Recognising a growing trend in Youth Homelessness across Northern Ireland, today Simon Community NI has announced the launch of a bespoke project, funded by Children In Need, designed to meet the needs of vulnerable young people aged 16-18 years who are homeless or have left the care system.
Now recruiting for an experienced Wellbeing Practitioner to spearhead the Youth Team pilot project, the charity hopes to deliver alternative approaches to mainstream mental health. With support designed in partnership with young people, the successful candidate will introduce initiatives to best development of emotional wellbeing and resilience of clients.
Working as part of the charity’s Young People’s Services and operating across three specialist youth projects based at Belfast and Coleraine, applications open from 8th February 2019 with the successful candidate planned to join the team and take the youth wellbeing initiative forward from Spring. Additional to a valid driving licence and access to own car, the charity is looking to hear from candidates with a degree or professional qualification in areas such as nursing, social work and psychology or from those with relevant experience across the dual fields of substance use and mental health.
Speaking about the development of the service, Karen McAlister, Head of Young People’s Services at Simon Community NI said:
We are witnessing a greater number of young people presenting at our services with more and more complex needs. If we are looking at realistically ending homelessness, then we must break the cycle at the earliest stage possible and a key factor here is giving young people the skills and coping mechanisms needed to achieve their full potential. The Wellbeing Practitioner will play a vital role in supporting young people to achieve a place they can call home.
Robin Arbuthnot, Director of HR at Simon Community NI, referenced the organisation’s 2019-2020 focus on Health and Wellbeing:
This funding news is timely as it arrives just as the charity announces its commitment to improving employee health and wellbeing. For many, the idea of ending homelessness is often associated with giving someone a house yet overlooks the triggers that can cause, and prolong, homelessness. We look forward to welcoming our new colleague and are excited to spread new learning and further innovative practices across the wider organisation.
To learn more about the role or to apply, click here or speak to a member of the HR team on 028 9023 2282. Applications close on 22 Feb 2019.