The ONE Programme Host Information Pack

Transcription

1 The ONE Programme Host Information Pack For churches/projects looking to apply to host a One Programme Participant in 2016/17 INTRODUCTION Thank you for expressing an interest in becoming a ONE Programme Host Project. This is a very exciting part of the Methodist Church s commitment to young people, as individuals aged years have the opportunity to be employed on a part-time basis to help with the development of the mission and ministry of the Church at a local, regional and national level. By applying to be a host project, you are offering a placement for a young person to be employed on a part-time basis for a year. The salary for this employment will be paid by the Methodist Connexion. The One Programme is more than just a job for the young person it also includes training (delivered by the Connexional Team) and other opportunities for personal development. As part of your commitment you will be expected to provide a Project Supervisor*, who will be responsible for the day to day supervision of the young person. One host project will be selected in each of the 11 Learning Network regions. Projects who apply will be considered against other projects in their region and will be selected by a panel of young people and Connexional Team staff. To give yourself the best chance of selection, you are encouraged to read through this pack before carefully completing the application form. This pack contains: General information about One Programme Participants (OPPs)... page 3 Information on buying in to the One Programme Training.. page 5 A guide to the recruitment process for a ONE Programme Participant...page 6 Frequently Asked Questions... page 8 Criteria for project selection for the One Programme 2016/17...page 10 Timescales for Host Project Selection...page 11 *The Project Supervisor must be DBS checked if the OPP is under the age of 18. 1

2 If your project decides that it would like to apply to host an OPP in 2016/17, then you will need to complete and submit a copy of: The Host Project Application Form. The One Programme Participant Job Description and Person Specification (you will need to tailor the local project tasks on the Job Description to your project, as well as the project-specific requirements on the Person Specification). The recruitment advert template Any other additional information about the project that we can send to the potential applicants. All items need to be sent, via , to one@methodistchurch.org.uk before midnight on Friday 4 th March These should have been sent to you with this pack but, if not, please contact your Regional Coordinator for the Learning Network (see below). The information can also be found on the Contact details of the Regional Coordinators for the Learning Network: Scotland & Shetland: Gary Williams (in lieu of Helen Wareing) williamsg@methodistchurch.org.uk North West and Mann: Alison Ransome, , ransomea@methodistchurch.org.uk North East: Tricia Mitchell, , mitchellt@methodistchurch.org.uk Yorkshire Plus: Rachel McCallam, , mccallamr@methodistchurch.org.uk East Central: Jane Bingham, , binghamj@methodistchurch.org.uk East of England: Richard Armiger, , armigerr@methodistchurch.org.uk Bristol and the West Midlands: Geoff Bond, , bondg@methodistchurch.org.uk South West: Alison Ball, , balla@methodistchurch.org.uk London: Richard Armiger (in lieu of Jo Cox-Darling) , armigerr@methodistchurch.org.uk Southern and Islands: Natalie Newton, , newtonn@methodistchurch.org.uk Cymru Wales: Amy Adams, , adamsa@methodistchurch.org.uk 2

3 GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT ONE PROGRAMME PARTICIPANTS (OPPS) Details of position: OPPs will be employees of the Methodist Council of Great Britain, but attached to a local project. The One Programme will run September 1 st August 31 st each (academic) year. Individuals will be employed for an average of 65 hours per calendar month for one year only. The post will be based within the chosen local project for the majority of these hours, although the OPP will need to be released (with reasonable notice) for Connexional commitments. These include but are not restricted to: Induction Weekend: 2 nd 4 th September 2016 (approximately 30 hours) 2 nd Training Weekend: 21 st 23 rd October 2016 (approximately 26 hours) 3Generate Children & Youth Assembly: 25 th 27 th November 2016 (approximately 35 hours) 3 rd Training Weekend: 10 th 12 th February 2017 (approximately 26 hours) 4 th Training Weekend: 23 rd 25 th June 2017 (approximately 26 hours) A salary will be provided of 6, per annum ( 7, in London). A Connexional Line Manager for the OPP will be assigned from within the Methodist Connexional Team but the project will also be expected to identify a Project Supervisor to take the lead on day to day supervision (this person must be DBS checked if the OPP is under the age of 18). It is a requirement of the position for regular recorded meetings to occur between the Supervisor and the OPP. All Connexional travel expenses will be reimbursed at agreed rates when such travel has been authorised in advance with the Connexional Line Manager. All host project travel and other project expenses need to be covered by the project. Training Four residential training weekends will be provided for all OPPs. Attendance at these is mandatory for the position. Please see above for a list of these dates. Project requirements Your project should have a connection with the Methodist Church. Maybe it is funded by the church, or in a church building, or set up or run by church members. It can be a small local charity or part of a larger national organisation. It needs to have sufficient infrastructure to support the work of an OPP. The project will need to complete a Host Project Application Form. This will tell us all about your project, its aims and objectives, what you actually do and the reasons you are applying to host a One Programme Participant. When completing the form, please make sure you pay close attention to the project criteria given on page 10. This will help the panel decide if your project is the right one for this year. 3

