Support the positiveness of youths

Help children and young people to assess their social, emotional and identity needs and to develop a positive self image, enhance their self esteem and improve their self reliance.

stimulate the positiveness of youths
support youths’ positivity
support children’s positivity
support the positiveness of children

skill/competence

cross-sector

Support the positiveness of youths is an essential skill of the following occupations:

Primary school teaching assistant: Primary school teaching assistants provide instructional and practical support to primary school teachers. They reinforce instruction with students in need of extra attention and prepare the materials the teacher needs in class. They also perform clerical work, monitor the students’ learning progress and behaviour and supervise the students with and without the head teacher present.
Primary school teacher: Primary school teachers instruct students on a primary school level. They develop lesson plans in line with curriculum objectives for the variety of subjects they teach, including mathematics, languages, nature studies and music. They monitor the students’ learning development and evaluate their knowledge and skills on the subjects taught through tests. They build their course content on the students’ knowledge of previous learnings and encourage them to deepen their understanding on the subjects they are interested in. They use class resources and teaching methods to create an inspiring learning environment. Primary school teachers also contribute to school events and communicate with parents and administrative staff.
Nanny: Nannies provide qualified care services to children on the premises of the employer. They organise play activities and entertain children with games and other cultural and educative activities according to their respective age, prepare meals, give them bathes, transport them from and to school and assist them with homework on a punctual basis.
Child care social worker: Child care social workers provide social services to children and their families in order to improve their social and psychological functioning. They aim to maximize family’s well-being and protect children from abuse and neglect. They assist adoption arrangements and find foster homes where needed.
Teacher of talented and gifted students: Talented and gifted students co-ordinators ensure suitable education is provided to talented and gifted students, commonly children and young adults, on various levels. They oversee the implementation of the school’s gifted policy, monitor the students’ progress, and suggest extra activities to stretch and stimulate.
Consultant social worker: Consultant social workers deliver high quality social work services by contributing to the development and improvement of social work and social care practice. They contribute to policy development, deliver trainings and focus on research in the field of social work practices.
Education welfare officer: Education welfare officers address the social and psychological well-being of students. They counsel students concerning their personal issues that affect their school behaviour, performance and social life. These issues may range from attention deficit problems, to social and personal issues such as poverty or domestic and sexual abuse. Education welfare officers also handle the communication between the students, the parents and the school.
Special educational needs assistant: Special educational needs assistants assist special education teachers in their classroom duties. They tend to the physical needs of students with a variety of disabilities and help out with tasks such as bathroom breaks, bus rides, eating and classroom switches. They also provide instructional support to students, teachers and parents and prepare lesson programmes. Special educational needs assistants supply support for students tailored to their specific needs, help out with challenging assignments and monitor students’ progress and classroom behaviour.
Foster care support worker: Foster care support workers assist and support mentally or physically abused children to be legally separated from their parents. They help them to recover by placing them in appropriate families and making sure that the children welfare is a priority.
Child welfare worker: Child welfare workers provide early intervention and support to children and their families in order to improve their social and psychological functioning. They aim to maximise the family well-being and protect children from abuse and neglect. They advocate for children so that their rights are respected within and outside the family. They may assist single parents or find foster homes for abandoned or abused children.
Steiner school teacher: Steiner school teachers educate students using approaches that reflect the (Waldorf) Steiner philosophy and principles. They focus on practical, hands-on activities in the curriculum and instruct their classes in a manner that emphasises the development of the students’ social, creative and artistic capacities. Steiner school teachers instruct students in similar subjects to the ones in standardised education, although using a different approach, and with the exception of a higher amount of classes focused on creative and artistic practice and theory. They use teaching techniques that support the (Waldorf) Steiner school philosophy, evaluate students’ learning progress and communicate with other school staff.
