Communications Officer

Children and Young People Mental Health and Wellbeing Through Culture

Part time, 16 hours a week – Fixed Term Until January 2023

Ref:
Salary: £21,748 to £24,491

We’re recruiting for a Communications Assistant to join Reading Borough Council’s Culture Team. This role will facilitate a project that supports children and young people’s mental health through culture.

We seek the best talent from the widest pool of people as diversity and inclusion is the key to our success. Reading Borough Council is a Disability Confident Employer and is committed to the recruitment and continued employment of people with disabilities.

This role will be mainly homebased with some on site visits. The 16 hours can be spread across Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

The pandemic has had a huge impact on children and young people’s mental health. The 2021 Prince’s Trust Tesco Youth Index warns of the "devastating toll" on young people’s mental wellbeing as a result of the pandemic.

Coming out of the pandemic 1 in 10 children are suffering with a mental health condition, while 56% of those surveyed as part of the Princes Trust Tesco Youth Index indicated that they “always” or “often” feel anxious, which is the highest it has been in the index’s 12-year history. For 16 to 25-year olds, one of the perpetuating factors is unemployment and feeling like they do not have a voice. 

We know, from nationally supported research and from running Cultural programmes in Reading, that culture can have significant mental wellbeing and employment outcomes.  

About the project

Artswork and Reading Borough Council will jointly invest £100,000 in a children and young people's mental health project that will work locally to directly improve the wellbeing and life chances of children and young people through culture in some of our most disadvantaged communities.

This is acheived by commissioning new streams of project activity working with expert partners at a community level. This project will be delivered in partnership with the Reading Cultural Education Partnership.  

About you

As part of the Reading Cultural Education Partnership delivery team you will:

• be responsible for coordinating and supporting the delivery of the Children and Young People Mental Wellbeing project
• ensure that the project delivers on plan to timescale and within budget
• engage and coordinate key partners
• be the key contact for the commission leads
• create and communicate progress reports for both the Culture Education Partnership and the project steering group on a quarterly basis

Specific requirements:

• Effective administration skills with an eye for detail, including financial records.
• Ability to co-ordinate, organise and plan.
• Effective written communication, verbal communication and presentation skills.
• ICT literate including databases, standard software applications, websites, social media and digital equipment.
• Ability to work across teams, develop positive and productive relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience & knowledge of working in the culture and heritage sector.
• Experience & knowledge of working in the mental health and wellbeing sector.
• Experience of planning and delivering projects.
• Experience of planning and carrying out evaluation and managing feedback.
• Awareness and understanding of Health and Safety responsibilities.

Reporting

The Project Officer will report to the Culture Development Officer and be supported by the wider Culture Team.

Our offer

We offer a supportive environment to grow and develop your career with the opportunity to put your ideas across. Innovation and ambition is strongly encouraged, and you’ll get a great feel for that working in our friendly and collaborative environment.

This role will predominantly be working from home but on occasion you may need to visit locations around Reading.

A competitive salary alongside a range of benefits including:

• Generous holiday entitlement - 24 days holiday each year plus bank holidays - rising to 32 days after 10 years' service, with the option to buy additional leave
• Maternity, adoption, parental and sick pay
• A wide range of flexible working opportunities
• Modern working environment at the Civic Offices in the heart of Reading
• Access to a range of training and learning opportunities to help you develop · Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• On-site day nursery (Kennet Day nursery) rated outstanding by Ofsted, and a salary sacrifice scheme to help lower the cost of your nursery fees
• Season Ticket Loan - a loan to help with the cost of your rail or bus journey, to and from work
• 'Your Reading Passport' scheme - competitive rates for local gyms

For more information on this position please contact zsuzsi.lindsay@reading.gov.uk

Closing Date: 8th of December 2021

Interview Date: Tbc

Please note that 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 return your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.