthew at inclusionroles@the-challenge.org To Apply For further details and to apply, please visit Our NCS programme is part of National Citizen Service.