Job title: Specialist Learning Mentor Salary: SO1 £34,434 - £36,363 Hours: 37 hours per week Contract: Permanent Location: The Reginald Centre with hybrid working. As a Specialist Learning Mentor, you will thrive on supporting young people to build resilience and helping those at risk of becoming NEET to overcome barriers and progress positively.
Leeds City Council is one of the largest employers in the region with over 14,000 employees. We seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our and ambitions. About you As a Specialist Learning Mentor, you will bring to the role: Strong group‑work skills to deliver and evaluate engaging Resilience Programme sessions in primary and secondary settings. Excellent communication and partnership‑working skills, with a strong commitment to safeguarding, inclusion, and improving outcomes for vulnerable young people. A genuine passion for supporting young people to develop confidence, resilience, and positive next steps. The ability to build trust quickly with vulnerable learners and motivate them through effective one‑to‑one support, particularly those at risk of becoming NEET. A proactive, solution‑focused approach to identifying barriers early and helping young people make realistic, achievable plans. About the role In this varied and rewarding role, you will deliver our structured resilience programmes in primary and secondary settings. Group sessions support young people to develop emotional resilience, communication skills, self‑esteem and strategies to manage challenges. You will deliver and evaluate engaging activities that encourage participation, improve wellbeing and build motivation. Alongside your group work, you will hold a caseload of Year 11 young people who are at risk of becoming NEET. You will provide one‑to‑one support to help them explore suitable post‑16 options and manage a successful transition into Year 12. This will include working closely with a wide range of professionals, as well as parents, families and carers. The post is based at the Regional Centre; however, the duties of the role require travel to school’s city‑wide and include the option for hybrid working. If you are passionate about helping young people overcome challenges and reach their potential, we would love to hear from you. This is an excellent opportunity to join a supportive team and make a real difference to young people’s lives across
Leeds. What we offer you We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including: a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities a range of staff benefitsto help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further How to apply Apply for this job online. Please complete the online application form. Read our guidance for further advice. Please check your information carefully and ensure you complete all sections before submitting your application. A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check against the Children’s or Adults’ barred list as applicable will be carried out on preferred candidates. Read our recruitment of ex-offenders policy. We welcome applications from everyone and actively seek a diverse range of applicants from all backgrounds and cultures. We particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to, women, carers, veterans as well as LGBT+, ethnically diverse, disabled and care experienced people. This role is based in the UK. Home Office guidance states that candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK prior to commencing employment, either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa. If you do not have the right to work in the UK, you must consider your own eligibility for sponsorship for a particular role through the Skilled Worker visaroute before applying. To be eligible for sponsorship you'll usually need to be paid the standard salary rate of at least £41,700 per year or meet one of the other eligibility criteria. Ensure you are eligible before applying. Job description Job purpose Provide targeted support to young people through the delivery of resilience programmes and transition interventions within schools, aiming to reduce the risk of them becoming NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) and promote positive educational and personal outcomes. This role requires regular travel across
Leeds to schools, homes, and partner agencies. Responsibilities Deliver primary and secondary resilience group work programmes that strengthen emotional wellbeing, coping strategies, and confidence Support young people to overcome barriers to post-16 progression and access further education, training, or employment opportunities. Working collaboratively with schools, families, and partner agencies. Ensure a holistic approach to support which meets the individual needs of each young person. Provide one-to-one transition support to a designated caseload of young people identified as at risk of becoming NEET through such as through use of RONI (Risk Of NEET Indicator) tools, or others. Identify and address individual support needs to raise aspirations and increase participation in education, employment, and training. Actively safeguard young people and promote their wellbeing, embedding resilience into everyday practice. Be proactive in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of Children & Young People, adhering to local, regional and national policies and procedures and Best Practice. Assess risks of harm, abuse, or neglect and report concerns in line with statutory requirements. Build strong relationships with school safeguarding leads and adhere to local safeguarding policies. Attend and produce reports for Child Protection Conferences, Reviews, and Core Group Meetings. Liaise with schools regarding programme bookings and deliver information sessions to staff. Provide constructive challenge to ensure successful programme delivery and timely information sharing. Collaborate with school pastoral teams, Education Welfare Officers, Youth Justice Teams, and other professionals to support students at risk of NEET. Attend a variety of multi-agency meetings for example RONI Panels, Early Help Meetings, Child in Need or Child protection meetings as Required. Work with post-16 providers and careers services to ensure smooth transitions for young people leaving school. Embed the
Leeds Practice Model and Re-Think Formulation methodology in all aspects of practice. Manage a personal caseload, attending meetings related to education and post-16 transitions. Maintain accurate records in line with Data Protection and Information Sharing Protocols. Promote resilience programmes to schools and ensure alignment with