Child day care worker: Child day care workers provide social services to children and their families in order to improve their social and psychological functioning. They aim to maximise family’s well-being by caring of children during the day.
Youth offending team worker: Youth offending team workers support young offenders by preventing them from reoffending, counselling them for behavioural changes, referring them to agencies that provide housing, helping them back into education, involving them in constructive activities, visiting them when located in secure institutions and assessing future risks.
Early years teaching assistant: Early years teaching assistants support the early years teacher in an early years or nursery school. They assist in class instruction, in classroom supervision in absence of the head teacher, and in organising, developing and putting into practice of the daily schedule. Early years teaching assistants monitor and help students in group as well as individually, and tend to focus on the students in need of extra care and attention the early years teacher cannot provide.
Residential childcare worker: Residential childcare workers counsel and support children who have physical or mental disabilities. They monitor their progress and provide them with care in a positive living environment. They liaise with the families in order to arrange their visits.
Early years teacher: Early years teachers instruct students, primarily young children, in basic subjects and creative play with the aim of developing their social and intellectual skills in an informal way in preparation for future formal learning. They create lesson plans, possibly in accordance with a fixed curriculum, for an entire class or smaller groups and test the students on the content. These lesson plans, based on basic subjects, can include the instruction of number, letter, and colour recognition, days of the week, categorisation of animals and transport vehicles etc. Early years teachers also supervise students outside the classroom on school grounds and enforce rules of behaviour there as well.
Mental health support worker: Mental health support workers assist and provide treatment to people with mental, emotional, or substance abuse problems. They focus on personalised cases and monitor the recovery process of their clients, providing also therapy, crisis intervention, client advocacy and education.
Drug and alcohol addiction counsellor: Drug and alcohol addiction counsellors provide assistance and counselling to individuals and families dealing with drug and alcohol addictions, monitoring their progress, advocating for them, performing crisis interventions and group therapy. They also assist the persons with the consequences of their addictions which can be unemployment, physical or mental disorders and poverty. Drug and alcohol addiction counsellors may also prepare educational programs for high-risk populations.
Residential home young people care worker: Residential home young people care workers provide assistance and support to young people who face complex emotional needs expressed in challenging behaviours. They support young adults with learning disabilities coping with school, encourage them to household activities and help them to take responsibility.
Montessori school teacher: Montessori school teachers educate students using approaches that reflect the Montessori philosophy and principles. They focus on constructivist and “learning through discovery” teaching models, through which they encourage students to learn from first-hand experience rather than through direct instruction and thus provide the students with a relatively high level of freedom. They adhere to a specific curriculum that respects the students’ natural, physical, social and psychological development. Montessori school teachers also teach classes with students differing up to three years in age in rather large groups, manage, and evaluate all the students separately according to the Montessori school philosophy.
Secondary school teaching assistant: Secondary school teaching assistants provide various support services to secondary school teachers such as instructional and practical support. They help with the preparation of lesson materials needed in class and reinforce instructions with students in need of extra attention. They also perform basic clerical duties, monitor the students’ learning progress and behaviour and supervise the students with and without the teacher present.
Freinet school teacher: Freinet school teachers educate students using approaches that reflect the Freinet philosophy and principles. They focus on enquiry-based, democracy-implementing and cooperative learning methods. They adhere to a specific curriculum that incorporates these learning methods through which students use trial and error practices in order to develop their own interests in a democratic, self-government context. Freinet school teachers also encourage students to practically create products and provide services in and outside of class, usually handcrafted or personally initiated, implementing the ‘pedagogy of work’ theory. They manage and evaluate all the students separately according to the Freinet school philosophy.
