Rights and Participation Worker

We are looking for a passionate, motivated and relationship-focused Rights and Participation Worker to help ensure the voices of children, young people and families are heard, valued and acted on across Birmingham Children’s Trust. Please note we also have a secondary position which will develop and lead a new Parental Peer Advocated Programme. If you are interested in this position please include your interest in your personal statement/cover letter.

This role will support the Trust to work in a genuinely co-produced way with children, young people and families, ensuring their experiences, views and ideas help shape services, influence decisions and improve practice. You will play an important role in creating meaningful opportunities for children, young people and families to share what matters to them, and in helping the Trust demonstrate how their voice has made a difference.

You will work directly with children, young people and families across Birmingham, supporting participation, consultation, engagement, advocacy and co-production activity. This may include helping to develop and facilitate groups, forums, workshops, events, surveys, feedback sessions and creative engagement opportunities that enable children and families to influence the services and decisions that affect their lives.

The role will involve building strong, trusting and respectful relationships with children, young people, families, professionals and internal and external stakeholders. You will work closely with colleagues across the Trust and with partner agencies to promote children’s rights, strengthen participation practice and support a culture where children, young people and families are active partners in service development and improvement.

This is a role for someone who believes that children, young people and families should not only be listened to, but should have real influence in shaping the services they receive. You will help ensure that their voices lead to learning, action and visible change.

We have been rated as ‘Good’ by Ofsted, following a 2023 inspection. This is a fantastic achievement for Birmingham Children's Trust, with many positive highlights focusing on areas including the quality of staff leadership, partnership working, safeguarding and corporate parenting.

This is a hybrid role based in Birmingham, UK so you must have the correct right-to-work documents to work in the UK. Sadly, we do not support those who require sponsorship or on a VISA.

About You

• You are passionate about improving outcomes for children, young people and families and believe strongly in the importance of listening to their voices.
• You care about children’s rights and understand that children, young people and families should be involved in decisions and services that affect them.
• You have experience of working directly with children, young people and/or families and can build positive, respectful and trusting relationships.
• You have experience of advocating for, listening to, or supporting children and young people to share their views, wishes and feelings.
• You understand the importance of participation and co-production, and can support people to get involved in ways that feel safe, inclusive and meaningful.
• You are confident engaging with children, young people and families from a wide range of backgrounds, cultures and experiences.
• You can communicate clearly, sensitively and creatively, including with children, young people and families who may need support to feel confident in sharing their views.
• You are effective at building relationships with professionals, colleagues, managers and internal and external stakeholders.
• You are organised and able to support engagement activity, meetings, workshops, events, feedback sessions or group work.
• You are committed to ensuring that what children, young people and families tell us leads to real learning, service improvement and better experiences.

Additional Information

This role will sit within the Rights and Participation Service and will contribute to the Trust’s wider ambition to embed participation and co-production across Birmingham Children’s Trust.

The postholder will support children, young people and families to influence practice, service design, decision-making and improvement activity. This will include helping to develop opportunities for children and families to share their views, supporting them to take part in participation activity, and ensuring their feedback is captured and shared in a way that can shape services.

The successful candidate will be expected to work in a way that promotes children’s rights, family voice, inclusion, participation and relationship-based practice. They will help ensure participation is accessible, inclusive and meaningful, and that children, young people and families understand how their views have been listened to and acted on.

This post will require strong communication, relationship-building and organisational skills. The postholder will need to work sensitively with children, young people and families, including those who may have had difficult experiences of services, ensuring participation is safe, respectful and supportive.

Interview Date: Friday 31st July - in person interviews

Onboarding Process: Please note as part of our onboarding process, the successful candidate will be required undergo a series of background checks with Experian including Experian DBS, Experian Right to Work, and Digital ID verification. These are essential pre-employment requirements.

Our Benefits:

• A generous annual leave package of 30 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days after 5 years of service and 35 days after 10 years of service.
• Free on-site parking at our offices on One Avenue Road (Aston) and Lifford House (Stirchley). We also provide onsite electric car charging ports which are free to use!
• Full access to our amazing internal employee benefits scheme including, Occupational Health services, Rewards Schemes, Benefits discounts (including the Blue Light Card), Health & Fitness and Personal Wellbeing support and much more!
• Flexible and hybrid working policy - we are well adapted to a hybrid model of working which includes a combination of time spent in the office and at home and we offer a variety of working patterns.
• Pension Scheme - You will receive a generous local government career average pension scheme in line with the local government pension scheme.

Benefits

Help us to change children and young people’s lives!

At Birmingham Children’s Trust, we are committed to making a positive impact on the lives of over 10,000 children and young people in our city every day. Our mission is to support the most disadvantaged children and young people in Birmingham, ensuring they are safe, happy, and healthy.

Why Join Us?

• Impactful Work - be part of a team that makes a real difference in the lives of the city’s most vulnerable children.
• Supportive Environment - enjoy a supportive and collaborative work culture where your contributions are valued.
• Career Development - benefit from tailored development programs, supportive supervision, and a range of learning opportunities to enhance your skills and advance your career.
• Generous Benefits - take advantage of our competitive reward package including generous leave allowance, Local Government pension scheme, and additional benefits.

Our Values

We approach our work with care and compassion, actively listening to the needs of the children and young people we serve. We involve them in the decisions that affect their lives, ensuring their voices are heard and respected.

We are committed to using our resources wisely, ensuring that every penny is spent where it counts the most. We foster collaboration among schools, health professionals, and the police, working together to create a supportive network for our young people.

We believe that when we work as one cohesive team, the children and young people of Birmingham are more likely to thrive. Our unified approach ensures that we provide the best possible support and opportunities for their growth and development.

Join us and together, we can create a brighter future for all.

Safeguarding

At Birmingham Children’s Trust, we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.

Depending on the role, you may be asked to undergo the appropriate level of Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check to assess your suitability for working with children and young people.

The level of check (Standard, Enhanced, or Enhanced with Barred List) is determined based on the specific responsibilities of the role and the level of contact with children and young people.

We are committed to the fair treatment of all applicants, including those with criminal records. Having a criminal record will not necessarily bar an individual from working with us. This will depend on the nature of the position and the circumstances and background of the offence.

Please note that we reserve the right to close the job early should we reach the required number of applications, therefore please ensure you submit your application and supporting statement early to avoid any disappointment.