4 The project will also need to write an OPP Job Description and Person Specification, using the template provided with the Host Project Application Form, with particular attention given to the main tasks the OPP will be expected to carry out within the project. This should be included with your application form. As part of the application process, we ask each project to adapt our standard template for the recruitment advert. This should be also included with your application form. NB: The ONE Programme is a one-year programme, if you wish to be a host project for the following year you must begin the process from the beginning. 4

5 Buying in to the One Programme Training 11 OPP placements will be paid for from the Connexional budget. Decisions on which projects are funded this way are made by the regional One Programme selection panels (groups comprised of young people and adults). There are a growing number of churches across the connexion that run their own version of the One Programme scheme and employ young people (often referred to as Interns) in their local church or project. It is possible for these interns to buy in to the training weekends which are part of the One Programme. This would enable locally based interns to receive appropriate training and be part of a connexional-wide cohort of young people undergoing a similar experience. The costs for this type of arrangement are set out below: Option 1 Option 2 Commitment Attendance at the 3 training weekends (Sept, Oct, Feb) held at Cliff College, with option to complete the Cliff Certificate in Leadership. Attendance at the 3 training weekends (Sept, Oct, Feb) held at Cliff College, with option to complete the Cliff Certificate in Leadership plus attendance at 4 th training weekend in Birmingham in June, which includes a reflective debrief and visiting the Methodist Conference. Cost 390 (covers accommodation, food and training expenses) 520 (covers accommodation, food and training expenses) Please note all projects buying in to the training will need to cover the travel expenses for their young people attending the weekends. must have a role for the young person (aged 16-23) of at least 9 hours a week working in the local church/project. Please your regional coordinator if you are interested in this. (Contact details on page 2) 5

6 A GUIDE TO THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS FOR AN OPP If successful in your application to be a host project you will be expected to advertise the job opportunity as widely as possible to recruit your OPP, and cover the cost of this. To do this you will need to work with the Connexional Line Manager and the HR & Development Team at Methodist Church House to ensure the recruitment and selection procedure complies with Methodist Church policy and the law. An application form, interview question score sheets and other necessary paperwork will be provided by the HR & Development team. Please bear in mind the following: Your project needs to assign someone to deal with enquiries about the project and the role. The interview needs to be arranged by you and the Connexional Line Manager. The panel should ideally consist of the following: The Connexional Line Manager (who will chair the panel). A representative of your project (ideally the Project Supervisor). A young person (or other appropriate person relevant to the role) One other relevant person (optional). If you need any advice or help don t forget you can ask the Connexional Line Manager. As part of the process of applying to be a One Programme host project, you will need to customise our standard One Programme recruitment advert, which is available to download from and/or will have been ed with this host pack. Once your OPP is offered a place what will you, as the host project, need to do? As a host project you are responsible for ensuring that your Methodist District Chair is kept informed of the OPP s involvement with your project. As a host project you are expected to support the Connexional Line Manager to ensure an application to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) for relevant pre-employment screening is completed and submitted for processing as soon as possible after the successful candidate has been chosen. The DBS application must be verified by a Methodist approved verifier (usually the Connexional line manager). As a host project you must also complete a risk assessment of your OPP s working environment. As a host project you will be required to provide a Project Supervisor for the OPP (who must be DBS checked if the OPP is under 18). Training and support for this role will be provided but, ideally, it should be someone who has experience in line management/coaching and who understands and is sympathetic to the specific issues, challenges and benefits of employing young people. 6

7 Once your OPP is in place what do you, as a Host Project, need to do? Regular meeting between the OPP and the Project Supervisor must be held and a record of these meetings must be completed. Regular meetings (at least once a quarter) of the Project Supervisor and the One Programme Connexional Line Manager should be held. As a host project it may be necessary at times to complete written reports/feedback. 7

