Life Coach Co-Ordinator - Req24406

Fixed Term until 31/06/2026

As a Life Coaching Co-ordinator you will thrive on the challenge of leading and managing a team of Life Coaches (Youth Workers) to deliver positive outcomes for some of the most vulnerable young people in Leeds. As a Life Coaching co-ordinator you will oversee and allocate the referrals coming in, quality assure the work of the team whilst also maintaining a small case load of your own young people to support. 

Leeds City Council is one of the largest employers in the region with over 14,000 employees. We seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our council values and ambitions.

About you

As a life Coach Co-Ordinator, you will bring to the role:

• Substantial experience of working with young people in a diverse range of youth work environments
• Ability to work restoratively with young people in order for them to develop appropriate self-care and coping strategies to empower them to take appropriate actions and become active citizens  
•  Ability to work flexibly to accommodate different lifestyles, goals and aspirations of individual young people which will include working outside of normal office hours including regular weekend work, late evenings, schools holidays and some residential work
• Knowledge of evidence based strategies and solution focussed interventions that will support young people to address issues and circumstances that are affecting their mental health and well-being
• JNC recognised level 6 Youth Work qualification (mandatory)

About the role 

Due to the success of the recently established Life Coaching Service, we are recruiting an additional team of Life Coaches to support the high number of young people who need this vital support. 

As a Life Coaching Co-Ordinator you will support a team of Life Coaches who have a case load of young people who are experiencing poor mental health and who are either on the edge of care or disengaged from education who they will work with and support for around 6 months, supporting them to make sustainable changes and improve their outcomes. The team provide regular one to one support to young people including practical support, support around their mental health, support to attend education or out of school activities, to achieve sustainable positive outcomes in collaboration with the young person, family or other professionals.

The Life coaching co-ordinators are the first point of contact for other professionals to make referrals to the service, and you will effectively manage the referral process. As well as maintaining a small caseload of your own, you will support the team to effectively manage and support their own caseloads and produce reports as required.

Feedback from young people who have been supported by the Life Coaching Service has included;

• ‘’The Life Coaching Service is amazing! I wish all teens in need could have a Life Coach’’.
• ‘’ I wish my youth worker came into my life sooner. They have helped me with my confidence and I am now attending college’’.
• ‘’Me, my mum and my step dad always talk about how helpful and amazing the Life Coaching Service is to us as a family. I can always count on my Youth Worker’’

If you would like to be able to make a real difference in the lives of some of the most vulnerable young people in Leeds, then come and join the team.

What we offer you

We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:

• a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays
• membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
• flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements
• a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities
• a range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further

How to apply

Apply for this job online. Please complete the online application form

Read our guidance for further advice. Please check your information carefully and ensure you complete all sections before submitting your application. 

If you have any queries or would like an informal discussion about the role please contact Shaun Macklin, Youth Service Manager – Projects on 07891270602 or email on shaun.macklin@leeds.gov.uk 

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. 

A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check against the Children’s barred list will be carried out on preferred candidates.

We promote diversity and want a workforce that reflects the population of Leeds and the communities we serve. Leeds City Council is an Inclusive employer, ranked 70 on the Stonewall top 100 employers 2023 list. We are also an Age friendly employer, a Mindful employer and a Disability Confident leader.

All new Leeds City Council appointments are made subject to the satisfactory completion of a six month probationary period. 

This role is based in the UK. Employment is conditional on confirmation of the right to work in the UK  - either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa. If you do not have the right to work in the UK and the role does not meet eligibility for sponsorship, please consider carefully whether you meet the eligibility to apply.

Job Description

Job Purpose: Work with Young people experiencing significant change and development as they transition between childhood, adolescence and into young adulthood.  Most youth work interventions take place in a group work setting but it is recognised that for some young people their needs and behaviour may be complex and difficult to address in a youth work group setting & or prevent them from accessing altogether.   