Family social worker: Family social workers provide emotional and practical help and advice to families that go through difficulties such as addictions, disabilities, sickness, imprisoned parents, marital and financial problems. They provide advice on what is best for the children in relation to their stay with their families or not, depending on the particular situation.
Special educational needs teacher: Special educational needs teachers work with and teach children, young people, and adults with an intellectual or physical disability. They use a range of specialised concepts, strategies and tools to optimise learners’ communication, mobility, autonomy, and social integration. They select teaching methods and support resources to enable individual learners to maximise their potential for independent living.
Mental health social worker: Mental health social workers assist and provide counselling to people with mental, emotional, or substance abuse problems. They focus on providing personalised support to cases and monitor the recovery process of their clients by providing therapy, crisis intervention, client advocacy and education. Mental health social workers may contribute to mental health services improvement and mental health outcomes for citizens.
Migrant social worker: Migrant social workers provide advice to migrants in order to guide them through the necessary steps of integration, namely living and working in a foreign country. They explain eligibility criteria, rights, and duties. They help migrants in the development and maintenance of their information as clients for further referral to day care, social services and employment programs. Migrant support workers collaborate with employers and inform them of the available migrant services, advocating for migrant clients.
Early years special educational needs teacher: Early years special educational needs teachers provide specially-designed instruction to students with a variety of disabilities on a kindergarten level and ensure they reach their learning potential. Some early years special educational needs teachers work with children who have mild to moderate disabilities, implementing a modified curriculum to fit each student’s specific needs. Other early years special educational needs teachers assist and instruct students with intellectual disabilities and autism, focusing on teaching them basic literacy and life skills. All teachers assess the students’ progress, taking into account their strengths and weaknesses, and communicate their findings to parents, counselors, administrators and other parties involved.
Youth worker: Youth workers assist and counsel young people helping them to reach their full potential by facilitating their personal, social and educational growth. They are also involved in managing youth and community projects and resources, delivering programmes related with health, relationships, smoking, drugs or violence issues. Youth workers advocate young people’s interests and collaborate with other organizations that support young people.
Sexual violence counsellor: Sexual violence counsellors provide support services, crisis care services and counselling to women and adolescents who have been directly or indirectly exposed to sexual assault and/or rape. They inform victims of the relevant legal procedures and protective services maintaining client confidentiality. They also address problematic sexualized behaviours of children.
Substance misuse worker: Substance misuse workers provide assistance and counselling to people with substance abuse problems. They monitor their progress, advocate for them, and performe crisis interventions and group therapy. They also assist patients dealing with the consequences of tobacco, alcohol or recreational drugs abuse, which can be problematics as unemployment, physical or mental disorders and poverty.
Special educational needs teacher primary school: Special educational needs teachers at primary schools provide specially-designed instruction to students with a variety of disabilities on a primary school level and ensure they reach their learning potential. Some special educational needs teachers at primary schools work with children who have mild to moderate disabilities, implementing a modified curriculum to fit each student’s specific needs. Other special educational needs teachers at primary schools assist and instruct students with intellectual disabilities and autism, focusing on teaching them basic and advanced literacy, life and social skills. All teachers assess the students’ progress, taking into account their strengths and weaknesses, and communicate their findings to parents, counselors, administrators and other parties involved.
Social pedagogue: Social pedagogues provide care, support, and education to children and young persons with different backgrounds or capabilities. They develop educational processes for young persons to be in charge of their own experiences, using a multi-disciplinary approach set to the learning experience. Social pedagogues contribute to the individuals’ learning, welfare, and societal inclusion, and put an emphasis on building self-reliance.

