Management of the Post of Youth Worker

It is understood that the post of Youth worker within the Parish is complicated by being involved with different working centres, different working volunteers, and different needs/demands in each working centre. However considerable work has been planned in order to make your appointment and your supervision and management easier.

Working Centres

There are clearly defined working centres within this post of Youth Worker that have arisen from the nature of structure of churches working together, the distribution of youth within the working area and the nature of funding. There are two main centres of work: The parish of Ashwell and the parish of Baldock and initially it is seen that these working centres will feel rather independent, however it is the intention of your work to build bridges between them through a series of events and activities, although each will naturally retain a degree of independence.

Other centres have been identified but as such working structures have not yet been defined.

Structure of a Working Centre

Each working centre will have its own specific structure due to the nature of the Volunteers and the nature of the work. Within volunteer organisations structure can often be defined by the current volunteers' gifts and skills, however in order that your position as youth worker is understood by all involved in youth work, at each working centre a structure needs to be clarified.

It may prove that each working centre has its own nomenclature for posts however the overall structure will exist to provide you with a working understanding. The Operation is summed up in the following diagram.

It is not the intention of any working centre for the youth worker to be the sole appointed worker; you will be working alongside other people who will mostly be volunteers.

Volunteers do not work independently but work together through a steering group which coordinates their activities and it is more than likely that volunteers themselves are members of that steering group.

Each steering group will have a group leader who is responsible for oversight of the centre, coordinating the volunteers and your activities within the centre. The role of this Youth Leader is key in communications with The Rector for management purposes, and for your relationship with the volunteers. It is envisaged that your working relationship will however be flexible, and that you will interact with the youth leader, with other volunteers, and directly with youth enabling them and working with them. It is important to make sure the Working Group is aware of any issues and opportunities that may arise, however for major aspects of operation your main contact is with the Youth Leader.

It is understood that although you will participate to a large degree in autonomous in the working centres it is essential that you work is fully supervised within clear structure.

Management Structure

It is important to understand the management structure of youth work within both the parish and the working centres so that neither conflict of interests or issues of loyalty arise within the post.

Your first line of management is by The Rector of the Parish of Ashwell as this Parish will be your employer. The Rectory will provide supervision through regular one to one meetings. These meetings will initially need to be frequent as you become established in each Working Centre, however once established, it may be that these meeting will become more occasional as the need arise. The Rector is responsible to the PCC of the Parish and is assisted by the Churchwardens who provide important secondary backup for any issues in grievance/disciplinary.

A Management Team, formed from Working Centre's Youth Leaders, The Rector and yourself will meet regularly to feedback and coordinate the overall operation of your work.

It is within the Management Team that joint activates can be conceived and developed, budgets monitored and developed and the balance of your work in the different working centres considered.