Vacancy – Communications and Engagement Officer – Leaving Care Programme- Closing Date Wednesday May 22nd

Shared Lives Plus is the UK membership charity for more than 6,000 Shared Lives carers, 150 Shared Lives schemes and a growing network of over 25 local Homeshare organisations. Our vision is a kinder, stronger society built on sharing our lives and our homes. We help build communities where everyone lives a full life, regardless of the support they need. We do this by turning Shared Lives and Homeshare into thriving, mainstream options, with all the right structures in place to support and guide those who want to share their lives and homes.

This job will mainly be working for our new programme which is supporting local authorities across England, Scotland and Wales to develop their Shared Lives schemes for young people with care experience. In this situation, Shared Lives is when someone visits or moves in with an approved Shared Lives carer to help make the transition into independent adult life, with a network of support around them. Find out more: https://sharedlivesplus.org.uk/our-work-and-campaigns/our-shared-lives-programmes/young-people/

As well as a competitive salary, you will benefit from flexible working, 27 days annual leave (pro rata), birthday leave, and health and wellbeing support via Care First. At Shared Lives Plus you will join a dynamic, passionate, and inclusive team who believe that everyone should be able to choose who they spend time with and do what matters to them.

Shared Lives Plus is an Equal Opportunities Employer and we are committed to ensuring that all staff are motivated, skilled, and rewarded by their work.  We welcome applicants regardless of race, religion or belief, colour, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability, age, and other protected status as required by law. We promote and protect human rights; they are the foundation of what we do.

We want to be an inclusive place where a diverse mix of talented people want to come and contribute their unique strengths and perspectives.  We are focused on equality and believe that all the fascinating characteristics that make us different, make us more able to deliver our life-changing work with passion and creativity. We especially encourage people with lived experience of the care system to apply for this role.

The overarching objectives of this role include:

1. Support the project management of our new programme for Shared Lives schemes to support young people leaving care; liaising with local partners, members, national policy makers and supporting young people with lived experience to engage directly with policy and decision makers.
2. Developing communications and marketing resources to recruit Shared Lives carers, increase referrals and awareness that Shared Lives care can support young people with mental ill health, autism and learning disability.
3. Manage research and evaluation activities, including researching and developing data collection tools, collecting routine data from sties, conducting research interviews, collecting case studies and collecting and analysing monitoring data.

4. Delivering internal and external communications, PR and marketing across Shared Lives Plus and the four nations.
5. Lead on coproduction activities with care experienced young people, using creative approaches and a trauma informed approach.

1. Coordinate and administer key programme activities with and on behalf of the programme partners, such as organising events, workshops, meetings with national stakeholders, and update meetings.
2. Manage the involvement of national advisors to the programme, including Shared Lives scheme managers and young people, including managing invites, booking meetings, ensuring that the voice of young people with experience of the care system is central to the programme and participation is effective.
3. Manage coproduction activities in support of the programme such as organising people with lived experience’s travel and expenses, meetings and easy read materials / carer support when needed.
4. Manage research and evaluation activities, including researching and developing data collection tools, collecting routine data from sties, conducting research interviews, collecting case studies and collecting and analysing monitoring data.
5. Supporting the communications team to produce high quality communication and carer recruitment materials, such as videos, social media posts, case studies, animations and marketing flyers / posters.
6. Contribute to the communication team’s strategic planning with ideas to improve communications and engagement.
7. General responsibilities and working practices:
   1. Contribute to the planning and running of Shared Lives Plus events.
   2. Monitor and report on the outcomes of the post, including reports to the Board of Trustees and reports to funders.
   3. Engage in continuous self-development and training.
   4. Work cooperatively with Shared Lives Plus colleagues UK-wide.
   5. Work in a way which promotes diversity, equality and equity of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice, embracing the principles of coproduction.
   6. Always operate in a way that is consistent with Shared Lives Plus’s legal responsibilities including health and safety legislation and guidance.
   7. Work in accordance with Shared Lives Plus aims and objectives and policies and procedures and to promote a positive image of Shared Lives.
   8. Undertake such other duties as may reasonably be required, commensurate with the level of the post.

Shared Lives Plus considers its culture to be a supportive, encouraging and empowering one. The culture is based on our values – these are listed below along with we feel this would look like for this role:

Authenticity

• We take time to understand from different perspectives
• We seek and give both positive and constructive feedback, ensuring our feedback is authentic and relevant – both praise and learning
• We can be relied upon to do what we say we will
• We take responsibility for our teams, maintaining a ‘no blame culture’, while ensuring staff are accountable and can learn from their mistakes
• We are open when we cannot meet expectations and give an honest explanation that builds mutual trust

Integrity

• We are respectful of colleagues and their perspectives
• We are open about our mistakes and take responsibility for our actions, seeing these as opportunities for learning
• We take responsibility
• We listen and seek to understand colleagues and customers, including when their priorities and thinking is different from our own

Sense of Purpose

• Our mission is at the heart of everything we do, and we work co-operatively with colleagues to achieve our joint purpose an objective
• We portray a positive image of the organisation
• We learn and develop and help others to do so
• We recognise that all behaviour is meaningful, whether positive or negative
• Meetings – we are punctual, we have read the agenda and prepared my thoughts, we have addressed any actions

Zest and Energy

• We look for opportunities to innovate and to make positive change happen
• Our doors are always open, and we support colleagues if they have problems
• We respond positively to new situations and opportunities
• To find solutions we have to recognise the obstacles to see the way to solving the problem/issue

If you would like to be considered for the role then please submit your CV along with a covering email/letter based on all the details in the job description and person specification telling us why you feel you’re the right person for the role to Stephanie Cryer, HR Business Partner at recruitment@sharedlivesplus.org.uk by Wednesday 22^nd May 2024,   Interviews will be held will be during week commencing 27^th May 2024.

The closing date for applications is Wednesday 22nd May 2024 at 5:00pm.

You can find out more about what it means to work at Shared Lives Plus via this link Working for Shared Lives Plus – Shared Lives Plus