This role will lead and manage a specialist team of Life Coaches that undertake individual work with young people to build relationships and address their mental health needs such as suicidal thoughts and feelings, self-harm, stress, anxiety or depression accompanying them to sessions/activities and providing ongoing support as needed to promote sustainable outcomes.

Responsibilities: 

• Act as single point of contact for the Life Coaching Service, ensuring there are close working links with relevant services and teams such as the NHS, Early Help Hubs and the Residential Services Support Hub. 
• Act in a consultative capacity offering support, guidance and advice to members of the wider Youth Offer workforce regarding issues relating to young people’s mental health and well-being.
• Co-ordinate and manage referrals and allocations, facilitate Re-think forums and lead the promotion, publicity, marketing, monitoring and evaluation of the programme.
• Work directly with young people & their families for up to 50% of the role including routinely working late in the evenings, weekends, school holiday weeks and occasional residential work. 
• Maintain high quality records of work and to provide appropriate information/reports as requested to enable the service to be monitored and reviewed. 
• Develop and implement evidence based strategies and solution focussed interventions that will support young people to positively regulate emotions, build self-esteem, confidence and resilience. 
• Explore partnerships and develop them to improve outcomes for young people. 
• Represent the Youth Offer and actively participate in networks and partnerships, across the city, working to improve the mental health and well-being of young people. 
• Work in partnership to assess needs, provide and evaluate, a well-planned and resourced programme of activities, services and facilities for young people using youth work methodology. 
• Facilitate the development of the service by planning, delivering, monitoring and reviewing youth work provision in line with the Youth Offer Quality Assurance processes. 
• Ensure young people participate in designing, delivering and reviewing their programmes and involvement at governance level where possible.
• Undertake research with young people and other stakeholders to develop the Service’s ability to effectively respond to the changing environment and key priorities.
• Responsible for direct management of a team of Life Coaches ensuring policies and procedures relating to managing staff are undertaken including induction, improving attendance, improving performance and grievance and disciplinary procedures.
• Provide regular supervision and appraisal to staff members maintaining supervision and appraisal records using the appropriate documentation and associated guidance.
• Contribute to staff development through facilitating appropriate training opportunities, forums and the dissemination of good practice. 
• Act as a mentor, coach and role model for other practitioners in order to help develop and broaden their professional youth work practice. 
• Organise and lead meetings to ensure effective communication and the smooth running of youth work delivery. 
• Maintain effective relationships with colleagues within the Service, Directorate, other Council Directorates, Elected Members, external agencies and the general public.
• Responsible for day to day administration and resource management of the service ensuring smooth running of the programme of activities, services and facilities including building security (key holding and alarm duties), health & safety, banking of monies, ordering of equipment, inventories and record keeping. 
• Responsible for financial procedures, including budget control, preparation and submission of funding bids and managing external funding, contributing to the setting of budgets, taking a lead role in monitoring the relevant budget and ensuring effective spending of the budgeted sums.
• To be contactable by telephone and deal with out of hours emergencies as required
• Be proactive in safeguarding and promoting welfare of Children & Young People using a Restorative Practice approach as an overarching ethos. 
• The duties outlined are not meant as an exhaustive list and will also comprise any other duties within the spirit of the post commensurate with the level of the role.

Qualifications 

The minimum qualification essential for this post is a JNC recognised Level 6 Youth Work qualification. 

Essential requirements It is essential that the candidate should be able to demonstrate the following criteria. Candidates will only be shortlisted for interview if they can demonstrate that they meet all the essential requirements.

