Contract Type: Full time, Specific Purpose Contract - Maternity Leave Cover
Working hours: 37.5 hours per week.
Location: Galway

PURPOSE OF THE POST

To provide a quality and professional service to children with vision loss and their families to moderate the impact of vision loss and ensure children are supported to achieve their potential.

RESPONSIBILITIES

To liaise with referrers and manage intake of referrals of children according to Vision Ireland’s agreed protocols.
To provide in depth functional impact assessment at baseline and ongoing, with all children deemed appropriate for referral to Vision Ireland services
To independently manage a caseload of children using a tiered approach to intervention based on assessed needs.
To advise and/or deliver intervention programmes to children with vision loss, ranging from universal, targeted and/or individualised solutions and strategies which include the following areas:
Development/enhancement of independent living skills
Maximising residual vision
Development of compensatory skills
Communication skills & assistive technology
Safe and independent travel skills
Environmental adaptation
To provide an appropriate level of emotional support and demonstrate empathy to families and children and refer on for further support where necessary.
Support the co-ordination of group activities where required, e.g., group learning, peer support etc., and facilitate the inclusion of volunteers in such activities. (These activities may necessitate occasional stays away from home.)
Provide relevant and appropriate information regarding all aspects of sight loss and how it impacts function to support families in maximising their child’s potential.
Liaise with government, statutory and voluntary bodies in the promotion of the needs and rights of people with vision impairment and their families.
Work in partnership with families and other professionals in all stages of service provision to ensure optimal outcomes for children with vision loss.
To develop and maintain your own knowledge base and skills and to contribute to the team learning
Take an active role in the development of Vision Ireland services for children working both independently and collaboratively within a skill mix team
To contribute to policy and assist in the setting & monitoring of standards as well as evaluation of practice & service.
Maintain case and work records to the standards required within the Organisation and comply with all Vision Ireland policies in relation to electronic record keeping, file maintenance, information sharing, confidentiality, health and safety etc.
To be aware of and adhere to Vision Ireland and statutory Child Protection measures

OPENNESS AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Vision Ireland carries out its work in an open manner and is accountable to all stakeholders for our actions and decisions.