Job info	Job info details
Job title	Participation Officer
Strategic team/Directorate	Children’s Services
Service	Safeguarding
Business unit	Learning Academy
Responsible to (day to day issues)	Restorative Practice Lead
Accountable to (line manager)	Restorative Practice Lead
Salary grade	G
JE ref	CSERV001

1. Key purpose of job

• To promote and enable meaningful participation, engagement and co-production with children, young people, families and communities, ensuring their voice, views and lived experience influence decision making, service design, delivery and improvement across Children’s Services.
• To work restoratively and relationally alongside children, young people, families and communities building positive relationships that support inclusion, belonging and meaningful involvement.
• To design and facilitate participation opportunities, engagement activities, consultation and co-production projects that maximise involvement and help shape services and practice.
• To ensure the voices, views and lived experiences of the children, young people, families and communities are gathered and considered across Children Services.
• To work collaboratively with colleagues, partners and communities to embed participation, engagement and co-production approaches.
• To proactively engage individuals, groups and communities whose voices may be underrepresented or seldom heard, helping to reduce barriers to participation and increase inclusion. 

2. Anticipated outcomes of post

• To provide a high standard of support and engagement that enables children, young people, families and communities to meaningfully influence the services they receive.
• Work collaboratively with children, young people, families, communities and stakeholders to develop innovative and creative solutions that contribute to service improvement design and delivery.
• Effective partnership working to that improves outcomes for children, young people and families accessing Children Services.
• Recognise and promote the value of involving vulnerable underrepresented and seldom-heard groups, ensuring services are informed by a diverse range of voices and lived experience.
• Improve services through the delivery of participation, engagement and co-production activities that gather feedback, insight and lived experience to inform decision making and continuous improvement. 

3. List key duties and accountabilities of the post

• Responsible for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children at all times. 
• To ensure that children, young people and families are placed at the heart of service delivery, are treated courteously and fairly, and are consulted on matters which affect them.
• To work in partnership with children, young people and their families ensuring professional boundaries are set and maintained. 
• Be responsible for planning and delivering participation and engagement activities that provide meaningful opportunities for children, young people, families and communities to share their views and experiences, ensuring activities are safe and appropriately risk assessed.
• To facilitate participation opportunities with children, young people families, and communities ensuring their views, experiences and feedback contribute to ongoing service development.
• To proactively engage children, young people, families and communities whose voices may be under presented or seldom heard, supporting their meaningful involvement in shaping and improving services.
• To work with senior management to identify key service improvement priorities and develop opportunities for children, young people, families and communities to share their views and experiences in relation to those priorities.
• To engage with children, young people and families on an individual and group basis supporting their meaningful participation in service development and improvement.
• To work independently and exercise professional judgement in the delivery of participation activities whilst working collaboratively with colleagues across Children’s Services to share learning and promote good practice.
• Work flexibly to support participation, engagement and co-production activities including facilitating groups, events, consultations, training and other involvement opportunities as required.
• Liaise closely with a range of external organisations, community groups and partner agencies to actively extend participation and engagement opportunities.
• To offer both support and challenge to children, young people and their families as part of any agreed change process.
• To establish effective working relationships with statutory voluntary and community organisations to ensure high standards of service and support to children, young people and their families.
• To prepare internal and external reports and maintain accurate records.
• To participate in Children in Need Reviews and Statutory review meetings as deemed appropriate by the Senior Practitioner or Practice Manager.
• To undertake training as required.
• As an Employee of Torbay Council all roles are expected to work in a way that ensures vulnerable children and adults are safeguarded and report any safeguarding concerns in accordance with established policies and procedures. The Designated Senior Lead for Safeguarding is the Chief Executive and Director of Children’s Services. 

4. Budgetary/Financial Responsibilities of the post

• None. 

5. Supervision/Line Management Responsibilities of the post

• None. 

6. Working environment and conditions of the post

• Work independently within the Community undertaking home visits and lone working. 

7. Physical demands of the post

• Normal effort. 

8. Specific resources used by the post

• Computer and other IT equipment.
• General office equipment.
• Mobile phone.

9. Key contacts and relationships

External: 

• Schools. 
• Community groups. 
• Local employers. 
• Voluntary and statutory Agencies. 
• Youth Groups. 
• Parent and family groups. 
• Early Years providers. 
• Partner organisations. 

Internal: 

• Children’s Social Care Teams. 
• Fostering and Corporate Parenting Services. 
• Education Services. 
• Early Help and Family Hub Services. 
• Youth Services. 
• Learning Academy. 
• Quality Assurance and Service Improvement Teams. 
• Recruitment and Human Resources. 
• Public Health. 
• Community and Customer Services. 
• Other Council Departments and Services as required to support participation, engagement and service improvement activity.

10. Other duties

• To undertake additional duties as required, commensurate with the level of the job. 