Support the positiveness of youths is optional for these occupations. This means knowing this skill may be an asset for career advancement if you are in one of these occupations.

Child care worker: Child care workers provide care for children when the parents or family members are unavailable. They look after the children’s basic needs and help or supervise them during play. Child care workers can work for preschools, daycare centres, childcare agencies or individual families.
Learning mentor: Learning mentors support underperforming students both inside and outside of the classroom in order to increase their academic success. They assist students experiencing (multiple) disadvantages, such as learning difficulties, behavioural issues, and attendance problems, and also assist gifted students who are under-challenged. They may also work with adult students in the further education system. Learning mentors develop schedules and action plans with the students in order to plan the necessary mentoring activities and monitor progress. They also liaise with the students’ teachers, educational psychologists, school social workers and, if necessary, with the student’s parents, in order to improve the student’s educational development.
Social worker: Social workers are practice-based professionals who promote social change and development, social cohesion, and the empowerment and liberation of people. They interact with individuals, families, groups, organisations and communities in order to provide various forms of therapy and counselling, group work, and community work. Social workers guide people to use services to claim benefits, access community resources, find jobs and training, obtain legal advice or deal with other local authority departments.
Family support worker: Family support workers provide emotional and practical help and advice to families that go through difficulties such as addictions, disabilities, sickness, imprisoned parents, marital and financial difficulties. They provide advice on the best solution for the children in relation to their stay with their families or not. They also provide information on the available services based on the family’s specific needs.
Social counsellor: Social counsellors provide support and guidance to individuals in the social work area, to help them solve specific problems in their personal life. It involves addressing personal and relationship issues, dealing with inner conflicts, crisis moments such as depression and addiction, in an attempt to empower individuals to achieve change and improve their life quality.
Clinical social worker: Clinical social workers provide therapy, counselling, and intervention services to clients. They treat clients with personal struggles, namely mental illness, addiction, and abuse, advocating for them and helping them gain access to the necessary resources. They also focus on the impact of medical and public health issues within social aspects.
Homelessness worker: Homelessness workers provide on-the-spot assistance, counselling and advice to people who have housing problems or live on the streets. They present them with services available to homeless people starting from hostel vacancies to financial aid services. They may have to cope with persons with mental health problems, addictions or victims of domestic or sexual abuse.
Hospital social worker: Hospital social workers provide counselling to patients and their families helping them to better cope with the illness, the emotions surrounding diagnosis, and with social and financial problems. They work in cooperation with doctors, nurses and other health professionals sensitising them on the emotional aspects of a patient. They act as link between patients and medical staff. Hospital social workers also support the patients and their families with the discharge from the hospital.
Crisis situation social worker: Crisis situation social workers provide emergency support and assistance to persons with physical or mental disorders by addressing their distress, impairment, and instability. They assess the level of risk, mobilise client resources, and stabilise the crisis.
Community care case worker: Community care case workers perform assessment and care management. They organise domiciliary services to support vulnerable adults who are living with physical impairment or convalescing, aiming to improve their lives in the community and enabling them to live safely and independently at their own home.
Social care worker: Social care workers provide support and help people with care services. They help people to live full and valued lives in the community. They assist babies, young children, adolescents, adults and older adults.They attend to the psychological, social, emotional and physical needs of service users. They work in a large variety of settings with individuals, families, groups, organisations and communities.
Victim support officer: Victim support officers provide assistance and counselling to people who were victim of or have witnessed crimes such as sexual assault, domestic abuse or anti-social behaviour. They develop solutions according to the different needs and feelings of persons.
Criminal justice social worker: Criminal justice social workers tackle criminal behaviour and reduce risk of reoffending by promoting and establishing programs to prevent crime within communities. They assist in prosecutions and help to investigate criminal cases. They assist prisoners reinsert into the community after release from custody. They also support and supervise the offenders sentenced to community service and provide support to the victims and the people closely affected by the crime.
Marriage counsellor: Marriage counsellors support and guide couples and families that are going through crises such as depression, substance abuse and relationship problems. They help improving their communication by providing group or individual therapy.
Babysitter: Babysitters provide short-term care services to children on the premises of the employer, depending on the employer’s needs. They organise play activities and entertain children with games and other cultural and educative activities according to their respective age, prepare meals, give them bathes, transport them from and to school and assist them with homework on a punctual basis.
Rehabilitation support worker: Rehabilitation support workers provide counselling to individuals dealing with birth defects or with major consequences caused by diseases, accidents, and burnouts. They help them to cope with personal, social and vocational issues. They assess the personal needs of clients, develop rehabilitation plans, get involved in the training, and help people undergoing a rehabilitation plan with job placement.
Au pair: Au pairs live and work for a host family in another country and are usually in charge of taking care of the family’s children. They are young individuals, seeking to explore another culture while providing child care services as well as other light housekeeping activities such as cleaning, gardening and shopping.
Community development social worker: Community development social workers support individuals, families, and groups in socially or financially deprived areas. They provide leadership and bring local people together to make changes and tackle social inequality, helping people to develop the skills needed to eventually run their own community groups.

References

1. Support the positiveness of youths – ESCO