Youth Support Worker

The WISH Centre (WISH) is a safe community of support for children and young people in
distress, many of whom may be self harming, anxious or depressed, or have experienced
disordered eating or sexual exploitation. We help them with one to one therapy, peer support
groups, and targeted youth work. WISH also provides advice and training to frontline workers
and the wider community.

Every year we help over 100 young people. 90% stop self harming. 78% are from non
minoritized ethnic backgrounds. The majority are female.

The Role

The Youth Support Worker is a key role at WISH to support mainly High school age young
people. Working alongside our therapy team, you will be the "friendly face" who is their first
contact, and will help them decide what help they need. Some will go on to long term
psychotherapy with us; some will join the weekly peer support or art therapy groups that you
help to plan and run; some will do both.

You will co-lead WISH's targeted youth provision of support to young people, the majority of
who will be girls and young women and FTM Trans young people ages 12- 21, who self harm
and/or have experienced disordered eating.

You will co-facilitate 1-2 weekly Peer Support Groups in Harrow at our Centre in Cedars after
school, and one in a partner school.

The role is part of a small team that also provides individual and small group outreach support,
peer support groups, and assemblies, workshops, advice and training to schools and other
multi-agency partners., Managing referrals
- Assessments, baseline review and quarterly reviews
- Safeguarding
- Leading and planning group sessions
- Ensuring snacks and materials for sessions
- Planning and implementing group workshops and activity programmes
- Monitoring group WhatsApp and boundaried out of hours support for group
members
- Liaising with partner agencies
- Participating in weekly safeguarding supervision and clinical de-briefing supervision
- Providing data and case studies for reports and funding requirements
- Weekly material/content generated for our social media

SUPPORT

- Individual outreach support for young people. enced CSE This covers outreach (3-6
sessions), advice, digital out of hours help (1.5 hours per week), liaising with partners
and team around the child eg. Child Protection/Child in Need, Criminal Justice, MASE,
Strengthening Families, School Leads.
- Meeting young people referred to WISH and offering up to 3 outreach sessions and
text and telephone support and signposting to services in WISH and elsewhere.

- Managing referrals to Outreach and Peer Support groups and recording all activities
on the WISH database including sessions, meetings, phone calls etc.
- Identifying, reporting and responding to any Safeguarding Concerns and meeting
weekly with the Frontline team to Risk Assess young people using our services., Provision of advice and guidance to schools on Self harm and other issues we work
with, including collating and sharing up to date information and resources on Guidance
and best practice; delivering school assemblies; supporting schools with
implementing recommended procedures to better support young people.

- Representing WISH at key agency meetings eg. Heads Up, MASE; Harrow Council;
partnership projects such as Next Steps; Domestic and Sexual Violence Forum and
sharing outcomes and learning.

- Managing youth volunteers and projects that contribute to the work of WISH eg. Youth
Voice; The Challenge; youth volunteering, work placements; youth fundraising, First
Give and other initiatives.

- Promoting and developing the secure website youth space area, and helping young
people and workers use our resources and packages

- Providing regular information for awareness raising through social media and website
content eg. Case studies, photos, testimonials and quotes, observations and data

- Co design and deliver WISH training on Self harm, Peer Support Groups etc, both face
to face and virtually

Understanding of the issues of young people and self harm, disordered
eating, etc
E

Lived Experience of self harm or disordered eating D

Experience of working with young people experiencing these issues or
similar issues in a support role
D

Experience of delivering group work for young people affected by these D
or similar issues

Confident and likeable, and genuinely motivated about talking to and E
supporting young people in a range of settings including schools

Knowledgeable about how young people use social media and 'plugged D
in' to emerging youth sub-culture

A working understanding of equality and diversity with the ability to D
challenge discriminatory behaviour

Computer literate including word, excel, powerpoint, database E

Committed to the values and aims of WISH and able to represent the E
organisation with enthusiasm

Salary £26,000 per annum, pro rata inc OLW
Contract 2 years
Location The WISH Centre, Cedars Youth & Community Centre, Harrow and in Harrow
Schools
28 days annual leave rising to 30 days after one year; 6% pension contribution; travel costs

• The post is subject to an enhanced vetting and barring check and open to female

applicants only (exempt under the Equality Act 2010 Schedule 9, Part 1).