Project Worker – Special Needs Service Tallaght, Dublin 24

Post:                                       Project Worker 33 hours

Location:                                 Barnardos Special Needs Service,

Chamber House, Chamber Square, Tallaght, Dublin 24, D24VRC0

Responsible to:                       Project Co-ordinator

Works with:                            Barnardos staff and Internal and external stakeholders, Project Team and H.S.E Disability Network Team

Job purpose

To develop and implement programmes that respond to the needs of young children and their parents referred to the service working in partnership with families, H.S.E. Disability Network Team and other organisational, community and voluntary bodies.

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

• To deliver individual and group work programmes responding to the individual needs of young children with a range of additional needs who are referred to the service by HSE Disability Network Team
• To keywork / work directly with the parents of referred children, via individual work or group work, supporting them to meet their children’s needs by providing practical support, parenting supports, advice, information, supporting access to educational placements and other appropriate interventions as necessary, or as agreed with the HSE Disability Network Team
• To work in an integrated way with other Barnardos services in the catchment area and with the HSE Disability Network Team

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.