Midlands Project Worker X2 – Young Parent Support Programme & Family Support

at  Barnardos

JOB DESCRIPTION

Post: Young Parent Support Programme (YPSP) and Family Support Project Worker
Location: Westmeath & Longford – Midlands
Responsible to: YPSP Project Co Ordinator and Family Support Project Leader Barnardos Mullingar and Athlone services
Works with: Barnardos staff, service users and other agencies.

CORE JOB REQUIREMENTS

• To assess the needs of the children and the families engaging with the project.
• To plan, implement and review programmes for children/young people/carers/families based on an assessment of their individual and group needs.
• To be vigilant for signs of physical, sexual and emotional abuse, neglect and any concerns regarding the welfare of children. To record concerns promptly and accurately. To consult with the Designated Person and take appropriate action in accordance with Barnardos Child Protection policy.
• To work with children/young people/carers/families in a variety of ways, including group work, individual work and family work, centre based and outreach work.
• To key work individual children/young people/carers/families in order to meet their needs and to advocate on their behalf.
• To liaise effectively with families and other statutory, community and voluntary bodies and to attend and contribute to reviews and case conferences as required.
• To work in partnership with other Barnardos services to best meet the needs of children and families by collaborating resources with planned interventions targeting groups/families of shared need.
• To keep regular records in relation to all aspects of work and prepare reports as required.
• To gather information statistics and prepare reports as required, including administration of databases as appropriate to the role.
• To identify and document to the line manager any unmet needs of children/young people/carers/families within the service and to participate in the advocacy work of the agency.

REQUIREMENTS SPECIFIC TO THIS POST

• Provide family support to children and families living in Co. Westmeath.
• You are initially assigned to work in the Westmeath projects but may be required in the future to work in other projects in the Midlands region in line with organisational needs.
  Note: This Job Description will be reviewed and updated in line with the needs of the work.

EXPERIENCE

• A minimum of 2 years post qualification experience of working with vulnerable children and families.
• Experience of working in partnership with families and carers.
• Experience of planning, implementing and reviewing programmes with children and/or families.

QUALIFICATIONS

A recognised third level practice qualification[1] (minimum Level 7 on the QQI ) in one of the following:

• Social Care
• Education
• Social Work
• Youth Work
• Or related discipline (Nursing, Psychology, Early Years Education).

WHAT DO OUR YOUNG PARENT SUPPORT PROGRAMME AND FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICES DO?

We offer support, information and advocacy in all areas of a young parent’s (parents under the age of 24) life including health, relationships, parenting, child care, social welfare entitlements, education, training and anything else about which the mother or father is concerned.
Our Family Support services offer a range of services for families (children aged 0-18), which include individual sessions with children, attachment and bonding sessions with young parents and their children, sessions with siblings, parent and child sessions, group-based therapeutic support for children, parenting support focusing on strengthening and modelling core-parenting skills, and structured parent-child support which aim to enhance and strengthen the parent-child relationship. Empowering parents to make appropriate parenting decisions. Parents may be seen with their children and / or on their own depending on the presenting need. The services operate Monday to Friday.
‘The Young Parents Support Programme is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union’.

JOB PURPOSE

To develop and implement programmes that respond to the needs of children and families referred to the service working in partnership with families and other organisational, community and voluntary bodies.