News
We are looking for volunteers for two of our programmes, working directly with babies, children and young people with Down Syndrome.
Both programmes involve weekly sessions, during term time only. You don’t need to be there every week - just let us know what works for you.
No experience required - just enthusiasm and enjoyment from working with children.
Training and support will be given.
DS Achieve is delighted to be one of three organisations partnering with Hertfordshire Libraries to deliver their brand new Youth Volunteer programme 'My Voice'.
'My Voice' is a two-year project, generously funded by Arts Council England, which will provide opportunities for young people aged 14-24 years old to join the Hertfordshire Libraries youth volunteer network in libraries across the county. The three partner organisations are The OLLIE Foundation, Herts Sports Partnership and DS Achieve.
The DS Achieve partnership with Hertfordshire Libraries means that library staff will receive specialist training from DS Achieve's expert Down Syndrome advisors to support young people with Down Syndrome to volunteer and gain valuable learning and development opportunities, including life skills and work experience.
Specialist DS training for library staff is commencing this term, with volunteer opportunities for young people with Down Syndrome to start from spring 2023.
DS Achieve is looking for a new volunteer Treasurer to join our existing Board of five Trustees. Our ideal new Treasurer will have a background in finance with a relevant accountancy qualification. We are a small local charity that prides ourselves on good governance and maintaining robust financial procedures and the Treasurer will take a lead on financial issues for the team. If you enjoy being part of a small, friendly team and want to volunteer some of your time and skills to a great charity this is the role for you.
For full details click here
To apply please send a relevant CV to info@dsachieve.org . For further information or to discuss any aspects of the role please contact Gillian Warwick-Thompson, Chair of Trustees either by email as above or by phone 07826 086511.
We are looking for a fantastic new Assistant Leader for our Young Achievers programme. The role is supporting our Young Achievers Group Leader and the majority of the role (3.5hrs) is on Saturday afternoons (with another 1 hour to be worked flexibly during the week).
Have a look at the role profile HERE and if you think you might be the perfect candidate, please get in touch! Send us your CV to info@dsachieve.org with a covering email to say why you are interested in the role.
We hope to hear from you soon!
Welcome to Selena Chapman who is our newest appointment on the Board of Trustees.
Selena and her husband Neil have two children – Isobel (who was born in 2014 and has Down Syndrome) and George who is a couple of years older.
Before children, Selena headed up the Marketing and Communications teams of non-profit organisations including Marie Curie and Southbank Centre; held Trustee positions; provided voluntary consultancy to small enterprises and gained an MBA from Cranfield.
Currently she works part time heading up the communications and marketing team for CDP, a global non-profit that drives companies, cities and governments to reduce their environmental impact.
Selena would like to use her skills to support DS Achieve’s Marketing and Communication strategy going forward.
On Friday evening, we hosted out 'Ultimate Mum's Night In' for our DS Achieve mums in a cosy lounge at the beautiful Torrington Hall in St Albans. It was all about putting mums first and helping them to feel great about themselves.
Let's face it, mums are usually bottom of the list when it comes to being a priority and this can be even more the case when you're the mum of a children/children with additional needs. Our Empowerment Group aims to help parents build their confidence and resilience and look after themselves, so they can better support their families.
So on Friday, the amazing Lisa Wisdom from Style with Wisdom delivered a Style Party for a group of mums which involved fizz, fashion, and lots of fun.
Check out the photos to see what the ladies got up to....
Thank you so much to the organisations that supported and especially to @Sadna Akhal for donating the beautiful balloons!
We am delighted to share the exciting news that Avril Prosser, our fantastic Young Achievers Group Leader, is expecting her second child, due in September. Huge congratulations to Avril and her family.
This means that Avril will take Maternity Leave, starting in September, and we need someone to cover her role for the period she is on leave (up to 12 months). We are keen to hear from anyone who thinks they could do a fantastic job for us while Avril is away.
If you are interested in applying for the position, please read the role profile below and get in touch with your CV and the reasons why you’re interested in the role on info@dsachieve.org.
The application deadline is Friday 2nd July.
Welcome to our latest governance update giving you an insight into our behind the scenes work so far his year. We ended our 2021 financial year with our finances in a strong position thanks to our successful grant applications and the generosity of our donors. The Trustees have set a fundraising strategy and a robust budget for 2022 aiming to deliver a strong range of services for our beneficiaries this year and beyond.
