Serving the Community

Investing in Potential
PERSONAL ADVISER
Application Pack
First Base Walsall
The Small Street Centre
1a Small Street
WALSALL
WS1 3PR
Tel:
01922 700950
Fax:
01922 700951
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.firstbasewalsall.co.uk
CONTENTS
Job Description ................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Aim and Objective........................................................................................................................................................... 3
Duties and Responsibilities ............................................................................................................................................. 3
Supervision and Support ................................................................................................................................................. 5
Personal Specification ..................................................................................................................................................... 6
Mission statement .............................................................................................................................................................. 7
Statement of Philosophy of Care ........................................................................................................................................ 8
Basis of Faith Statement. .................................................................................................................................................... 9
Organisational Values Statement ..................................................................................................................................... 10
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JOB DESCRIPTION
Title:
Employed by:
Responsible to:
Workbase:
Hours / Week:
Grade / Salary:
First Base Personal Adviser
First Base Walsall
Supported Housing Team Leader
Supported Housing Service, Central Walsall
Up to 37.5 (Including regular evenings & weekends by rota)
PA1-PA10 / £15,127 to £20,810 per annum (depending upon
experience/qualifications) & sleepover allowance.
AIM AND OBJECTIVE
To provide information, advice and guidance in order to empower and encourage greater independence in all areas
affecting young people, including, but not exclusive to, vulnerable and homeless young people.
To provide life skills support enabling young people to take up local learning, training and employment opportunities.
To provide practical support & motivation, in order to develop a learning culture.
To meet the needs of young people, facilitate appropriate support and services in order to enable the young person to
progress on their terms.
First Base Walsall is an interdenominational Christian Charity, commanded by Christ to recognise & serve the needs
of the local community. Accordingly, there is an expectation that all employees will be sympathetic to & supportive
of the Charity’s Christian ethos.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Main duties:
1.
To interview and assess the needs of young people referred to the service and provide appropriate
information, advice and guidance enabling the young person to access a range of opportunities – including
appropriate risk & baseline needs assessments.
2.
To represent First Base at the Walsall Borough Hostel Working Group, following up new referrals and
reporting back on existing cases.
3.
To facilitate and give practical support to young people in all aspects of independent living.
4.
To encourage social interaction and integration into the local community.
5.
To develop a Personal Action Plan (PDP) with each young person, using realistic and achievable targets during
the period of support and regularly monitoring the progress in liaison between the young person and the
relevant agencies.
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6.
To support young people in areas of handling finance, enabling them to budget effectively and achieve
appropriate funding/income (benefits/grants/training allowances).
7.
To support young people in accessing relevant employment and training opportunities both through referral
to outside agencies and utilising on-site facilities.
8.
To encourage young people to maintain a healthy lifestyle by offering one to one and group support.
9.
To support young people, where appropriate, in restoring family relationships.
10.
Facilitating and co-ordinating multi-agency partnership and dialogue in order to best meet the needs of
young people (inc. Social Services, training providers, Probation, Police, etc.)
11.
To involve young people in the design, development, delivery and evaluation of all aspects of First Base
Walsall’s service.
12.
To be creative in finding alternative ways of engaging, motivating and supporting young people.
13.
To accurately & regularly record information on the needs and progress of young people and provide line
management information as required.
14.
To promote Christian values & the Christian ethos of First Base, which encourage a positive sense of selfesteem and mutual respect in clients, staff and volunteers within a relaxed, stable and secure environment.
15.
Actively participate in & lead (on a rotational basis) daily devotional meetings in order to underpin the
organisation’s activities as an outworking of the Christian Faith.
OTHER DUTIES:
16.
To promote an understanding of the Charity’s work and issues affecting young people throughout Churches
and the wider community in the Walsall area.
17.
To contribute to the ongoing development of First Base Walsall in order that we provide the best possible
service to young people.
18.
To undertake training and development activities as required by the line management of First Base Walsall.
19.
To represent the Service on various committees (if requested) to further the objectives of First Base Walsall.
20.
To work in partnership with workers from other agencies as appropriate, in the interests of the Service’s aims
and objectives.
