Sport and Activity Enabler

The Active Essex Foundation (AEF) are looking to recruit a Sport and Activity Enabler (SAE), to support the work of the successful Sport and Youth Crime Prevention Project (S&YCP) across Essex, working intensively with the ECC Involvement Service.

If you are passionate about supporting young people and young adults and understand the positive impact that sport and physical activity can have on an individual, then this could be the role for you.

We are offering an opportunity for someone to pioneer this exciting role between AEF and ECC Involvement Service on a self-employed basis. Working hours are 22.5 hours per week, 12-month post. Although this is currently a 12-month pilot, it is our aim, if successful to secure future funding to extend the project. Secondment opportunities maybe considered for the right candidate.

The SAE’s main role will be to bring ‘additionality’ to the work of the Essex County Council Involvement Service in the support and assistance they provide to children and young people (10-18yrs). They will match suitable community sports and mentoring providers to young people in collaboration with ECC Involvement Service, across all ECC districts.

The service will contribute to young people’s safety plans and reduce risk through a pro-social approach, raising aspirations and providing new opportunities through sport and activity. The SAE will be a vital link between agencies, providers and young people to ensure a high engagement rate. Full impact and outcomes of these interventions will be collected.

A 12-month pilot project to provide a specialist Sport and Activity Enabler who will work within the combined ECC Involvement Team, identifying support services that engage with young people and match them to local community sports and physical activities providers, known as Local Trusted Organisations (LTOs).

The Sport and Activity Enabler will work very closely with other colleagues such as AEF Sports Connector, AEF Sports Navigator and the wider Active Partnership Active Essex, social prescribing teams and community connectors to familiarise themselves with the sports and activity providers across Essex. They will develop a network of trusted contacts and organisations and, in addition, become very familiar with the Locally Trusted Organisation network created by the AEF S&YCP Project.

The Sport and Activity Enabler will be an integral member of the Involvement Service team and will review cases allocated through the Involvement Service supervisor, based on young person’s needs, views, level of intervention and support requirement. The aim will be to ensure young people who are facing single or multiple and complex issues can be matched to a suitable AEF Youth and Crime Prevention LTO or Community Sports Provider.

The Sport and Activity Enabler will not be expected to take on the role of a primary worker for a young person, however this work will support the Involvement team who will be the first point of contact for a young person and continue to undertake work with the individual.

The Sport and Activity Enabler will be expected to undertake face to face contact and occasionally accompany an individual to sports and activity-based interventions and attempt to ensure the individual’s attendance through encouragement and persistence. This process is to build trust and confidence and preparation to attend a local community sports provision suitable for their needs. This process is intended to reduce non-attendance and ‘fall off’ rates. If the activity does not ‘fit’ with the individual, the Sport and Activity Enabler will continue to work with them to try and find the most suitable intervention in accordance with their needs as long as the Involvement Service supervisor believes it necessary. It is anticipated the Sports and Activity Enabler will have a rolling caseload of no more than 10 individuals to allow them to work intensively, in partnership with ECC involvement team, with that cohort to ‘handhold and support’ young people’s attendance at local sports and activity provisions. Along with engaging and referring approximately 100 young people or more to appropriate LTO in their community across the year and carrying our regular ‘check-ins’ and engagement support.

The role will be on a self-employed basis and payment will be made monthly on receipt of an invoice, based on an agreed day rate.

The hourly rate is between £18.66 to £22 (daily rate equation= £140-£165 per 7.5 hour day). The rate will depend on individual’s experience and qualifications and will be discussed and confirmed with the successful candidate.

The role is required for up to 22.5 hours per a week. The successful candidate must be flexible in their working hours as some unsociable hours may be required including evenings and weekends. This will be dependent on level of work needed, volume of allocations and young person’s availability.

The role is funded by Active Essex Foundation and the Violence and Vulnerability Unit Secondary funding stream.

The role will be formally line managed by the AEF Sports and Youth Crime Prevention Project Lead and interval meetings held with the Project Manager.

• You will have your own company or be self-employed and responsible for your own NI and pension contributions and payment of tax. Payment will be made via monthly invoices and hours worked. An allowance of £2,400 is available to support travel and other costs and will be calculated and added to monthly invoices. Secondment opportunities maybe considered for the right candidate.
• You must have a level two and above qualification or relevant experience in working in the sports and activity sector and confident to support case management.
• You must be confident in talking about a young person, any issues facing them and make recommendations on how they are best supported.
• You will have a good understanding and belief of the positive role that sport and physical activity has to play in supporting a young person / young adult and have knowledge of the Theory of Change and other research documents that highlight effective engagement with young people experiencing adverse childhood experiences and/or challenging behaviours.
• You will have a passion for supporting young people, have empathy for what they may be going through in their life and a commitment to support them as well as helping them to help themselves.
• Ideally you will have experience of engaging and/or working with statutory agencies or local voluntary and community organisations to co-design and deliver sports programmes for young people.

• Have a broad understanding of the criminal justice system, preferably as it relates to youth justice. It would be desirable for the candidate to have worked in a criminal justice setting.
• You will be able to work flexibly, understanding that you will be required to work unsociable hours at times, including evening and weekend work.
• You will be able to travel across Essex and have your own car.

Although this is currently a 12-month pilot, it is our aim, if successful to secure future funding to extend the project.

If you are interested in this role, send your CV and a covering letter by Friday 7th April 2023 to [email protected]