Work Coach

Reports to: VolunteeringandEmployabilityManager

Salary: £25,081 - 27,453 per annum

plus generous benefits package and mileage for within work travel

Hours: 37 hrs/week

Based at: The role is primarily covering Durham and South Northumberland and will involve significant work within the community.

Do you have experience supporting vulnerable adults into employment, volunteering and/or self/employment?

Do you have experience working with partnerships within the community e.g. voluntary sector, education, education, employers, Job Centre Plus?

Generously funded by a charity, our Work Coaches support adults with learning disabilities into employment, self-employment and volunteering.Through skills development, training, volunteering and work experience placements we aim to enable our Clients to achieve real work outcomes. The role will involve frequent travel across our area of operations and to each of our four hubs. This role requires a current UK driving licence and a car (no transportation of clients involved).

The postholder will:

Liaise with Local Authority’s Transitions & Learning Disability teams to identify Clients in receipt of Day Services for the Working Journey’s Programme;

• Link to Health & Social Care teams and students to promote the service;
• Work collaboratively with Job Centre Plus, the National Careers Services, Schools./Colleges and local employers to access suitable work-experience and employment opportunities;
• Work collaboratively with Voluntary Sector, Local Authority and NHS Partners to secure transition from day-care to volunteering & work placements;
• Advise on work placements and employment opportunities;
• Prepare Clients through jobsearch, application and interview stages;
• Provide mentoring & support for Clients who are volunteering;
• Provide in-work facilitation for Clients who have progressed to employment;
• Provide information and guidance on DWP’s in-work benefits and services to support Clients and hosting employers (e.g. Universal Credit, Access to Work, Disability Confident);
• Provide pre-employment & retention support for hosting employers.

Responsibilities of all Staff

• To ensure Client Safeguarding in line with the Safeguarding Policy and the Care Act 2014;
• To work within Health and Safety guidelines and follow safe working practices;
• To be an ambassador, promoting, embodying and upholding our values with all stakeholders;
• To work as part of the team, attending and contributing to team and whole-staff meetings as required;
• To undertake training as required by the Organisation including mandatory whole-staff training days.

Benefits

Employees are provided with 36 days leave/annum pro rata, a contributory pension scheme, a healthcare package, holiday buy-back scheme, Cycle2Work Scheme and a promotional items welcome pack. Staff are also offered discounted lunches and free refreshments. 3 additional gifted holiday days between Christmas and New Year. There is also 1-day a week home working.

Hours

The Charity operates between 08.30-16.30 from Monday-Thursday and 08.30-16.00 on Friday.

All Staff who work for six hours continuously must take half an hour for lunch daily.

This role will be subject to an Enhanced DBS on the Update Service.