BSAFE Exploitation Practitioner (3 posts)

At Barnsley Council you can start a career that makes a real difference to people’s lives, helping our council and residents to be the best they can be.

We’re an award-winning council and one of the biggest employers in the borough, supporting around 243,000 people. We put people at the heart of everything we do, and that includes our employees. As part of the team, we offer lots of benefits and rewards to support you to thrive and grow, like flexible working, employee discounts, support for your health and wellbeing, and opportunities for training and development to grow your career and develop your skills.

There’s so much happening in our thriving borough, and now’s the perfect time to join our excellent Education, Early Start and Prevention team as we work to make Barnsley the place of possibilities.

• We’re an award-winning team and one of the biggest employers in the borough supporting around 243,000 people.
• Working at Barnsley Council means being part of a team that makes a real difference to people’s lives, where you can develop the skills you need to make change happen.
• If you join the team you’ll receive great pay alongside an excellent pension scheme. With flexible working we’ll also support your work/life balance, helping you to adjust your hours and take time off when you need it.
• We’ll help you to develop your career and grow your skills with opportunities for training and development.
• There’s so much happening in our thriving borough and your talent and skills will help us make Barnsley the place of possibilities.
• Key to our success is working with our residents, partners, businesses and organisations and building these partnerships to bring about change in Barnsley.

About the Post:

Be Their Light.

‘Join our BSAFE service as an exploitation worker and be the mentor to create safety and inspire children in Barnsley to a brighter future’

We are looking for 3 dedicated and inspiring individuals to join our BSAFE exploitation and Harm Outside the Home service, BSAFE.

• Are you a highly skilled youth worker, learning mentor, youth advocate, health worker or statutory professional (social worker; YJS worker) who wants to be part of a small, dedicated team working with children who have been exploited, and have ongoing complex risk issues?
• Do you thrive working with vulnerable or complex adolescents in group and 1-2-1 places and spaces?
• Are you a passionate advocate for this group with proven experience of getting results for them?

If this sounds like you, we really want to meet you!

As a BSAFE worker, you will have unique role that provides a level of flexibility to deliver support and interventions to children and families where significant risk of exploitation has been identified.  

You will not have the responsibility for statutory processes, but you will have the responsibility to quickly build trust and rapport with children and their parents/caregivers so you can then deliver evidence-based support and interventions in line with the child’s plan.  

• This means you will be able to work with children and families in a more intensive way than any other worker, with the ability to spend hours/days with children and families to support them through crisis and acute need.  
• You must have credibility with our children that means you can quickly build trust and rapport. But this isn’t enough - you must be able to deliver structured, evidence-based interventions alongside other key partners i.e. Sexual abuse charities; CAMHS; substance misuse services, so you work makes a lasting difference. 
• You will be the advocate and voice for children, so it is vital your flexible and bespoke approach is focused on having a rich understanding of your child’s life, how they became so vulnerable to harm and what will be the best ways in which risks can reduce to keep the child and others safe. 
• We also recognise the best workers for children might have ‘lived experience’. Please do make contact with us if you feel this is a role you could excel in but have any concerns your previous life history and experience might be a barrier.

This role will require partnership working at its core and the willingness to ‘go the extra mile for the children and families of Barnsley. This role will require a flexible approach to work and working hours between 8am – 8pm (with some ad hoc weekend work possible) to help engage and deliver an effective service to our young people and families.

If you would like to chat about this role further, please contact youthjusticegovernance@barnsley.gov.uk Holly Davis and request an informal discussion with a member of our team.