Community Support Worker/OT

at  Vision Ireland

Vision Ireland Services is an organisation which provides support and services nationwide to people experiencing sight loss. We also provide a range of services to public and private organisations to ensure their services are accessible to people who are blind and vision impaired

ABOUT THE ROLE

The CRW will work with children who are blind and vision impaired within the CHO1 area and surrounding wider areas.
The successful candidate will, along with their colleagues on the Children and Young Persons Team, work collectively to support and contribute to national initiatives and caseloads, therefore you will be required to travel in the course of carrying out your daily duties.
This is a part-time, permanent post comprising of 19 hours per week.
Third level qualification in Occupational Therapy or other allied health profession, Special Education or Low Vision is essential. Experience of working with children with a disability an advantage.
Apply with both a cover letter and CV. Informal enquiries by email only to recruitment@vi.ie.

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
  General
  Be cognisant of and conform to all the Vision Ireland policies & procedures

OPENNESS AND ACCOUNTABILITY

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