OUTDOOR PLAY (FREE RANGE KIDS) PROJECT COORDINATOR – JOB DESCRIPTION RESPONSIBLE TO – LOCAL AGENDA 21 PROJECTS OFFICER RESPONSIBLE FOR – VOLUNTEERS OVERALL PURPOSE OF JOB To encourage greater outdoor and natural play amongst children in Middlesbrough through provision of sessions for groups and providing training for parents, carers and play professionals, including the delivery of Forest Schools. MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES:
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To support existing groups in the development and implementation of natural and outdoor play within their current activities and settings; To provide opportunities for parents to develop greater understanding of play, through sharing of games and participating in activities; To deliver specific outdoor and natural play activities, engaging a variety of groups; To train parents, carers and play professionals to nationally accredited standards to enable them to use traditional games and outdoor play activities in different settings without staff support; To develop the Forest Schools programme in Middlesbrough, in partnership with other agencies; To monitor the activities of the project, providing data for the evaluation of the project; To take responsibility for the day to day management of the project budget; To provide returns to the grant funder as required; To take responsibility for young people involved in projects, ensuring that appropriate safety checks have been undertaken and all appropriate policies complied with; To have due regard at all times to the Trust’s policies, especially Equal opportunities, Health and Safety and Green Housekeeping.
In addition to the above, the post may involve other duties and responsibilities, commensurate with the level of the post as may, from time to time, be identified by the Director of MEC. The post will involve weekend and evening work. The post involves work with children and vulnerable people and is therefore subject to an Enhanced Disclosure.
OUTDOOR PLAY (FREE RANGE KIDS) PROJECT COORDINATOR PERSON SPECIFICATION ATTRIBUTE
ESSENTIAL
DESIRABLE
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
Good general education
Qualification in a relevant subject, such as play work
Qualification in Forest Schools delivery Full Driving Licence First Aid Certificate Sound general knowledge of environmental issues EXPERIENCE
Significant experience of working with children in a formal or informal setting, including delivering natural and outdoor play activities
Developing and sustaining partnerships Developing and delivering accredited training packages Delivering Forest Schools programme Working with and managing volunteers Knowledge and experience of computer packages Management of project budgets Preparation of reports and budgets
PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES
Personal interest in outdoor and natural play Good written and oral communication skills Good organisational
skills As this post involves work with children, any appointment will be subject to a Disclosure under the Criminals Records Bureau Disclosure Service.