Leeds CYPP outcomes,
Leeds Education Challenge, and Child Friendly
Leeds policies. Ensure accurate and timely recording of information. Evaluate sessions to ensure objectives are met ensuring feedback informs continuous improvement. Contribute to operational work plans, reports, and service improvement recommendations. Attend training, meetings, and conferences to maintain best practice knowledge. Support induction, coaching, and mentoring of colleagues and student placements. Facilitate the transport of resources to venues within and beyond
Leeds boundaries, which support the work of the team. Adopt safe working practices for yourself and colleagues by adhering to Health and Safety policies, risk assessments, checking in/out processes, use of electronic diaries etc. Develop constructive working relationships and work in partnership with schools, families, and external agencies. Engage young people with diverse and challenging needs. Provide solution-focused responses to complex situations experienced by disaffected disadvantaged young people and their families. Promote effective inter-agency working to meet the specific support needs of young people and their families. Work constructively with parents/carers and families from diverse social and cultural backgrounds. The duties outlined are not meant as an exhaustive list and will also comprise any other duties within the spirit of the post commensurate with the job evaluation outcome for this post. Qualifications Must hold a relevant professional qualification in fields relating to working with young people such as Youth work, Social Work, Teaching, Youth Justice, IAG or equivalents along with experience of directly supporting young people predominantly aged 13-18yrs. Essential requirements Candidates will only be shortlisted if they can demonstrate that they meet all the following essential requirements. Able to work effectively as part of a team and to demonstrate organisational and time management skills prioritising own and team’s work to meet conflicting deadlines Able to develop and maintain effective relationships with staff, external agencies, and families from diverse backgrounds. Able to travel throughout
Leeds City Council boundaries and work flexibly across different sites as required. Able to monitor, evaluate, and gather information, accurately enter and retrieve data from digital and manual systems, and produce basic reports. Able to communicate appropriately and effectively with a wide range of people including internal and external partners, customers and members of the public, using a variety of methods to successfully influence views and behaviour. Able to negotiate constructively on behalf of young people with agencies under conflicting pressures, being creative and adaptable to the changing needs of young people. Able to use initiative to develop solutions to day-to-day issues and apply negotiating skills to influence others. Able to use a range of ICT applications to support work with children and families; competent in using IT systems (e.g., Word, spreadsheets, databases, email). Able to adhere to Council values, working professionally as a representative of
Leeds City Council and be a positive role model to young people, colleagues and partners. Knowledge and experience of a variety of casework techniques. Knowledge of safeguarding and child protection issues and best practice. Knowledge and understanding of
Leeds CYPP, 12 wishes and how you can relate these to improving outcomes for young people. Knowledge of relevant legislation, guidance, and policies, which support your work and have the ability to interpret and apply them consistently. Knowledge of a wide range of issues and factors which affect young people and the ability to discuss these appropriately with young people and staff across various settings. Understand the needs of vulnerable groups and equal opportunities, including looked-after children, minority ethnic pupils, and LGBTQ+ young people, with commitment to the authority’s Equal Opportunities Policy. Understanding of social inclusion issues, barriers to education faced by young people, and strategies to minimise these barriers. Understand how poverty, low aspirations, social exclusion, gender, and sexual orientation can affect young people’s health. Understanding of mentoring, group work skills, techniques, and restorative practice. Understand responsibilities in terms of Health, Safety, Wellbeing, security, Information Sharing Protocols and data protection. Understand importance of confidentiality, its boundaries and the need to balance the wishes of individuals, families and carers with appropriate information sharing. Aware of factors impacting transitions through key areas of learning and into adulthood or parenthood. Experience in building positive relationships with disadvantaged/disaffected young people, assessing needs, and formulating appropriate targets/action plans in line with
Leeds practice model. Experience of working in or with schools, including delivery of group work programmes. Experience of casework techniques, including Early Help Plans, solution-focused casework, individual and family support, signposting/referral, and restorative practice. Essential Behavioural & other Characteristics Willingness to engage in ongoing professional development such as attending training/briefings and reading relevant literature to keep abreast of local and national developments. Understand and embrace
Leeds City Council Values and Behaviours and codes of conduct Committed to continuous improvement in all areas and work towards delivering the
Leeds Ambitions of health and wellbeing, inclusive growth, thriving strong communities and a resilient sustainable city Able to understand and observe
Leeds City Council policies and procedures. Carry out duties having regard to an employee’s responsibility under Health, Safety and Wellbeing Participate in appraisal, training and development activities to ensure up, to date knowledge and skills. Be aware of and support difference and ensure equality for all working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding equality & diversity of
Leeds City Council. Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse, reporting any concerns to the appropriate person Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade. The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol and the role will be expected to work within these parameters. Apply for this job
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