Re-integration Mentor

  • Organization: Sidestep Pathways

  • Location: Hybrid (Home-based outreach, community settings, and afternoon sessions at the Anderton Centre)

  • Hours: Part-Time (3 days per week, provisionally 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM) term-time only.

  • Pay Rate: £180 per day (Plus HMRC-approved business mileage at 45p/mile)

  • Contract: Demand-Led Framework Agreement (Launching July 2026 for system onboarding; frontline delivery triggers with September student cohorts)

About Sidestep Pathways

Sidestep acts as a therapeutic circuit-breaker for young people (aged 11–18) lost to chronic school anxiety, severe Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance (EBSNA), and neurodivergent burnout

.We do not operate as a permanent alternative school or a traditional, behaviour-focused unit. Instead, we offer a specialized, short-term (12-week core) hybrid intervention designed to stabilize a young person's nervous system, restore their confidence, and provide an intensive, mentor-led transition framework to safely reintegrate them back into mainstream education.

The Role: A Split-Day, High-Touch Approach

Operating at an intensive 1:3 or 1:4 ratio, our Mentors meet students exactly where they are. This is a highly dynamic, relational role split into two distinct daily phases:

  • The Morning (Outreach & Connection): You will deliver a calm, low-arousal presence to defuse front-door panic. This involves a mix of virtual check-ins and face-to-face home visits. In the early stages, you will focus entirely on breaking isolation through informal, community-based activities (e.g., morning walks, getting a coffee). As trust grows, you will guide them through remote learning modules.

  • The Afternoon (Experiential Learning): At 12:30 PM, you will transition with your students to our base at the Anderton Centre for therapeutic outdoor education, project-based activities, and emotional regulation work.

  • The Transition: Following the core 12 weeks, you will physically accompany the student back into their mainstream school, working alongside SENCOs and pastoral teams to ensure the re-engagement sticks permanently.

Who We Are Looking For (Person Specification)

This role is not about managing defiance; it is about de-escalating trauma. We are looking for an experienced professional who understands that a child cannot learn if they do not feel safe.

  • Experience: Minimum 2 years working with vulnerable or highly anxious youth (11–18) within education, youth work, or social care. Direct experience with EBSNA, autism, ADHD, or neurodivergent masking.  Experience of work with families.

  • Approach: Deeply trauma-informed, exceptionally patient, with a non-judgmental approach to school refusal and family crisis.

  • Compliance & Rigour: Able to balance deep empathy with rigid operational compliance (such as maintaining strict, twice-daily dual-registration tracking windows and adhering to tight digital GDPR security protocols).

  • Logistics: A full UK Driving License and access to a vehicle with valid business insurance are essential for morning community outreach and student transport.

  • Safeguarding: Appointment is subject to an Enhanced DBS check.

Important Contractual Framework

Sidestep is an agile, short-term intervention provision. To protect our small non-profit team, this role utilizes a Demand-Led Framework Contract. Successful candidates will be contracted on an ongoing basis. Paid daily delivery hours will officially activate as student cohorts are finalized and assigned to your care as places are commissioned from mid-September.

How to Apply / Express Interest

If you want to step away from rigid classroom structures and do deep, impactful, one-to-one work that fundamentally alters a young person's life trajectory, we want to hear from you. Please have a look at the full job description & person specification and the framework contract and then get in touch!

To arrange an informal, confidential discussion about the role, please contact James Harris (enquiries@sidestep.org.uk or 07767142877).