Child and Families Worker

JOB TITLE:  Child and Families Worker

REPORTS TO:  Senior Child and Families Worker, Community Impact Manager and Chief Operating Officer

Key Contacts External:  Other service providers and service users

LOCATION:  Swansea Community Cwtch's
SCALE POINT: £13.45 per hour
HOURS: 21 hours per week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 8:45am – 5:30pm).    (Occasional extra hours may be available).

Job Purpose/Summary:  To support the Community Cwtch Manager and staff team in providing high quality child and family support within a positive, safe and happy environment. To help plan, provide and take part in activities to stimulate and support children’s educational, physical, social, language, emotional and play development.

Job Description - Child and Families Worker 

Main Tasks

1. To deliver a range of play opportunities, in a variety of settings, in accordance with legislation, and Faith in Families policies and procedures and good practice guidelines.

2. To support a culture of excellence in play within the area through innovation, organisation, monitoring and review.

3. To lead by example.

4. To use play as a medium for supporting relationships and developing self-confidence, which will enable them to respond to the issues affecting them.

5. To assist in the development of models of participation to enable children’s voices to be heard in the evaluation and decision-making process.

6. To work as a member of the Faith in Families team, towards the achievement of our goals and targets alongside partner organisations and the local authority in supporting children and families in need.

7. To store and share information appropriately with regard for confidentiality and safe practice

8. To assist in the process of strengthening and developing voluntary and community groups to provide better quality services for children and their families.

9. To ensure any child protection concerns are recorded and reported in accordance with Faith in Families Safeguarding Procedures.

10. Help care for equipment to comply with Health and Safety Regulations.

11. With the management team, be responsible for Health and Safety both on and off site.

 General

· This post is subject to an Enhanced level of disclosure. The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

· Achieve the highest standards of safeguarding, whether through direct care provision or support activities to the children and families who come into contact with our services, or by appropriately reporting concerns about any child or family.

· To promote equality, inclusion, respect, fairness and diversity in all areas of planning and service delivery.

· To commit to Faith in Families core aim of ‘keeping the child at the centre’, and to promote and incorporate Participation as appropriate to your role.

· To be familiar with and comply with the Health, Safety and Welfare policies for Faith in Families and its Projects. In the event of any serious risk, take immediate action to reduce this risk and inform line management.

· Faith in Families operates within a constantly changing environment and as such work priorities and targets may change. Management reserves the right to make reasonable changes to the job purpose and accountabilities. It is essential therefore that it should be regarded with a degree of flexibility, so that changing needs can be met.

· Such other duties that occasionally arise, which fall within the purpose of the post

· To work cross functionally with other departments to ensure that Faith in Families Values and strategic objectives are achieved.

The post holder will be expected to continuously develop in their role. The job description is indicative of the current duties and responsibilities of the post holder, it is not comprehensive. It is inevitable that the duties will change to reflect organisational development.

Essential:
Educated to at least A Level standard or equivalent.

Desirable:
Psychology degree
NVQ 3 Advice and Guidance
QCF Level 5 Diploma in Leadership for Children\\\\\\\'s Care, Learning and Development (Advanced Practice) Wales and Northern Ireland (or equivalent)
Therapeutic play/intervention qualification.

Technical Competence: 
Proven IT skills, use of social media and engagement tools.  Experience of using data bases and data collation tools.

Experience:
-Direct experience of delivering one-to-one intensive support/therapeutic interventions.
-Direct experience of working with families in need.  Experience of working with children who have experienced trauma and adverse childhood experiences
-Experience of working with disadvantaged/marginalised families and knowledge and understanding of the barriers they may face.
-Developing and leading fun child-centred activities.
-Direct experience of organising, co-ordinating and managing your own workload.
-Experience of delivering group interventions.
-Experience of delivering proven 1-2-1 therapeutic interventions.
-Experience of collaborative work with service users, colleagues, and partner agencies.

Skills and abilities:
-Good understanding of issues relating to the specific needs of individual children.
-Ability to work within the framework of the Children Act in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.
-Demonstrate empathy and have self-awareness, be able to listen and be respectful.
-Ability to prepare and complete concise, clear reports and records on work undertaken.
-Ability to work with parents and referrers to plan effective services.
-Proven skills and experience of working with children and families in need, including issues of Child Protection An understanding of UNCRC.
-Ability to plan interventions, work to deadlines and work unsupervised within the agreed framework.
-Excellent organisational and time management skills.
-Effective verbal and written communication skills.
-Ability to use initiative.
-Ability to prioritise work according to need.
-Resilience and capacity to deal with demanding and challenging situations.
-Ability to work as a positive and constructive team member.
-The ability to motivate others .
-Facilitation and presentation skills.
-Negotiation and mediation skills
-A commitment to Health and Safety at work, including lone working.
-Good understanding of issues relating to the specific needs of children and young people with disabilities.
-Experience of multi-agency working
-Commitment to equal opportunities:
-Awareness and understanding of multi-cultural and racial issues.
-A commitment to equal opportunities, adopting a non-judgemental approach and be able to work professionally with people who hold different views, and have different lifestyles from your own.
-Knowledge and understanding of the impact of poverty within areas of material deprivation.
-A strong commitment to anti-discriminatory practice

Special Requirements:
A qualified driver with use of a car for work

Real Living Wage.

Please provide a CV and covering letter, outlining how you meet the role criteria.

We reserve the right to close the job early, should we receive sufficient candidates

Per hour