Lewisham Hub Manager
2 days ago
Lewisham
POST: Lewisham Hub Manager LOCATION: Lewisham, London – 3 days on-site + hybrid options available SALARY: 35k per annum HOURS: Full-Time – 37.5h per week Reports to: Service Manager Direct Reports: Hub Coordinators x2 About Resources for Autism (RfA) Since 1997 when we started as a small playgroup set up by parents dismayed at the lack of provision for their autistic children, Resources for Autism (RfA) has grown into a major deliverer of services and support in London and the West Midlands with a turnover of around £2.5m per year. Our mission is to support and enable autistic people to live happy and fulfilling lives. We want to change society’s attitude to autism whilst also providing essential services and enriching opportunities to autistic people. We are a values-driven organisation which employs values-driven people who want to make a difference. Our values are: Inclusion, Creativity, Compassion, Courageousness and Expert. You will play a vital part in ensuring that we can resource and sustain this amazing work. Our Services All of our services across children and adults and parent/carers, mirror the wider organisational mission of providing safe, fun and meaningful support that enables personal development. We provide this support by ensuring our staff are skilfully trained, meet the highest safeguarding expectations and are encouraged to develop and upskill throughout their career with Resources for Autism. The Role The Lewisham Autism Hub provides support to anyone who self-reports as autistic who lives in Lewisham. Since its inception in April 2024, we have supported over 800 families and individuals to learn more about autism, navigate systems of support available to them, and to meet other autistic people through advice, signposting, referrals, workshops, mentoring, social groups and 1:1 family support. Working closely with the Service Manager, The Hub Manager leads this project and is responsible for elements of direct delivery with service users, managing external communications and referrer relationships, monitoring, evaluating and reporting on service outputs, as well as line managing our amazing team of coordinators. We are looking for a values-driven candidate with previous experience of managing projects, knowledge of autism and ability to think strategically and creatively to develop a well-rounded and inclusive service for the autistic community in Lewisham. We would love someone with knowledge of the local area and local services, though this isn't essential. • Main Responsibilities:, • Oversee the delivery and quality of the Lewisham Autism Hub according to community and commissioner needs, • Support delivery of group support for service users, • Managing external communications about our services, ensuring everyone who needs to know about the service has the correct information; presenting the service to service to key partners in the VCS and statutory sectors, including commissioners, • Monitoring service outputs – i.e group attendance, calls made, referrals received, • Service development and actioning feedback received through coproduction and presenting demand, • Line management of 2 Hub Coordinators, • Work closely with Barnet Children & Families Autism Hub and South London 16-25 Project teams to align delivery, share resource and provide coherent support across Hubs services, • Undertake training and development necessary to develop in your role as an autism specialist, • Conduct thorough risk assessments of all events and activities in order to ensure safety of service users and staff., • Uphold and adhere to the values of RfA at all times, • Ensure there is always compliance with RfA’s safeguarding policies and procedures, • All staff are expected to promote equality in the workplace and in our services, • Undertake any other duties asked of you that are commensurate with your grade Flexible working: This role will require regular out-of-hours work to support service delivery (including some evenings and weekend days on occasion), TOIL will be taken as and when this time is needed Person Specification Essential Skills • Experience of managing complex projects and teams, • Minimum 2 years experience working with neurodivergent families or individuals, • Experience of delivering services to improve wellbeing, increase confidence or upskill service users, • Experience of working collaboratively with Health and Social Care, Education and/or VCS sectors, • Confident in monitoring and evaluating project outputs Desirable Skills • Knowledge of systems of support for SEND and ND in Lewisham and the surrounding region, • Lived experience of Neurodivergence Standard skills expected of all staff • Excellent communication skills (written and verbal) adaptable to different populations including: colleagues, external professionals, service users, families, volunteers, donors, • Strong organisational and prioritisation skills, • Good understanding of Safeguarding, • IT skills: proficient with Office 365, • Self-starter and able to work independently, using own initiative, • Non-judgemental, compassionate Confidentiality and Safeguarding You will have access to confidential information concerning families and other service users and will be required to maintain confidentiality at all times. All staff have the following safeguarding responsibilities: • Actively promote the safety, wellbeing and inclusion of all children, young people and vulnerable adults accessing our services., • Follow organisational safeguarding policies, procedures and codes of conduct at all times., • Maintain clear professional boundaries and model safe, respectful and appropriate behaviour., • Recognise and respond appropriately to safeguarding, welfare or behaviour-related concerns, reporting these promptly and in line with organisational procedures., • Work in a way that reduces risk and supports positive behaviour, emotional regulation and individual communication needs., • Contribute to a culture where safeguarding concerns are shared appropriately, listened to, and taken seriously. Staff Benefits 90% of our staff say that Resources for Autism is “a great place to work”. Not only will the work you do ensure we are making vital differences and inspiring others, but our other benefits also include: • flexible working patterns with the option to work in a hybrid way (only available for some roles), • 25 days of leave (pro rata for part time roles) each year plus 8 bank holidays and an additional 3 Celebration days that could be used between Christmas and new year, but may be used for other religious days or significant days such as your birthday, • access to ongoing training and progress in the areas that interest you, • access to our wellbeing initiatives and an Employee Assistance Programme, • enrolment on to our pension scheme, • a supportive, warm and fun working environment made up of values driven people who are passionate about changing the world for autistic people Application process: In order that we adhere to Safer Recruitment processes, all applicants are required to complete an application form which must include your full employment history with clear details, any gaps in employment need to be outlined and explained. You are also required to provide details of your full education history. Regulated activity roles statement (anyone working directly with children or vulnerable adults such as support workers, group leaders): This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. All applicants will be subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, including a check of the relevant Barred List(s), in line with DBS eligibility criteria and the DBS Code of Practice. In your personal statement we would like to see how you feel you meet the person specification and the requirements/responsibilities of the role. If for any reason, such as due to accessibility, you feel completing an application form will present a challenge, you can contact us via the below email and we may explore other options with you. To discuss the role informally or if you need to contact us you can contact the HR team via recruitment@resourcesforautism.org.uk We particularly welcome applications from global majority candidates, LGBTQIA+ candidates and disabled candidates, because we would like to increase the representation of these groups at Resources for Autism. We want to do this because we know greater diversity will lead to even greater results for our community. As you would expect, we are a neuro-affirming employer, with a strengths and rights based approach to neurodiversity which affirms neurodivergent identity – we don’t want to “fix” or “cure” autism, and we don’t see it as a “disability” however we do recognise it can be “disabling”. We are working to improve the ways in which we recruit and support neurodiverse employees and those with lived experience of neurodiversity. RfA is a Disability Confidant employer and candidates who meet the minimum essential criteria, that have a disability will be guaranteed an interview.
