Work in a supporting role with young people aged 11-25 to promote their personal, social and educational development.
This occupation is found in informal settings such as youth clubs, activity-based projects and social action projects; or more formal settings such as schools, Early Help or youth offending and in local authority, charity, private or voluntary organisations. Youth support workers may work in more specialist settings such as schools, alternative education provisions, hospitals, youth justice environments or within the social care system. In all cases, safeguarding young people, following health and safety and equal opportunities policies will be central. Youth support workers deliver youth support work in local and area projects. Youth Support workers may be responsible for management of volunteers and assistant youth support workers. They may also be responsible for young people working as volunteers and peer educators. This would be dependent on the scope of the employing organisation and what it offers.
The broad purpose of the occupation is to work in a supporting role with young people aged 11-25 (predominantly in the age range of 11-19) to promote their personal, social and educational development. Youth support work provides a holistically supportive, positive professional relationship with young people, ensuring the relationship is routed in young people’s own journey and led by them. It creates opportunities for young people to develop their voice and views and creates opportunities to learn about themselves and society using informal education methods within the context of the professional relationship. Youth support workers lead work with young people, under the supervision of a degree qualified youth worker (or suitably aligned professional where this is not possible). An example of this might be working on a youth voice project, increasing the active participation of young people in the development or delivery of a service.
In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with a wide range of organisations working with young people such as schools, justice organisations and community organisations. They may work with a range of professionals including youth workers, teachers, social workers, police, youth offending officers, local government officials and health professionals. As a youth support worker they may be working inside in specific environments like youth centres, hospitals, community based projects or schools, youth support workers often work unsociable hours, including evenings and weekends and sometimes outside in all weathers undertaking detached or outreach work.
An employee in this occupation will be responsible for planning and delivering youth support work in local and area projects. Youth support workers may work on national projects (such as youth parliament) alongside professional youth workers. Youth support workers will be responsible for the planning and delivery of programmes and projects of youth support work with young people, and leading sessions. They may be responsible for management of sessional staff, volunteers and assistant youth support workers. They may also be responsible for young people working as volunteers, trainees or peer educators. This would depend on the nature of the employing organisation and what it offers. They will be supported to develop in this role by a qualified youth worker (or aligned professional) through management and supervision.
The completion of a DBS check in line with local and organisational safer recruitment guidelines.
| Duty | KSBs |
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Duty 1 Establish and maintain relationships with young people |
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Duty 2 Establish and maintain relationships with community groups and/or key partners. |
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Duty 3 Use informal education practices to develop young people’s social education; providing programmes of activities, services and facilities. |
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Duty 4 Actively participate in supervision with a professional youth worker or equivalent |
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Duty 5 Plan for, deliver and evaluate youth work experiences supported by the supervision of a professional youth worker or equivalent |
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Duty 6 Enable young people to explore their values, beliefs and identity |
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Duty 7 Work with young people in line with youth participation principles to promote and facilitate youth voice and influence |
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Duty 8 Work within relevant legislative requirements including those regarding Health and Safety, Child Protection, Safeguarding, Data Protection and the Equalities Act 2010 |
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Duty 9 Maintain a safe environment for group work under the supervision of a JNC qualified professional range youth worker or equivalent* |
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Duty 10 Perform and ensure the discharge of administrative duties (for example budget control, records keeping or reporting) |
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Duty 11 Line management responsibility for assistant youth support workers, sessional workers, volunteers or peer leaders, including recruiting, developing and support |
K1: Methods to build trust and rapport, with diverse groups of young people
Back to Duty
K2: Group work theory and its application in work with young people.
Back to Duty
K3: Local and national factors that impact on young people i.e. social, environmental, economic, political
Back to Duty
K4: Local community networks and ways in which young people might become involved
Back to Duty
K5: Partnership and multi-agency working
Back to Duty
K6: Communication techniques including verbal, written and electronic
Back to Duty
K7: Places and spaces that professional youth support work might happen and how approaches might differ dependent on context, environment and/or young person
Back to Duty
K8: Key reflective practice models that can be used in youth support work practice and their impact
Back to Duty
K9: Critical reflection, and how to use it in practice to enhance continuous professional development for youth support work
Back to Duty
K10: Professional approaches to informal education with individuals and groups in different settings
Back to Duty
K11: Youth support work planning, monitoring and evaluation methods and how these are applied in practice
Back to Duty
K12: Methods for evaluating and recording youth work sessions and how these are applied in practice
Back to Duty
K13: What is meant by values and beliefs and why it is important to encourage young people to explore these.
