Youth Involvement Officer - School of PsychologyGrade 6
Youth Involvement Officer - School of PsychologyGrade 6
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£ 33002 - 35608
1 Vacancy
Job Description
Position Details
School of Psychology
Location: University of Birmingham Edgbaston Birmingham UK
Full time starting salary is normally in the range 33002 to 35608 with potential progression once in post to 39906
Grade: 6
Part Time (18.75 hours per week)
Fixed Term contract up to August 2026
Closing date: 10th September 2025
UK and International travel may be required for this role
Our offer to you
People are at the heart of what we are and do.
The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years andweare equally proud to be recognised as a leading global want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond support them to succeed and celebrate their success.
We are committed to helping the people who work here todevelopthrough our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programmewhichprovides allprofessionalservices staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full almost 5000professionalservices jobs in a wide-range of functionsin Edgbaston andin our campus inDubai there are plenty of opportunities foryou to be able to develop yourcareer at the University.
We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas innovation and warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we areand how we work.
Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees andtothe success of the University and depending on the role we offer avarietyof flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible addition you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 dayspaid holidaya year one paid day a year for volunteering occupational sick pay and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.
The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus including main bus routes and a train station on campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool shopsplaces to eat and drinkour own art gallery museum and botanical gardens.
Find out more about thebenefits of working for the Universityof Birmingham
Background
In partnership with Horizon EU we have been involved in the development of three very promising interventions to support mental health in children and young people. These interventions are much needed to tackle the current challenges our young people are facing and offer valuable perspectives to the next generation of young people and healthcare professionals. These three interventions are complementary and together will offer a complete integrated youth mental health prevention & early intervention package including:
- An accessible free walk-in centre designed to promote trust within a youth-friendly anonymous setting.
- A smartphone-based self-help app enabling young people to actively manage their own mental health.
- A hybrid online platform involving both professional and peer support.
The project is funded by Horizon EU and will be hosted the University of Birmingham.
Role Summary
This is a fixed term Youth Involvement Officer role that will support all aspects of the project delivery. This will involve close liaison with health and social care organisations both in the UK and with our European partners.
Alongside the Mental Health Mission Translation Centre (MHMTC) PPIE Officer this role requires the post holder to build and maintain excellent relationships with people from different cultural backgrounds and ages using interpreters where necessary and they should be committed to equal opportunities. Ideally the successful candidate will have lived experience of mental health difficulties or of supporting someone with mental health difficulties.
The post holder will develop support and facilitate various methods for involving young people in the work of Youth Reach so that their input shapes the activities of Youth Reach. This will be achieved in partnership with young people and will also draw on good practice in involving the public in research.
TheYouth Involvement Officer will support the recruitment of young people and stakeholders (mental health professionals eductors) in the UK and across Europe facilitate co-production workshops and advisory group meetings and help to produce training material. The Youth Involvement Officer will also be closely involved in the outputs of the project.
The position is for 2.5 days a week with a hybrid working pattern.
Main Duties
The responsibilities may include some but not all of the responsibilities outlined below.
- Co-facilitate workshops with young people and professionals both in person and on-line.
- Collaborate in co-designing and co-producing communication events collaborations and other activities to promote young peoples contribution to mental health research.
- Offering support (not Mental Health Support) for members of the Youth Advisory Group in developing resources/blogs/videos for YOUTHreach.
- Assist in the creation and development of training materials and resources for the Youth Advisory Group.
- Work with young people and other team members across our European team.
- Be involved in the creation and present research outputs.
- Undertake administration tasks arising from research.
- Deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines.
Person Specification
- Educated to Degree level (or equivalent qualifications).Where no equivalent qualification is held significant practical relevant experience and expertise in a similar role will be required.
- Extensive experience of working with people with lived experience to influence and inform a project / research.
- Empathic and have a good understanding of working with indivduals with mental ill health and understanding the challenges faced by young people with mental health problems.
- Strong written communication skills includingIT literacy competence in using Word and Excel.
- Familiarity with online collaboration tools (e.g. Zoom Microsoft Teams Miro Padlet) for group facilitation and video-conferencing.
- Experience in facilitating workshops and group discussions both in-person and online.
- A commitment to equality diversity and inclusion.
- Ability to work collaboratively in a team in an inclusive and respectful manner.
- Some experience inadministration project planning and delivery and keeping to task and deadlines.
- Willingness to contribute to the planning and organising of the research programme and/or specific research project.
- Ability to work flexibly adapting to the needs of the project and team willing to learn and be responsive to feedback. Will require out of hours meetings when working with Youth Advisory Group.
- Ability to professionally represent UOB and work effectively with community organisations health and social care organisations and European partners.
- A willingness to understand governance and safeguarding issues in mental health research including confidentiality and informed consent.
- Requirement for DBS Occupational Health Checkand awareness of the Data Protection Act (DPA).
- Potential for European travel therefore a valid passport/visa will be required as an EU funded grant YouthReach is coordinated by Maastricht University and is supported by 12 countries across Europe. Therefore travel to other sites/meeting providers could occur.
- Proficiency in a second European language (German Italian Spanish Dutch or Estonian) is desirable but not essential a second language may make communication with the other sites easier.
- Desirablyprevious experience in co-producing research or interventions with young people.
- Desirably experience of carrying out peer research peer research training or providing peer support.
- We particularly encourage those from diverse minority backgrounds.
OH and DBS required
The University is committed to safeguarding and we promote safe recruitment practice therefore all associated pre-employment checks will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed.Due to the nature of the work undertaken in this role all successful applicants will be subject to a satisfactory Occupational Health and DBS clearance prior to appointment.
Informal enquiries to Shahara Choudhry email:
View our staff values and behaviourshere
We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyoneon our website.
Required Experience:
Unclear Seniority
Employment Type
Part-Time
