Role Summary: Youth Worker
- Responsibilities:
- Assess the needs of young people and plan programs on health, fitness, relationships, and violence.
- Organize and run community programs for individuals aged 11 to 25 in various settings.
- Set up activities such as arts-based projects, environmental initiatives, and outdoor education.
- Foster positive relationships based on trust, providing a safe space for personal development.
- Collaboration and Networking:
- Work with families, professionals, and key individuals in the young person’s life.
- Attend multi-agency meetings to strengthen the support network.
- Engage with local authorities, social care, health, police, and education professionals.
- Administrative and Financial Management:
- Manage budgets, draw up business plans, and identify funding sources.
- Recruit, train, and manage staff, including volunteers.
- Undertake administrative tasks, maintain effective recording systems, and respond to queries.
- Qualifications and Training:
- Obtain relevant qualifications through apprenticeships, youth support worker roles, or degrees in youth work.
- Pursue postgraduate training for professional development.
- Join professional organizations like the National Youth Agency for certified membership.
- Work Environment:
- Work around 37 hours per week with potential evening and weekend commitments.
- Positions may be temporary or fixed term, depending on funding availability.
- Dependent on government funding, making the field susceptible to cuts.
- Skills and Characteristics:
- Strong commitment to young people with an understanding of their challenges.
- Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to establish and maintain relationships.
- Patience, flexibility, and resilience in handling demanding and potentially stressful situations.
- Career Development:
- Progress into specialist roles, such as mental health or gang prevention.
- Explore related fields like community education, outdoor education, social work, teaching, advice work, or training.
- No defined progression structure beyond the youth worker role, but potential for advancement to positions like senior youth worker or project coordinator.