Youth support worker / Skills England

Key information

Reference: OCC0906
Date updated: 07/12/2020
Level: 3
Route: Care services
Regulated occupation: No

Details of the occupational standard

Occupation summary

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.

Typical job titles include:

Youth club leader Part-time youth leader Youth development officer Project worker Participation worker Deputy leader Youth Support Worker

Occupation duties

Duty	KSBs
Duty 1 Establish and maintain relationships with young people	K1 K2 S1 B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6 B7 B8
Duty 2 Establish and maintain relationships with community groups and/or key partners.	K3 K4 K5 K6 S2 B2 B4 B7
Duty 3 Use informal education practices to develop young people’s social education; providing programmes of activities, services and facilities.	K7 S4 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6 B7 B8 B9
Duty 4 Actively participate in supervision with a professional youth worker or equivalent	K8 K9 S5 S6 S7 B1 B4 B7
Duty 5 Plan for, deliver and evaluate youth work experiences supported by the supervision of a professional youth worker or equivalent	K10 K11 K12 S3 S8 S9 S10 S11 B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6 B7 B8 B9
Duty 6 Enable young people to explore their values, beliefs and identity	K13 K14 K17 S12 S13 B1 B2 B4 B6 B7 B8 B9
Duty 7 Work with young people in line with youth participation principles to promote and facilitate youth voice and influence	K15 K16 S14 S15 B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6 B7 B8 B9
Duty 8 Work within relevant legislative requirements including those regarding Health and Safety, Child Protection, Safeguarding, Data Protection and the Equalities Act 2010	K18 K19 K20 K21 K26 S16 S17 S18 S23 B1 B7 B10
Duty 9 Maintain a safe environment for group work under the supervision of a JNC qualified professional range youth worker or equivalent*	K22 S19 B1 B2 B4
Duty 10 Perform and ensure the discharge of administrative duties (for example budget control, records keeping or reporting)	K23 K24 S20 S21 B7 B10
Duty 11 Line management responsibility for assistant youth support workers, sessional workers, volunteers or peer leaders, including recruiting, developing and support	K25 S22 B1 B2 B7

KSBs

Knowledge

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

Skills

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

Behaviours

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