Job description
Casual Play Worker
26/05/2023, 23:55
In Sutton, there is much for us to be proud of both as a council and as a borough. This includes high levels of resident satisfaction, the quality of our services, our success in addressing our financial challenges to date, the way that we involve and engage with residents on key issues facing the borough, and the enthusiastic and motivated staff that we employ.
Looking ahead, there are plans for the delivery of new homes and new schools and the London Cancer Hub is being developed, while the Council is also seen as a driving force within the South London Partnership of five outer south west London boroughs focused on strategic growth, regeneration and investment.
All of this demonstrates a good track record and an authority that is ambitious and set to deliver more improvements for the borough. We've set out our vision for the future of Sutton in our corporate plan - Ambitious for Sutton. This strategic plan will shape the outcomes we achieve, the services we provide, and the impact we have on residents, to make Sutton a great place to live, work and raise a family.
Situated in Zone 5, Sutton is less than 30 minutes by train from central London, and south and south west London are easily accessible by public transport. There are 10 train stations which serve key neighbourhoods within the borough providing direct connections to London Victoria, London Bridge, London Blackfriars and St Pancras International. Sutton also has direct rail connections with Epsom, Dorking, Guildford and Horsham, as well as Wimbledon for an interchange with the London Underground and West Croydon for the London Overground. There’s also an extensive road network which provides close and easy access to the M25 and M23.
We Are looking for a number of people to join our team on a casual basis to support the day to day running our play service. This is an Exciting role working in a vibrant and dynamic service. We provide high quality out of school care and play opportunities for children aged 4 - 12 years old. The playservice runs after school in Term Time and then everyday during the school holidays.
Responsibilities include:
- Working with colleagues implement fun and engaging play activities
- Ensuring that the service in inclusive and engaging for all children
- Supporting children with additional needs
- Ensuring that policies and procedure are adhered to to ensure children's safety and well-being
- Creating warm and welcoming environments to support children
- Building positive relationships with Parents and Carers.
There are also opportunities to work in the Preschools service which run in the mornings term time only.
The After School Club runs in 3 locations in the borough - 2 in Central Sutton and 1 at The Grange Play Centre in Beddington Park. The Holiday Club run at The Grange. We offer high quality play opportunities for children aged 4 - 12. We work closely with parent and other agencies to ensure that children are given the right level of support to engage in the activities we offer. We are an inclusive setting and provide a excellent levels of care for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.
We are an enthusiastic and vibrant team who strive to do the best for children.
About You
We are looking for highly motivated and enthusiastic individuals to join us.
You will have:
- experience of working with children aged 4 - 12 years old
- Excellent communication skills
- A proactive and innovative approach to work
- An good understanding special educational needs
- A commitment to children's well - being and safeguarding them
- Ability to work well as part of a team
- Have a good sense of humour.
- Level 3 qualification in Childcare or Play Work (desirable)
- Ability to work flexible hours and across a range of locations within the local area.
As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We’re constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across - however big or small - will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.
In addition, we offer a modern and flexible working environment for our staff, supported by our IT infrastructure, including Google Chromebooks and Google Apps.
Employees have access to a wide range of benefits, some of which include:
- Generous annual leave entitlement plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply)
- Flexi-time (Please note, this applies to roles at grades 1-9 only)
- Comprehensive learning and development programme
- Local and national discounts for shopping, eating out and leisure activities
- Interest free season ticket loans
- Local Government Pension Scheme
- Car parking scheme
- Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme
- Zip car scheme
- Free eye tests and contribution towards glasses
- Confidential wellbeing and counselling support
- Subsidised gym membership
Please apply online outlining what skills, abilities and experience you can bring which makes you an ideal candidate for this role. Please ensure you refer to the requirements outlined in the job profile when completing your application.
To support our diversity agenda and reduce the risk of bias in our recruitment activities, our short listing process completely anonymises personal information that can identify job applicants e.g. name, title etc. Our hiring managers review and short list applications based on the information provided as part of your application as to how well you meet the requirements and criteria for the role, as outlined in the job profile.
The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
We pride ourselves on being a diverse, inclusive and welcoming Borough and we aim to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve - the key highlights from our recent Equalities Workforce Report can be seen here. We are respectful of difference and realise the positive value of diversity in our workforce. We welcome and encourage job applications from people of all backgrounds and particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates and disabled candidates, as these groups are currently under-represented in our workforce. As part of our Disability Confident Committed status, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum/essential criteria for the role.
We offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums, and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda.
The UK has introduced a new points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance.