Youth Violence Mentor

Salford Foundation are seeking to recruit an experienced Mentor to join their STEER, team. This will support young people aged 10-18 at risk of becoming involved in youth violence and criminal exploitation. This project will have a focus on tailoring interventions to tackle complex needs and support with desistance from offending, with a view to enhancing their confidence, resilience and coping strategies.

You will provide the young people with a range of learning and developmental opportunities, mentoring and coaching and positive activities, designed to increase aspiration and resilience. You will support them in reducing the risk of offending and gang associations and work to prevent issues in relation to anti-social behaviour. You will assist them to improve their engagement with education and training so that realistic alternatives to a criminal activity are established.

In particular the Mentor will be responsible for:

• Building relationships with young people at risk of violence and exploitation
• Facilitating referral procedures and developing a close partnership with partners
• Completing research based evaluation tools with all young people on the programme
• Ensuring interventions are tailored to meet the needs of the individual and behaviour change is sustained long term
• Engaging in multi-agency work to meet the needs of young people and ensure that the support for a client is coherent, co-ordinated and consistent
• Assisting in the production of an individual learning plan with each service user and the tracking and monitoring of progress and outcomes, including liaison with parents and families
• The identification or creation of appropriate opportunities and programmes to meet the development needs of service users
• The provision of personal support and advocacy to assist service users in overcoming personal issues that present as barriers to progress
• Acting as an advocate or supporter in assisting service users to better access mainstream services
• Providing small bursaries and incentives that recognise progression and re-engagement in learning
• The maintenance of relationships with key organisations in the City which work with young people on the programme
• The development and maintenance of relationships with employers, training organisations and providers as sources of expertise, opportunity and development for service users including work placements, mentor recruitment and longer term opportunities to engage in training or employment
• The capture of appropriate information to support the management information requirements of the contract
• Onward referral to specialist services when the additional needs of a young person cannot be met by this programme (e.g. CAMHS; CSE Team)
• Ensuring evaluation evidence is captured on an ongoing basis to determine the value of the service to users and as a source of management information for further programme development
• Implementing and complying with all Salford Foundation’s policies, including the Safeguarding Policy and procedures and ground rules for implementing appropriate behaviour with children, young people and adults
• Any other duties as reasonably required by Salford Foundation Management Team