Children’s worker at St Luke’s W12
About St Luke’s
St Luke’s parish is set in an exciting, dynamic and diverse community at the western edge of Shepherd’s Bush. The parish boundary has been extended in recent years to give a more coherent relationship to nearby estates and developments (rather than dividing them between two parishes), and the parish population is estimated to be 12,637. Our Sunday congregation represents people from every continent on earth, with a significant proportion of African-Caribbean heritage, and a broad age span from newborns, toddlers and school-aged children, through to people in their nineties.
We are a Church of England parish in the Anglo-Catholic tradition. The spiritual heart of our parish life is the Sunday Mass which is offered with both joy and dignity, and we hold activities and services throughout the week.
We are keen to continue to develop and grow our parish in terms of spiritual depth, community impact, and numbers engaged. The new role of a children’s worker forms part of this ongoing vision as we seek to form our young people in the Christian faith, to be of service to children and families in our local community, and to attract new families into a relationship with Jesus Christ through our church’s ministry.
About the role
We haven’t had a children’s worker before, so you could be our first one! There’s lots of potential for the development of our children’s work at the moment, and our current volunteer-base would love to see this grow, so we’re really keen to consolidate this through the new role of a children’s worker. Children and families are key to our mission and growth strategy, and the creation of this role is an investment in seeing that vision come to fruition. Our vision for this role is that it should be more about relationship-building than completing tasks and projects. Nevertheless, the shape of our current and hoped-for children’s work follows below.
Several of our activities have changed or been temporarily suspended due to the current coronavirus situation. In ordinary times, we seek to offer:
- Sunday Club – group worship and learning for children aged 5 to 11 whilst the main Sunday service takes place
- CRAFTernoon TEA – fortnightly weekday drop-in café for people of all ages with craft activities and refreshments, specifically intended to encourage inter-generational mixing between elderly and younger people
- All-Age Mass – once-termly Sunday service that seeks to incorporate the children of Sunday Club into the main lay-led ministry roles of the Parish Mass
- Catechesis – annual course of classes for those aged 10 or older preparing for Confirmation
It is hoped that the children’s worker would take an active part in some or all of these. We have also identified some new potential areas for growth:
- Parent & toddler group – specifically identified in our community audit as a local need and a key growth area for the parish’s potential mission
- After school club – provision for slightly older children to undertake homework in a safe environment, possibly with provision of simple, healthy supper
- Children’s choir – in collaboration with the Director of Music, the possibility to develop a choir of young voices to help lead worship.
The Parochial Church Council (the trustees who manage the church) seeks to be realistic and would not expect anyone to do all this at once! The children’s worker could work alongside our current team and volunteers to prioritise some of these projects, and for others to be kept under review over time. More importantly than any list of tasks or projects, we see the role as one of relationship-building with children and their families.
Our current staff team includes:
- Vicar (full-time)
- Assistant Curate (full-time)
- Director of Music (part-time)
- Parish Administrator (part-time)
The children’s worker post is offered as a part-time post with negotiable hours between 12 and 18 hours per week. The working hours will include time for planning and preparation, and for delivering the activities. We will seek a committed Christian who is sympathetic to the tradition of the parish. Supervision and management will be provided by the Vicar, with regular review meetings with one of the churchwardens, and access to diocesan networks of children’s and youth workers. Enhanced DBS disclosure will be required; Safeguarding requirements will be provided through the diocese.
We will offer the role on a sessional basis at £12 per hour (including an allowance for 6 weeks leave per year) which is above the London Living Wage threshold.
Job specification
Title: Children’s worker
Responsible to: The Vicar and PCC
Line-managed by: The Vicar
Responsible for: Children’s ministry
Key responsibilities:
1. Participating in development of vision and strategy for the parish’s ministry to children
2. Maintaining communication and relationships with volunteers, parents, families and children
3. Using existing resources to plan and deliver worship and learning materials for children on Sunday mornings (Sunday Club)
4. Liaising with the Safeguarding Officer so that all Safeguarding policies are followed
5. Helping increase the presence and participation of children in parish life
6. Contributing to the planning (and delivery) of all-age worship
7. Developing and assisting in existing and new areas of work with children, and particularly developing a new parent and toddler group
8. Reporting to Vicar on the ongoing progress of all the above, and supplying a quarterly written report to the PCC
Person specification
Essential:
• Experience of and enthusiasm for work with children
• Good communication and relational skills with children and adults
• Committed to collaborative working
• Self-organised and self-motivated
• Good understanding of Safeguarding
• IT competency
Desirable:
• Enthusiasm for the Catholic tradition of the Church of England
• Ability (or potential capacity) to help plan all-age worship
• Some experience of leading a team of volunteers
Key Terms
Pay: £12 per hour.
Hours: Between 12 and 18 hours per week (to include Sunday mornings); hours will be negotiated during appointment process, and then fixed.
Place of work: Desk space in the parish office, most activities take place in church buildings
Holiday: Paid holiday of the equivalent of 6 weeks per year. Further unpaid holiday leave available by negotiation.
DBS: This appointment is subject to an enhanced DBS check. Safeguarding training will be provided and must be undertaken.
Other requirements: The role has an occupational requirement to be a practising Christian (as permitted under Schedule 9, Part 1 of the Equality Act 2010).
Contract: Initial 12-month contract with 3-month probationary period. 1 month notice required by either party. PAYE and payroll services, etc provided through Stewardship Services. Contract extension possible subject to funding.
Accommodation: We are unable to offer accommodation with this post, though we might be able to help you find suitable local accommodation if required.
Start date: Ideally, the sooner the better after successful recruitment!
We’d love someone to start in the spring, but we can wait for a September 2021 start if this suits you better.
How to apply
For more information on the parish, take a look at our website
Any enquiries should be addressed to the Vicar, Fr Richard Bastable: administrator@stlukesw12.com or 020 8749 7523
To apply, please send:
• a covering letter introducing yourself and telling us why you are applying for this role
• a fully up-to-date CV
• contact details of two referees (email is preferred)
to Fr Richard Bastable (administrator@stlukesw12.com) by 5pm Monday 29 March 2021.
