Regional Children and Young People’s Information, Advice and Guidance Coordinator Part-time (21 hours per week) North of England

Are you passionate about making sure children and young people get the support they need to transform their lives? Are you committed to enabling people to raise their aspirations post spinal cord injury?

If so, Back Up could offer you an inspiring and fulfilling role making a significant difference to the lives of people affected by spinal cord injuries.

About the role:

Back Up is the only charity in the UK that has dedicated services for children and young people with a spinal cord injury.

When a child or young person sustains a spinal cord injury it is a life changing experience. Lots of things that seemed certain for their future, suddenly seem to be thrown into doubt.

Building confidence and independence after spinal cord injury is so important to a child or young person’s adjustment and wellbeing. Knowing what support and information is available, how to access it, and finding answers to questions are vital in helping to ensure that all children and young people have the tools to live the life they want after spinal cord injury.

Back Up does this by offering information, advice and guidance, fun courses, support in returning to education, mentoring, and opportunities for young people to come together and share their experiences through our Youth Advisory Group.

This role will focus on providing specialist information, advice and guidance. Whether that be returning to education post injury or navigating the services and support available, you’ll be a natural at supporting and empowering young people and their families to thrive.

This is an exciting opportunity to expand and develop this groundbreaking service into the future. As someone with lived experience of spinal cord injury, you’ll be naturally passionate about empowering children and young people to use their voice to get the support they need.

For full details please see the job description.

About us:

At Back Up, we have big ambitions. Over the next few years, we’re going to be transforming the lives of even more people affected by spinal cord injury.

Together we’ll be working hard to make sure everyone affected by spinal cord injury has access to the support they deserve; and we are the only spinal cord injury charity in the UK providing dedicated services to children and young people.

At Back Up, inclusion is at the heart of everything we do. Please read our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy Statement. We are committed to creating an inclusive working environment where all our employees are encouraged to reach their full potential, and individual differences are valued and respected. We particularly welcome applications from those from black, Asian or ethnic minority backgrounds or those with higher level spinal injuries.

In 2024 Back Up won The Times and The Sunday Times Spotlight Award for Best place to work for disabled employees. As well as this, Back Up has been voted one of the top ten charities to work for (Third Sector Best Charities 2020). The enthusiastic, inclusive and supportive spirit of our very skilled staff ensure excellence in the services we deliver.

How to apply

Please apply by emailing recruitment@backuptrust.org.uk by midnight on 1^st January 2025 with:

• A CV detailing salary information for your most recent post and two referees, one of whom should be your present or most recent employer. We will contact them after interview.
• A (maximum) two side A4 supporting statement, saying why you want the job and explaining how you meet the criteria in the job description. This statement is crucial; CVs alone will not be accepted.
• A completed equal opportunities form. This form will be kept separate from your application, and not viewed by the recruiting manager. It is used to help us assess the diversity of our applicants to ensure our processes are fair to all. It is optional to fill in but it will help us improve and maintain high standards.

We will acknowledge receipt of your application, and then let you know if you are to be invited to interview.  First interviews will be held from w/c 6^th January 2025.  If you cannot make any of those dates, please indicate this when you apply.

What will the process involve?

The process will involve at least one interview round which will be either in person or online. There will be a panel interviewing you and you may be asked to complete a task beforehand to present to the panel. If you need any support or adjustment to the recruitment process at any step, do please ask and we’d be pleased to work with you to put these in place so that you can perform to the best of your abilities throughout the process and demonstrate your suitability for the role.  Please email recruitment@backuptrust.org.uk

Guaranteed Interview Scheme

As a ‘Disability Confident’ employer we are committed to the inclusion of candidates and employees with disabilities. If you have a disability and meet the minimum criteria of the role, set out as essential criteria in the job description, we will invite you to interview. Please let us know if you would qualify and want to take advantage of this scheme by emailing: recruitment@backuptrust.org.uk.

Don’t meet every single requirement?

At Back Up we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every criteria in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles at Back Up.