Programme Assistant Permanent – Dun Laoghaire
Tivoli Early Years centre, Dun Laoghaire
General Information
Why work at Barnardos?
At Barnardos we seek to ensure that we have the best people working with us to support our work with children and families. The benefits of working with Barnardos are designed to promote continual professional development and a work-life balance for the most rewarding working experience.
- Barnardos offers a competitive salary – recognising the experience you bring to the role
- Generous annual leave entitlements plus discretionary Company days
- Positive working environment with family friendly ethos and work – life balance policy
- Tax saver and bike to work schemes in operation
- Employee pension scheme with employer contribution
- Paid sick leave
- An opportunity to help improve outcomes for vulnerable children and families by working in a trauma informed way
- Access to regular trauma informed support and supervision
- Ongoing support and access to training and professional development opportunities
- An opportunity to be part of a supportive team
- Access to the Employee Assistance Program for employees and their immediate family members
- Regular Breath, Body and mind sessions to support staff well-being
What does the Tivoli Early Years’ centre do?
The project seeks to improve child developmental outcomes for children aged birth to 5
years and to maximise the capacity of their families/carers to meet children’s needs by
offering an Early Intervention service.
To achieve this, we provide targeted supports for individual children and a bundle of
integrated family support services for their families. Specific attention is given to those families
where child protection or welfare concerns exist.
The service is needs-led working with the most vulnerable and disadvantaged families and
outcomes-focussed specifically focussing on parenting skills and child/parent relationships in
order to reduce subsequent difficulties for children.
Our overall aims are:
- To increase children’s emotional wellbeing
- And to improve children’s learning and development
We do this by providing a range of Hardiker level and 2 and 3 interventions in response to the individual assessed needs of children and their families referred to Barnardos.
Services include Infant and Toddler and Pre-school programmes for children based on the High Scope and Tús Maith curriculum, Individual work with children, Individual home based parenting work (Partnership with Parents), Parent/Child work, Practical Family Support, advice information and advocacy, and group work with parents including a Parents’ Breakfast.
Tivoli is a busy centre with children and their parents/carers attending our Early Years’ and Preschool services on a daily basis and additional families attending the family support services.
We work to provide a response that involves interagency collaboration to maximise outcomes for families.
Who do we work with?
Referrals are accepted from the Tusla, HSE, schools, and other agencies and individuals as appropriate, including other Barnardos services and parents/carers themselves.
All referrals will be responded to and following Barnardos assessment, services will be offered in line with presenting needs, criteria and service capacity.
Job Description
Post: Programme Assistant
Location: Barnardos Early Years’ Family Centre, Tivoli, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin
Responsible to: Project Leader
Works with: Team and service users
Job purpose
To provide a safe, child centred environment/experience to children in the context of the service in which you work and appropriate to the role.
Core Job Requirements
- To provide a safe and appropriate environment for children to participate in the service.
- To ensure all children attending the service receive an appropriate level of supervision.
- To support children attending to play and interact positively with other children.
- To be vigilant for signs of physical, sexual and emotional abuse and neglect and any concerns regarding the welfare of children.
- To immediately bring any concerns to the attention of the child’s Key Worker and the Designated Person and in keeping with Barnardos Child Protection Policy.
- To record concerns promptly and accurately.
- To gather information statistics and prepare reports as required, including administration of databases as appropriate to the role
- To supervise students and volunteers where necessary and to ensure they are aware of all Barnardos policies and compile placement reports as appropriate.
Requirements Specific to this Post
- To provide a flexible service on a day-to-day basis within the Early Years’ team.
- An experience or understanding of working with vulnerable children and families.
Requirements of all Barnardos staff
- Commitment to the purpose of Barnardos and to work within the values, policies and procedures of the organisation and in the context of current legislation and regulations
- To participate in regular supervision with your line manager
- To actively participate in team and staff meetings and service reviews/ evaluations and to contribute to the development of policy and practice with your area of work and within Barnardos as a whole
- To report any area of concern to your line manager in a timely manner
- To show reasonable flexibility in relation to hours of attendance to meet the needs of the work. Work during unsocial hours may be required.
- Have a flexible approach to the work in response to organisational change, development and review of best practice.
- Participate in and engage with a performance management programme.
- Identify training needs with your line manager and participate in training opportunities appropriate to the role
- To be vigilant to any Health, Safety and Welfare risks in the workplace and bring any concerns to the attention of your line manager or local Health & Safety Officer.
- To be vigilant to any concerns regarding the protection and welfare of children and to bring them to the attention of the Barnardos Designated Person in a timely manner, in keeping with the Barnardos Child Protection policies.
- To participate in the efficient flow of information within the organisation by sharing and seeking information as appropriate
- To undertake other duties as may be requested by the line manager from time to time
- To undertake your work in a manner that is friendly, flexible and informal.
Note: This Job Description will be reviewed and updated in line with the needs of the work.
Person Specification
Personal Attributes
- Commitment to provide a quality service to children
- Good communication and interpersonal skills
- Awareness of confidentiality and the ability to deal with sensitive issues, including child protection concerns
- Ability to work as part of a team
- Flexibility and adaptability are essential attributes in this role.
Experience
- Experience of working with children for a minimum of 6 months is essential.
- Relevant voluntary work/work experience may be considered.
Qualification
Recognised qualification (min Level 5 on the QQI) that is approved under the Early Years (Pre-school) Regulations.
The post-holder is initially assigned to work in the Early Years’ Service in Loughlinstown Family Centre, but may be required in the future to work in other project(s) in the Dublin area in line with Organisational needs.
Barnardos is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to
creating an inclusive environment for all.
Application Procedure
Download your application form
Shortlisting will apply (please note, CVs are not accepted on their own, candidates must complete and submit our application form through Barnardos website).
Candidates who are moved to the 2nd stage of our Recruitment process are required to complete a medical questionnaire and the E-Vetting process. References will also be taken up at this stage.
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Vacancy Details
LOCATION
Tivoli Early Years centre, Dun Laoghaire
Employment Type
Permanent and Part-time - 25 hours per week
Salary
€17,745 - €21,441, DOE. This is the pro-rata salary for 25 hours
Contact Person
Sarah Costigan Phone: 01 284 2323
Closing Date
Interview Date
To Be Advised