Children and Young People Support Worker

ST. DAVID'S CHILDREN SOCIETY

28,142 - 30,024 per year (pro rata)

Lambourne House, Cardiff

Full-time

JOB DESCRIPTION:
Children and Young
People Support Worker

POST

SERVICE

TERM OF POST

SALARY

SCALE POINT

HOURS

BASE

TRAVEL

Children and Young People Support Worker
St David’s Adoption and St David’s Fostering Service
Fixed - term (3 years)
£28,142 - £30,024 FTE (pro-rata for part time)
11-15
18 Hours
Lambourne House, Cardiff
Essential Car User Allowance – travel across Wales

ST DAVID’S VALUES
St David’s Children Society is a registered and approved Voluntary Adoption and Fostering
Agency covering the geographical region of Wales. The person who holds this position is
expected to have full regard to the values of the organisation and be prepared to operate
within its ethos and its services’ vision and mission statements.

CORE STATEMENT OF POST
To provide emotional and practical support to children and young people who have been
adopted from care or are looked-after in foster care. While working directly with the child or
young person this role includes working closely with adoptive parents, foster carers, and other
professionals to ensure that children and young people feel safe, heard, and empowered. The
role supports improved emotional wellbeing, placement stability, and long-term positive
outcomes for children and young people.

THE ROLE
To fulfil the objectives of St David’s Children Society, which relate to the provision of adoption
and fostering services for children. The post holder will be part of a team that aims to provide
creative and forward-thinking services to meet the needs of children requiring adoption or
fostering placements and support those children and their families post placement and post
adoption order.

The role will involve providing direct support to children, young people and their families to
develop and improve wellbeing, sense of self and support relations within the home. The post
holder will deliver one to one support and group activities with adopted and foster children
and their families as part of our universal offer and specialist support.

The principal responsibilities of the person performing this job are:

• To work for the long-term well-being of children referred to St David’s Children Society

in accordance with the agency’s aims and objectives.

• To respect and preserve the confidentiality, both within and outside the organisation

of all who use the services of St David’s.

KEY TASKS

Direct Work with Children and Young People

• To undertake 1-1 work with children / young people delivering structured and informal

sessions, using a trauma-informed and attachment-aware approaches.

• Build trusting, consistent relationships with children and young people to support their

emotional wellbeing and development.

• Visiting children, young people and their families in their own home or taking children

/ young people out into the community

• To participate in ongoing assessment of needs to prevent breakdown of placement.
• Support children to explore and express feelings around identity, contact, loss,

trauma, and life story work.

• To deliver age-appropriate peer support activities through group sessions.

Family and Carer Support

• Establish and maintain relationships with parents and foster carers.
• Work alongside adoptive and foster families to offer practical strategies that support

placement stability.

• Offer guidance to parents / carers around managing challenging behaviours or

emotional responses rooted in early experiences.

• To provide advice and support to foster carers and looked after and adopted children

as required.

Multi-agency Working

• Work in partnership with colleagues from a range of different agencies to provide high

quality support to children, young people and their parents/carers.

• Liaise with St David’s social workers and Local Authority Social Workers, and where

requested schools, health professionals, and other services.

• Attend and contribute to professional meetings, reviews, and safeguarding

discussions.

• Where required support the child or young person is advocating for their needs and

rights at professional meetings.

• Under the direction of St David’s management team, liaise with colleagues, partner
agencies and other professionals to access services, share information and keep all
relevant parties updated regarding wellbeing, needs and plans for the child / young
person.

Safeguarding and Risk Management

• To assist St David’s Social Workers to ensure the safeguarding of vulnerable

children/young people.

• Recognise and respond to safeguarding concerns in line with local and national

safeguarding procedures.

• Maintain accurate and confidential records of all work, including support plans,

assessments, and evaluations.

Monitoring and Evaluation

• Contribute to monitoring outcomes and the impact of support provided.
• Use feedback from children, families, and professionals to adapt and improve services.