21.
To help in the recruitment and training of volunteers, as and when required, and work in a supportive
manner towards them.
22.
To ensure that all clients, staff and volunteers are treated fairly and equally and that the Service operates in
accordance with First Base Walsall’s Equal Opportunities Policy.
23.
To take all necessary steps to ensure that Health and Safety responsibilities are compiled with in respect of
statutory regulations and safety policies and codes.
24.
To undertake “Sleepover” Duties on a rota basis at the Service in negotiation with the Supported Housing
Team Leader. (This will be in addition to the normal hours, and an additional allowance is paid).
25.
Schedule working time in the best interest of the Charity, including daytime, evening and weekend work as
appropriate. Some weekend working is likely to be a feature. (Whilst the organisation will give sympathetic
consideration to requests for flexible working arrangements (to meet personal commitments etc), it must be
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remembered that the operational requirements of the Charity remain the priority (in order to provide a
quality service to our clients) and that ALL requests MUST be made in advance in order to receive appropriate
sanction from management. Failure to comply may result in disciplinary action).
26.
Actively promote the Christian Ethos of the Charity in all aspects of the work – with the charity’s clients and
external organisations/partners.
27.
Any other tasks that are reasonably required by the line management to help the Charity achieve its
objectives.
SUPERVISION AND SUPPORT
Line Management will be to the First Base Management Board through the Supported Housing Team Leader
(SHTL)/Chief Officer.
Management Board
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SHTL / Chief Officer
(Trustees and Directors of First Base Walsall)
(Day to day Line Manager / Supervision)
An expectation of regular task / feedback meetings with the SHTL/Chief Officer – initially weekly.
An expectation of 6-weekly supervision / support meetings with the SHTL/Chief Officer (or when required)
An Annual Appraisal – usually carried out in April / May each year.
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PERSONAL SPECIFICATION
Essential
Desirable
The post holder must be able to work
within and promote the Christian ethos
of the Charity.
A working knowledge of issues affecting
young people in housing need.
Experience working with young people
(aged 16+) in a paid or voluntary
capacity.
A youthwork related qualification.
Good written & verbal communication skills,
good interpersonal skills.
Knowledge of housing projects / issues Including the Supporting People programme.
Able to form positive working relationships with,
and motivate young people.
Use of a vehicle & full clean driving license.
Ability to work flexible working hours including
some evenings and weekends.
(Sleepovers on a rota basis will also be required)
Computer literacy.
Competent in basic life-skills (such as cooking,
budgeting, hygiene, employment skills etc.) and
able to transfer your skills to young people.
First Aid Certificate.
Able to learn new skills and / or work with other
skilled workers to improve the training
opportunities for young people.
Food & Hygiene Certificate
Able to work on your own initiative
Able to form a positive working relationship
with the Charity's Staff Team, voluntary
Management Board and rise to the challenging
nature of a pioneering and forward-looking Christian
Charity.
Ability to work in a non-discriminatory manner.
A commitment to personal development, learning
new skills, and working with others to create
new learning opportunities.
Able to manage confidential matters with the utmost integrity.
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MISSION STATEMENT
“First Base Walsall is an interdenominational Christian Charity,
commanded by Christ to recognise & serve the needs of the local
community”.
As a practical outworking of our Christian faith the Charity employs a holistic
approach of quality, non-discriminatory service provision & support in its aims of:
Empowering people to discover their potential;
Alleviating poverty & disadvantage;
Promoting education;
Encouraging independence;
Encouraging participation.
The objectives of this Mission Statement will be achieved through:
Providing relevant support services e.g. supported housing, floating support, to create an environment of stability and
security, from which development programmes can be delivered.
Care and support which meets service users at their point of need. This need may be social, emotional, physical or
spiritual and could be addressed by means of befriending, counselling, training etc.
Empowering clients for the future through individually tailored life skills training programmes and other development
programmes.
Maximising clients’ access to opportunity by:
Working in partnership with relevant local/national agencies;
Acting as an access point for youth related information;
Providing access to appropriate move-on accommodation;
Developing links with local employment and training agencies.
