Our Young Achievers programme is going to look a little different from September when we kick off our brand new Youth Group for school-aged children…. and we need someone fantastic to lead it!

If you think that might be you… read on for more information and get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.

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Young Achievers Youth Group Leader - Role Profile

DS Achieve is looking for an inspiring and highly motivated leader to, along with an Assistant Leader and a team of volunteers, set up, manage and deliver a weekly, term-time only developmental activity group for school/college age children/young people with Down Syndrome. You’ll run the group, organise the meetings and deliver awesome activities to help children with Down Syndrome develop their life skills and social communication.

Hours: 5.5 per week (3.5 hours of this will be on a Saturday afternoon, term time only, for 10 weeks per term)

Pay: £17 per hour
Agreed expenses covered by DS Achieve
Location: at a specific venue in Hertfordshire (location tbc)
Statutory holiday entitlement
Start date: Early September 2021

DS Achieve’s Mission

Empowering Families, Fulfilling Potential

DS Achieve’s Vision

We believe that by empowering families, we will enable every child with Down Syndrome to be given the opportunity to achieve their potential in every aspect of their life.

About DS Achieve

DS Achieve is a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation formed by parents of children with Down Syndrome. We empower the families of children and young people with Down Syndrome to enable them to fulfil their potential, whatever that may be – and it will be different for every child or young person. Geographically, we are focused on families in and around Hertfordshire. The DS Achieve team currently consists of four Trustees, three employees and a number of volunteers. There are currently four main services in place:

Little Achievers – a weekly, term time, early intervention and play group for children aged 5 and under.
Young Achievers – a skills and social development group for school-aged children (this has previously been numerous separate sets of activities and is now developing to become the Youth Group from September).
Training – for parents, carers and professionals.
Empowerment Group - for parents.

Job summary

DS Achieve is looking to recruit a Youth Leader to establish and run a developmental programme for children and young people with Down Syndrome. You will report to the Head of Operations and be responsible for running the programme, which will include planning and delivering the weekly activity sessions, communications with parents, liaising with external activity providers where needed, and managing an Assistant Leader and a group of volunteers.

Our ideal candidate is an experienced Youth Leader (e.g. of a Brownies/Scouts or similar type unit/programme) and has experience of working with children with SEND.

Duties will include, but not be limited to, the following:

You will:

plan and deliver a varied and interesting range of activities which are based on the development of life skills and social communication skills for children and young people with Down Syndrome. These must be accessible and inclusive and can be planned with your team and with input from parents. Some example activities may be arts and crafts, sports, dance, music, games, food based tasks, themed activities.
deliver the weekly meetings, run activities with the children / young people and your team and actively participate
manage an Assistant Leader and a group of volunteers
work directly with children and young people, supporting their personal development by providing an appropriate programme of activities.
provide a safe and supportive space
look to remove barriers in accessing provision and where every child with Down Syndrome can take part, taking account of their individual needs
use your initiative to get tasks done and strive at all times to be a positive role model to each individual
communicate effectively with parents/carers
monitor, evaluate and report back to the Head of Operations on a regular basis
be able to follow policies and procedures around confidentiality, data protection, safeguarding and Health & Safety requirements (Incl. risk assessments)

Requirements:

Proven experience as a Group Leader or similar for a group of children / young people
Experience of setting up a similar group
Excellent organisational skills
Experience of managing a team and working with volunteers
A strong commitment to young people and an understanding of the factors affecting their lives
A sense of adventure and a willingness to try new things
Patience, tolerance and flexibility
Track record of high performance.
Good numeracy and literacy skills.
Excellent interpersonal skills - friendly and welcoming, good listener, clear communicator, good facilitator, happy to ‘pitch in’ - with the ability to establish good relationships with young people
Safeguarding trained at minimum level 1 (or willing to undertake training at level 1 prior to commencement of the role).
Good administrative and IT (Google Docs/Sheets) skills.
Experience of and knowledge of the challenges of working with children/young people with SEND
Relevant qualification in youth work and/or teaching

Desirable, but not essential:

First Aid trained
Experience of working with children with Down Syndrome and their families

Please note that successful candidates will be subject to Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), Right to Work in the UK and reference checks prior to appointment.

If you think you may be suitable for this role and would like to find out more, please contact Michelle Bolton, Head of Operations, on 07824 467471.

To apply, please email your CV to us at info@dsachieve.org.

Deadline: Friday 4th June 2021