District Youth & Community Worker - Hospital Project

District Youth & Community Worker - Hospital Project

Fixed Term, Full Time

£31,885 to £34,708 per annum

Location: South Essex

Working Style: Community-based worker

Please note this vacancy is available as a fixed term contract or secondment opportunity for up to 12 months.

The Opportunity

The Youth Work in Hospital Project operates within the Mid and South Essex Hospitals (Basildon, Southend, and Broomfield) to support young people in their community. This service is available to those aged 11–19 (up to 25 with SEND) during their hospital visit and after discharge into their communities. This is a regional award winner of the NHS Excellence Awards 2026 for improving health outcomes in the east of England.

Essex project helping young people in hospital recognised for national award - NHS Essex Integrated Care Board

As a District Youth and community Worker, you will be asked to:

Offer support and guidance based on individual needs, such as school advocacy and next-step planning, life skills. Signpost or refer young people to appropriate community groups or services; provide bespoke, tailored help - such as 1-to-1 support, targeted youth clubs, or referrals to community and specialist services such as Social Care or NELFT Mental Health Service. Work with medical team to think creatively for solution focused support for the young people. The team are anywhere worker meaning you can be in community building, school and hospitals all the same day. Manage junior staff

Please read more about our project - Youth Work in Hospital Project - Essex Youth Service

We are looking for a District Youth and Community worker for our Youth Work in Hospitals Project. The successful candidate will play a key role in delivery and supporting development of the Youth Service offer by working with identified Young People who present Mid and South Essex NHS trusts. Working in Basildon, Broomfield and Southend hospitals across multiple departments and wards.

The Hospital Project supports young people aged 11-19yrs (up to 25yrs SEND), who present at the A&E department and those with long term health conditions. The role requires the successful candidate will work with Senior youth workers to provide impartial guidance for the young person to develop independent skills and effectively engage with health care services to improve their health outcomes. You will also be required to support young people to fulfil their potential and access universal services through managing a caseload of young people whilst engaging them in mentoring, group work and strategic interventions.

You will work face to face with young people, work with collaboratively with colleagues and partners, to work towards positive outcomes for the young people. You will use your creativity to engage them in positive activities which will help them to overcome challenges in their life to reach their full potential. You will support the delivery of group work sessions specifically for young people engaging in support from the project.

To read more about our business area, please visit: Education

Accountabilities

• Work closely with the Senior Youth and community worker and other youth workers, to develop the Youth Work in Hospital Project to ensuring young people’s interests are at the forefront of delivery.
• Have supervisory responsibility for the Youth and Community Workers within a Hospital Project.
• Support the development and delivery of the Hospital Project, including completing assessments, covering 3-4 hospital shifts a week in the A&E department, hospital clinics, school clinics and home visits.
• Make contact and establish relationships with professionals, young people, and their communities.
• Ensuring the ‘voice’ of young people is heard in the design and delivery of effective youth work provision.
• Encouraging and enabling young people to participate in a range of educational and personal development activities.
• Ensuring access to information and personal support, which enables young people to develop the confidence and skills to become creative, active members of their communities.
• Manage employees in working flexibly and collaboratively across the service and wider children and families service to support the organisations key outcomes.
• Work to the organisational capability standards through good people management, including the training and development, mentoring and coaching of team members to challenge the norms and constructive challenge professionals to achieve the best outcomes for young people.
• Manage a complex caseload of young people with complex health needs.

Key Responsibilities

• Ensure the proper implementation of risk management, including Health and Safety and Business Continuity.
• Develop and deliver a programme for a youth group session of imaginative activities, encouraging participation and involvement of young people in developing their skills, understanding of others and the world around them. Ensuring that young people coauthor the program and shape the delivery. Though 1:1 session, and group sessions.
• Facilitate young people’s learning and understanding of their personal and social development in accordance with the core values of youth work and to meet their own health targets.
• To manage your own working hours and those who you line manage (Flexible working) in accordance to the needs of the project and young people
• Keep accurate and efficient administrative systems and record keeping on Youth service systems. Provide information and data as required.
• Take part in the Service supervision scheme and performance management scheme to identify priorities and learning needs.
• Ensure Child Protection/ Safeguarding Guidelines (SET) are followed and that all concerns are reported promptly

The Experience You Will Bring

• Qualified at degree level in a JNC recognised Professional Youth Work Qualification or level 6 relevant qualification (or in training) , including social work, Mental health etc.
• Ability to work in partnership and to influence partners across a range of sectors to support the identification of desired outcomes for young people.
• Excellent level of numeracy, literacy (GCSE A – C or equivalent or demonstrable experience) and ICT.
• Experience of managing resources.
• Experience of working with young people, partners and community groups.
• Ability to build relationships and relate well to young people, partners, volunteers and commissioners.

Please note that the job role requires you to be mobile throughout an operational area. Therefore, the post holder will need to have a driving licence and access to a vehicle, or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means.

Why Essex?

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we’re committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone's Essex . With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

In March 2026, the Government announced that councils in Greater Essex will be reorganised into five new unitary authorities from April 2028. In addition to this, Greater Essex has been accepted on to the devolution priority programme, where we will work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority. You can read more about these changes, and what this may mean for this role, on our careers site .

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

Once you’ve secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles , including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email resourcing.team@essex.gov.uk

Follow us on Facebook , Twitter , Instagram and LinkedIn . Further details can be found on our careers page .

Downloads

Pay and Reward | Our Ways of Working | About Us | Organisation Behaviours