Children & Families Worker

Ignite faith! Drive growth in children & family worship in Redditch. 60% Beoley (hands-on); 40% RMA (strategic dev.). Focus: New communities, discipleship, and local team nurture. Make a difference! https://cofe-redditch.org.uk/jobs for more.

Responsibilities

Across the Redditch Mission Area The Children and Families Worker will take a lead on developing networks and areas of work across the wider area. They will work with others with the RMA and in local churches to: Develop, train and support volunteers who are willing to lead some parts of the children's work and people who are ready to assist at worship. Work with Parish Safeguarding Officers (PSO) and ensure an understanding of best practice in children and family ministry and model good practice to others including adoption of Diocesan and Parish Safeguarding policies. Build on existing outreach opportunities ,making the most of existing links in the community including: Reviving Open the Book teams in local schools. Developing a programme of worship opportunities with local schools and college. Working with baptism reps to engage with families. Developing closer links with uniformed organisations. Supporting and further developing discipling-based after school clubs. The Children and Families worker will facilitate this by ensuring that they personally: Bring their own passion and gifts to enhance our mission. Co-ordinate and have strategic oversight for work with children and families across the RMA. Review the success of outreach and ministry, documenting the evidence via regular and timely reports to RMA Trustees. Undertake relevant training and development pertaining to your role. You will also be encouraged and supported to engage in your own spiritual development. In Beoley: Building upon the work being undertaken over the wider Mission Area, the Children and Families Worker will have a more hands-on involvement in work across the Beoley Area. This will include: Developing a strategy for growing engagement, involvement and action for children, youth, and families across the benefice which: Creates strategic cohesion to the existing ministry and mission with children and families, to enable children to follow God in ways appropriate to their age and development. Integrate the children's and families work into the wider Church, including working as part of the leadership team to shape and lead acts of worship accessible for all. Developing the worshipping communities which already disciple young people and children in our churches, support volunteers who enable this ministry and continue to ensure that there is good teaching, fun and creativity in our work with children and young people. Preparing and leading activities, liaising with the Ministry Team Empowering and enabling volunteers to support work on children, youth, and families. Preparing and leading children and families-based activities to reflect the church year.

Required skills

Able to demonstrate a passion to see families and children develop a personal relationship with God and to grow in their discipleship. First-hand experience (paid or voluntary) in leading or co-ordinating activities for children and families that are appropriate for the context. Being comfortable and confident leading and teaching in gathered settings, for example, within a church, school or holiday club context. Abilities Able to communicate the message of the Gospel, teaching the bible in an engaging and accessible way. Have a practical understanding of the importance of safeguarding and safe practice principles in children's work. Able to engage with, and relate to, a wide range of families and individuals, and to work collaboratively with both lay and ordained people, maintaining relationships in accordance with Christian teaching. Proactive, capable of identifying and developing opportunities and of facilitating their implementation. Be organised and flexible in approach, able to manage a diverse workload and wide-ranging responsibilities through effective time management. Have a willingness and ability to work co-operatively and collaboratively with others. Essential: Satisfactory outcome of an Enhanced DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) check plus barred list disclosure. Essential: Ability to travel within the parish, mission area, and diocese. A current driving licence and access to a vehicle is required unless suitable alternative arrangements can be made. Desirable: Hold a nationally recognised qualification in youth work/children and family ministry/general ministry/theology at degree or equivalent level.

Other

The Children and Families worker will be a person with a strong Christian faith, engaging in personal prayer,Bible study, and worship. They will have a passion to see families and children develop a personal relationship with God and to grow in their discipleship and be able to communicate the message of the Gospel, teaching the bible in an engaging and accessible way. This role will require the post holder to be organised and adaptable. Managing working in a specific parish context and in developing and supporting work across the wider Redditch Area. There will be a need to proactive and be skilled in developing opportunities which arise. There will be times when the Children and Families Worker will be functioning as part of a team and other times of needing to be self-sustaining and self-motivating. This is an exciting role which will offer opportunities to work in a variety of ways with diverse sets of people; this will require the post holder to be able to work with churches working out of different theological and church practice traditions. There is a need to understand boundaries and understand the importance of safeguarding and safe practice principles in youth work but also, we hope, space to see God at work in the lives children, families and the wider church. This post is subject to an occupational requirement under Part 1 of Schedule 9 to the Equality Act 2010 due to the representational aspects of the role within the Diocese of Worcester that the post-holder be a committed Christian, lay or ordained, and an active communicant member in good standing within the Church of England or of a Church which is in Communion with the Church of England, or a Church that is a member of the Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, Churches Together in England or the Evangelical Alliance.