Administrative Tasks

• To undertake administrative/routine tasks appropriate to the post.
• To maintain case files and to provide verbal and written reports as required.

KEY EXPECTATIONS

• To work flexibly, including evenings and weekends to meet the needs of children,

young people and their families.

• Have a willingness to engage in training and development opportunities.
• To maintain effective working relationships and thereby contribute to a working

•

environment which is safe, considerate and supportive to all.
In accordance with relevant legislation, to take reasonable care of your health, safety
and welfare and that of other persons who may be affected by the performance of
your duties.

• To work in a manner which is in keeping with the equal opportunities and anti-

oppressive practice standards of St David’s Children Society.

• To adhere to Health and Safety regulations and maintain a safe working environment.
• To work accountably within all the organisation’s policies and procedures, including
acceptable usage of IT, Confidentiality, Data Protection and Equal Opportunities.

CONFIDENTIALITY
It is expected that all staff employed by St David’s Children Society will understand that our
work is confidential and that personal details must not be divulged to members of the public.
This obligation will continue indefinitely even after termination of employment.

PERSON SPECIFICATION
(To be read in conjunction with the Job Description)

POST

Children and Young People Support Worker.

QUALIFICATIONS

(E = Essential

D = Desirable)

• 4 x GCSEs including English and Maths at grade C

or above or equivalent qualifications.

• Qualification in social work, youth work, childcare,
counselling, psychology, or a related field (Level 3
or above).

EXPERIENCE

(E = Essential

D = Desirable)

• Experience of working directly with children and
young people,
ideally those who are care-
experienced or experience of working with
children who have experienced trauma.

✓

• Experience of working with children and families

✓

in varied and complex circumstances

• Experience of partnership work with children and

families, and external organisations.
of working with

• Experience

caseload/workload
demands.

to manage

varied
timelines and

• Experience of delivering trauma-informed support

with children and families.

• Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary way
to achieve positive outcomes for children and
families.

• Experience of working in a team.

• Experience of managing challenging behaviour,

challenging situations, or conflict

KNOWLEDGE / SKILLS

(E = Essential

D = Desirable)

• Demonstrable knowledge of child development
and the effect of early trauma, attachment
disorders, abuse, loss and separation has on a
child’s behaviour

✓

Evidence to
be derived
from

Application

Evidence to
be derived
from

Application /
Interview

Application /
Interview
Application /
Interview

Evidence to
be derived
from

• Knowledge of the needs of Children and Young
People with a range of physical and emotional
complex needs

• Skills

in developing appropriate packages of
support for children, young people and their
families.

• Excellent communication and active listening

skills, with the ability to engage children of various
ages and backgrounds.

• Knowledge of the adoption and fostering system in
legal and safeguarding

including

Wales/UK,
frameworks.

• Ability to work independently, as well as part of a

multi-agency team.

• Knowledge of safeguarding and the ability to
follow statutory safeguarding policy and
procedures.

• To respond positively to training and development
learn and
opportunities with an ability
understand theoretical concepts, legal frameworks
and to work within policy and procedures.

• Experience of Microsoft Office 365 including all

applications and use of database systems.

• Ability to value diversity, treating people as
individuals, working across cultures and valuing
individual inputs/contributions.

ATTITUDES & VALUES

(E = Essential

D = Desirable)

Resilience and emotional maturity to manage complex
and emotionally demanding situations.
Strong interpersonal skills and ability to sustain
appropriate working relationships with a range of
people including children, young people, parents and
carers, colleagues and other professionals and
managers.
Ability to work on own initiative, to prioritise, plan
organise work to deadlines.
Personal or professional experience of adoption or
fostering.

MISCELLANEOUS

(E = Essential

D = Desirable)

Flexibility to work evenings/weekends as needed to
meet the needs of families.
Must be prepared to undertake an enhanced
Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check

✓

Evidence to
be derived
from

✓

Evidence to
be derived
from

Must have full driving licence and use of own car, with
business insurance.
Ability to communicate through the medium of Welsh

✓