Other Information

• All staff must commit to Equal Opportunities and Anti-Discriminatory Practice.
• The Council operates a Smoke-Free Policy and the post-holder is prohibited from smoking in any of the Council's buildings (including Council owned and Council leased buildings, but excluding designated areas in residential schemes), enclosed spaces within the curtilage of buildings, and Council vehicles. The Council does not permit smoking breaks within work time, however, in services where the flexi-scheme is in operation, employees may take reasonable break times outside of core hours, in accordance with flexi-time arrangements. Employees should follow the flexi-scheme procedure for agreeing time away from their duties in the normal manner with their immediate colleagues and line manager, with break start and finish times being recorded, as with any other break-time arrangement. 
• The post-holder is expected to familiarise themselves with and adhere to all relevant Council Policies and Procedures.
• The post-holder must comply with the Council’s Health and Safety requirements as outlined in the H&S policy appropriate to the role.
• The post is eligible for both hybrid and permanent home working.
• The post-holder must be committed to the Council’s Core Values for employees – “Torbay Council employees are committed to being forward thinking, people orientated and adaptable - always with integrity”. Evidence will be sought during the probation and appraisal processes.
• If you are required to use your own vehicle on Council business or drive a council vehicle you will be asked to provide information on any driving endorsements by accessing gov.uk/view-driving-licence and providing a code to your Line Manager in order to share your driving licence information with the Council.
• As this post meets the requirements in respect of exempted questions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, all applicants who are offered employment will be subject to a criminal record check (Disclosure) from the Disclosure & Barring Service before the appointment is confirmed. This will include details of ALL cautions, reprimands or final warnings as well as convictions, whether “spent” or “unspent”. Criminal convictions will only be taken into account when they are relevant to the post.
• Torbay Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and applicants must be willing to undergo the checks appropriate to the post applied for.
• The post holder is expected to work in a way that ensures vulnerable children and adults are safeguarded and report any safeguarding concerns in accordance with established policies and procedures. 

Person Specification

Note for Candidate

All Candidates

The supporting statement on your application form will be used to assess ability to meet the essential requirements of the role, so you should explain how you meet each of the numbered essential requirements within your supporting statement. In a competitive situation, the desirable criteria may be taken into consideration, so you are encouraged to show how you also meet each of the desirable criteria.

Candidates who consider that they have a disability

Reasonable adjustments will be made to the job, job requirements or recruitment process for candidates with a disability.

If you consider yourself to have a disability you should indicate this on your application form, providing any information you would like us to take into account with regard to your disability in order to offer a fair selection interview.

Where ever possible and reasonable we will make adjustments and offer alternatives to help you through the application and selection process.

If you have indicated that you have a disability on your application form you will be guaranteed an interview if you clearly demonstrate in your supporting evidence how you broadly meet the essential requirements of the role.

Job info	Job info details
Job Title	Participation Officer
Strategic team/Directorate	Children’s Services
Service	Safeguarding
Business unit	Learning Academy

Skills and effectiveness

Essential skills and effectiveness

• Ability to produce and maintain accurate records and reports.
• Ability to engage positively with children, young people and their families.
• Ability to build effective relationships with a wide range of individuals, communities, organisations and partner agencies to support participation, engagement and service improvement.  
• Ability to engage and communicate effectively with children and young people, families and communities, supporting their meaningful participation and involvement in services and decision making.
• Understanding the needs children, young people and families including the more complex issues faced by vulnerable and underrepresented groups.
• Oral communication skills. 
• Ability to confidently and competently facilitate training sessions and workshops. 
• Aptitude for using IT. 
• Ability to make decisions and take responsibility for them.
• Ability to work effectively in a team and with other agencies.
• Ability to work effectively on own initiative, prioritise workload and manage time to meet deadlines.
• Ability and willingness to acquire new knowledge to ensure knowledge base is up to date. 
• Evidence of consistent pattern of learning from education, training and experience. 
• This role requires the ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence and fluency in English. 

Desirable skills and effectiveness

• Experience of multi-agency working and Service development.
• Advocacy skills.

Knowledge

Essential knowledge

• Detailed knowledge and understanding of the issues that impact on children, young people and families who access Children’s Services including those who are vulnerable, cared for or care experienced have a special educational needs and disabilities, or face barriers to participation.
• Understanding of basic human needs, physical, emotional, cultural and social.
• Knowledge of participation, engagement and co-production principles.
• Detailed knowledge and understanding of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. 
• Knowledge of Children’s Act 1989 and 2004, Adoption legislation, Crime and Disorder Act 1998 (Parenting Orders and Anti Social Behaviour Act 2003.
• Self awareness of own strengths and weaknesses.
• Detailed knowledge of the functions of a Children Services department and its service users. 
• Detailed knowledge of models on inclusion when working with families with children with special educational needs and / or disability.
• Detailed knowledge of the principals of advocacy for cared for children.
• Detailed knowledge of the 7 corporate parenting principals as laid out in the Children and Social Work Act 2017. 
• Detailed knowledge of the Children Act 1989 guidance and regulations in particular the statutory obligations in relation to cared for and care experienced children. 

Desirable knowledge

N/A

Experience and achievements

Essential experience and achievements

• Work in a health, education or social care environment (paid or unpaid) with children and young people and families.
• Good communication skills and the confidence and ability to deliver training and presentations.
• Experience of working with children, young people and families experiencing high vulnerabilities and levels of needs.
• Experience of health/education/social care needs and services. 
• Experience working to performance indicators, including monitoring and reporting on service outputs/outcomes, tracking of participation activities, analysing performance information, and identifying correction action.
• Teamwork. 

Desirable experience and achievements

• Experience of participation, engagement, consultation or co-production activities. 
• Experience of group work. 

Qualifications/professional memberships

Essential qualifications/professional memberships

• Educated to GCSE O Level standard at Grade C or above or equivalent.
• Evidence of a consistent pattern of learning from education, training and experience.

Desirable qualifications/professional memberships

• Qualification within the field of youth work (or similar) and/or have extensive experience of working successfully in this area.

Other requirements

Other requirements of the job role

• Demonstrates a commitment to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people.
• Ability to travel efficiently around the Bay/South West/UK in order to carry out duties.
• Ability to accommodate unsociable.
• Ability to accommodate occasional/permanent home-working.