Youth Practitioner – Smoke Free Generation

Catch22; Guildford; Hybrid; GBP 24,000 - 29,000

Job description

Company Description

At Catch22, we are proud of our reputation as a modern and progressive employer. Our 1,300 colleagues and 300 volunteers work at every stage of the social welfare cycle, supporting over 60,000 individuals, from cradle to career. Our work spans education, social justice and rehabilitation, children's social care, family support, social action, and getting people into work.

Young People and Families

Our Young People and Families Hub (YP&F) delivers a wide range of integrated support services that are designed to help resolve complex difficulties experienced by young people and their families/carers. Our Hub works with those in trouble, providing early intervention to those who are in crisis, leaving care, missing from home, or with substance misuse or mental health problems - services support people no matter what their situation, and have demonstrated a high success rate.

Our Merton Risk and Resilience Service is an integrated service, focused on mitigating risk, and promoting resilience, in children and young people (C&YP). Our service aims to reduce the harm to children and young people (aged 18 and under), within the Child Exploitation (CE) and Missing service area, and C&YP (aged 24 and under), within the substance misuse service area.

Job Description

Merton Risk and Resilience is an integrated service that focuses on mitigating risks and promoting resilience in children and young people (CYP), who are going missing from home, experiencing child exploitation (CE), or using substances.

You will be joining a supportive and dedicated team, who are driven to build and develop the self-esteem, confidence, and resilience of young people – reducing the potential harm, and enabling young people to lead healthy, happy, and productive lives.

The overall aim of the Smoke Free Generation role is to design and deliver a ‘smoke free generation’ prevention, cessation and education service for CYP to reduce the smoking prevalence for young people aged 11-24 in Merton and to stop and reduce the rate that young people take up smoking and vaping.

The service will consist of three components of service delivery:

1. Component A - Smoking and Vaping Prevention Service
2. Component B - Stop Smoking Service
3. Component C - Education and Delivery Service

The Service Model is Based On a Tiered Framework:

1. A specialist stop smoking service.
2. Brief advice / intervention.
3. Self-help and signposting.

You will work alongside the Risk and Resilience practitioners, who will also have undertaken the National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training (NCSCT), and can support you in delivering interventions to CYP.

Main Duties & Accountabilities

1. Lead on Smoking and Vaping Prevention Service - based on ‘Stopping the Start across all ages covered by the core service, ages 11-24.
2. Provide an evidence-based approach to stop smoking services for children and young people aged 11-24 using NICE guidelines.
3. Provide education and delivery service to support CYP who may be considering vaping or smoking, which includes creating a network of Smoke Free Generation Ambassadors who can signpost and support young people to the appropriate information and services.
4. Establish effective pathways and referral routes to support CYP requiring additional support e.g., school nursing team, educators, Smoke Free Generation Ambassadors, parents and carers, health visiting, general practice, youth providers and mental health.
5. Design and deliver a range of prevention, cessation and education services.

This post will involve travel across the borough, and occasional evening and weekend working.

Qualifications

• 5 GCSEs (grade C or above), or equivalent.
• Skills, knowledge, and experience relevant for the job.

Additional Information
Salary: Up to £29,000 per annum (depending on knowledge and experience)
Hours of work: Full time, 37 hours per week*
Contract: Permanent
Location: Civic Centre, Morden Library, London Road, Town Centre, Morden SM4 5DX

• This role requires access to a car, and a full driving licence.
• Catch22 supports flexible working, and we are ambassadors of a positive work-life balance - any hours worked outside of regular contracted hours will be accrued as Toil, and wherever possible, these are taken at the member of staff's convenience.
• This is a community-based role, however we are open to discussing flexibility for remote working days where service delivery allows.

Benefits

• Discounted shopping opportunities, with over 1,400 retailers – through our Rewards Hub.
• Access to a 24/7 GP helpline – including online video consultations, and electronic private prescriptions.
• Employee Assistance Programme – a free, confidential service that offers expert advice, information, and counselling, for all staff and their dependents (24/7, 365 days a year).
• Access to a network of trained Mental Health First Aiders, across the organisation.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• 28 days annual leave (+ 8 public holidays) – increasing to 33 days after five years.
• Matching employer pension contributions of 4%.

If you would like to meet the team and/or visit the service prior to applying, please email Kelly Anderson, Service Manager: [e-mail].

A additional opportunity to support the Catch22, County Lines support and rescue service. An out of hours service that facilitates the safe return home for children and young people, who have been found in an exploitative situation inside and outside of London. This is an additional paid role which is an optional opportunity attached to the advertised role.

Catch22 is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff, volunteers and other third parties to share this commitment. Safer recruitment practice will be followed and pre-employment background checks will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed. The post is subject to an enhanced DBS check.

See the benefits of working for Catch22 here.

Unless otherwise stated, interviews will be arranged as suitable candidates are identified, so early application is strongly advised.

At Catch22 we value equality, diversity and inclusion. We are wholeheartedly committed to the principle of equality of opportunity, both as an employer and as a provider of services. Diversity and Inclusion is part of what we do every day, working to deliver our vision to build a strong society where everyone has good people around them, a purpose, and a good place to live.

Catch22 is committed to rigorous safeguarding and safer recruitment practices; ensuring that every individual within the organisation has been safely and appropriately checked.

If you are applying for this role and are care experienced, Catch22 offers a mentor to assist with the application process. Please contact [e-mail] if you would like to find out more about this support. This information will not be passed to the team recruiting for this position.

For more information about the Propel Programme and a guide for candidates who wish to join the programme, please see here.

You can also watch an animation on the programme here.