JOB DESCRIPTION Job Title

Rights Respecting Schools Professional Adviser

Reporting to:

Senior Professional Adviser

Department/Team

UK Programmes: Rights Respecting Schools (RRS)

Location

Remote working – London

Hours

21 hours per week

Salary Band/Grade

Band 7 REG: £36,782 - £43,148 per annum inclusive of £3,000 Car Allowance and £360 Home Workers’ Allowance

Duration

Permanent

Position in the organisation Unicef UK’s Rights Respecting Schools (RRS) Professional Adviser is a member of the UK Programmes Rights Respecting Schools team. This consists of a central team based in London including the Director, and a Professional Adviser team based in regions/countries. Purpose of Post The aim of Unicef UK Programmes is to help ensure the realisation of children’s rights in the UK and internationally, with a particular focus on embedding children’s rights in government and institutions with the greatest impact on children. Our approach has three key strands: - We advocate for change to realise children’s rights - We build knowledge and understanding of children’s rights - We promote the participation of children and young people Unicef UK’s RRS Programme supports schools across the UK to embed children’s rights in their ethos and culture. The award is based on principles of equality, dignity, respect, nondiscrimination and participation. It recognises achievement in putting the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child at the heart of a school’s practice to improve well-being and help all children realise their potential. A rights-respecting school is a community where children’s rights are learned, taught, practised, respected, protected and promoted. As Professional Adviser, you will work in London to promote RRS to schools and to support schools to achieve and maintain Rights Respecting School status. Support to schools will be agreed through strategic and operational plans and it is likely you will be supported by some contracted staff. You will have responsibility for a ‘charge for service’ based model to build the sustainability of RRSA, growth and quality in the London region. The United Kingdom Committee for Unicef Company Limited by Guarantee Registered Charity No. 1072612 England and Wales) and SC043677 (Scotland) Registered Office: 30a Great Sutton Street London EC1V 0DU President Kirsty Young Executive Director Mike Penrose

You will work collaboratively to contribute to the development, design and implementation of the RRS programme including managing projects and taking responsibility for the business and quality model for the London region. Responsibilities Leadership and management  

Accountable for the promotion, development and growth of RRS in designated area. Provide leadership and management of the RRS programme within own area, ensuring high quality services and advice are provided to schools. Contribute to the development and implementation of the RRS programme, delivering agreed projects to time and quality. Within the overall quality assurance framework for RRS, lead, manage and build an effective RRS support/quality assurance team at the local level so that quality is secured and sustained in a manner that is consistent within own area, across the cluster area and the UK. Manage own time and that of the support/quality assurance team so that resources are optimally focussed on our strategic objectives and delivery. Contribute to the recruitment, appointment, training, contracting, monitoring and quality assurance of support/quality assurance team members. Provide leadership for a Child Rights Based Approach (CRBA) for schools, and other stakeholders, communicating the principles of the approach and provide training in implementing the CRBA approach in school practice. Provide effective change management support in own area and cluster area to effect smooth transition from the existing RRS programme to the new programme.

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Stakeholder relationships    

Build positive relationships with key stakeholders in particular schools, senior leaders and children and young people within own area. Collaborate with team colleagues to achieve our strategic goals for children. Develop positive relationships with appropriate external organisations locally, nationally and internationally to build capacity. Secure and maintain the integrity of the Unicef UK brand, with oversight of this across the cluster.

Information and reporting 

Record in the agreed format and system, timely, accurate and detailed information on: o portfolio of schools within own area (including information secured from third parties) o services provided to schools (from third parties as well as Unicef UK) or other agreed partners/stakeholders  Provide regular and timely communication (oral and/or written reports) on RRS activities in own area as requested. 

Provide robust and up-to-date evidence to support and scrutinise the effectiveness of RRS in delivering identified outcomes, collaborating with support/quality assurance staff and schools as necessary to provide this.

Quality assurance      

Implement the smooth operation of agreed quality assurance arrangements for RRS, ensuring effective support and monitoring. Secure and monitor high quality support to primary and secondary schools. Ensure consistency in the provision of guidance, materials, support and training provided across own area with that provided in the cluster and across the UK. Ensure consistency in RRS field support staff approaches, interpretation and understanding of RRS, including the use of standard methodology where appropriate. Hold accountability for quality of field support staff activity including any required reports. Monitor results and adjust any approaches that are not working

Charge for service model   

Work within the agreed charging policy, strategy and process Plan and monitor income and expenditure across own area in line with agreed budget and having oversight of progress in this across the cluster. Reporting progress against agreed expenditure / income framework.

Other   

Work collaboratively within the RRS and wider Programmes team, and colleagues across the organisation. Effectively use management tools in place to support accountability and transparency for remote working. Be open to exploring how to make use of digital media and tools further where they can help Unicef UK achieve better results for children.

PERSON SPECIFICATION This section details the skills, behaviours and experience required for the role. All criteria in the Person Specification are essential.

Effective Behaviours

Ability to…

A commitment to children and Demonstrate a strong commitment to, and knowledge of the their rights Convention on the Rights of the Child. Achieving change

Demonstrates a solution focused approach to overcoming the barriers to change

Efficiency and effectiveness

Manage conflicting priorities to ensure that objectives are achieved and deadlines met

Results focused

Prioritises and sustains focus on work that will have the greatest impact on agreed aims Develops effective relationships with school and local authority staff enhancing their knowledge and involvement of Unicef’s work

Supporter driven

Relevant Experience Working strategically at a senior leader level in an education setting, with experience of delivering professional development, within UK schools Working with children and young people in an educational setting, involving them in decision making

Specific Skills

Specific Knowledge

Effective use of ICT, including database skills Ability to use systems efficiently as a remote worker

Knowledge and understanding of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Effective report writing skills