Another financial year end meant it was time for finalising our Annual Accounts and writing our Trustee Annual Report. Rachel Angus, our brilliant Treasurer, keeps amazing records for us throughout the year and did not disappoint with her prompt production of the accounts and draft report ready for sign off by our March Trustee meeting. Due to our strong income over 2021 our accounts now need an Independent Examination and we are grateful to our outgoing examiner Juliet Thomas and our new examiner Ed Reeve for volunteering to step into her shoes this year. We are in good shape to meet all the Charity Commission requirements for our financial monitoring which is a key duty of the Trustees.
The start of a new financial year is also an opportunity to reflect on what is working well and what areas of our services can be further developed. Our exciting new Resources into Schools project has now been successfully launched and the Trustees are planning for the development of a new service for parent carers later in the year. Setting our strategy and designing our services is a very rewarding part of our governance processes.
Overseeing service delivery, compliance and managing risk are also important Trustee duties which keep us busy throughout the year. Our rolling programme of risk monitoring and policy reviews feature in all our Trustee meetings as do updates from our Head of Operations, Michelle Bolton, helping us to monitor and measure our impact. Part of our measurement includes assessing how well we operate as a Board of Trustees and our recent self-assessment highlighted our strengths and also identified scope for some improvements. As a first part of our development we are delighted that we will be able to welcome a new Trustee, to our existing team of four, at our May Trustee meeting which will mean more capacity, new perspectives and some fantastic complementary skills. Look out for an announcement soon!
As ever we would love to hear from you if you have any questions, comments or feedback on any of our services. Please do message us or email us at info@dsachieve.org
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.
—————————————————————————
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
DS Achieve is a small, dynamic charity with an ambition to enable the fulfilment of potential for children and young people with Down Syndrome by empowering their families. We do this through the provision of high quality information and training to our community and those that support them and by helping the children build skills through direct teaching and other activities. We focus our services on families living in and close to Hertfordshire.
DS Achieve is expanding its Board of Trustees in line with our strategy. The Trustee role is unpaid, voluntary and non-executive with ultimate responsibility for directing the affairs of DS Achieve, ensuring it is solvent, well-run and it delivers its objectives, as detailed in the Constitution. The Board of Trustees meets monthly (excluding August) with regular communication in between meetings, as needed.
The day to day management of the charity is carried out by our Head of Operations and we have two part time employees and regular volunteers to assist with activities and events.
We would particularly welcome someone with IT, marketing or fundraising experience to complement the skill set of the existing Trustees. A parent or carer or a sibling of a child or young person with Down Syndrome would also be welcome. We are committed to equality and diversity and welcome applicants from all backgrounds.
To apply please send a relevant CV to info@dsachieve.org . For further information or to discuss any aspects of the role please contact Gillian Warwick-Thompson, Chair of Trustees either by email as above or by phone 07826 086511. Please note that successful candidates will be subject to Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and reference checks prior to formal appointment as a Trustee.
Role profile - Overall Trustee responsibilities
Oversee the affairs of the organisation and ensure DS Achieve complies with:
its governing document
charity law
any other relevant legislation and regulations
Act in the best interests of the charity and its beneficiaries at all times.
Ensure DS Achieve pursues its objects and applies its resources accordingly as set out in the Constitution.
Ensure DS Achieve’s policies and practices are in keeping with its objects and vision.
Contribute actively to the Board giving strategic direction, setting policy and evaluating progress.
Use specific experience, knowledge and skills to help the Board of Trustees reach sound decisions.
Demonstrate independent, effective decision making.
Ensure the financial stability of the organisation.
Adhere to the Trustee Code of Conduct and pursue best practice.
Attend monthly Trustee meetings and undertake training as required to fulfil the Trustee role.
Attend and contribute to bi-annual Strategy meetings.
Qualities
Commitment to DS Achieve, and a willingness to devote the necessary time and effort. Previous trustee experience is useful but not essential, training will be provided as necessary.
Commitment to Nolan’s seven principles of public life: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.
Strategic vision and sound judgment.
Excellent communicator, both written and orally.
Confident with the use of technology (google suite) or a willingness to learn.
An understanding and acceptance of the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of trusteeship.
Ability to work effectively as a member of a team.
Passion and/or interest in working with people with Down Syndrome and their families.
NB. Pre-Authorised expenses and training costs related to the Trustee role will be reimbursed