• Able to recognise and respond to the signs of mental health issues for a young person.
• Able to support a young person with a long term mental health issue or disability to thrive.
• Able to work restoratively with young people in order for them to develop appropriate self-care and coping strategies to empower them to take appropriate actions and become active citizens. 
• Able to work effectively with young people in groups and individually to safeguard their welfare and secure their commitment to achieving their life goals.
• Able to assess and evaluate the individual needs of children, young people and their families. 
• Able to effectively manage conflict and deal with sensitive issues whilst working under often conflicting demands.
• Able to work effectively with parents and staff from other agencies.
• Able to work flexibly to accommodate different lifestyles, goals and aspirations of individual young people which will include working outside of normal office hours including regular weekend work, late evenings, schools holidays and some residential work. 
• Flexible approach to meet the changing demands of the Youth Offer 
• Able to effectively deploy available resources to ensure optimum benefit to young people.
• Able to manage competing priorities whilst working with young people presenting at risk delivering on a range of service objectives and adapting to changing circumstances.
• Able to work effectively as part of a team and demonstrate excellent organisational and time management skills prioritising own and team’s work to meet conflicting deadlines. 
• Able to address any HR related procedures, in the management of Service staff. 
• Able to lead, motivate and supervise staff (including volunteers and Students) 
• Able to carry out administrative duties and meet deadlines (to include submission of external funding bids, preparing quality reports, producing annual profiles and development plans)
• Able to publicise and market the work. 
• Able to lead on responding to immediate health & safety issues.
• An in depth understanding of the issues concerning young people today, specifically those that impact on their mental health and well-being. 
• Working knowledge of local and national organisations and sources of support and help for young people experiencing emotional health and well-being issues.
• Knowledge of evidence based strategies and solution focussed interventions that will support young people to address issues and circumstances that are affecting their mental health and well-being.
• Knowledge of Local Authority policies and procedures and relevant legislation and their relationship to Youth Work 
• Knowledge of responsibilities in terms of Health and Safety, security, confidentiality and data protection affecting all activities within the posts remit
• Good working knowledge and understanding of Outcome Based Accountability (OBA), Restorative practice, Re-think formulation, Child Friendly City priorities and the Leeds Practice Model 
• Experience of working with young people experiencing social, emotional & / or behavioural issues.
• Of working with young people in a coaching or mentoring relationship
• Experience of exemplary leadership and strategic development of face-to-face practice and initiatives within young people’s Services
• Experience of a high support, high challenge approach when working with other practitioners in order to address barriers to a young person achieving their potential.
• Substantial experience of working with young people in a diverse range of youth work environments 
• Experience of enabling young people to work effectively in groups. 
• Experience of effectively planning youth work programmes with young people linked to Children’s Services priorities and Youth Offer targets. 
• Experience of effectively recording and evaluating youth work sessions and producing reports within specific timescales
• Experience of developing positive links/partnerships and communicating effectively with the voluntary sector, other agencies and the local community in order to develop initiatives and services for young people. 
• Experience of facilitating training &/or briefing sessions to other practitioners and stakeholders
• Experience of managing and supervising staff and volunteers 
• Experience of managing administration and financial procedures.

Essential Behavioural & other Characteristics 

• Conscientious, honest and reliable 
• Positive view of young people and a commitment to a young person-centred approach 
• Understand and embrace Leeds City Council Values and Behaviours and codes of conduct.
• Committed to continuous improvement in all areas and work towards delivering the Best City Ambition of Health & Wellbeing, Inclusive Growth and Zero Carbon
• Able to understand and observe Leeds City Council equality and diversity policies.
• Carry out all duties having regard to an employee’s responsibility under Health and Safety Policies.
• Willingness to actively participate in training and development activities. 
• Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade. 
• Participate in appraisal, training, and development activities.
• Be aware of and comply with Leeds City Council policies and procedures.
• Be aware of and support difference and ensure equality for all working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding, equality & diversity policies of Leeds City Council. 
• Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse, reporting any concerns to the appropriate person.
• The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol and the role will be expected to work within these parameters.

Desirable requirements It is desirable that the candidate should be able to demonstrate the following. 

criteria.  Candidates are not required to meet all the desirable requirements however these may be used to distinguish between candidates. 

• Able to Drive
• Current driving licence.
• Coaching qualification
• Experience of motivational interviewing techniques