Family Engagement And Participation Worker

Hours: 37.5 hours per week
Job Type: Permanent
Location: Hybrid, 3 days at our Cheadle Hulme, SK8 6RQ office

Are you ready to champion the voices of our children and young adults, ensure their parents are listened to, and that co-production is at the heart of all our services?

We are looking for professional and resilient applicants who have experience of individual and strategic co-production with children and young people who access education, health, and care services to join our team as a Family Engagement and Participation Worker.

Here at Seashell, we provide care and education for children and young people (up to 25 years old) with severe, profound, and complex learning difficulties and disabilities, sensory impairment and communication disorders and autism.

The Family Services Department is a lifeline service for families and professionals, offering a ‘one-stop shop’ of a range of family support and advise, as well as admissions into school, college, health, and care.

This role is an incredibly exciting opportunity for someone within family liaison or engagement to develop and have the opportunity to play an integral role in making a difference to our children and young people.

What you'll be doing:

• Facilitating support and providing appropriate information and additional resources to enable parents and carers to engage and participate.
• Advocating for families to be included in the design, development, delivery, and review of SEND policies, procedures and services.
• Working closely with the Policy and Campaign Officer and Family Liaison Workers.
• Playing an active role as a Stockport SEND Champion and to attend SEND relevant meetings.
• Promoting recognition and celebration of children, young adults and parents and carers involved in co-producing services.
• Setting up and running a range of engagement processes including parents and carers in decision making meetings, interviews, parent/ carer forums, focus groups, consultations, pulse surveys.
• Working in a collaborative and flexible way across Seashell, acting as a role model to colleagues and building strong relationships across the Trust.

What you’ll need:

• Previous experience of working directly with families, building effective relationships and securing improved outcomes in a similar role.
• An excellent understanding of SEND Legislation and safeguarding.
• The ability to empower and engage parents and carers, children, and young people to have a voice and contribute to decisions which make long term positive changes for their future.
• Excellent communication skills, written, verbal and influencing skills.
• *Please request a full copy of the Job Description by contacting a member of our team.
• Be able to work flexibly to meet the needs of children, young adults, and their families, which may include evening and weekend working.
• You will have strong presentation skills and have experience of delivering interactive meetings, focus groups and workshops.
• GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent qualifications, in English and maths.
• Train the Trainer qualification would be desirable but is not essential.

What we can offer you:

Our detailed 2-week induction programme ensures that all Seashell employees gain the essential knowledge to work within our amazing setting.

With our commitment to ongoing training and development through appraisals and supervisions we encourage career progression and development throughout the business.

Other benefits include:

• Use of our on-site gym, fitness classes, and state of the art swimming pool
• A generous annual leave entitlement (5.4 weeks per year as school holidays) as this is a term time only role.
• Paid Enhanced DBS
• Multiple retail, food and leisure discounts
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Free on-site parking
• A comprehensive health and wellbeing provision including Employee Assistance, wellbeing programmes and Occupational Health
• Life Assurance
• Employee recognition and reward Summer and Winter events.
• 25-30 days annual leave

How to apply

Please upload your CV to apply. As part of our safer recruitment policy, you will be asked to complete a Compliance Application Form, and successful candidates will be required to undergo an enhanced DBS check (no cost) and full references will be taken.

About Seashell Trust

Seashell Trust runs an Outstanding (Ofsted) special School, and a specialist College together with 17 on-site residential homes for children and young people with complex learning disabilities, physical disabilities and multisensory impairments.

We provide a caring environment that is safeguarded and committed to promoting learning, respect and independence, as well as dignity for all our students.

We value our employees and recognise the need to recruit, retain and develop highly skilled and committed talent who share our vision and values!

We value diversity and are committed to equal opportunities. We are an inclusive employer and welcome all applications.

Disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria on the person specification will be guaranteed an interview. If you require any reasonable adjustments for an interview, please highlight this to our Recruitment Team in advance.

This charity is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Our vision is for the children and young people in our care to be safe, happy and to achieve the best possible outcomes so that they are valued and valuable members of their communities.