Young Healthwatch Coordinator

1. To undertake the joint responsibility for the co-ordination of Young Healthwatch activities alongside the Young Healthwatch Co-ordinator (Job share).

2. To ensure children and young people (8-25-year-old) are fully supported to carry out their roles within the service.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Development of Young Healthwatch Engagement and Activity Programme

• Develop, implement, and evaluate a Young Healthwatch Engagement Programme aimed at raising awareness and understanding of Young Healthwatch. This involves reaching out to children and young people, community organisations and partners, meeting with young people at times and places across the district where they feel safe to freely share their perspectives and ideas to drive positive change in health services within the Wakefield District. To provide feedback to young people on how their views have created change and impacted on Health Services.


• Develop, implement, and evaluate a Young Healthwatch Activity Programme that empower children and young people to advocate for improvements in health services and explore ideas or positive change.


• Facilitate co-production and inspection activities, organise activities such as Young Advisors and Young Inspectors programmes to involve young people to investigate issues they and their peers have raised.


• To engage and recruit children and young people from across Wakefield district and across communities of interest into the above opportunities.


• Liaise with commissioners of services for young people to ensure statutory engagement with the programmes.


• Work closely with Young Lives Consortium members and commission activities that enable young people to engage with various roles within Healthwatch.


• Develop other imaginative, innovative, creative and rigorous ways of enabling young people to assess and contribute to development of services for themselves and their peers.


• Utilise the Risk and Resilience framework within Young Healthwatch activities and programmes to promote the development of personal, emotional and social development.


2. Support for Young Healthwatch activities and programmes

• Produce, implement, and review policies, procedures and guidelines that support and enable young people as volunteers to carry out their roles.


• Train volunteers undertaking the above roles by either providing training directly or engaging suitable specialist providers ensuring they are prepared for their roles.


• To ensure Young Healthwatch volunteers are supervised and supported throughout the life of the programme.


• Map and build relationships with existing young peoples' groups and networks (including patient networks) and voluntary, community faith sector organisations that work with children and young people ensuring activities are aligned with the districts services.


• Ensure Young Healthwatch activities complement other services in the district (e.g. WDMC's Building Our Futures programme).


3. Monitoring and recording of activity

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  + To keep up-to-date records of young people's involvement with Healthwatch to assist in supporting the production of reports.
  
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  + To participate in Healthwatch and partner events, including ongoing engagement events, to involve a wide range of young people in the service.
  
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  + Complete relevant administrative tasks including record keeping, database management and monitoring of activities.
  
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  + Provide relevant monitoring and management information as requested by line manager in line with monitoring requirements.
  
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  + Contribute to the Healthwatch and YLC newsletter/mailings/e-bulletins /websites.
  
  4. Other requirements:
  
• To work with YLC where agendas are aligned and to avoid duplication for example promote activities through the Young Lives Newsletter, promote activities and opportunities via www.WF-I-Can, develop joint volunteering opportunities and contribute to events, networks and mapping of services.


• To promote engagement in the advisory groups for VCSE and children and young people.


• Willing to work flexible hours including evenings and weekends and travel across and outside the district.


• Actively promote equal opportunities, celebrate diversity and challenge discriminatory practice.


• Act in a manner that contributes to a positive and credible public profile for Young Lives Consortium and Healthwatch Wakefield.


• Participate in your own reviews and appraisal.


• Take part in training and personal development and participate in Young Lives and Healthwatch Wakefield team meetings, staff development, away days and reviews.


• Must be legally entitled to work in UK.


• Undertake any other duties as required which are in line with the objectives of the post.