Participation Lead & Coordinator

Vacancies Participation Lead & Coordinator About The Role

This is a role for someone who loves being out in communities, building relationships and making a difference alongside children, young people and families.

As Participation Lead & Coordinator, you'll work across West Northamptonshire helping children and young people share their experiences, influence decisions and shape the services that support them. You'll spend time connecting with youth groups, participation forums, schools, Family Hubs and community organisations, building trusted relationships and creating meaningful opportunities for young people to share their views and experiences. You'll help strengthen and connect existing participation networks, while also identifying gaps and developing new opportunities to ensure a wider range of children and young people can get involved.

From supporting young people to contribute to boards and strategic discussions, to helping services understand what local children and families are telling us, you'll play a key role in connecting lived experience with real change.

This is a unique opportunity to work at both a community and strategic level. You'll be alongside children and young people, listening to their experiences and understanding what matters most to them, whilst also bringing those insights together to help shape future plans, influence service improvements and support better outcomes across the wider children's partnership.

Most importantly, you'll help ensure that children and young people don't just have a voice, but that they can see the difference their voice has made.

Interview will be held week commencing 17th August.

You’ll spend much of your time working directly with children and young people, building trusted relationships and creating opportunities for them to have their voices heard.

You’ll join a passionate and supportive team within Family Hubs, working closely with SEND colleagues and partners across education, health, social care and the voluntary sector. Together, we’re committed to ensuring children and young people are not only listened to, but are actively involved in shaping the services and support available to them.

• Work directly with children, young people and families across West Northamptonshire.
• Build meaningful relationships and help young people develop confidence in sharing their views.
• Influence real change across a range of services and organisations.
• Work creatively and collaboratively with colleagues and partners who are passionate about improving outcomes for children and young people.
• Be part of an evolving area of work where your ideas, energy and experience can make a lasting difference.

Whether you're facilitating a participation session, supporting a young person to contribute to a board meeting, visiting a community group or connecting with local partners, no two days will be the same.

You’ll help bring together insight from across participation groups, community networks and engagement activities across West Northamptonshire, while identifying gaps and creating new opportunities to hear from children and young people. The experiences and ideas you gather will help shape future plans, influence improvements and inform decisions across Children's Services and our wider partnership.

You might already be working with children and young people, supporting families, running community projects or helping people have a say in decisions that affect them.

What matters most is that you're someone who enjoys connecting with people. You're comfortable striking up conversations, building relationships and understanding different perspectives. You know that often the best insights come from taking the time to listen.

You’ll be equally comfortable spending time with young people in a community setting as you are working with colleagues and partners to think about what happens next. You’ll enjoy the variety that comes with that and be able to bring together different views, experiences and ideas to help shape improvements.

This role would suit someone who is naturally curious, enjoys working…