Back to Duty
K14: Different contexts, including cultural, social and political perspectives operating within young people’s communities and wider society
Back to Duty
K15: Methods for encouraging and enabling young people to participate in an inclusive manner
Back to Duty
K16: Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in youth work settings
Back to Duty
K17: Approaches for increasing active participation and creating opportunities for youth voice and leadership
Back to Duty
K18: Professional obligations regarding administration, recording and management of data i.e. GDPR
Back to Duty
K19: Current national and local policies for safeguarding young people and vulnerable adults; and the application of these to own practice
Back to Duty
K20: Indicators for abuse and exploitation and how to recognise these and take action within the context and setting
Back to Duty
K21: Health and safety policies relating to the care and wellbeing of young people and implementation of these in the youth support worker role
Back to Duty
K22: Positive risk benefit assessment to ensure there are safe working practices for youth support work
Back to Duty
K23: How to collect and use sources of information in order to demonstrate the impact and benefits of youth support work
Back to Duty
K24: Systems and procedures relevant to the role and setting
Back to Duty
K25: First line management styles that are supportive and developmental for volunteers and assistant youth support workers
Back to Duty
K26: Limits of professional behaviour boundaries in line with organisational policies and procedures
Back to Duty
S1: Recognise, manage and reflect upon relational boundaries in professional youth support work
Back to Duty
S2: Communicate with stakeholders - internal and/or external
Back to Duty
S3: Facilitate the learning and development of young people
Back to Duty
S4: Encourage the participation of young people in developing their own learning
Back to Duty
S5: Facilitate activities and techniques to use with young people that promote self-confidence and build self-esteem and resilience
Back to Duty
S6: Reflect individually and through supervision on practice in line with daily tasks to enhance the support young people receive
Back to Duty
S7: Monitor and record the outcomes of own practice to identify areas for development and improvement
Back to Duty
S8: Appropriately manage behaviour boundaries in line with organisational policies
Back to Duty
S9: Plan youth support work programmes and sessions
Back to Duty
S10: Lead youth support work programmes and sessions
Back to Duty
S11: Evaluate youth support work programmes and sessions
Back to Duty
S12: Enable young people to express their views, aspirations, needs and concerns appropriately in line with youth support work principles
Back to Duty
S13: Identify, appropriately challenge and act upon oppressive or discriminatory attitudes, behaviours and situations
Back to Duty
S14: Support young people to participate in planning, organising, delivering and evaluating youth work activities and programmes, and engaging on issues of importance to them
Back to Duty
S15: Embeds in own practice a commitment to the rights of young people
Back to Duty
S16: Apply safeguarding procedures and protocols
Back to Duty
S17: Work within the parameters of organisational, local and national health and safety, child protection, data protection and equalities policies and procedures
Back to Duty
S18: Participate in risk assessments and manage risk and risk benefits within the workplace
Back to Duty
S19: Record all health and safety risks and take the correct actions to ensure the safety of all young people
Back to Duty
S20: Complete administrative responsibilities e.g., signing in young people, risk assessments and recording activities
Back to Duty
S21: Manage budgets and resources
Back to Duty
S22: Manage individuals in line with organisational procedures
Back to Duty
S23: Work with and maintain professional behaviour boundaries when working with young people
Back to Duty
B1: Work in an anti-oppressive, anti-discriminatory manner
Back to Duty
B2: Promote acceptance and understanding of others
Back to Duty
B3: Support positive engagement in activities
Back to Duty
B4: Uphold principles and values of youth work practice
Back to Duty
B5: Celebrate success and the journey of young people individually and collectively
Back to Duty
B6: Respect young people’s rights to make their own decision about involvement with youth work
Back to Duty
B7: Promote the values of justice, fairness and equality
Back to Duty
B8: Take a positive interest in young people’s concerns, ideas and interests
Back to Duty
B9: Promote the development of political and social education for and with young people
Back to Duty
B10: Compliance with relevant policies and procedures
Back to Duty
| High Level Qualification |
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Level 3 Diploma Youth Work Practice Level: 3 |
This standard aligns with the following professional recognition:
3
18
| Version | Change detail | Earliest start date | Latest start date |
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| 1.0 | Approved for delivery | 07/12/2020 | Not set |
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