Play Worker - Casual

Job Description

01 – 20 hours per week (Casual daytime, evening and weekend hours during School Holidays)

Between £7.55 – £12.21 per hour (+ holiday pay)

Background

Wave Active is an award-winning charity and social enterprise, supporting local communities with facilities, activities, and services to inspire active lifestyles.

Our purpose is “Inspiring Active Lifestyles” and vision, “To be at the heart of the improvement of health and wellbeing in the Community”.

Managing 15 leisure facilities and Newhaven Fort, across the Lewes District and Eastbourne Borough of East Sussex we are passionate about providing opportunities that support individuals to gain, regain or maintain: health, fitness, and wellbeing.

Offering a range of activities across our facilities and multifunctional spaces, our team is dedicated to creating an approachable environment enabling individuals to prioritise their health and wellbeing journey.

As a charity, formed in 2006, Wave Active continues to ensure all surplus revenues generated from activities are reinvested back into the community in the form of: facility developments, refurbishments, employment opportunities, new programmes of activity and to support those with health conditions to make health improvements.

The Post in Context

The key purpose of this post is to ensure that our employees endeavours to provide a smooth and fun play scheme experience, maintaining and upholding the ‘Wave’ standards set to all children and parents, who come away with a high level of satisfaction from our service.

Our employees work together as a team, working in line with the expectations set by external bodies (Ofsted), the DSL (Designated Safeguarding Lead), and members of the management structure to ensure effective customer service, enthusiasm, and pride in the work we do is delivered.

We always act in a fun and safe environment, remain aware and show good observation when faced with the duties, policies and procedures of safeguarding children and vulnerable youths/adults.

We adhere to our rules and regulations set by ‘Wave Active’ and external governing bodies to promote exceptional codes of conduct and work practices to further increase our reputation and be recognised for achieving our goals set out.

A ‘Wave Active’ employee will offer a high level of customer satisfaction in every aspect of our play schemes, duties and experience.

Customer Service

The priorities of the play worker are:

• To provide a fun, friendly and efficient service to all customers.
• To pro-actively engage with children of different ages and abilities to ensure a fantastic time throughout and enable them the ability to try something new.
• To respond positively to parental requests and adapt to individual needs based on information given and approved by room leaders, DSL, and management.
• To show enthusiasm and be enthusiastic throughout the play scheme experience.
• To be respectful, mindful, and humane towards customer circumstances and aid the customer in any situation.
• To offer effective communication to staff, public and management.
• Knowledge on the different types of safeguard issues such as FGM, Prevent and Criminal Lines- trained first if no previous experience.

General Tasks

• To help manage the play scheme as part of a wider team from the first minute, throughout.
• To assist or lead in an activity room for a period. This could mean taking a register, speaking to the class of children on rules, running bouncy castle sessions, arts, and crafts etc.
• To set up and take down any equipment required prior to day, during the working day and post play scheme.
• To ensure day to day preparation of facilities e.g., Equipment and set ups are maintained.
• To adhere to wave customer satisfaction standards and expectations set out.
• To Support the Play scheme Manager in planning a wide range of creative and enjoyable activities.
• To undertake cleaning tasks of all areas of the centre including the toilets, sports hall, studio, and outside areas to ensure exceptional standards of hygiene and cleanliness.
• To Support the Play scheme Manager in planning a any administrative duties such as materials ordering, rota, equipment orders, uniform and other.
• To be diligent about compliance with the Trust’s Health and Safety Policy.
• To commit to online safeguard training, in house safeguard courses and company policy inductions before work can commence.
• To fully support inclusive practice and ensure that all children can be involved in the activities offered if they wish.
• To ensure the scheme offers a high quality, inclusive environment which meets the needs of all children, regardless of culture, religion, and physical or emotional development.

Other Duties.

• To adhere to Wave Active policies and procedures.

Personal Specification

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Profile (Essential)

• Good interpersonal skills.
• Can show contingency skills
• Ability to remain calm, composed, and courteous under pressure and in general circumstances.
• Excellent observation and awareness skills
• Quick reaction in dangerous situations
• Quick reaction to avoid risks and hazards before they arise!
• Driven and Enthusiastic
• Passion for providing exceptional service
• Passion for engaging with children
• Team Player who takes pride in their role
• Recording accidents and incidents clearly and correctly
• Consult with the children to plan activities and ensure that play meets the full range of children’s individual and group needs.

Profile (Desirable)

• Other industry certificates in customer service, sport, and leisure.
• Childcare qualifications of such accredited or other
• A current DBS (we will conduct our own however)

Qualifications (Essential)

• Level 3 Child Care/Play Work/ Sport Coaching

Qualifications (Desirable)

• Knowledge of COSHH regulations
• Coaching Qualification
• First Aid Certificate

Specialist Knowledge (Desirable)

• Able to organise leisure/creative/sport sessions in at least one activity. i.e., art crafts, Lego, sports, child party games.

Other (Essential)

• To be flexible to the changing demands of the business.
• To be able to follow Wave Active Policies and Procedures.
• Enhanced DBS