8 What age can an OPP be? FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS OPPs are young people aged (at the start of the OPP year, which is 1 st September). Does the host project need to be a children s or youth work project? No. This is about young people doing the work! The OPPs should be involved in meaningful works of service but could be based in a family centre, arts or worship project, fresh expressions initiative, old people s home etc. But what about OPPs under 18? Surely that s not old enough to serve? This is an opportunity for the OPP as a young person. They will not be doing the work of a professionally qualified worker or volunteers, but will be carrying out work appropriate to their age and ability. How long is an OPP s appointment for? OPPs will be appointed for one year only (September to August). What hours will an OPP work? OPPs will be employed for an average of 65 hours per calendar month (approx. 15 hours per week) for one year only. The post will be based within your project for the majority of these hours, although the OPP will need to be released (with reasonable notice) for Connexional commitments. These include but are not restricted to: Induction Weekend: 2 nd 4 th September 2016 (approximately 30 hours) 2 nd Training Weekend: 21 st 23 rd October 2016 (approximately 26 hours) 3Generate Children & Youth Assembly: 25 th 27 th November 2016 (approximately 35 hours) 3 rd Training Weekend: 10 th 12 th February 2017 (approximately 26 hours) 4 th Training Weekend: 23 rd 25 th June 2017 (approximately 26 hours) How large an area can the OPP cover? Young people will apply for an OPP role within the District where they live. OPPs will not be expected to be mobile across their whole District. Appointing projects cannot say that OPPs must drive and have a car. But OPPs will be expected to travel independently to their project. Does an OPP need to be a Methodist or a Christian? No, but they do need to be sympathetic with the aims of the Methodist Church and comfortable being in the company of Christians. Due to the nature of Connexionally employed posts, we are unable to have an Occupational Requirement for the post-holder to be a Christian without seeking prior approval from the Methodist Conference for each new post. We are also proud of the fact that the One Programme is an accessible opportunity for young people from a broad range of backgrounds and would like to do everything possible to ensure this remains the case. 8

9 Could young people already on placement in a District as part of other schemes be considered as OPPs? The One Programme is about increasing opportunity, not funding existing work. It is all about extending the reach of the Church to engage with young people and giving them opportunities. We are not looking for more workers. Instead, we are looking to benefit a young person. And this, in turn, will have the knock-on effect of benefitting our churches and communities. The One Programme is an open recruitment process, open to all. However, there is the option of buying into the One Programme training for young people employed on similar schemes to the One Programme but who do not receive training. How is an OPP recruited and who employs them? An OPP is an employee of the Methodist Council of Great Britain. Host projects will be selected by a regional One Programme Selection panel, made up of adults and young people, using annuallyagreed selection criteria. Successful projects will have already completed the recruitment paperwork as part of their application process. This includes the standardised advert sent with this pack and a job description/person specification template (which, along with the advert, needs to be tailored to the specific project and submitted with the Host Project Application form). The job description and person specification and advert are sent to Methodist Church House for the HR Department to ratify. Once approved, the project can then advertise and select their OPP. The project will also be provided with interview question score sheets, suggested interview questions and a suggested methodology for involving young people in the process. 9

10 CRITERIA FOR PROJECT SELECTION FOR THE ONE PROGRAMME 2015/2016 As we are unable to financially support all the One Programme placements that we would like to, the selection panel will have to prioritise. Remember the Methodist Church also supports VentureFX and it may be that you can find ways to link with this initiative. For more information, go to: If you are unsuccessful in obtaining funding from us you may want to explore self-funding a young person and buying in to the One Programme training package (information on the costs of this are on page 5 of this pack). Below is a brief list of criteria, indicating how One Programme host projects will be selected for the 2016/17 Connexional year. The kind of projects/churches* we are likely to prioritise are: Projects that are effective in meeting a genuine need in their context. Projects that are compatible with the Methodist Church becoming more in line with the vision of being, A discipleship movement shaped for mission. Priority will be given to applications that demonstrate a clear strategy for mission and developing work that is outward-looking. Projects that have realistic objectives and purpose for the OPP s work during the year and beyond. This will be assessed by reviewing the Job Description and Person Specification that you produce as part of the application process. Projects that encourage and value young people and that understand the issues connected to employment of young people. Evidence of this may include identifying a clear support structure, which has the flexibility to work with individual young people, and providing the time and space required for quality workplace supervision. Whilst we would love to be in the position to fund every application, our limited budget does mean that we normally have to turn down approximately 50% of applications. We do our best to provide feedback to unsuccessful applications. *The word project or church can be interchangeable. In the list above we have used the word project for our convenience but it could be a church/circuit post. 10

11 TIMESCALES FOR HOST PROJECT SELECTION December - January: Potential host projects are sent the Host Information Pack and Application Form. 4 th March 2016: Deadline for host project applications. 7 th 19 th March 2016: Shortlisting of project applications and selection panels. 21 st March 2016: Deadline by which projects are informed of the application outcome. Connexional Line Managers have been identified in all regions. 11 th April 2016: All posts advertised. 6 th May 2016: Approximate closing date for OPP vacancies. 23 rd May 3 rd June 2016: OPP selection interviews take place. Project Supervisors and Connexional Line Managers must be available on a date during this time to interview. 6 th June 2016: Reference requests sent out by HR and DBS disclosures processed. 1 st August 2016: All paperwork and pre-employment checks in place, ready for placements to commence. 1 st September 2016: OPP contracts begin; OPPs can start in post with duties limited until they have received safeguarding training at their induction weekend. 2 nd 4 th September 2016: Initial training weekend with induction (including safeguarding training). 11