Providing facilities through The Small Street Centre.
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STATEMENT OF PHILOSOPHY OF CARE
First Base Walsall aims to provide a safe and secure environment, where service users can be
empowered to fulfil their potential intellectually, socially, emotionally and spiritually.
On-going support and assistance is provided by paid staff & volunteers, to promote individual self
worth, self-respect & self-confidence and to enhance personal skills for our service users.
Individuals are encouraged to make informed choices in taking responsibility for their own future
and to take part in planning the future development of First Base Walsall’s services.
The Christian ethos of First Base Walsall recognises the importance of privacy, the right to hold
opinions/beliefs and the right of everyone to be treated fairly and equitably. Due respect will be
given to peoples religious views, cultural background and sensitivities. While we may from time to
time have the privilege of sharing our faith with young people, at no time will this be done in a
way that exerts pressure upon them or gives them the impression that continued use of First Base
Walsall’s services is in any way dependent upon their response.
The Christian ethos of First Base is our motivation for all our work – it is the reason why we do
what we do. It is to work together to extend Jesus’ model of the Kingdom of God on earth by living
out a lifestyle of love, truth, justice, mercy and forgiveness, according to his teaching. We are
inspired by the message, life and example of Jesus through which God’s unconditional love for all
people is expressed.
Our motivation, or ethos, is rooted in our faith (see Faith Statement) in Jesus Christ and his love,
which compels us to serve others, putting their needs first. In this way, First Base operates on the
understanding that our activities are simply an outworking of our faith; that our ‘doing’ derives
directly from our ‘being’. There is an essential and indissoluble link between the inner and the
outer, the private life and the public face of First Base. The link between who we are and what we
do cannot be broken.
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BASIS OF FAITH STATEMENT.
We believe in:
God in three persons; Father, Son and Holy Spirit: Creator of the universe & sustainer of all life.
The virgin birth of Jesus Christ, God’s Son; His sinless life; His atoning death on the cross; His bodily
resurrection, ascension & present intercession at the right hand of the Father for those who
believe.
The work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of all those who have faith.
We believe in:
The need for repentance from sin, resulting in New Birth by the Holy Spirit; and in justification for
the sinner - only by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
The resurrection of all mankind for judgement by Christ at His future visible return in power and
glory.
We believe in:
The Bible, as the inspired word of God and His final authority in all things; its teaching that we are
made in the image of God, and that we are to work out our faith through our actions.
We believe that:
As members of the Body of Christ on earth, the Church, we are charged with the responsibility of
proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Inspired by:
“Righteousness from God comes through faith in Christ Jesus to all who believe.”
Romans 3:23
“…faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
James 2:17
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ORGANISATIONAL VALUES STATEMENT
First Base Walsall recognises the need to demonstrate that our Christian ethos is integral to what
we do on a day-to-day basis – that we “do what we say” in a practical & visible way, which is
driven by our Christian faith.
Values are the “why” link between our mission (the “what”) & working practices (the “how”). They
are key in determining how we operate as an organisation; they determine our motivation & give
us a sense of direction.
As an organisation, First Base Walsall has identified the following values as being key to
outworking & upholding the Christian identity & ethos of the charity:
Integrity: defined as trustworthiness, dependability, security, responsibility, honesty,
congruence (agreement), authenticity, truth, compassion, fairness, Biblical principles &
“doing what we say”;
Service to God;
Leadership: of God over the whole of the organisation;
Love: that is open-hearted;
Honesty: truthful at all times, open & constructive;
Commitment: passionate about what we do & willing to “go the extra mile”.
On a daily basis, each person within the organisation (Directors, Staff, volunteers) will seek to:
Be responsible for acting with integrity in all they say & do;
Express their service to God through the caring of others;
Look for God’s leadership in carrying out their daily tasks;
Provide a loving, caring experience for everyone interacting with us;
Explain things clearly, openly & positively and not hide behind jargon or “spin”; be honest
in all our dealings, both inside & outside of First Base Walsall;
Be passionate about & committed to the individual – providing appropriate support &
being willing to “go the extra mile” in order to see potential fulfilled.
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